He glanced down at her, his expression tender. "Not until now." He put a hand on either side of her.
Her pulse quickened, as did her breath. If he was trying to prevent her from escaping, he was doing a poor job of it. She had teeth, fingernails and a healthy kick. She met his somber gaze defiantly. A touch of humor flashed in those blue pools, and then it was gone. Without warning he leaned forward and kissed her on the mouth. It was a soft kiss, not demanding but more inquisitive. In spite of her resolve, she responded.
To her surprise, he was the one who broke away. He stepped back, a twinkle in his eyes. "Now that wasn't so bad, was it?"
She blushed. Not so bad? Her heart was running a marathon. "It isn't what I came out here for," she responded, and then darted around him, sprinting down the path. He called out behind her, but she didn't stop. The trail was clear and level ahead of her, so she let her long legs stretch out. Running felt so good. A scarred tree marked a turning point in the trail, so she slowed down. As she reached the tree, a large black furry form crashed into the trees ahead of her. She stopped suddenly, grasping the tree with one hand.
Yancey was instantly behind her. "Of all the fool things!" he said tersely. "Do you realize how close you came to running right into a bear?"
"Yes," she gasped "Wasn't that something!" She glanced up at him, basking in the afterglow of a good scare.
At her words, his face paled. "You wouldn't have thought it was so exciting if he had turned on you."
The idea struck her suddenly. "That's why you don't wander in the woods, isn't it? You're afraid of the wildlife."
"I'm not afraid of the wildlife, I'm cautious," he defended quickly.
Suppressing the urge to laugh wasn't easy, but she managed it. "In all the time I spent in the woods as a young girl, that's the first time I've seen a bear. They usually run when they hear you coming."
Those eyes were dark now, mostly because the pupils were large. The encounter had frightened him more than he would admit. He studied her a moment before responding.
"Maybe so, but there have been many people attacked by bears - mostly black bears. And then there are Pumas."
Gazing up into his face, she smiled. "Why Yancey, you are afraid of the wildlife."