Page 16 of Shelter for Morgan

She grinned at him. "See? Classic TV. Quincy was a show about a coroner in California and he solved crimes."

There was no recognition in his eyes.

"Jack Klugman?"

Still nothing as he started on the other pork chop.

"He was in 12 Angry Men."

He looked at her with confusion in his gaze. "What are they angry about?"

Morgan leaned forward, her hands on the counter, close enough to reach out and touch his arm, but she wasn't about to distract him while he had a knife in his hands. "It's a movie. A movie about a crime."

That got his attention. "Yea?"

Her smile deepened. "See? I know how to get you interested. We should watch it sometime. You know, blend our interests together."

From her vantage point she could see a container of carrots on the other side of him at the counter.

"Ooh... Can I have a carrot to munch on?"

"Sure."

RHETT

He was happy to hand her the container, but before he could set down the pork chop and wash his hands, Morgan moved around his back and snagged a carrot from the container.

Rhett felt her heat against his back and how close her arm was to his.

He held his breath until she was back against the wall.

She took a little nibble of the carrot and smiled at him. "I'll try not to make too much noise," she mumbled between her lips with her free hand blocking her mouth. "I just love carrots."

"You can eat as many as you want. I have more in the refrigerator."

He saw the way her gaze slanted between his body and the cabinets over the counter. Her secretive smile told him he better stock up on carrots soon.

"You know," she paused and swallowed, dropping her hand back down to her side, "I've heard there's a town in Arizona where donkeys roam around freely."

"In the town?" He set the pork chop down and the knife beside it. He washed his hands and reached over for the container of carrots and set it closer to her on the counter. It wasn't that he minded her getting closer to him, but he didn't think he could handle her being that close and not want to reach out and touch her.

"Yeah." She smiled at him and snatched up another carrot with a playful grab. "But I think they're burros, not donkeys. I can't remember the difference."

He moved to the refrigerator and took out another container of carrots and a baking sheet. As he pulled out a parchment sheet the oven dinged.

"Oh!" Morgan leaned closer. "Can I do something?"

Oh, she was doing plenty.

She was making his own internal temperature rise and his blood was flowing through his body.

All. Over.

"Can you make sure the oven is at four hundred degrees?"

"Yes!" She bit off the end of the piece of carrot she had and then wagged it like Bugs Bunny. "Anything to help out, Palmer."

She moved away from the wall, and he struggled to keep himself focused on what he was doing. He almost forgot to put the parchment on the baking sheet. Hardly anyone called him Palmer anymore.

---