“I know you do,” Erin replied thoughtfully, “but you do seem to have an uncanny sense about some things….”

“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.