“At least we still got each other, Clancey,” Tad reminded her softly.

She hugged him. “Yes, we do!”

“Family,” the cab driver mused, “is the most important thing on earth. Fame and glory are fleeting. Family prevails.”

“Very nice,” she said.

“I have a degree in philosophy,” he replied. “Graduated with honors.” He indicated the cab. “So this is the great job I found with all my years of study.”

Clancey just shook her head. “I know a pizza joint owner who has a PhD in psychology.”

“Some professions don’t offer the opportunities that others do,” he said with a sigh. “In retrospect, I should have become a bricklayer. Not much chance for advancement, but the pay is really nice!”

They all laughed.

Banks was restless. He didn’t know why. He found himself watching Clancey from time to time, observing how nice she looked in those formfitting jeans and that perky yellow sweater that outlined her small breasts. He was paying far too much attention to her, and it bothered him. There was Grace Charles in the background, on her way to San Antonio soon. He hadn’t seen her in years. But he’d grieved for her, ached for her, wanted her more than life. So why was he staring at Clancey?

She was fragile. It had been a couple of weeks since she’d had pneumonia. She still got winded easily, although she’d bounced back fast. Cal Hollister was still transporting her and Tad to school and work, respectively. She said Hollister was just a friend, but the man was close to her. Very close. And he wasn’t.

He wasn’t jealous. Of course he wasn’t...

“Do you like flamenco?” he asked Clancey abruptly late the next Thursday.

She dropped a file folder and flushed as she bent over to pick it up, grinding her teeth at what her clumsiness betrayed. “Well, yes, I like... I like the music. I can’t dance,” she blurted out, flushing.

That vulnerability made him feel protective. He leaned back in his chair with his big booted feet on his desk and smiled at her, black eyes twinkling. “Suppose you and Tad go to dinner with me tomorrow night and we’ll watch the dancers?”

Oh my gosh, she was thinking, her heart racing. Was that like a date, or was he thinking of giving the kid a treat?

She just stared at him, her cheeks rosy and almost glowing. Her pale silver eyes were soft. “Well...well, I love to watch dancing,” she said, flustered. “So does Tad. It’s so nice of you. And you’ve done so much for us already...” She was floundering.

“I don’t do anything I don’t want to,” he said simply. He smiled. “Well?”

“We’d love to go,” she said at once.

He grinned at her. “Okay. I’ll pick you both up about six. That okay?”

She nodded. “Six.”