“Is that a problem?” her voice drew him from his thoughts.
“No. Thanks for taking me in and feeding me. I will pay you back.”
She shook her head. “That’s not necessary.”
She had a point. Anyone who could afford a place this extravagant didn’t need a handout. Far from it.
“Are you staying in this massive log home by yourself?” He vocalized his thoughts before he could register how that might sound.
Her brows arched. “I am.” She paused as though trying to decide what to say next. “It’s all they had left when I arrived.”
So this trip was spur-of-the-moment. He found that interesting. To his surprise, he was finding most everything about this woman interesting. That hadn’t happened to him since...since he’d met his wife.
Not that his interest in Mae was remotely similar to the way he felt about June. He supposed that it was only natural to feel some sort of indebtedness to the person who saved your life. That had to be it. For all he knew, he’d hit his head in the accident. It sure hurt enough to have struck something.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to be nosy,” he said. “I guess it’s just the nature of my job.”
Just then Gizmo came running into the room.
&
nbsp; “Gizmo, stop.” Mae had a horrified look on her face.
Jackson couldn’t help but wonder what had put that look on her face until the little dog stopped in front of him with something pink hanging from its mouth.
“Gizmo!” Mae rushed forward.
The dog dropped a pink lacy bra at Jackson’s feet. He glanced up to find Mae’s face the same shade as the delicate bra. Jackson couldn’t help himself. On one leg, he carefully maneuvered himself closer to the floor so he could pick up the piece of lingerie.
He straightened just as Mae reached him. A smile pulled at his lips as he held out the bra. “I believe this is yours.”
“Quit smiling.” She snatched the very alluring bra from him. “It isn’t funny.”
“Your dog has an interesting sense of humor.”
“He’s a klepto. That’s all.” And then realizing that she was still holding the bra in front of him, she moved it behind her back.
“You have good taste.” He knew he shouldn’t have said it, but he couldn’t resist a bit of teasing.
The color heightened in her face. “If you’re done critiquing my lingerie, I’ll take my clothes upstairs.”
She turned promptly. With her head held high and her shoulders rigid, she moved to the armchair. For some reason, he didn’t think she would be so easily embarrassed. After all, earlier today she was not afraid to call the shots, including stripping him down to his boxers and then dressing him. But just now, he’d witnessed a vulnerable side of her. Most intriguing.
“Pink looks good on you,” he called out.
She turned and gave him a dirty look. It was at that point that he burst out laughing. In that moment, he forgot about all his aches and pains. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed without it being on cue. It felt good. Real good.
Mae gathered her clothes and strode over to the steps leading to the second floor. A smile lingered on his face as he settled back on the couch. He figured he’d be less of a bother here as opposed to anywhere else.
Gizmo returned to the room. He hefted himself onto the couch. He settled against Jackson’s thigh and put his head down. Jackson never bothered with dogs, but maybe Gizmo wasn’t so bad after all. He ran his hand over the dog’s soft fur. At least, Gizmo had a sense of humor. Unlike his human counterpart.
* * *
This was not the quiet solitude that she’d imagined.
Serena busied herself in the kitchen, trying to put together dinner. But all the while, her thoughts were on Jackson. He was not what she’d expected. He was more down-to-earth. And his eyes, they were—dare she say it—dreamy. She could get lost in them. And his laugh, it was deep and rich like dark French roast coffee.
Realizing that she was in dangerous territory, she halted her thoughts. Maybe she had fantasized about him being the perfect man one too many times while watching his morning show. And now that he was here in her cabin, she was having a hard time separating fantasy from reality.