But Ranger Carly’s words didn’t soothe Eve’s doubts. Matt had been a pretty ordinary guy and he’d fallen prey to other women. How was she supposed to keep a guy like Charlie interested- especially for the rest of her life? What was it that attracted him to her-besides her skills in the kitchen?
Maybe she’d have to resort to cooking meat, Eve mused. If he couldn’t get it at home, then he’d go other places to find it-fast food restaurants filled with pretty young women, butcher shops filled with pretty young women, steakhouses…filled with pretty young women.
“Hey. You made it back,” Charlie said, crossing the room to stand in front of her.
“No bears,” Eve said. “It wasn’t so bad. I ran into the bikers soon after I left you. And all I saw on the trail were a few squirrels and a very big crow.”
“Come on. They’re going to take us to get our cars and then I have to stop by a hospital and get an X-ray.” He pulled her into a hug. “Thanks for rescuing me, Evie. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
“I’m sure you would have survived. You don’t need me.”
He drew back, frowning at her. His hand cupped her cheek and he ran his thumb over her lips. “Where would you get an idea like that? Of course I need you.” He kissed her softly, then grinned. “Come on. I’m ready to get out of the woods and find a nice soft spot to rest my ankle.” He leaned closer to whisper in her ear. “My bed, preferably, with you in it.”
As she walked out of the ranger station, Carly gave her a thumbs-up. Eve smiled weakly. Everyone else seemed to be convinced Charlie was the perfect man for her. Now, she just had to convince herself.
CHARLIE STRETCHED OUT on the leather couch in his living room, his ankle propped up on a pillow. Eve was in the kitchen, making them both lunch while he watched a Rockies game on television.
He smiled to himself. Since they’d returned from the woods yesterday, he and Eve had settled back into their life together. She’d decided to take the day off from the restaurant to work on her cookbook, testing recipes in his kitchen. She claimed using his kitchen was better since it contained consumer appliances, which her readers would be using anyway.
Charlie preferred to think she just wanted to spend more time with him. After discovering his plans to go back to Nepal, she’d begun to see their time together as finite. Charlie hadn’t bothered to tell her he had decided not to take the job.
The way he figured, it would be a good test, a chance to find out how she really felt. As the time grew closer for him to “leave,” her true feelings would be revealed. And if she asked him to stay, or begged him to stay as he imagined it, then he’d know they had a future together.
Though it wasn’t the best way to go about gauging her feelings, it was the only option open to him. Every time he tried to discuss the future, Eve quickly changed the subject. It wasn’t difficult for him to understand her reluctance, especially after her divorce.
But it was more than just a general distrust of men, Charlie mused. He suspected she was afraid her career would suffer if she committed to a relationship. Over the past week, she’d spent very little time at the restaurant and he could see how torn she was about it. The only factor that saved her was her belief he’d be gone in a week or two and her life would return to normal.
Charlie grabbed his crutches and hopped up on one foot. He made his way to the kitchen, standing in the doorway and watching her as she bent over the counter, her back toward him. “How’s it going?”
Eve glanced over her shoulder. “Really well,” she said. “Here, come and taste.” She moved to the stove, then stirred a pot, before scooping out a ladle of soup into a bowl. “I love soup,” she said with a sigh. “It’s the perfect food.”
“I always thought hot dogs were the perfect food,” Charlie said.
She groaned. “Have I taught you nothing?”
“It’s a meal in a bun. Tacos are almost as good, but they’re a lot messier. Anything wrapped in anything else is my idea of a perfect meal. You can put it in your pocket, eat it in the car, and not have to bother with a fork and a knife.”
“Taste it,” she said.
“Tofu?” he asked.
Eve shook her head. “It’s a five-bean chili with TVP instead of meat. There are seven different vegetables in it.”
Charlie gave it a taste and smiled. “It’s good. It’s really good. It’s kind of sweet and smoky.”
“Molasses,” she said. “And Dijon mustard. I think it’s just about right. Spicy, but not too spicy.”
“Man, if you could dehydrate this, I know a lot of climbers who’d eat this every night for dinner.”
“It would taste pretty good dehydrated,” she said. “The beans would hold up really well.”
He leaned back on the counter. “We should start a business together,” he said. “There’s a good-sized market for dehydrated foods. Especially foods that taste good and pack a lot of calories and carbs into a small amount of space. Campers and climbers would love it-and probably the military, too. Astronauts. There’s another market, although it’s a small niche.”
Eve giggled. But then her smile faded slightly. “You really think there’s a market?”
“I know a lot of climbers who are vegetarian. And those who aren’t would buy this just because it tasted so good.”
“I have a dehydrator at the restaurant. I use it for fresh herbs and fruit. We’d have to cook all the ingredients separately. You couldn’t just dump soup into it and expect it to work.”
