Page 35 of Lay Down the Law

For an instant she was tempted to ignore him, and get in the car and drive away. Of course, she didn’t. Erin had never been one to run away from her problems. So why did she feel the quiver of the fight-or-flight instinct every time Nick got near her?

She didn’t turn to face him when he came up behind her and stopped. “You want to tell me what that was all about?” he demanded.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“Why don’t you turn around and look at me?”

Unduly humiliated, she swiped at the tears with her sleeve. “I said I was sorry, Nick. What else do you want?”

“I’m just trying to understand you. I don’t have a clue why you bought Steph that ball. Why don’t you help me out?”

Slowly, Erin turned. Raising her chin, she met his gaze. “I gave her that basketball because I want her to know she’s strong and capable and doesn’t have to stop living just because she’s in a wheelchair.”

“She can barely stand, McNeal. How on earth is she supposed to play basketball?”

“It’s called wheelchair basketball, Nick. Don’t tell me you’ve never heard of it.”

“She’s not ready for that.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I’m her father,” he said. “I know what she’s been through. I know what she can handle.”

“She’s ready, Nick. She’ll eventually do it whether you’re ready to accept it or not. She can do a lot of things you don’t seem to be ready to accept. Once she realizes it, you’d better learn to deal with it, because she’s not going to stop.” The words came out in a rush. Harsh. Damning. So true her chest ached with the need to prove to him she was right.

His eyes narrowed. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I spent two months coaching disabled children. Wheelchair basketball. Therapeutic horseback riding. Marathon racing. The kids love it. They love it! I’ve seen their faces light up. Their confidence bounce back. Their outlook on life improve dramatically.” Shaken by her own words and the emotion barreling through her, Erin broke off. She’d said too much, she knew, but once the words had started flowing, she hadn’t been able to stop.

Nick stared at her. “Stephanie is still adjusting. She’s…fragile. Not only physically, but emotionally. I won’t risk her getting hurt again.”

“At what cost to her?”

His face darkened. “You’re crossing a line you don’t want to cross, McNeal.”

“I’m good at crossing lines, Chief. That’s what I do best. For future reference, you should keep that in mind.”

“You’re reckless not only with your physical safety but with that smart mouth of yours.”

“You asked, Chief. I’m telling you what I think. You’re smothering that child—”

“She needs to be protected.”

“She needs to live her life to the fullest extent, risks be damned.”

“Recklessness is what put her in that chair to begin with!” Nick moved toward her, his jaw set. “I won’t let it happen again, so back off!”

His words and the anger behind them stopped her cold. Erin stood there trembling, breathing hard, wondering what Pandora’s box of pain she’d opened inside him.

As if realizing he was clinging to control by little more than a thread, Nick turned away abruptly. Walking to the front of the car, he put his hands on the hood and lowered his head.

For several long minutes the only sound came from the chirping of crickets. Erin leaned against the car door, shaken, aware that her heart was beating too fast. She wanted to tell him about the weeks she’d spent doing volunteer work at the Quest Foundation, an agency that specialized in helping disabled children adjust. But he was so angry she wasn’t sure it would make any difference.

Shoving away from the car, he straightened. Erin heard him sigh, then he approached her. “I’m sorry,” he said.

“It’s all right. This is none of my business—”

“I lost my temper. It’s not the first time, and it’s definitely not all right.” He bit out an oath, then gave her a canny look. “Stephanie is everything to me, McNeal. Everything. I love her more than life. She’s been through hell in the last three years. I don’t want her hurt again. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep that from happening.”