Ill Take Forever

nervous,' she muttered, turning back to the eggs. His eyes were unnerving, his very presence unnerving.
    In spite of his constant regard, she finished preparing the meal. Disdainfully placing his plate before him, she sat opposite. Eating with her eyes firmly on her plate, she tried to regain her composure.
    Kyle kept half an eye on Jenny as he ate. The meal was eaten in silence, only when he was finished did he speak.
    'That was delicious. Is there more coffee?'
    Jenny stared at him for a long moment, then rose and took his cup. It took a few minutes to make another cup. When she handed him the full cup she glared at him, only to be confused by the amused regard she met when her eyes locked with his.
    'Did you say you have a four-wheel-drive vehicle?' he asked.
    Warily Jenny looked back. 'Why, are you planning to steal it?'
    'Can it get me out of here?' He ignored her comment.
    She sighed and rose to go to the window. Looking out, she surveyed her yard. The snow had stopped during the night. At an estimate, it was about eighteen inches deep–deeper in some areas where it had been blown into drifts. The trees were heavy with snow, branches bowed beneath the weight. She tried to see where her driveway was. Surely CalTrans had cleared the highway by now, and if her jeep made it to the road, he could get away. She turned back.
    'You’d have to dig out of the garage and pack it down until the jeep got on top of the snow, then it might make it to the highway.' She licked her lips, waiting for his response.
    'Can you drive me out?'
    Jenny was surprised. 'Me? I thought you’d take the jeep.'
    'I'm not into grand theft auto, and if I took it I don't know how to get it back to you. Besides, I don't have much experience driving in snow. If you've lived here a while, chances are you do have the experience necessary to get us out.'
    'You want me to take you to the highway?' Was that where his car was? Or had he parked it in town? Could he have walked all that way yesterday in the storm? Why had he been out in the storm in the first place? Who was he?
    'No, not the highway, to Strawberry.'
    'Strawberry? Palmer’s closer.'
    'Exactly why I want to go to Strawberry.'
    'And you'll be gone?'
    'Never saw such a hospitable lady! Are you always so anxious for guests to leave?'
    'Not invited ones. You're hardly a guest.'
    'I could stay.'
    'No, I can take you to Strawberry. Ready now?'
    Kyle chuckled at her quick response. Jenny felt her heart lurch at his lop-sided smile, the way his eyes crinkled. The tan he had was evidence of time spent out of doors, even in winter. Was he a skier? Snow boarder? He was certainly athletic enough to excel at winter sports. What was he up to? In other circumstances she might have been interested in learning more about him. Now she was only interested in getting him away from her home and out of her life. At least she hadn’t seen the gun in a while. She considered throwing the hot teakettle at him. But if she missed, it would undoubtedly make him angry. And the though of deliberately injuring someone–even this intruder–was hard to implement.
    She watched him as he rose. There was no superfluous flesh on the man: his shoulders were broad, his chest large, his legs long. He was trim, graceful, dynamic. In other circumstances, she might be interested in learning more about him. Now–she just wanted him gone.
    'Know me again?' he mocked.
    She flushed and turned away, vexed that he had caught her looking. Hearing his chuckle only made her angrier with herself. She cleared the table, doing her best to ignore him.
    Kyle left the room and she was alone. Quickly she ran water over the dishes. She'd wait to wash them when she got back. Strawberry wasn't far. It wouldn't take her long to get rid of him. At least he wasn't stealing her only means of transportation–she hoped.
    When she went to the hall cupboard to get her parka, Kyle was running lightly down the stairs, his thick wool jacket over his arm.
    They tramped through the snow to the garage. She wasn’t sure the jeep would make it after all. Usually when the snow was this deep she used the snow blower to clear her drive.
    Once at the garage, she let Kyle open the roll up door. The jeep had been backed in, always, for easy exit. She showed him where the shovels were and took one herself. She ramped up the snow, pounding it down with the shovel, hoping it wasn’t too light to pack and mire the jeep.
    She could hear the snowplows in the distance,