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Tillamook when they hit a red light. “You
hungry?” he asked.
    She realized, somewhat to her surprise, that she was. “Yeah, I
guess I am.” Then, knowing their finances were limited, she asked, “What can we
afford?”
    “Cheese.”
    “Cheese?” While she knew neither one of them had a lot of cash,
she didn’t think they were in dire straits.
    “Some of the best in the country. I’ll show you.”
    Tillamook was home to a huge dairy-products factory. She smiled
and flattened her cheek against his back, grateful to have him for a friend. It
felt good and right to be this close to him. Her entire four years of college,
she’d barely talked to him. By any reasonable measure they were little more than
strangers, yet she felt closer to him after these two days together than she did
to some of her sorority sisters with whom she’d lived for years.
    Josh turned left at the next light and then pulled into a large
bustling parking lot. The building was enormous, complete with gift shop,
touring areas, and plenty of free samples of a surprisingly large selection of
cheeses and ice cream. He purchased a box of crackers, some cheese and a bottle
of red wine.
    “For a picnic,” he explained, as they headed back to the bike.
He smiled, and it was such a rare thing it caught her unawares.
    “You should do that more often,” she said, as she fastened the
strap of her helmet. At the question in his eyes, she said, “Smile.”
    His response was to frown, drawing his thick eyebrows together
and darkening his face. Not for the first time, she was struck by what an
attractive man he was. She wasn’t alone, either. In the cheese factory, she had
noticed a number of women openly assessing him. Apparently they liked what they
saw. For his part, he appeared oblivious to the attention his looks
generated.
    Seeing him now, wearing that well-practiced scowl, she couldn’t
help it, she laughed outright. It was all for show. Beneath that dark brooding
exterior lay a man with a kind and generous heart. A man she was only beginning
to know, yet already liked immensely.
    “What?” he demanded.
    “You. Let’s get moving, pal. I’m hungry.”
    He grumbled something she couldn’t hear under his breath and
climbed on the Harley. Without hesitation, she positioned herself behind him and
automatically locked her arms around his middle. It felt so right and natural to
be close to him. Less than twenty-four hours earlier she’d made the most daring
move of her life by trusting him to deliver her home safely. And trust him she
did, more with each passing hour.
    Josh found them a quiet corner on a secluded section of beach.
The afternoon was glorious. The ocean breeze was blessedly cool, and a thicket
of tall grass rustled softly behind them.
    They sat on the blanket, nibbling the cheese and crackers, and
sipping the wine from plastic glasses. After a while, replete, Gretchen lay on
her back and gazed at the sky. She was amazed by how tranquil, how at peace, she
felt. Stretching her arms above her, she smiled lazily. All she could hear were
the waves pounding the shore and the frantic cries of gulls.
    The wine seemed to have loosened her inhibitions—at least that
was what she blamed for the path her thoughts were traveling.
    “Josh, can I ask you something?” she said.
    An uncomfortable silence followed. Uncomfortable enough to
cause her to turn her head and look at him. He was sitting with his arms braced
behind him. “You don’t want me to ask you anything?” Surely he would want to
know the question and then decide if he would answer
it.
    His frown was back, darker and more intimidating than ever.
“Are you looking for me to apologize for kissing you?”
    “No!” If he did, she would be offended. Her response to his
kiss had been relegated to the far reaches of her mind. She needed time to
analyze what had prompted her heady reaction, but she wasn’t up to a lengthy
examination just yet.
    “What, then?” He crossed his