Chapter 10
Sunday morning dawned as gloomy as the rest of the Seattle weekend had, but Erin felt somewhat lighthearted at the prospect of seeing Kane again. It seemed like forever since he’d been gone. She stretched out on the bed, and discovered that she ached all over. The muscles in her arms and legs seemed to be all knotted and twisted this morning, but she smiled to herself in spite of the pain. In order to keep her mind off Mitch’s indictment and Kane’s absence, Erin had run out on Friday night and purchased several gallons of paint. That night and all day Saturday she had spent repainting Mr. Jefferies’ old apartment and the massive entry hall. This morning her aching muscles rebelled.
Against the silent protests of her body Erin got up and showered. The new paint job had been such an improvement to the building that she had decided to continue the project. She had almost finished with the entry hall, and today she planned to tackle Mrs. Cavenaugh’s apartment. Ever since the repairmen had insulated the flooring and the windows, parts of the little old lady’s apartment had suffered, and a new coat of paint would hide the dirt and chips of paint that had been loosened during the repairs. Erin shuddered when she realized that she had nearly depleted her savings with the insulation and painting projects. But it just had to be done!
Mrs. Cavenaugh had embraced the idea of repainting her apartment, and by the time Erin had swallowed a cup of coffee, looked over the headlines and nibbled on a bit of toast, it was only eight-thirty. Yet Mrs. Cavenaugh was already up and ready to help Erin with the task at hand.
For as long as Erin could remember, she had never seen Mrs. Cavenaugh in anything other than a prim housedress and a single strand of pearls. But this morning the half-bent figure of Mrs. Cavenaugh sported a garishly loud green-and-purple scarf that was wound tightly over her hair, oversize trousers and tennis shoes that were presumably antiques. She was a comical sight in the outlandish outfit, but her blue eyes sparkled with eagerness, and against Erin’s protests, the elderly woman grabbed a brush and began to tackle the job at hand, only pausing to grumble about working on the Sabbath. Erin ignored her complaints and to her amazement found that Mrs. Cavenaugh was handy with the brush and had the endurance of a woman half her age.
“This is a wonderful idea,” Mrs. Cavenaugh exclaimed, “even if we are working on the Lord’s day.” Her blue eyes were carefully checking over some of Erin’s work with a practiced eye. Not able to complain about Erin’s painting, she continued, “Adds a lot to this apartment, don’t you think?” A pleased smile crept over her features. “You really are a dear. You know that don’t you?”
“Keeping up the place comes with being a landlord, especially when I can get some free labor from my tenants,” Erin laughed, and smiled at the little old lady’s compliment.
“Is the apartment across the hall ready for the new renters? When are they moving in?”
Erin slid a suspicious glance at the old woman, who seemed intent on trimming the windowsill. “As a matter of fact I expect them this afternoon.”
“Young couple?” Mrs. Cavenaugh asked, a mischievous twinkle lighting her eyes.
“Nocit’s my bosscMr. Webster. I believe you’ve met?” Erin watched Mrs. Cavenaugh carefully.
“Charming man,” the older woman agreed, and paid even more attention to the windowsill. “So he’s moving in today?”
“Why do I get the feeling that I’m giving you yesterday’s news?” Erin asked suspiciously. “You’ve already talked to Kane about this, haven’t you?”
A smile spread across the wrinkled face. “Someone’s got to look out for your best interests.”
“And so you just appointed yourself guardian angel. Is that it?”
“Close enough,” the little old lady averred. “Now don’t you go jumping off the deep end, Erin,” Mrs. Cavenaugh cautioned, and wagged a warning finger at Erin. “I just happened to mention in passing that there was an apartment availablec.”
“In passing! When did you see him?”
Mrs. Cavenaugh’s face puckered for a moment. “Now listen here, young lady. I may not be as young as I used to be, but I have a pretty good idea of what goes on around here. I’ve seen Kane come and go, and I’ve also got it figured out that, for some reason, the good Lord only knows why—” she threw her hands heavenward in supplication “—you keep running away from him.”
Erin began to protest, but the gray-haired lady would have none of it. “It’s a mistake, pure and simple, for you to run from him. That man is hopelessly in love with you, Erin. Only a fool would let him slip through her fingers!”
