“Oh, God,” he murmured, and covered his face in his hands. “If only I could believe that she would be able to walk again. If only…”
“Have you spoken to a doctor in Seattle?”
“Not yet…I thought I’d wait until she was settled into a routine.” He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “The tutor comes on Tuesday for her evaluation, and then I thought I’d call the doctors that were referred to me by Krista’s doctor in L.A.”
“Good.” Kane was weary, and now disturbed. It had been a long, tiring day for both of them. Erin stood up and tightened the thong around her hair. “Krista went to bed at ten. She wanted to wait up for you, but the poor thing was exhausted. Maybe you should go in and let her know that you’re back….” Had he even heard her suggestion? He was looking at Erin intently, but for some reason, she felt that he was light-years away from her. “Well…I’d better be getting upstairs,” she said, and then added more lightly, “Work, tomorrow, you know. And my boss is a very punctual person.”
“Don’t go,” Kane breathed, ignoring her joke and reaching for her wrist. “Stay with me tonight….” His face seemed so earnest, his gray eyes so intent, that Erin had trouble resisting him.
“I’d like to stay, you know that.” She hesitated. “But I can’t…”
“Why not? Erin, I need you.”
“Oh, Kane. You know the reason why I can’t stay with you—she’s sleeping in the next room. You’re the one who said she needed a more normal family existence,” she reminded him, and lovingly touched his forehead. “What do you think she would do if she knew that you and I were sleeping together? You said yourself that her paralysis is psychosomatic, and now we know for sure—because she walked tonight!” Erin was on her knees, placing both of her hands on his cheeks. “Oh, Kane—perhaps the doctors were right, maybe she did need a change to get her motivated to walk. But…we, you and I, we mustn’t do anything to blow it with her. We can’t take the chance and set her back, don’t you see?”
Kane’s eyes agreed with her, although he cursed his frustration.
“Damn!” he spat. “You’re right,” he conceded, “but just how long do you expect me to keep my hands off you?”
“It’s not what I want, and you know it. But I think that we, both of us, need to give Krista some time for adjustment.”
“You’re right,” he sighed, and taking her hands in his, pulled the two of them upright. The passion in his eyes simmered for a minute, and he dropped her hands. “Thanks for staying with Krista. I’ll see you tomorrow at work.” He seemed calm, only his clenched fists gave any indication of the restraint he was placing upon himself. “I’ll be in late, because of Krista and the moving company, but when I get to the office, I…I think that we should have a talk.”
“Oh?”
“You and I have a lot to discuss.”
She smiled up at him and tried to ignore the unreadable expression in his eyes. “I’m glad you’re back,” she whispered. “I missed you.”
He started to respond, but stopped and closed his eyes for a second before rubbing his temple. “I’m glad to be back,” he admitted, trying to rub away the deep ridges of concern that were creasing his forehead. Erin thought that he had finished speaking.
“Good night,” she called over her shoulder, but his voice whispered to her and stopped her as she started to ascend the steps.
“Erin?” he beckoned.
“Yes?” Her face turned to him, and even in the semidarkness he knew it was the most beautiful face he had ever seen, the most incredible woman he had ever made love to.
“You would tell me, wouldn’t you? I mean, if you were in any trouble, you would tell me about it so that I could help you?”
“Of course I would. Honestly! Don’t you know that?” She couldn’t hide the smile that played on her lips.
“Sure,” he agreed absently, as if totally unconvinced.
“Good! Then trust me!” She laughed, and shook her hair loose from the ponytail as she sprinted up the two flights of stairs. What was Kane talking about so seriously? Sometimes, she admitted to herself, he was a bit overly dramatic.
As Kane closed the door to his apartment, he leaned heavily against the cool hard wood. Erin’s final words echoed and reechoed in his ears. “Then just trust me…trust me…”
Eleven
Several days had passed, and Erin found it nearly impossible to spend any time alone with Kane. Even the meeting at work had to be postponed indefinitely. During the days at work, whenever their paths would cross, it seemed that there wasn’t any time for the lengthy discussion that Kane had alluded to on Sunday evening. Most of the staff was still out with the flu, the computer was working erratically, and the general disorganization of the office kept Erin from seeing Kane. Also, Kane was in and out of the office, dividing his time between the office and home, hoping to get Krista settled. Fortunately for him, Mrs. Cavenaugh had been more than willing to be with his daughter when it was impossible for him to be at home. But the strain of the situation was wearing on him; Erin could see it in his eyes.
In the evenings, although Erin would eat with Krista and Kane, there wasn’t much time spent relaxing. Kane’s things had made it up to Seattle Tuesday afternoon, and after dinner each night for the next four days, Erin would help him and Krista get the apartment organized. It was a nearly impossible task. Although Kane had most of his belongings in storage, it still seemed to Erin that he had overstuffed the apartment with furniture, books, clothes and whatever else he could imagine. For the first time she realized how different Kane’s lifestyle in California must have been. The expensive leather furniture, an endless wardrobe of clothes, everything he owned spoke of money.
Although Kane seemed to become more tense with each passing day, Erin decided it had to do with the added responsibilities of being a full-time father. All in all, Krista seemed to be adjusting better than Kane to their new life together in Seattle. Slowly Krista was coming out of her shell. She adored Mrs. Cavenaugh and had even accepted Erin. It was difficult, but the girl had begun to take hesitant steps in her father’s presence, and at those times, all of the tension would drain from Kane and he would relax. The brooding sense of distrust in his eyes would die, and he would seem to enjoy life again.
The hectic week passed quickly, and Erin let a sigh of relief escape from her lips at six o’clock on Friday when she could forget about the flu, the computer, and the inheritance tax auditors. She grabbed her coat and hurried out of the bank building. Knowing that Kane was working late this evening, she hadn’t even bothered to knock on his office door to let him know she was leaving. Tonight she had special plans.
She hurried along on foot for several blocks before locating the pet shop that she had found just this week. As promised, the owner had kept his store open the extra ten minutes that Erin needed.