"You really should stop and eat something." Wyatt's voice made Beth jump.

"You frightened me," she said, placing her hand over her heart.

"Sorry. I had sandwiches delivered if you would like to take a moment and eat something." He leaned against the door jamb, looking at Beth, who was sitting in the middle of the floor surrounded by papers.

Beth turned to look out the window and noticed it was dark outside. "What time is it?" she asked, attempting to stand without disturbing her piles of notes.

"A little after nine," Wyatt said, jumping forward to grab her as she tried to jump over some of her papers and failed miserably. Beth landed in his arms with her face pressed against his chest. It was a messy catch, and Wyatt's hand had aimed for her waist but hit a little higher, just under her breast, grazing it as he moved the hand away from her torso and onto her arm when she landed against him.

"Sorry," she said, as she pushed away from him with burning cheeks.

"It's alright," he said, stepping back. "Are you hungry?"

Beth's stomach growled at the idea of food. "Um, I think that's a yes," she laughed. Wyatt didn't return her laugh as he turned and led the way out of the room and down the stairs to a surprisingly modern kitchen.

"How long am I able to stay?" Beth asked, walking towards the sink to wash her hands.

"I'm here for a week, and I can work just as easily from here as I can at River Moss." He started to unwrap the sandwiches, and Beth's stomach growled again at the smell of them. "I wasn't sure what you wanted, so I got a few different kinds."

Beth moved to sit at the island and watched his hands as they pulled out a knife and cut long sandwiches into thirds. As he cut, a few pieces of meat fell out, and he picked them up and popped them into his mouth without thinking. Beth followed the movement, her gaze landing on his lips.

At her non-response, he looked up and caught Beth watching him. She cleared her throat and looked away, embarrassed that he had found her staring. "Where's Katherine?" she asked as she reached for a sandwich that looked like it was turkey.

Wyatt handed her a plate and then offered her a soda. Her mouth was already full, so she nodded acceptance as she chewed on the delicious bite.

"Katherine went out with a few friends." 

Beth looked at him, trying to gauge if he was upset about it or not. She couldn't tell, and it didn't help to answer any of her questions about what their relationship might be.

"Have you found anything else on your Great-Grandmother Mary?" he asked, picking up a piece of one of the sandwiches and bitting into it with even white teeth.

"Is there more to be found?" she asked, unable to hide her excitement.

"Maybe. I sent you all I knew about, but I don't know everything that's in that room," Wyatt admitted.

"Thank you, by the way." It was a thank you that Beth had wanted to give him for a long time. She could have written him a note five years ago, but she had been young and shy and wasn't sure what to say in it.

"For what," he asked, frowning in confusion.

"For making good on your promise all of those years ago and sending me the information. I really didn't expect you to do that," Beth admitted. "I also didn't know if you would even remember me if we met again."

Wyatt didn't say anything as he set his sandwich down and wiped his mouth with a napkin. "I like to keep my promises," was what he finally did say. Beth thought he looked like he wanted to say more, but instead, he picked his sandwich up again, and they continued to eat in silence.

"Mave didn't know about the photo in the cabin when she saw it. Didn't you ever tell your family about Mary?" he asked without looking at her.

"No. I don't know why I didn't, but it never seemed to come up." Beth shrugged as she set her sandwich down and took a sip of her soda. The truth was that she didn't want to tell them. Somehow Beth believed that by telling them a little of the magic she had felt with Wyatt would be less somehow. It was as if she had a delicious secret that only she knew about, and in her family, that was a rare thing.

"Why not?" he asked, watching her. Beth could feel his eyes on her face, but she couldn't look at him.

"There aren't very many secrets in my family, and I like having one," Beth said honestly.

"Which one? The fact that your great-grandmother was a slave or that you and I spent a night alone in the cabin?"

It was a direct question and an unexpected one. Beth couldn't help but look at him, their eyes meeting, his green eyes searching hers as he waited for an answer.

"Both, maybe," she eventually answered.

Wyatt sighed and moved to the sink to rinse his hands, he looked tense, and Beth knew she wasn't going to like what he said next.

