He looked up from the fire toward her words at the kitchen door. "You realize, I hope, that if you stay in this town, I'm a definite liability for you, especially if we are seen together. I know appearances don't man anything to you, but those church ladies will assume my resignation was because of you, though I said nothing of the sort in my letter. There is nothing I can do about their suspicions or opinions, especially now. Don't hold me responsible for them. If that's a problem, I'd best finish my coffee and get out of your life now. "