“What’s the rush?” she asked, a bit breathlessly as she followed him down the stairs to his truck.
“I can’t be this close to you and a bed at the same time, Abby,” he explained as they approached his truck. He leaned in close, pressing her back against the cab. “I know that you need more time, time to get used to what’s happening between us. So instead of tempting fate, and my self-discipline, we need to get away from temptation. Because you…” he glanced down at her sweater set and Abby suddenly realized that his hands were underneath the sweater, stroking her bare skin. “Honey, you’re temptation personified!”
He gave her a quick, hard kiss and pulled her into his arms just long enough to open the door to his truck. Abby eyed the tall truck hesitatingly. His truck was just like him - big! Instead of making an undignified entrance into the cab of the truck, Zeke took matters into his own hands and simply lifted her up, placing her gently into the passenger seat.
With a wink, he slammed the door closed, then walked around to the driver’s side. When he pulled himself into the seat, he looked at her with an expression that dared her to be angry with his efficiency.
“Just drive,” she ordered, laughing.
Twenty minutes later, Abby was completely lost. She had no idea where he was taking her. For all she knew of this area, he could be taking her to a swamp to bury her alive.
She didn’t think that was the case at all. In fact, she felt safer with Zeke than she did in her own home behind a locked door. Looking at him, she suspected that Zeke could take on Superman and come out the winner!
“Where are we?” she asked when he pulled into a small area that wasn’t really a parking lot. It was more just a small space between the trees and shrubs.
“It’s a spot I found about a year ago when I was jogging.”
She looked around, the road was probably four miles behind them. “You were jogging this far out?”
“Yeah. It’s only about ten miles to this point. But it’s worth it. Trust me.” He came to a stop and turned off the engine. With that, he reached behind his seat and grabbed two bags.
“That’s a pretty long run,” she commented, squinting into the distance. “How long does it take you to get this far?”
He walked around to her side of the truck and opened the door. “Want me to carry you?”
“No way! I’m not pulling those stitches,” she replied, but he lifted her out of the truck, setting her feet on the ground with just one arm.
She laughed and pulled back as soon as she had her balance. “Okay, lead the way.”
He looked down at her. “How often do you let a man take you out into the woods to a place you don’t recognize?”
Abby looked up at him, all amusement gone. “Never, Zeke. In fact, in the past, I wouldn’t even allow a man to drive me to a date. I generally met my dates at the restaurant or coffee shop until I felt more comfortable with him.”
He stared at her for a long moment before he said, “So, what makes me different?”
She frowned thoughtfully, not exactly sure how to answer his question. “I can’t explain it. You’re just…different,” she admitted with a slight shrug.
There was a silence as they absorbed her words and the meaning behind them. Then Zeke lowered his head, brushing his lips over hers tenderly. Zeke took her hand and led her deeper into the woods.
After several minutes of walking, Abby heard the rushing water. “What is this place?” she asked.
“Wait for it,” he said, a teasing note to his voice. “It’s just around this bend in the path.”
They turned on a barely used path and…! “Oh Zeke!” she whispered. Right in front of her was a small waterfall that flowed over large stones, surrounded by weeping willows that draped softly over the banks, the long tendrils of the weeping willow branches dipping gracefully into the water. Because the days were longer, the sun still dappled through the leaves, but it wasn’t hot. Although it wasn’t too cool either. The temperature was perfect for a spring picnic.
“This is amazing!” she whispered, leaning her shoulder against his side, unconsciously needing to touch him, to feel the strength of him against her side.
“I’m glad that you like it,” he replied. He pulled a blanket out of one of the bags and spread it out over the grass. “Have a seat.” He pulled out two glasses and a bottle of wine, several types of cheese, a loaf of crusty bread, grapes, and a tin of cookies. Homemade cookies!
“This looks wonderful,” she told him, taking each of the containers and peering into them as soon as he handed it to her.
“Good. I hope you’re hungry.”
For the next two hours, they sat on the blanket sampling different cheeses and bread along with grapes, talking about their lives and preferences, laughing at teenage foibles and college aspirations. When she’d had enough, he finally handed her the container of cookies. “I don’t know what kind you like, so take your pick.”
Abby removed the lid and discovered several different types of homemade cookies. “Who made these?” she asked, debating over what looked like a caramel cookie versus a peanut butter cookie.
“I did.”
She’d just picked up a peanut butter cookie when he said that. Unfortunately, she couldn’t read his expression, and he popped a cookie into his mouth, so she couldn’t determine if he was serious.
“No,