“Oh, Mrs. Cavenaugh,” Erin sighed, smiling wistfully. “If it were only that simple.”
“It’s as simple as you want to make it!” The old lady eyed Erin speculatively, and noticed the resigned droop of her shoulders. “Why don’t you call it a day—the apartment looks fine. You go and get ready for your Kane and his daughter. They’ll be here this evening, won’t they?”
“Just where do you get all of your information?”
“Like I said before, I know what’s going on around here!” Before Erin could voice any further questions or objections, the little bent figure hustled her out the door. “And don’t you dare accuse me of snooping,” she cautioned. “It’s just that I care.”
“I know you do,” Erin replied thoughtfully, “but you do seem to have an uncanny sense about some thingsc.”
“Comes with age, don’t you know? My eyesight isn’t what it used to be, and my hearing’s, well, you know, a little less than it should be. But I can still see love when it stares me in the face. Now you hurry up and change into something pretty and make that man something to eat. I bet he’ll be starved by the time that he gets home—the girl too.”
Erin started to protest, but Mrs. Cavenaugh pursed her lips, and balanced the wet paintbrush on one of her hips. “Scoot,” she ordered authoritatively, and slammed the door tightly shut.
Several hours had passed, and somewhat reluctantly Erin had taken Mrs. Cavenaugh’s well-meant advice, although she doubted that the little old lady downstairs would consider her slim designer jeans and print cotton blouse as “something pretty.” But Erin had made dinner for Kane and his daughter, and then, realizing that Krista probably wouldn’t be able to manage the two flights of stairs to Erin’s loft, Erin had moved the meal downstairs to Kane’s new apartment.
She paced nervously while waiting for Kane and glanced at her watch for the sixth time in the space of two minutes. The trying weekend without Kane had made Erin anxious and tired, and she found that her nerves were stretched as tightly as a piano string. How would she react to Kane’s daughter, and how would Krista take to Erin? she wondered.
Erin had attempted to bring as much warmth as possible to the small first-floor apartment by bringing down a few pieces of her own furniture. To her credit, the interior did look a little less stark and more comfortable for all her efforts. The creamy new coat of vanilla paint gleamed against the walls, and the few small pieces of furniture, though sparse, added a homey familiarity to the otherwise vacant rooms. Erin had even managed to cover the card table with a linen cloth and centered a basket of freshly cut flowers on it. All in all, she had done a decent job of making the tiny apartment attractive, but she found it impossible to shake the feeling of apprehension that shrouded her.
The sound of feet shuffling in the hall snapped her attention to the doorway. She knew in an instant that Kane and Krista had made it home. Nervously she wiped her suddenly wet palms against her jeans and pasted what she hoped appeared to be a pleasant smile upon her face. The door swung open, and father and daughter entered the room. At the sight of Kane, Erin’s heart turned over. How, in less than a week’s time, could anyone change so dramatically? He was dressed casually in jeans and a dove-gray sport shirt, but that’s where the casual part of his image stopped. Erin could sense the signs of strain that hardened his features, the thin light lines of worry that crowded his forehead, and the somber tilt of his dark eyebrows that were drawn thoughtfully together. His eyes met hers for an instant, and a small flicker of relief and affection lessened the severity of his gaze.
At the whirring sound of the electric wheelchair, Erin’s attention shifted from Kane to his daughter. Krista was beautiful in the classical sense: a small, evenly featured madonna-like face was surrounded by thick sun-kissed curls, and her deep-set, perfectly round icy blue eyes held a sparkle and a vibrancy of youth. Krista’s cheekbones were high and noble-looking with just a hint of pink on her otherwise cream-colored skin. Even in the awkward stage of adolescence, it was apparent that Krista was an uncommonly beautiful girl. Only the mechanical apparatus of the wheelchair detracted from her wholesome, California-fresh appearance. The presence of the chair served to remind Erin just how difficult the past year of Krista’s life must have been for the girl. Krista was much too young to have lived through the trauma of witnessing the death of her mother. Erin felt her heart go out to the attractive young girl in the mechanical beast.
There was a tense, uncomfortable moment as Kane dropped a bundle of blankets that he had carried into the apartment and shoved them into the corner of the room. For a split second Erin faced Krista alone and was surprised at the frigidity in the pale blue eyes of the girl. Uncontrollably Erin shuddered and hoped that she could somehow warm the cool look that hardened Krista’s gaze.
