“Did you?”

“Well, somehow we managed to get by….” 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 exactly…”

“But you said…”

“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 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?”