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 madonnalike 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.