After unsuccessfully arranging the pillows and blankets on the floor, Kane gave up and turned his attention to Erin and his daughter. He seemed to appraise the uncomfortable situation with knowing eyes, and in a minute, he stood near to Erin. He was smiling, but the grin was tight, forced as if it had been slapped on his face out of courtesy. He showed Erin no outward signs of affection, but his stormy gray eyes reached out for hers, and Erin realized that he was asking her indulgence with Krista. It was as if he had expected a confrontation.
“Krista,” Kane said softly, and Krista’s blue eyes sparked upward to him. “This is Erin. You remember, I told you all about her. She works with me at the bank, and she’ll be our landlord until we can find a house of our own.”
Krista’s eyes skimmed over the interior of the apartment, and from the bored expression on her face, Erin sensed that Krista disapproved of her new, temporary home. The girl remained silent, and for a moment Erin wondered if the child had even heard the introduction. Kane’s black eyebrows melted together at Krista’s rudeness, but for the moment, he chose not to reprimand her.
Continuing the stilted introduction, he said more firmly, “Erin, this is Krista.”
Erin ventured a sincere smile for Kane’s daughter and wondered if the young girl in the wheelchair was just being shy, or if she was purposely giving Erin the cold shoulder.
“Hello, Krista. It’s nice to meet you. I hope you like it here.” Erin offered her outstretched hand to the girl.
Krista didn’t immediately respond to Erin’s attempts at warmth or friendliness. In fact, Erin was sure that if Kane hadn’t been in the room, the blue-eyed girl would have ignored the greeting altogether. As it was, Krista hesitated and then gave Kane an accusatory glare before finding her manners and answering. “Hello,” Krista muttered, almost to herself, and reached for Erin’s open hand. Her eyes never met Erin’s puzzled gaze.
There wasn’t time for a proper handshake. The instant that Krista’s smaller fingers touched Erin’s open palm, Krista withdrew her hand as rapidly as if Erin’s touch were white-hot. Erin found herself standing with her open palm suspended in midair and an astonished expression of disbelief disturbing her features. Was the girl always so rude, or did she just dislike Erin?
Rather than commenting on Krista’s complete lack of courtesy, or asking about Krista’s negative reaction to her, Erin forced herself to remain calm and hang on to the dwindling amount of control she had left. Excusing herself, she turned her attention back to the kitchen and preparation of the meal. She could hear the quiet reprimand that Kane was giving his daughter, but Erin tried to ignore the tension between father and daughter—tension that she somehow felt guilty about. Perhaps she shouldn’t have intruded on the homecoming. It was obvious that Krista would have preferred that she had never met Erin.
As Erin extracted the platter of warm rolls from the oven, she tried to convince herself that she was overreacting to Krista’s indifference. After all, the girl was crippled and probably extremely self-conscious about her condition. Aside from the obvious, it couldn’t be easy moving away from the only family and friends she had ever known to start a new life with a father she barely knew in an unfamiliar city. It was no wonder that the child was frightened and misbehaving. Give the girl a chance, Erin told herself. It’s barely been a year since the young girl witnessed her mother’s death. Armed with a new sense of conviction, Erin decided to ignore Krista’s coolness.
As she carried the meal to the table, Erin forced herself to smile and say, “Let’s get started. I bet you’re both hungry!”
“We ate on the plane!” Krista announced, and Kane threw his daughter a grim reproving glance. Krista ignored it.
“That we did,” Kane acknowledged, “but that was several hours ago, and it wasn’t particularly good.” His steely eyes never left his daughter—it was as if he dared her to act up again. “As I recall, you didn’t eat much.” The muscle cords in his neck stood out clearly against the collar of his shirt, and Erin could tell that he was holding on to the rags of his patience. He was about to explode. Erin hoped that Krista realized how dangerous the situation was becoming.
Erin tried to steady her rapidly disintegrating nerves as she went back to the kitchen for the rest of the food. She couldn’t gloss over it, not even to herself. For some reason Krista was determined to hate her. Erin mentally counted to ten, took several deep breaths, and once again poised, returned to face father and daughter. It took a lot of determination, but she was able to hide her discomfort and take some pleasure in serving the dishes that she had so meticulously prepared, although Krista’s discriminating eye took a little of the satisfaction away from her. Though the aroma of the food was tantalizing, and the marmalade-glazed game hens looked delicious as they sat on a platter of steaming wild rice and mushrooms, the meal was tense and uncomfortable. Everything seemed to have soured slightly under Krista’s disapproving blue-eyed gaze.
