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He wore a crooked sort of grin, though it looked more like he was smiling out of self-preservation rather than amusement. “Yeah.”
So many questions popped into her head as she stared at the tent that wouldn’t be able to hold more than one person, and that was stretching it. The only question that got past her lips was one word. “Why?”
“Why?”
“Why are you staying out here? Don’t forget that I’ve seen your house. Are you seriously trying to convince me that you would rather sleep on the cold, hard ground instead of the bed I know you have at home?”
What was left of his smile fled from his face and his eyes flickered with wariness. “I don’t think it’s any of your business where I choose to sleep.”
She flushed at his statement. That wasn’t what she was trying to get at. She wanted to know what was keeping him from staying with his family—in a home that was definitely more comfortable than living in the wilderness. Agatha didn’t get a chance to backtrack before Zeke continued.
“I’m staying out here because my home is a little crowded with so many people coming and going. And when it’s not chaos, it’s just too… quiet.”
As much as she would have loved to point out that his statements were completely contradictory, she couldn’t. There was something in the tone of his voice that tugged at her, pulling her under as if she’d been dragged down by an undertow.
Much like one of her first days in town after the fire, gossip was rampant. She’d heard everything there was to know about Zeke Callahan before she’d had the pleasure of meeting him. His wife passed when the girls were young. The rules of his household were so strict he probably should have been born and raised his family in a time period that was centuries before this one. He was hard but fair when it came to everything business related, and he shielded what was his with every ounce of strength that he possessed—making him incredibly protective.
Along with all of that, she had heard he hadn’t dated anyone since he’d lost his wife. She’d overheard that, at one time, they’d thought Zeke would end up with someone named Liz, but clearly that hadn’t happened.
For the first time since she’d met Zeke, she was looking at him in a different light. He had spent his entire life in control of everything he could. And now his daughters were growing up and moving out. His wife wasn’t there to fill in the holes.
Was it possible he was out here because he was lonely?
The thought was almost laughable. Just because he’d opted to stay in a tent while she was using his cabin didn’t mean he was interested in her company. He’d said so himself that he’d been staying out here since before the fire.
Oh, how swiftly her heart could be manipulated into feeling something that wasn’t there. First, she’d thought he might want her to stay longer, but then he went out of his way to help rebuild her home.
Now she had nearly made herself believe he wanted to spend extra time with her. If yesterday’s events had taught her anything, it was that Zeke wasn’t interested in spending even a spare second with her.
It wasn’t likely he was even remotely lonely enough to put himself through such torture.
“Okay, you can stop looking at me like that. I’m not some poor soul you need to save,” he ground out. “There are plenty of reasons I stay out here. Some have to do with my family, and the others have to do with getting your house done.”
There it was. The proof she needed. Zeke wanted her gone. It was time to protect her heart from going rogue, lest she lose a piece of it to this man who was rougher around the edges than a cactus.
Agatha pulled her jacket tighter around herself. “I wasn’t looking at you in any particular way.”
“Yeah, sure. Then why did your eyes seem to glisten like you were about to cry? Look, I’m a grown man with my own problems. I don’t need you adding to them and making me feel like…” He sighed. “Just know that I’m camping out here for now, and it’s my own business what I do with my personal time, alright?” With that, he stormed out of the clearing and back down the trail.
The sun had risen a little more, turning the sky into a pretty orange color. It was easier to make her way along the trail and not worry about falling on her face, especially when Zeke used his long strides.
She wanted to say something to make him feel better, but she was at a complete loss for words. Anything she might say could set him off, and that was the exact opposite of what she wanted to do.
So she blurted the one thing that came to mind, then instantly regretted it. “Would you like to stay for breakfast?”
Zeke had made it to the ATV and was quickly preparing it for the ride. When she spoke, he froze. Even with his back to her, she could tell he wasn’t sure about accepting.
There was no reason for Zeke to want to stay. He could barely stand her. Unfortunately for him, she’d been raised right and she wasn’t going to take no for an answer. “You know, everyone needs to eat, and from the look of that campsite, it didn’t look like you cooked anything. I didn’t even see a fire—but then I guess that would make sense. How else would you have hidden the spy camp you’d set up?”
Agatha bit back a grin, fighting a small bout of laughter.
It became even harder to do so when Zeke spun around to face her, his eyes shooting daggers at her. Luckily, he caught sight of just how bad she was at hiding her teasing, and his expression sobered. He peered at her, the anger fading to confusion, then curiosity. “You want me to stay for breakfast? Like a date?”
She held up her hands, a nervous laugh spilling from her lips. “Oh, no. Definitely not a date. I just figured… since you were already here and I was getting ready to fix something… you’d like to eat, too. The food is yours, is it not?”
“Technically, I suppose it is.”
She jerked her chin toward the house. “Then let me fix you something. It’s the least I could do considering everything you’ve done for me thus far.” Agatha didn’t wait for a response before she hurried inside.
