With a sigh, Brianna replaced the photo on the shelf and got into her pajamas. She was exhausted, but even after slipping into bed, she lay awake for a long time, gazing up into the darkness.

* * *

Allison had offered to make Burke breakfast that morning, hoping that, with Brianna already on the way to her new job, they could sit at the table and talk awhile. But he’d insisted that all he wanted was coffee and that he would make it himself. She shouldn’t have been surprised. He was still angry about her decision to take the part-time job at the agency. Angry or worried—most likely both.

By the time she’d dressed in leggings and a warm sweatshirt for her morning walk, he was talking on the phone in his study, the paperwork on his desk organized into neat piles. She gave him a wave from the open doorway. He would know where she was going—if he even cared.

But she mustn’t think that way. Burke did care. Maybe he cared too much. As a man, he took responsibility for everything that happened in his world and shouldered the blame for anything that went wrong.

Allison left the house by the back door and made her way down the slope to the jogging path that followed the lakeshore. The morning was cool and cloudy, with a steady breeze from the west. At her approach, a flock of mallards lifted off the water’s surface, rising and circling as their beating wings caught the wind.

The words of Kate’s letter came back to her as she followed the path. Kate could have kept her secret—the affair was over, the man no longer in her life. But she’d chosen to face the consequences with honesty and courage. And Burke had chosen to come back and save their marriage.

Was there a lesson to be learned here?

The breeze had taken on a chill. Allison thrust her hands into the front pocket of her sweatshirt. Today at one o’clock she would report to the agency for her so-called job. She would lie to Garrett about her intent, just as she’d already lied to Burke about the danger involved. She was tired of lying. But she was doing this for Burke and also for Brianna.

She could only wonder whether Kate would have made the same choice.

Dressed for work in gray slacks and a black silk blouse, Allison stood in the doorway of Burke’s study. Burke was still at his desk. “I’ve got time to make us some lunch before I leave,” she said. “Would you like something?”

“Don’t bother. Samuel left plenty of frozen dinners in the fridge. I can warm something up later, when I’m hungry.”