Water splashed as Keaton strode toward her and strong hands gripped her arms, lifting her to her feet.
"Leave me alone," she snapped. To her horror, her voice ended in a sob.
"Come on, honey," He spoke gently. "You need to dry off. You're turning blue."
The compassion in his voice surprised her and she glanced up at his sober face, tears coursing down her own. His gaze met hers as he assisted her toward the car.
"I'm sorry. I should have realized you had a phobia about snakes. Let me see your hand. It's bleeding."
An unbelievable amount of blood was pumping from a tiny cut on her hand. He examined the cut and patted her on the shoulder.
"It's not bad, but you need to put something on it. Let's get you home."
He draped her beach robe across her shoulders and helped her get into her shoes. Without taking the time to dress, he threw a towel on the car seat and climbed in. She glanced at his somber profile several times on the way home, but they never spoke.
At the cabin, she opened the car door and climbed out, clutching the robe shut. As she shut the door, she leaned over, looking through the open window at him.
"I'm sorry I ruined your evening. You don't have to look after me, you know. I'm perfectly happy out here by myself. I don't know much about the plants and wildlife out here, but I'm learning."
He glanced at his watch. "You didn't ruin my evening, and you're doing just fine." He shifted in the seat and cleared his throat. Obviously he wanted to go.
She sighed. "Well, thanks for the ride...and the swim was refreshing. I feel much better now."
"That's good. I'm glad to see you got something out of it besides a cut hand and the scare of your life."
Silence fell between them again and he plucked at a loose thread on the seat. She was boring him to death, but he was too polite to drop her off and run. She stretched.
"Well, it's getting late and I'd better get in. My arms are sore from weed whipping." She stepped away from the car. "See you later."
Actually, she didn't expect to see him again. From now on he would probably do his watching from afar - if he didn't simply tell her father the deal was off. And how could she blame him?