“This looks great!” Kane exclaimed a little too heartily as he helped Erin to her chair. His fingers brushed against her arm, and startled by the intimate gesture, Erin turned her eyes away from the meal to look more closely at him. He seemed more than tired—he seemed weary. She could tell his jovial words were just a cloak for the tension coiling rigidly within him. Although his voice was cheerful, the lines on his forehead, the muscle cords strung tightly at his neck, and the darkness of his gaze betrayed his calm exterior.
“Doesn’t this look delicious, honey?” he asked his daughter as he took his seat. Krista remained silent. Kane cleared his throat and rubbed his hands together. “I’m famished!” He looked at Krista with concern. Her large, liquid eyes met his, but still she didn’t speak.
Finally she broke her gaze from that of her father, and stared instead at the napkin in her lap. Kane’s forced smile disappeared into a frown. He was obviously distressed by Krista’s coolness and lack of manners, but he wisely said nothing, preferring to wait until he was alone with his daughter before having the argument that he knew was brewing between them.
The meal began in silence, and Erin thought that she would scream if some of the icy tension in the air didn’t melt. Fortunately the telephone rang, and Kane excused himself to answer it. The conversation was extremely one-sided and uncomfortable.
“Not tonight,” Kane argued but was apparently interrupted. “No—it’s absolutely impossible! I just got in from California with my daughter. You’ll have to handle it yourself!” A pause, and the muscle in Kane’s rigid face tightened again. “Can’t Jones handle it? No—how about Martin?” Another long pause. “For God’s sake, Jim, doesn’t anyone down there know what they’re doing?” Kane was shaking his head, raking his fingers through the burnished copper of his hair and pacing the length of the telephone cord. “All right, all right! I get the picture. I’ll be there in—” he checked his watch
“—about twenty minutes!” He slammed the receiver down viciously and uttered a curse under his breath.
“I’m sorry,” he apologized sincerely, once he had subdued his temper. His gray eyes pleaded with Erin to understand. “It seems that there are major problems in the computer center tonight. I have to go to the bank for a little whilec.”
“Noc” Krista began to wail, looking frantically from her father to Erin and back again. “Don’t goc.”
“I’m sorry, honey,” Kane responded with a fond pat on her silky blond curls. “But, really, I have to go—just for a little whilec”
“Nocnoc” Krista pleaded, clinging to her father’s shirtsleeve.
“I’ll be back in a couple of hours. You can stay here with Erin.”
“Daddy! No!”
Kane’s expression became confused, and for a moment Erin thought that he might reconsider. She fervently hoped so, but when his dark brows straightened again, she knew that the decision had been made. He was leaving Erin with the adolescent girl who obviously hated her.
“Erin, do you mind?” he asked, ignoring Krista’s pleading eyes.
“Not at all,” Erin agreed, as kindly as she could, and rained a warm smile on Krista. “We’ll get along just fine!” Kane’s gray gaze was dubious.
“Daddy, please, don’t go!” Krista cried in a shaky voice. Her frightened blue eyes skittered over to Erin and back to her father.
“Look, honey,” Kane answered, taking both of Krista’s hands in his. He squatted next to the chair, so that the child could look him squarely in the eyes. “You know I don’t want to go, so let’s not make it any harder than it already is. I’ll be back soon. I promise.” He planted a loving kiss on the top of her forehead as if to ward off any further protests. His silvery eyes locked with Erin’s for a moment, begging her to understand, but there was something more—the same old sense of wariness seemed to flicker across his face for an instant as he grabbed his jacket and walked to the door. Krista stared at her plate, unable to watch her father leave, but Erin followed him.
Kane stretched into his coat, took Erin’s hand in his and gently guided her out into the semiprivacy of the hallway. “Thank you,” he stated and his eyes held hers. Erin could see a question in their steely depths.
“It’s no problem,” she replied, doubting her own words as she thought about the headstrong blonde girl.
