A Cowboy's Honor. Lois Richer

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СКАЧАТЬ sleep, either.

      Dallas didn’t call out, chose instead to muffle his steps on the grass beside the path. She always managed to mask her expression when she looked at him. He needed to catch her unaware, to discern what was really going on behind that beautiful facade, to see whether she hated him for coming back.

      Gracie swam with the same lithe grace she did most things. Only her head was visible, her hair a slick silver helmet in the moonlight. The pool lights had been dimmed, the yard light switched off.

      Dallas watched wordlessly until she finally climbed from the pool, toweled herself off.

      “You don’t have to stand in the shadows, Dallas. There’s a latch on the gate at this end. You can come in if you want.”

      Now he knew where Misty got her acute hearing.

      “Sorry.” He let himself into her yard, shame burning his cheeks. “You must think I’m a Peeping Tom.”

      “I think you probably have a thousand questions and couldn’t sleep because of them.”

      “Is that your excuse?”

      “I like to swim at night.” She pulled on a thick terry robe, motioned him to a chair. “I made some mint tea. Would you like a cup?”

      “No, thanks.” He watched her pour steaming liquid from a thermos. “Do you swim at night a lot?”

      “If I can.” She cupped the mug between her hands, studied him from behind the steam that rose from it. “I’ve always loved the water, and this is the first time I’ve had a pool in my own backyard. My days are filled, and when Misty comes home I’m busy with her. Nights seem the best.”

      “Surely you have some free time?” He couldn’t accept that she’d been locked away from life for the past six years, not a beautiful woman like her.

      “Misty is a full-time job.”

      One he’d missed.

      “Misty is five now, right?”

      “Her birthday was in February.”

      “Surely that’s old enough to allow you some freedom. From what I saw today, the children who use this facility are taught to become independent.”

      “There is always someone watching them. Maybe you missed that.” An edge crept into Gracie’s voice, a defensiveness he hadn’t counted on. Or maybe he was the problem.

      “Did I do something wrong, Gracie?”

      “Why do you ask that?”

      “Because it feels like I’m walking through a minefield.”

      “It’s not you, Dallas.” Defeat weighted her shoulders, added to the dullness of her eyes. “It’s just…” She shook her head, sipped her tea. “It doesn’t matter.”

      “Yes, it does. I’m her father. Your husband.” How strange that sounded. “I want to know if I said or did something that was out of place or hurt her. Or you.”

      “It’s not you, Dallas. It’s Misty. She’s blind.”

      “Yes.” He nodded. “I know.”

      “But do you realize what that entails?” Gracie set down her cup. “I’m her security. I’m who she turns to when something’s wrong in her world. I can’t decide one afternoon that I need a time-out, and disappear.”

      “You did this afternoon.”

      She shook her head. “That was different. And besides, Elizabeth was here. Misty is always cared for when I work. I never leave her alone.”

      “I’m sure you’re a great parent. But I’m here now. I can help.”

      “You’re the problem.”

      Her comment hit him squarely in the chest. She didn’t want him here.

      “Fine. I’ll leave tomorrow morning, if that’s what you want.” Dallas clenched his jaw, swallowed his anger. “But I will continue to see my daughter. Now that I’ve found Misty, I’m not walking away from her.”

      “I don’t want you to go!” Gracie shook her head. “That’s not what I mean.”

      “Then you’d better explain,” he snapped, frustrated by the dead ends he kept running into. “Because I am completely lost. As usual.”

      Her quick gasp, the way she huddled into her chair, her drawn miserable face struck him deeply, and his heart relented.

      Dallas knelt in front of her, wrapped his hands around hers and waited for her to look at him. When she did, tears glittered on her lashes. He released one hand, lifted his fingers and brushed the wetness away, fingertips tingling at the contact with her skin.

      “Gracie, I’m not trying to push you out of the way or take over. You’ve spent five years raising our child and I haven’t been here much more than five hours. I wouldn’t dream of undermining you. Why would I? You’ve done a wonderful job. She’s a daughter any man would love to call his own.”

      A tremulous smile curved Gracie’s mouth briefly. “Thank you.”

      He touched the damp strands that tumbled forward, pushed them away from her eyes so he could see more clearly. “I only want to share Misty with you.”

      “I know.” She cupped her palm against his jaw. “I understand you want to help. But that brings its own problems.”

      “Why?” Using every ounce of strength he had, Dallas resisted the urge to lay his head on her knees.

      “Because Misty will want more.” Her hand pulled away from his, the other dropped from his cheek.

      A keen sense of loss washed over him.

      “From the time she could speak, Misty has talked about wanting a family. I try to give her everything, but I can’t give her that.” Gracie stopped, chewed her bottom lip. When she spoke again her voice had dropped. “I also can’t guarantee that you won’t hurt her.”

      “I won’t.”

      “Not intentionally, maybe, but when your memory comes back…” She met his gaze and did not look away. “I don’t want my daughter to suffer, Dallas.”

      “I’m not going to hurt her,” he declared angrily, then told himself to calm down. She was a mother protecting her baby. “But nobody gets through life without some scars, Gracie.”

      “I know that. Yet it’s hard to explain to a five-year-old.” A winsome smile tilted her lips up at the corners. “Awfully hard.”

      “I’m sure. But your point is moot. I’m not going anywhere. And we already are a family.”

      She shook her head slowly. “We were never a family,” she murmured, a note of sadness lacing her voice. “We didn’t have time.”

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