“I know a guy who runs an outfitting company and he’s always looking for new ventures. He’d carry this, I’m sure of it. And a lot of the expeditions on Everest use him for their equipment and supplies.”
“I have a lot of other recipes that would work,” Eve said, excitement growing in her voice. “We could-” She stopped suddenly. “I could-”
“No,” Charlie said. “
“No,” she said.
“No?” He frowned. “No to the business? Or no to the sticking around?”
“We had an agreement,” she said.
Charlie laughed. “We never had any agreement. Did I sign something I wasn’t aware of? I mean, there have been times over the past two weeks when I’ve lost touch with reality, mostly when we’re in bed.” He cleared his throat. “No, always when we’re in bed. Unless I signed your agreement then, I don’t remember.”
“You know what I mean,” Eve said. “You’re supposed to go away again. And I’m supposed to carry on with my life. That’s the way I had it planned.”
“Well, plans change,” he said, his tone sharp with anger. Frustration welled up inside of him. This was crazy. He was in love with Eve Keller and she refused to believe him. Maybe this was just all poetic justice. He’d seduced so many women that he’d lost all credibility.
“Please, don’t do this,” Eve said.
“How do you feel?” Charlie asked, grabbing her arms and turning her to face him. He touched her head. “Not in here, but in here.” He pressed his palm to her chest. “I know how I feel, Eve. I’m falling in love with you. Hell, I might as well admit it. I
“Why? So you can reassure yourself you’re just a normal guy with normal needs? What’s to stop you from changing your mind? Millions of guys do it. Just because you love me now doesn’t mean you’ll love me in a year or two.”
“You’re right,” he said. “But sometimes you just have to go on faith. You have to take a chance and see the possibilities.” He leaned close and touched his lips to hers. “You can’t deny there’s something incredible between us.”
“Sex isn’t love,” she said. “And desire isn’t fidelity. I’m not stupid enough to believe that.”
“So, I’m paying for the mistakes you made with your ex?”
“Mistakes
“You were the one who married him.”
She cursed softly, slamming the spoon down on the counter. “Don’t you dare blame all of that on me. You share just as much of the blame.”
“All right,” Charlie said. “Now we’re getting somewhere. Yes, I will take part of the blame. I was an idiot to leave you. I should never have walked out. I made the biggest mistake of my life and now, I’m paying for it.”
She opened her mouth as if to snap back at him, but then her expression softened. “Only some mistakes can’t be fixed. No matter how hard you want to try,” she said in a defeated tone. Eve took a ragged breath. “I should go. I have to work. I’ve stayed away from the restaurant for far too long.”
“No, we’re going to settle this. Right here and right now,” Charlie said. “I want to know where I stand.”
She closed her eyes and shook her head. “I can’t make any promises,” Eve murmured. “I won’t. Not now.”
“So you want me to leave?”
“Of course not,” she said.
“You want me to stay?”
“You have to work. And you have a chance to do that in Nepal. I’m not going to keep you from leaving. And I’m not going to ask you to stay. Make up your own mind.”
With that, she turned and strode out of the kitchen. Charlie heard the front door slam and he cursed out loud. What had ever made him believe this would be easy? He’d always thought if he found the right woman, everything would work out like it was supposed to. But now, he felt as if he was in the middle of a battle of wills-and he was losing.
What more was he supposed to do to prove his feelings to her? He limped over to the kitchen table and sat down. Eve had made cornbread and the loaf was cooling in front of him. He took a knife and cut off a huge slice, then slowly bit into it.
“Oh, God,” he murmured. Charlie reached for the butter and slathered a good measure on the warm bread. There were so many things he loved about Eve. The way her naked body felt against his, the taste of her mouth when he kissed her, the scent of her damp hair after a shower. Now he could add her cornbread and five-bean chili to his list.
“THEY WANT US TO FLY TO Seattle this weekend. All the investors are going to be in town and they’d like you to cook for them on Sunday night.”
“This weekend?” Eve sighed. After two days off, she’d put in a long night in the kitchen, a night filled with confusion over Charlie. The last thing she wanted to talk about was business. “I’m not ready. I need time to plan a menu.”
“Cook what you cook at the restaurant every day,” Lily said. “That’s what they’re looking for. They’ve got a restaurant booked and you can use their kitchen. You’re supposed to call with a list of supplies you’ll need. And we’ll shop when we get out there.” She paused. “And they want you to do at least a few seafood dishes.”
“Why? They know I’m a vegetarian chef.”
“They think the restaurant would be more popular if you at least had three or four fish and seafood dishes on the menu. It works for us here. And Seattle is a fish town.”
Eve shook her head. “If they really want me, then they’ll take me the way I am.” Though Eve wanted to sound as if she were standing on principle, she knew that her argument had nothing to do with her beliefs as a cook. She wanted to spend every last day she could with Charlie.
“Eve, you can convince them of that