Kane looked at her and seemed unconvinced. “You don’t have to mince words with me. I know that Krista’s a handful!”
“I can handle her,” Erin insisted.
“I know.” Still he hesitated, and in the dimly lit hallway Erin could sense an uneasiness creep over both of them. It was the same feeling that seemed to keep them from completely trusting each other. He began to reach for her and then let his hand drop. “I’ll be back as soon as I canc.”
“I’m sure it won’t be long,” she agreed, knowing that her voice sounded feeble. What was it that was bothering her? Something didn’t seem right. “I thought that the repairmen fixed the computer on Friday,” she puzzled, shaking her head in an effort to remember the details of Friday afternoon. “Yes, I’m sure that we got a call around five o’clock, stating that all systems were go.”
Kane’s jaw flexed. “Apparently there have been additional problems.” His voice was strangely devoid of emotion—cold.
“Odd, isn’t it?” she murmured. “Oh, well.” She lifted her shoulders and managed a sincere smile. “Try to hurry homec.”
His sudden and powerful embrace surprised and baffled her. His arms held her closely, tightly, as if he were afraid she might disappear. His strength imprisoned her, and she could hear the hammering of his heart, belying his calm exterior of a few moments before. His breathing was labored and uneven. She couldn’t see his eyes as her face was crushed, almost savagely, against his chest. There was anger in his strength and passion in his words. They were torn from him as if his admission were painfully traitorous.
“God, but I’ve missed you, Erin,” he breathed, and the pressure against the curve of her spine increased. “I’ve had dreams about you, ached for youc”
“Shhhc” Before he could utter another word, Erin checked his speech by placing a trembling finger against the warmth of his lips. “Later,” she whispered, cocking her head toward the open doorway to his apartment. “I’d better go inside and check on Krista.” Erin knew that she was shaking from the intensity of his passion, but she controlled the urge to reach up and trace the angled contour of his cheeks with her fingers.
Kane reluctantly let his embrace loosen and an unreadable, agonized expression passed over his face. “I won’t be gone long—it should only take a minutec.”
“Don’t be too sure,” she laughed hollowly as she stepped back toward the apartment. “Computer problems tend to be complicatedc.”
“That they do,” he whispered cryptically, and let his eyes rove over her face searchingly. What did he expect to find? Finally he tore his gaze away from her and threw open the door before stepping into the night. If only Erin could guess the real reason that he had been summoned to the bank on this black, rain-drenched night, Kane thought sardonically. If only she knew that he was aware of the fact that another three thousand dollars had slipped out of the dividend account during his absence. Oh, Erin, he thought as he drove toward the winking lights of Seattle. His grip tightened on the steering wheel, and the tires of the black sports car screamed against the pressure of a corner taken too recklessly. Why, he wondered—oh, God, why?
Erin straightened her shoulders before she entered the tiny apartment and let the door whisper shut behind her. At the sound of the soft noise Krista stirred and looked longingly at the door with cold disbelieving eyes.
Mentally Erin fortified herself. She could tell that the upcoming evening was going to be a test of will between herself and Kane’s stubborn daughter. And although Erin was an adult, and the old Victorian house was “her turf,” she felt at a distinct disadvantage to the blonde girl who had folded her arms defiantly over her small chest. Erin dreaded the argument that she knew was simmering in the air. Forcing herself to appear more collected than she felt, she walked back to the table and ignored Krista’s wounded look as she spoke softly to the child. Erin’s voice was friendly but firm.
“Is there anything else I can get you?” she asked the girl, and motioned to a basket of sourdough rolls at her end of the table.
Silence.
Erin gritted her teeth together in frustration and noticed that Krista hadn’t touched any of the food on her plate. Once again Erin attempted to communicate. “How about a glass of milk?”
Nothing.
“Krista,” Erin said, commanding the girl’s attention, and bracing herself for the inevitable confrontation. “I’d like it very much if we could be friends.”
Cold fearful blue eyes surveyed Erin as if seeing her for the first time. Pouty pink lips pressed into an insolent line. “I don’t like you!” Krista hissed in a trembling voice.
Erin sucked in her breath but bravely continued the stilted conversation. “Why? Why don’t you like me? Is it because I’m a friend of your father’s?”
“I don’t want to like you—and I won’t!” Defiance and anger were evident in the tilt of Krista’s finely shaped chin.
