Stranger in Town (Dundee, Idaho #5)(46)
Author: Brenda Novak

“Normally, he could, but—” She noticed Lazarus sitting at attention in the living room, following her every move. “Your dog’s staring at me as if he knows all my dirty secrets.”

“That’s because he does.”

“I don’t see why he has to taunt me about it,” she said with a grin.

“He’s not taunting. Lazarus just knows a good thing when he sees it.”

“That dog’s like a canine extension of you,” she grumbled.

“I’ll take that as a compliment. Alaskan Malamutes are smart. But you have to train them when they’re young or you’ll never gain control.”

“I’m sure your mother once said something similar about a little boy named Gabriel.”

“Wrong. I was as angelic as my name.”

“I bet.”

He laughed and moved to the sink to wash his hands, and she realized he’d been working on something.

“What are you doing?”

“Making a mess.”

It certainly looked that way, but when she moved closer, she could see that he’d actually been dipping strawberries. Instantly, her mind reverted to the menu she’d given him for dinner tonight. Evidently, he’d gone to some effort to deliver. “Those are for me?”

He frowned at the results of his labor. “Well, they didn’t turn out quite as pretty as the ones you might see at Godiva’s, but—” he licked his fingers “—they taste almost as good as you do.”

She couldn’t help smiling at him. “Do you have champagne and caviar around here somewhere, too?”

He cocked an eyebrow at her. “Don’t you think you’re asking for a little much, considering you haven’t washed one window?”

“You had your chance for windows,” she said flippantly. “You chose an alternate activity. Ask Lazarus.”

Gabe’s gaze fixed on her chest. “No regrets on my part. We can save the windows for another time.”

She could tell he was testing her to see what to expect from her in the future and knew she had to speak up. If she continued to visit Gabe’s cabin, what happened today would turn into a full-blown affair and one of them would wind up getting hurt. Namely her. She was in love with him already. The current of her desire had pulled her in deep—too deep. “Actually, I probably won’t be coming back, Gabe.”

The smile fled his face. “Seriously?”

“I think it’ll be easier to cut things off now, don’t you? We both know what happened today can’t go anywhere. Neither of us is in a good position for a relationship, so there’s no need to cause a big stir.”

“What constitutes a ‘big stir’? We’re both single. We’re both adults.”

“And we both live in a close community. If word got out…Well, I’m sure my boys would hear about it, and Russ and his family, and—”

“You’re afraid of the gossip?”

No, she was afraid of getting too attached, too used to feeling his hands on her body. She didn’t want to see him with another woman after their affair ended and feel the kind of kick-in-the-gut jealousy she knew she’d feel if she hung on to him too long. She preferred to cherish this brief interlude and move on while she could do so with some dignity. “Look on the bright side, Gabe. Now you won’t have to let me down gently in a few weeks.”

“I’ve told you before I can take care of myself, Hannah. I don’t need you to walk away today so I won’t have to do it later. Just like I didn’t need you to run interference for me last night at the restaurant,” he added as an afterthought.

She ignored the first part because it was easier to argue about the second. “If you didn’t need me to intercede, why did you let those people monopolize your time? You weren’t enjoying yourself.”

“How do you know?”

“I could tell. I know your expressions, your…smiles,” she finally finished.

“My smiles. God, you’re so…”

“What?” she prompted.

“Frustrating!” he said, but she got the impression he meant “endearing.” They weren’t really fighting. They were trying to adjust to the rapid changes in their relationship, and she knew it.

Lazarus barked and hurried to the side of his master the moment Gabe raised his voice. But Gabe shot him a scowl, and he immediately quieted and sat down.

“Because I’m wrong?” Hannah said. “You were having fun signing your name on napkins at the restaurant while your food turned cold?”

He didn’t answer.

“You more or less told me you didn’t want a relationship. Now you’re saying you do?” she said.

“God.” He rubbed his eyes. “I’m not sure what I want. You come out here and…and things get wild, hot. Then you get up and say you’re not coming back. What am I supposed to make of that?”

She’d rejected him before he could reject her. This had to be pride talking. But now that he knew his body probably wasn’t going to fail him at a critical juncture in some future relationship, he didn’t need her anymore. He could proceed with confidence. “You’ll be fine from here on out,” she said. “Just…”

“What?”

She wanted to say, “Just know that this day meant a lot to me,” but that was far too revealing. “Be happy.”

“Great, thanks for the ‘see ya later’.”

She ignored his sarcasm. “I’m sorry. I wish I could at least stay for dinner.”

“But you’re in too big a hurry to slam the door in my face.”

“That’s not it.”

“You’ve got to be hungry, Hannah. Sit down and eat with me.”

“I’d like to. It smells good. But I slept too long and now I have to run. Kenny got in a fight last night, and—”

“What?”

For the moment, she’d succeeded in shocking him out of the surliness she’d caused with her “no strings attached” response to today. “I know,” she said. “It came as a surprise to me, too. You should’ve seen him when he got up this morning.”

“Is he hurt?”

She shrugged. “He has a black eye and a busted lip.”

“Who hit him?”

Hannah sensed the same protectiveness in Gabe she’d felt when she’d first seen Kenny’s face. But she didn’t want to acknowledge his support. She didn’t need any more reason to love him. “That’s the problem. From what I can tell, he started the fight.”