Never Love A Stranger Part 2

"Oh. Coffee. Also known as nectar of the G.o.ds. Want some'"

He nodded eagerly. "Please."

She poured him some and held out the steaming cup. "Do you take it black'"

"I've never had it before."

This should be interesting, she thought. "You don't know what you've been missing," she said with a grin, turning back to the griddle and flipping over the pancakes, which were a rather promising shade of golden brown. Really, she thought with satisfaction, that side had turned out rather well, considering she hadn't cooked pancakes in eons. She turned back to him, unable to resist the temptation to watch him.

He was beautiful. In addition, she was rather looking forward to his first encounter with coffee.

He lifted the cup to his lips and took a deep sip. The next second he was sputtering and spraying coffee across her clean kitchen floor.

She felt her mouth twitching with amus.e.m.e.nt. "Oh, dear, James. Are you all right'"

"That was--that was--" He sputtered with indignation, scrubbing the back of his hand across his lips as if to eradicate the taste. She rescued the cup from his other hand before he dropped it and put it safely on the counter.

"Was it too hot'"

James fixed her with a baleful glare. "That is the most revolting concoction I have ever tasted."

She grinned at his outrage. "It's an acquired taste," she said, plucking a paper towel from the roll and

mopping up the coffee he had sprayed on the floor.

"It is not a taste I care to acquire," he said darkly.

"It isn't that bad," she said, doing her best to suppress her laughter and not completely succeeding.

"Maybe you'd like it better with cream and sugar."

"I have no intention of ever drinking that again. It was entirely repulsive. How do you force yourself to imbibe it'"

"I love it. In fact, I can't live without it."

"A pitiful commentary on the state of your life," he growled, clearly annoyed. He hesitated and sniffed the

air again, then looked thoughtfully at the griddle. "Is that supposed to smell that way'"

Turning, Annie saw smoke rising from her pancakes. "Oh, d.a.m.n."

Half an hour later Annie stabbed the last bite of pancake, dabbed it in the excess maple syrup on her

plate, and popped it in her mouth. "That was the best breakfast I've had in a long time," she said.

James looked modestly pleased. She had mixed the batter, but he had poured and cooked the second batch of pancakes with rather surprising competence, considering he couldn't remember what a towel was for. "I'm glad you liked it."

Annie clinked her fork onto her plate and regarded him across the table. "You're not only handsome, you can cook. Two excellent qualities in a man."

James smiled slightly. He had eaten a stack of six large pancakes with his customary enthusiasm, and

now that his appet.i.te had been sated his mind seemed to turn toward more pressing matters. "Will you

purchase my clothing today'"

Annie nodded. "Sure." She hesitated, then decided to ask the question that had been worrying her.

"What will you do then'"

His eyes, usually so forthright, flickered away from hers. "I suppose I will need to find employment."

"I suppose you will. Do you have any idea what you used to do'"

"Certainly. I cleaned and cooked. But my primary responsibility was taking care of children."

She felt her jaw drop. "Are you telling me you're a nanny'"

He tilted his head curiously. "Why are you so surprised'"

"Because--because--" She regarded the huge, powerful man sitting across from her with bewilderment.

"I guess you just don't look enough like Mary Poppins to me."

"Indeed. What profession do you think I would be most suited to'"

"Uh ' you'd make a fabulous male model."

"Model'"

"Yeah, you know, the guys who model jeans in those ads in magazines. Or pose for the covers of

romance novels. You know what I mean."

He shook his head. "I'm afraid I don't."

"As gorgeous as you are, you could make a lot of money."

"Gorgeous'"

Annie c.o.c.ked her head. "You do realize you're incredibly good-looking, don't you'"

James looked uncomfortable. "I would prefer to find a post more similar to my prior job."

"Yeah, well...." She gestured helplessly. "I don't think you're going to find a job like that without

references."

"What is a reference'"

"When your previous employer is willing to say how great a worker you were."

A frown creased his perfectly unlined forehead. "That is quite impossible, as you know."

Annie stood up, taking his plate, and walked to the dishwasher. Over the noise of clinking gla.s.s and china, she said, "No, James, I don't know anything of the kind. I hope you realize I don't really believe your story about being from the future. It's ridiculous."

"But it is true."

"It's crazy," she said, more sharply than she had intended. "There's something very wrong with you, James. You need to be looked at by a doctor."

"I do not think that would be wise." Annie slammed the dishwasher door closed and turned to look at him. "Look, James, I don't know whether you need a medical doctor or a psychiatrist, because I'm not sure what's wrong with you. But my best friend happens to be a doctor. If you'd let her take a look at you--" "No." Annie stared at him, frustrated and annoyed. "I just want to help you, James." "And I am grateful for that impulse. But all I really require from you is clothing." The phone rang. James looked around, clearly startled. She turned back to the counter and picked it up.

"h.e.l.lo'" "Hey, Annie, what's up'" "Kay!" Annie exclaimed. "Just the person I wanted to talk to."

"I appreciate that, Ann, but I'm in a hurry. I'm heading out to Florida to see my mom, remember'" "Oh, d.a.m.n," Annie said. "I forgot." "And you'd have forgotten to feed Oscar if I hadn't called to remind you, wouldn't you'" "Oscar doesn't need food," Annie said. In her opinion, Kay's enormous gray cat had enough fat deposits to keep him alive for at least a month. As a doctor, Kay should have known better than to over feed an animal the way she did Oscar. But until she had had her baby, Oscar had been her only companion, and she had spoiled him shamefully.

"Give me a break, Annie. I'll put him on a diet when I get back, I promise."

Annie saw James rise to his feet and move toward her, frowning at the telephone. "What is that'" he said.