Erin sighed wearily and sat down in the chair opposite the rebellious girl with the fearful eyes. Their gazes locked and Erin found herself folding and refolding the napkin in her lap, while contemplating a way to bridge the gap that existed between her and Kane’s daughter. She took in the challenging look on the girl’s face, the proud carriage of Krista’s head, and then Erin’s gaze touched upon the empty wheelchair. Compassion washed over Erin. Krista was bearing a heavy cross.
“You don’t have to like me,” Erin stated simply, and a look of astonishment softened Krista’s defiant features. “It’s up to you.”
Once again Erin paid full attention to her meal and hoped it seemed that she was enjoying her food, while all the time her stomach was twisting into knots of revulsion against the meal. It took all of Erin’s will to finish the cold and suddenly tasteless meal.
It was several minutes before the silence was broken. Krista’s small voice trembled and Erin politely looked at the girl. “They were getting back together, you know!” Krista announced, and toyed with the food on her plate.
“Pardon me?”
“Mother and Daddy. They were going to get married again. Mother told me so!” Krista’s face was set for the denial she expected from Erin.
“Were they?” Erin asked calmly.
“You bet!” the girl nearly shouted. “And it would have been soon too. Andcandcwe were all going to be a family again!”
Erin listened intently, not knowing exactly how to respond to Krista’s outburst. She studied Krista and saw the turbulent play of emotions that was contorting the beautiful child’s face.
“We were going to be together again. We were!” she proclaimed, tears glistening in her round eyes. “If only Mama hadn’t diedcI know we would!” Her frail voice caught and tears began to flow freely down her cheeks.
Erin’s heart bled for the small girl at the other end of the table. Dropping her fork onto the plate, she got up and hurried to Krista’s side. She let her hand touch the sobbing shoulders.
“I’m so sorry,” Erin whispered.
“No, you’re not!” the child sniffed. “If Mama was alive, then you couldn’t have Daddy. He loved her! He did!” By this time Krista’s body was racked with her uncontrolled weeping, and Erin let her arm reach tentatively around the slim shoulders.
“Don’t touch me,” Krista screamed. “Don’t you dare touch me!” She pushed her chair back from the table and attempted to reach for the wheelchair. Erin knew that the situation was getting dangerously out of control, and she tried to help Krista by pushing the wheelchair in the girl’s direction.
“I can do it myself!” Krista declared, and to Erin’s surprise, the slender girl braced herself on the table’s edge and took a few hesitant steps before falling into her mechanical chair.
They faced each other as if they were opponents on a battlefield. Each one eyed the other distrustfully. Hesitantly Erin drew herself up to her full height, and her lilac gaze rested on her ward for the evening. How was it possible to handle Krista? There was no answer but the obvious.
“Krista,” Erin said, and offered the girl a tissue to dry her eyes. “I want you to know that there’s no rule stating that you have to like me. All I ask is that you give me a chance, an honest chance. And, for your father’s sake, I’m asking you to be, at least, civil to me. Is that so much to ask?”
“I don’t want a new mother!” the girl cried, nearly hysterical.
“I understand that, andcI respect it,” Erin agreed, still holding the tissue out to the child. “No one has the right to step into someone else’s shoes, unless they’re asked. I’m sure that your mother was a very wonderful woman, and that she loved you very much, but, unfortunately, I can’t bring her back to you. Nobody can.” Erin’s eyes had begun to fill with tears as she looked into a face that was much too young to understand death. “I hope you know that whatever happens between your father and me, that I would never attempt to take the place of your mother—that’s a promise!”
Krista stared silently at Erin for what seemed an eternity before taking the tissue and wiping the stain of tears from her cheeks. Assured that the girl was poised again, Erin turned toward the kitchen and hastily wiped her own tears with the cuff of her blouse. She hoped that Krista hadn’t seen her tears or her weakness.
For the rest of the evening, while Erin cleared the table and cleaned the dishes, Krista brooded in a corner of the room, pretending interest in the empty fireplace. Erin offered to build a fire, but Krista had withdrawn back into her shell and didn’t respond to the invitation. Therefore, Erin shrugged her shoulders and acted as if it didn’t matter in the least to her, one way or the other, before turning back to the task of straightening the kitchen. But she sensed that beneath Krista’s cold exterior, the girl had begun to thaw.