"Beth," he turned to look at her, "I realize that it was a romantic moment, but I hope you haven't built it up to be something it wasn't in your mind." His voice was soft as if he knew his words were going to hurt her. It should have sounded conceited, but she knew he didn't mean it that way. She knew he had been worried for the past five years that he had hurt her in some way because it was who she believed him to be.

Beth was hurt, but she would never admit it. Maybe hurt wasn't the right word. Perhaps the right word was embarrassed. The realistic part of her knew that what he said was true, but her heart wanted to believe otherwise.

Wyatt watched her as she absorbed his words. "It was a romantic moment," she agreed, which told him nothing.

Her response must have confused him because he frowned at her reply

"Were you expecting a different response?" Beth asked. "I'm not crazy, Wyatt. I don't live in a fantasy world, and as I said, I wasn't even sure if you would remember me or not." She needed to put on a good show to save her pride, so she walked towards the sink and rinsed her hands too. Then she turned to him and looked up at him, feeling their difference in height acutely.

"It was a perfect first kiss, though, Wyatt. It was a kiss from a gentleman, and a girl couldn't have asked for a better one." She reached out and squeezed his arm, where it hung at his side then walked back towards the door of the kitchen.

"So we can stay until the end of the week if we need to?" Beth asked, looking over her shoulder at him.

His face was stony as he nodded, and Beth smiled at him before she left the kitchen and headed back to the records room. When she got there, she sank into one of the chairs and rested her shaky legs.

That had taken everything she had to get through. She could take some comfort from the fact that Wyatt had been worried about her and had remembered her. What he didn't have to know was that she had never kissed another man since him and that she had definitely built it to be something that he obviously thought it wasn't.

Beth heard his footsteps on the stairs, and she quickly stood up and walked over to the table, pretending to look busy. When he arrived at the door, she turned to him with a questioning smile.

"Damn it," he said as she walked towards her and grabbed her by her upper arms, looking down at her. "It was just a kiss." He sounded as if he was trying to convince himself.

"No, it was my first kiss," Beth reminded him, her stomach jumping at the heated look in his eyes.

Wyatt pulled her towards him, causing her to lose her balance and land hard against him. He reached up and cupped her head with his hands, his thumb tracing her cheek. It was exactly as it had been five years earlier, but this time when his lips met hers, Wyatt didn't pull away, he let her return the kiss as his arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer. When he deepened the kiss, Beth couldn't help the little cry that escaped her. Beth had wrapped herself around him, and she could feel his hard muscles where they met her soft flesh.

When they heard the front door slam, Wyatt jumped back as if he had been burned. They were both breathing heavily as they watched each other.

"Wyatt! Beth!" Katherine called from downstairs.

"Up here!" Wyatt called in a normal voice. "I'll be down in a minute, would you mind starting some coffee. You can tell me how it went." His eyes never left Beth.

It would be the perfect time to ask what was between him and Katherine, but she couldn't do it. She didn't want her gentleman to be the devil.

"I'm confused, Wyatt," she admitted.

He shook his head. "You can't be any more confused than I am."

Beth liked that he was as on edge as she was about the entire situation, but she felt the need to warn him that it was her heart that he was messing with, without saying the words directly. Her mother had always taught her that honestly was the best policy even if it was a bit embarrassing and it hurt.

"That was only my second kiss, Wyatt," she whispered, "so I think I'm a little more confused than you are at this moment."

His eyes grew wide as he looked at her, and Beth watched in fascination as his cheeks turned a ruddy red color.

"How is that possible?" he asked, still looking shocked

"I'm shy," Beth shrugged. It was partly true, at least.

"Have you been in a convent?" he asked, running his hands through his hair in agitation.

"No, I'm just picky, that's all," she cleared her throat, knowing she had all but admitted that he was the only man that she had ever wanted to kiss.

He closed his eyes and took a shaky breath. "I don't know what to do with that," he said, then he turned and left, closing the door behind him.

Beth couldn't help the smile that lifted her lips. Somehow, she didn't think that Wyatt Ramsey was lost for words all that often, and it made her feel powerful.

Maybe her mom was right, and honesty was the best policy.