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Besides, she’d come so close to achieving the goals she’d set for herself five long years ago. She’d proven that she could be agood mother to Hutch, that she could support and raise him on her own. She’d learned to stand on her own two feet, to depend on no one but herself. She’d even contacted her aunt and uncle and discovered that they were as heartsick at the manner in which they’d parted as she was. And she’d taken the final step toward her most important goal, getting her—
A soft knock sounded on the door. “Honey? You fall asleep in there?”
She sniffed. “No.”
“Everything okay?”
“No.” She rested her forehead against the oak panel and splayed her hand across the cool wood. As a substitute for Ty’s warm arms, it lacked a great deal. “Not really.”
“Anything I can do?” So understanding. So gentle. So loving.
So tempting.
“Those voices are talking to me again.”
There was a long silence. “The ones you told to shut up when we first met?” he asked cautiously.
“Yeah. Those ones.”
“What are they telling you?” Apprehension grated his voice.
“That you’re not Lonnie.”
That perked him up. “Hey! I’m beginning to like those voices.”
“Oh, really? They’re also the ones that told me to sleep with my ex before we got married.”
“Ah. Isee the problem.”
She swiped the tears from her cheeks. That darned spring shower had turned into a summer torrent. “So now I don’t know what to do.”
“How about opening the door and having some dinner? We can decide whether the voices have me pegged right another time.”
She opened the door a crack. “You don’t understand. That’s the problem.”
He stood just outside the doorway, smiling down at her, his eyes so full of love it hurt to look at him. “What’s the problem, sweetheart?”
“How can I possibly trust them when they were so wrong before?”
He cupped her damp cheekbone. “Maybe they’ve gotten older and wiser since then. It can happen to the best of us.”
She hadn’t thought of that and it cheered her immensely. “I think I’m hungry now.”
“Great. Let’s eat. I’ll light the candles so I don’t see all the wrinkles Hutch claims you have and we’ll stuff ourselves until we can’t move.”
A laugh broke from her. “He told you about the wrinkles, huh?”
“He’s even the one who suggested the candlelight.”
“Lovely.” She joined Ty in the hallway. “One of these days that kid’s going to go too far.”
“I suspect that day’s right around the bend.”
They entered his office and he gestured toward the table. “Have a seat. There’s salad and homemade tortilla chips to gowith Lorenzo’s personal salsa. Then for the main course we have—”
The lights winked off just as Ty pulled out her chair. She took a stumbling step forward, tangled with the chair leg and plunged full force against him. He hadn’t anticipated the blow. He went over liked a felled tree, carrying her with him. He also managed to snag the tablecloth on the way down. Dishes and silverware, flowers and food pelted them as they hit the floor with Ty flat on his back and Cassidy riding ontop.
“Are you hurt?” he questioned urgently, running his hands over her, checking for damage.
