“Don’t make fun of me. I just want to know what to expect. I’ve learned that surprises usually aren’t pleasant.”

“I’m sure you have. I wasn’t making fun of you.” He thought about it. “Or maybe I was. You’re being very solemn. I might even be hoping to make you smile.”

She shook her head. “I made a mistake. There’s nothing funny about that. Were you thinking about bringing Mallory with us before you knew about Nash?”

“No. I was going to send him to check out the next stop on our itinerary. I wasn’t planning on staying at the house for more than a couple of days.”

“But you changed your mind. So you must have thought that there was reason to.”

“I often err on the side of caution.”

“I don’t think you do. I believe you study the situation and then go over all the possible implications and ramifications before you make your moves. There’s probably instinct involved, too, but like Mallory said, you’re usually a step ahead.” Her gaze was narrowed on his face. “And that step led you to bring Mallory and those other men along.”

He snapped his fingers. “My, my, you have me all figured out. We’ll have to tell Maria she doesn’t need to bother with any more research. Would you like to continue? I’m fascinated.”

“No, you’re not. You’re probably angry or at least on guard. You’re very wary about anyone invading your space. That’s too bad. It’s not as if I wanted to do it. I’ve been trying to keep you at a distance because you scared me. But you can’t keep me out now. It’s too dangerous for us.”

He didn’t speak for a moment. “I’m not angry or on guard. You got that wrong, though you were close on the rest. I am curious about how long you’ve been concentrating on doing that rather interesting psychoanalysis on me?”

“Concentrating?” She shook her head. “That’s something you’d do. I just let it come to me. Like a piece of difficult music that I had to learn. Then I went a little bit farther and threw in what I’d do if I were you in the same situation.”

“Pure instinct. Intriguing,” he murmured. “I suppose the skill was forced on you to survive those life-or-death Trials.” He tilted his head. “At least you judged me to be difficult instead of simple. It’s a pity you’re so averse to gambling. I’d really like to see you in a poker game.”

“You never will.” She moistened her lips. “Though it was probably rude of me to—” She stopped.

“Invade my space,” he finished. “The experience was worth the intrusion. But I doubt if you were really scared of me. I’ve never seen any signs of it.”