She hadn’t thrown the latch on the screen door, and she wasn’t surprised when he walked inside without an invitation. “The brochure says breakfast is from seven to nine. What kind of people want to eat that early when they’re on vacation?” He set an alarm clock on the table, then glanced at the remnants of her scrambled egg. “You could have gone into town with me and had a burger,” he said begrudgingly.

“Thanks, but I don’t do burgers.”

“So you’re a vegetarian like your sister?”

“I’m not as strict. She won’t eat anything with a face. I won’t eat anything with a cute face.”

“This I’ve got to hear.”

“Actually, it’s a pretty good system for healthy eating.”

“I take it you think cows are cute.” He couldn’t have sounded more skeptical.

“I love cows. Definitely cute.”

“How about pigs?”

“Does the movie Babe ring a bell?”

“I won’t even ask about lamb.”

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t. Or rabbit.” She shuddered. “I’m not too attracted to chickens and turkey, so I do occasionally indulge. I also eat fish since I can avoid my favorite.”

“Dolphin, I’ll bet.” He settled into the old wooden chair across from her and gazed down at Roo, who’d stirred enough to snarl. “You might have latched on to something here that I could get into. There are certain animals, for example, I find positively repulsive.”

She gave him her silkiest smile. “It’s well known that men who don’t like poodles are the same ones who grind up human body parts in garbage disposals.”

“Only if I’m bored.”

She laughed, then caught herself as she realized he’d turned the charm-thing on her, and she’d nearly gotten caught up in it. Was this supposed to be her reward for agreeing to help him out? “I don’t understand why you dislike it here so much. The lake is beautiful. There’s swimming, boating, hiking. What’s so bad about that?”

“When you’re the only kid, and you have to go to a church service every day, it loses its charm. Besides, there’s a limit to the size motor you can put on a boat, so there’s no water skiing.”

“Or Jet Skis.”

“What?”

“Nothing. Weren’t there ever other children around?”

“Sometimes a grandkid would show up for a few days. That was the highlight of my summer.” He grimaced. “Of course, half the time that grandkid was a girl.”

“Life’s a bitch.”

He leaned back in his chair until it rested on two legs. She waited for it to tilt over, but he was too well coordinated for that to happen. “Do you really know how to cook, or were you just winging it in front of the guests?”