She rose from the glider. 'I still don't want you to stay here.'
'It's my cottage.'
'I have renter's rights.'
His voice slid over her, soft and sexy. 'I think being around me just makes you nervous.'
'Yeah, right.' She managed a yawn.
Amused, he nodded toward her wineglass. 'You're drinking. Aren't you afraid you'll attack me again in my sleep?'
'Oops. Relapse. And I didn't even realize it.'
'Or maybe you're afraid I'll attack you.'
Something licked at her deep inside, but she played Ms. Cool, wandering over to the table to wipe up a few bread crumbs with the napkin she'd left there. 'Why should I be? You're not attracted to me.'
He waited just long enough before he replied to make her nervous. 'How do you know who I'm attracted to?'
Her heart did a provoking little skipper-dee. 'Oh, my gosh! And here I thought my command of the English language would drive us apart.'
'You're such a wise-ass.'
'Sorry, but I like my men with more depth of character.'
'Are you trying to say you think I'm shallow?'
'As a sidewalk puddle. But you're rich and gorgeous, so it's okay.'
'I am not shallow!'
'Fill in the blank: The most important thing in Kevin Tucker's life is-'
'Football is my career. That hardly makes me shallow.'
'The second, third, and fourth most important things in Kevin Tucker's life are football, football, and oh my god, football.'
'I'm the best at what I do, and I'm not apologizing.'
'The fifth most important thing in Kevin Tucker's life is-Oh, wait now, that would be women, wouldn't it?'
'Quiet ones, so that leaves you out!'
She was halfway to a great comeback when it hit her. 'I get it. All the foreign women…' He looked wary. 'You don't want someone you can truly communicate with. That might get in the way of your primary obsession.'
'You have no idea what you're talking about. I keep telling you: I date lots of American women.'
'And I'll bet they're interchangeable. Beautiful, not too bright, and-as soon as they turn demanding-out the door.'
'The good old days.'
'I insulted you, in case you didn't realize it.'
'I insulted you back, in case you didn't realize it.'
She smiled. 'I'm sure you don't want to stay under the same roof with someone who's so demanding.'
'You're not getting rid of me that easily. As a matter of fact, living together could have some advantages.' He rose from the glider and gazed at her with an expression that conjured up images of sweaty bodies and messy sheets. Then he reached into the pocket of his robe, breaking the spell which had probably all been in her imagination anyway.
He pulled out a crumpled sheet of paper. It took her only a moment to recognize the drawing she'd made of Daphne diving into the water.
'I found this in the trash.' He smoothed it out as he came toward her, then pointed down at Benny. 'This guy? He's the badger?'
She nodded slowly, wishing she hadn't discarded the drawing where he could find it.
'So why did you throw it away?'
'Safety issues.'
'Uhm…'
'Sometimes I use incidents in my own life for inspiration.'
His mouth quirked. 'I can see that.'
'I'm really more a cartoonist than an artist.'
'This is a little too detailed for a cartoon.'
She shrugged and held out her hand to take it back, but he shook his head. 'It's mine now. I like it.' He slipped it his pocket, then turned back toward the kitchen door. 'I'd better get dressed.'
'Good, because staying here won't work.'
'Oh, I'm staying here. I'm just going into town for a while.' He paused and gave her a crooked smile. 'You can come along if you'd like.'
Her brain sounded a warning. 'Thanks anyway, but my German's rusty, and too much chocolate makes my skin break out.'
'If I didn't know better, I'd say you were jealous.'
'Just remember,
She heard him come in sometime after one, so it was a pleasure banging on his bedroom door at dawn. There had been rain overnight, but as they walked silently down the lane, they were both too groggy to appreciate the freshly washed, rosy-gray sky. While Kevin yawned, she concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other and avoiding puddles. Only Roo was happy to be up and about.
Molly fixed blueberry pancakes, and Kevin sliced uneven chunks of fruit into a blue pottery bowl. As he worked, he grumbled that someone with a 65-percent pass completion record shouldn't have to do kitchen duty. His complaining stopped, however, when Marmie strolled in.
'Where did that cat come from?'
Molly dodged his question. 'She showed up yesterday. That's Marmie.'
Roo whimpered and crawled under the table. Kevin grabbed a tea towel to dry his hands. 'Hey, girl.' He knelt and stroked the animal. Marmie immediately curled against him.
'I thought you didn't like animals.'
'I love animals. Where did you get that idea?' Marmie put her paws on his leg, and he picked her up.
'From my dog?'
'That's a dog? Jeez, I'm sorry. I thought it was an industrial-waste accident.' His long, lean fingers slid through the cat's fur.
'Slytherin.' She slapped the lid back onto the flour container. What kind of man liked a cat more than he liked an exceptionally fine French poodle?
'What did you call me?'
'It's a literary reference. You wouldn't understand.'
'Harry Potter. And I don't appreciate name calling.'
His reply irritated her. It was getting harder and harder to convince herself he was just a pretty face.
The Pearsons were their first customers. John Pearson consumed half a dozen pancakes and a serving of scrambled eggs while he updated Kevin on the couple's so-far-fruitless search for Kirtland's warbler. Chet and Gwen were leaving that day, and when Molly peered into the dining room, she saw Gwen casting come-hither glances at Kevin. A little later she heard a commotion from the front of the house. She turned off the heat and rushed into the foyer, where the forbidding man she'd seen on the Common the day she'd arrived was growling at Kevin.
'She's a redhead. Tall-five feet nine. And beautiful. Somebody said they saw her here yesterday afternoon.'
'What do you want with her?' Kevin asked.
'We had an appointment.'
'What kind of an appointment?'
'Is she here or not?'
'I thought I recognized that snarl.' Lilly appeared at the top of the stairs. Somehow she managed to make her simple periwinkle linen camp shirt and matching walking shorts look glamorous. She began to descend, every inch the queen of the screen, then stalled awkwardly as she spotted Kevin. 'Good morning.'
He gave her a brusque nod and disappeared into the dining room.
Lilly retained her composure. The man who'd come to see her stared toward the dining room, and Molly