Whenever Krista didn’t think that Erin would notice, she studied the black-haired woman with interest. So this was the lady that her father was falling to pieces over. Although this Erin creature was very unlike her mother, Krista couldn’t help but admire Erin’s mettle. Maybe Seattle wouldn’t be quite as bad as she had imagined.
* * *
It was late when Kane returned to the apartment house. He parked the car and sat motionless for several minutes, just staring into the darkness of the night. He was emotionally drained to the point of exhaustion, and he had the urge to restart the car and head to the closest tavern. He wanted a drink—make that several drinks—and then he wanted to fall into bed and sleep for days. He didn’t want to face Krista and endure another fight, and he couldn’t face Erin, not now.
He groaned when he thought about the scene at the bank: the evidence, the fear and the anger as Jim Haney explained about the latest development in the embezzling operation. Not only was three thousand dollars missing, but Jim had learned from Olivia Parsons that Erin had met with Mitchell Cameron on the day of his arraignment hearing—the very day the money was transferred from the dividend account. The only good news was that Jim had traced the money’s path and it would only be a matter of days before he had sifted through all of the departmental checks to find one that was out of balance with the general ledger. At last the torture of the unknown would end, and Kane realized bitterly that Erin would be caught.
Erin was sitting in a chair, engrossed in a mystery novel, when Kane let himself into the apartment. Her black hair was wound into a loose ponytail, her glasses were perched on the end of her nose, and her legs were curled comfortably beneath her. As Kane saw her he was reminded of the first time he had seen her, dressed much the same and crouched in a pile of legal documents at the bank. He felt the same, now-familiar male response that he’d had several weeks ago. He wanted to run to her, to scoop her up in his arms, to crush her against him and to bury his head in the soft warmth of her breasts. Even now, suspecting what he did about her and knowing he was deathly close to the truth, he wanted her as he had never wanted another woman.
“Hi,” Erin greeted him, and pulled her glasses off her face. She laid the book and the glasses on an upturned box that she was using as a table, stood up and stretched. It was an unconscious and provocative gesture that made Kane’s blood heat as he watched the fabric of her clothes mold tightly to her body. Her eyes found his. “Can I get you anything? There’s quite a few leftoversc.”
He stood in the doorway, his shoulders drooped in resignation. Though she could tell that he, in his own way, was glad to see her, there was a strange look on his face.
“Are you well?” she asked.
“What? Oh, yeah. I’m fine,” he responded, and rubbed the back of his neck.
“Were the computer problems that difficult?”
“The what? Oh, no, the computer is fine. But you know how it is, one problem seems to lead to another, and before you know it, the half-hour that you planned to be gone has stretched into three.” His voice was vague, distant, and Erin wondered if he was trying to tell her something.
“How’s Krista?” Kane asked, and dropped to the floor. He grabbed a loose pillow for his head and patted the floor next to him, inviting Erin to sit next to him on the floor.
“We got along fine,” Erin replied, and leaned against Kane, who cocked a dubious eyebrow. “Well, it wasn’t easy—not at first,” she admitted hesitantly. “But we worked things out.”
“Did you?”
“Well, somehow we managed to get byc.” Erin’s voice drifted off. Kane seemed remote this evening, and she could see the evidence of exhaustion on his face. She hated to add to his problems, but she thought that he should know about Krista. “Did you know that she can walk?” Erin asked in a near whisper.
Kane stiffened. “What do you mean? Did she actually walk while I was gone?” His voice had lost all of its distance, and his fingers dug into her upper arm.
“Not exactlyc”
“But you saidc”
“I know what I said. Just listen a minute. Krista and I had an argument. It wasn’t serious,” Erin added hastily, and felt guilty for the lie. “And when I tried to help her to the wheelchair, she wouldn’t stand for it. She braced herself on the table and took two—three—possibly four steps until she made it to her chair.”
“You’re certain?”
“Kane! I was right there—only inches from her! She walked.”
“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 onlyc”
“Have you spoken to a doctor in Seattle?”
“Not yetcI 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 backc.” 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. “WellcI’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 tonightc.” 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’tc”
“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. Butcwe, 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, IcI 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 hardwood. Erin’s final words echoed and reechoed in his ears. “Then just trust mectrust mec”