Nicholas took Mattie's hand to shake, and it sent a jolt of electrifying shock through his body. There was something strange about the way she looked at him. Those eyes were not a stranger's eyes. He stared into them, trying to figure them out. After all, the eyes are the window into the soul. But as quickly as he felt like he knew this woman, the feeling vanished, and she was indeed but a stranger. Something about that depressed him. It made him less hopeful.

"Nice to meet you, too," he said, and it was as if his voice suddenly grew five hundred octaves deeper. It was strange. As if he had the sudden urge to be gruff, protective, [i]manly,[/i] and Nicholas just was never manly. He shook his shoulders, and the feeling dissipated.

"Five miles is a long way to walk," he said, becoming anxious. He looked around, stiff. Scared stiff. Oh God, he was scared, but he wasn't about to let her know that. "Think we can make it?"