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“Well, I’m not staying that long. I’d sooner call Gabby before…” Her voice trailed off, realizing the way she was sounding and reminding herself that Daniel hadn’t needed to rescue her. Swallowing hard, she looked away. “I assume there are provisions in this cabin? Food for us to eat?”
“Sure.”
As if his answer alone was enough, her stomach gurgled in response. She’d only grabbed a bagel for breakfast before her run, and now she was ready for something to replace the calories she’d expended this morning. “Would you mind terribly if I find something to eat?”
“I’ll do you one better. You just sit back and relax. I’ll get us something to eat and then you can tell me all about your master plan to get rid of me.”
Megan laughed. She didn’t know what prompted such a reaction to his statement. It wasn’t all that funny. Perhaps she was just exhausted, mentally and physically, so she couldn’t contain herself.
Or maybe she was finding him far more charming than she originally thought.
Daniel removed his hat and tossed it on a nearby table then moved toward the kitchen. He pulled open cupboards and the pantry, gathering everything he needed to fix them something to eat.
She got to her feet and wandered over toward him. There was a small island that only housed two stools. The kitchen table could seat six if that many people were present. The cupboards stretched to the ceilings which wasn’t saying much considering they were a max of eight feet tall based on Megan’s calculations. She slipped onto one of the barstools and watched as Daniel made quick work of food preparation.
He'd pulled out bread, cheese, ham, and a can of soup. It wasn’t difficult to see what would be on the menu and her stomach grumbled once more at the sight of it. Once or twice, Daniel would glance up at her and only when he’d placed the sandwiches in the pan on the stove did he say, “I hope you like Monte Cristos.”
“At this point, I think I’d eat just about anything.” She offered him a smile. “But what you’re making definitely smells divine.”
He grinned. “It’s nothing like the desserts you’ve been putting on your menu. I can’t imagine that you’re making it all on your own.”
She shook her head. “A lot of it comes from the corporate level. I just added the pie.”
“If I’m honest, that pie will be the thing that will put me out of business.”
Another compliment. Flutters erupted within her. For someone who was supposed to be tearing her down and making her second guess everything, he was sure failing miserably at it.
“Well, you should talk. I don’t know where you get the beans for your signature coffee. People love going to your place because they know they’re going to like it. Sure, the grounds that I’m selling are unique, but they’re not the kind of drink you see yourself with every day for the rest of your life.”
He laughed and a warmth burst to life in her stomach. “If that were true, then I don’t think I would have been struggling nearly as much before you arrived.” All at once the friendliness faded from his expression. He turned away from her, making it clear he hadn’t meant to spill that tidbit of information.
He’d been struggling? That was hard to believe. There weren’t other coffee shops for miles. As much as she wanted to ask him to explain what was happening, she knew he wouldn’t go for it. This was a touchy subject as it was. And she wasn’t about to make this lockdown experience worse than it had to be, so she swallowed her curiosity and mild concern. It was time to change the subject.
“How did you decide you wanted to run a coffee shop?”
Daniel stiffened from his shoulders all the way down to his boots.
Wrong change in subject.
She flushed. How could she keep on getting this wrong? They were heading in the right direction only a few moments ago. Megan scrambled to find something even better that they could talk about, but she found her growing attraction to him making that more difficult. What sorts of conversations was she supposed to have with her rival?
If only that were a question she could have him clarify.
CHAPTERNINE
Daniel slippedthe sandwich onto a plate and poured some tomato soup into a bowl. How could he confess to such a thing? He wasn’t supposed to tell her about his weaknesses.
Then again, if he ended up telling her why he was so bound and determined to win this feud, perhaps she’d be more willing to take a step back and let them ride things out without that fierce competition.
Slowly, he turned around and handed her the food.
“Look,” she murmured, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have—”
He held up a hand to cut her off. “It’s fine. The truth is, the coffee shop isn’t really my passion.”
It wasn’t a surprise to see the shock written all over her face. After she’d told him all about her dream of owning her bookstore and creating a space for people to relax, he was practically dropping a bombshell on her head.
“I’ve always loved the ranch. I’ve loved the outdoors, the animals—just being surrounded by the life it brings. This cabin was my favorite place to go as a kid and it’s not even off our property.”
