Carter felt like dancing as he stirred the broth for the chicken and dumplings he was making for dinner. She seemed to love the books and he knew she had to be happy to have her clothes back. And she wanted to do all of those things with him.

With me!

Of course, there was still a nagging at the back of his mind that maybe this was part of a ruse. But he wasn’t going to focus on that. He would continue to enjoy their bonding moments, continue to grow their relationship. When he was positive that she was in love with him, then he’d know and then he’d figure out how to handle taking her to town.

Hiking wouldn’t be a problem. With all his land, it would be easy to keep her a secret. Even if they came across stray hikers, he could take care of them. He would have to make sure she wasn’t around for that though; he’d worry about if the time came.

He hadn’t checked his land in a few days and decided that he would do so first thing in the morning. Things had been quiet ever since Sloane had come into his life and he found that he was okay with it.

The broth was starting to bubble, so he began to add chunks of biscuit dough to the liquid, followed by carrots and celery. After stirring, he covered it and lowered the heat.

The kitchen smelled amazing as the dumplings fluffed in the broth. He decided to make collard greens for a side while the soup finished cooking. He'd found a recipe for sautéing the vegetable and hoped it would be as tasty as it sounded.

Once finished, he ladled the creamy mixture into two bowls and piled a plate with the wilted greens.

"Hope you're hungry." Carter flashed Sloane a wide smile before he placed the tray down.

Her eyes widened at the sight of steam rising from the bowls. He hadn't served her anything hot until now.

He took her reaction to mean that she was hungry and settled down next to her. "It isn't homemade, but it's always been good to me."

"I'm sure it's great." She swirled the contents in her bowl with the spoon before scooping some up. "It smells amazing."

He watched in satisfaction as she took a ginger sip of the broth, testing the intensity of the heat. When sure she could handle it, she took a mouthful and closed her eyes.

"Oh my gosh. That's the best chicken and dumplings I've ever had."

He smiled, pleased she liked the meal and began to eat. The collards turned out well and was a good pairing.

"When did you learn to cook?" She asked before allowing him to give her a forkful of greens.

"Uncle Vick was a bachelor for life, so he taught me everything he learned. Most of it was just some basics. But I didn't really start experimenting until I moved here."

She heard his words, but had her eye on the fork. If she could get a hold of it…

"I mean, I kinda had to."

"Yeah. Definitely." She nodded, afraid he noticed her spying the eating utensil.

"What about you? So you cook?"

She laughed at the absurdity of the question. "Not at all. My best friend was my microwave. I've tried some super easy recipes, but I just don't like the process." It slipped her mind that she had used the past tense

He nodded his head and laid the fork aside now that they'd cleaned the plate.

"So, what's the hardest thing you've ever made?" The unattended fork called to her, but she wasn't sure what she'd do with it. How far would she get if she stabbed him? What happened if all she did was poke him? She wasn't sure she wanted to risk the work she'd done so far for a chance of maybe.

"Hmm…" He thought about it for a minute. "Probably that cacio e pepe stuff I made for you. It seems simple because there aren't many ingredients, but you gotta get everything just right or the flavor will be messed up."

"So aside from being very capable with wood, you're a chef as well."

He shrugged, a little embarrassed. "I wouldn't say chef."

"Aspiring chef." She gave him a teasing smile.

"Okay. I'll go with that." He nodded before starting to gather everything on the tray.

She frowned a little, not ready to be left alone again.

"I have another surprise."

"Oh?"

"Dessert."

"Ooh! What kind?"

"Red velvet cake."

Her jaw dropped and he swore she started to salivate. "I love red velvet. It's my favorite."

"Perfect. Be right back." He left her, closing the door behind him.

She sighed, unsure if she had missed an opportunity. All of the possible outcomes from using the fork as a weapon went through her head again, always coming to the same conclusion. Even if some kind of damage would have been dealt, she was still too weak to go running around and she didn't know anything about what was outside of the cellar. It was just going to have to be a waiting game.

He returned with the best looking cake she'd ever seen. Each plate held a massive slice with a spoon resting on the edge. He'd taken a chance with the fork at dinner, but not now.

That was fine. Settled with her decision, she took her plate and dug in. The cake was moist and the frosting rich.

"Very good. I think you're trying to make me fat."

He gave her a chuckle as he chewed his bite. They finished their dessert in quiet, stealing glances at one another. "I don't see that happening."

"What?" Confusion etched across her face.

"You getting fat."

"Oh. That was quite a delayed response."

Laughter filled the room for a few moments. "Yeah. I guess it was. Just enjoying the cake a little much, I guess."

His personality had been surprising her as they talked more, got to know each other on a more personal level. There was the crazy, psychotic kidnapping rapist. But there was also a tender and caring heart with an innocent boyish charm.

It was the latter that made her feel at ease and even content. And it was that side of him that might have been even more dangerous for her.

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