She rushed toward him. Parker barely had time to brace himself before she plowed into his legs and held on firmly. An uncomfortable and unfamiliar tightness wrapped around his chest.

“I’m glad you’re here, too,” he said, his voice a little thick. “I want you to be happy here.”

“I will be.” She looked up and smiled. “And I’ll be very good.”

He touched the tip of her nose. “I’m sure you will be.”

“Parker, this is amazing,” Erin said.

Christie released him and raced to her mother. She grabbed her hand and tugged her around the bed toward the play area. “Mommy, look at this. You can see the ocean and at night Daddy says there’s stars. There’s a rocking horse and a playhouse and a place for all my toys.” Her whole body vibrated with joy.

Erin looked around, then raised her gaze to him. “I’m stunned. I knew the house was fabulous, but I wasn’t expecting anything like this.”

“These were all here when we bought the place,” he said, motioning to the wooden playhouse. “Most of the upstairs furniture is original.”

“But it’s in such good shape.” She moved closer to the rocking horse and touched its flowing mane.

Parker suspected the toy had been carved by hand. The craftsmanship alone made it functional art. The paint used to highlight the eyes and saddle had muted with time, but it wasn’t flaking.

“The house had been unoccupied but well cared for when we bought it. It must have been standing empty for nearly twenty years. Everything had been covered up or stored. Every sheet we pulled off exposed a new treasure. It was like Christmas.”

She tilted her head the same way Christie had the previous day. Her reddish brown hair brushed against her shoulder. “We?” she asked, obviously confused.

“I-” The sharp pain was familiar. He welcomed the connection to the past. “My late wife and I.”

“Oh. Of course. I should have realized.” She started back toward the door. “It’s very lovely here. You’ve been quite generous with your home. Christie and I appreciate it.”

He knew he’d upset her, but he wasn’t sure why. “Erin, please don’t think you have to watch what you say. It’s been over five years since Robin died. You’re not going to accidentally touch a nerve.”

“I’m glad,” she said and paused by her daughter.

Christie had opened the smaller of the two suitcases and was pulling out her clothing. Small T-shirts and sweaters, jeans, socks and a couple of dresses were piled on the bed.

“This is Millie,” Christie said removing a soft doll with an oversize head and brown yarn pigtails. She sat the doll on the bed, propping her up on the pile of clothing. “She’s my favoritest, next to my teddy. I’ve got books, too.” She slapped them down next to the doll.

Parker perched on the edge of the mattress. “There’s a library here.”

“I know.” Christie gave him a wide smile. “It’s in the same room with the picture of the pretty lady.”

“No, there’s another one. On the next floor down. When we bought the house, we got the library, too. These are old books. I never went through them but I wouldn’t be surprised if there are some for children.”

“Really?” Christie stood up. “Let’s go look.”

He laughed. “The books aren’t going anywhere. Why don’t you finish unpacking?”

“You think I should?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Okay.” She dropped to her knees and continued flinging things out of her suitcase. A nightgown sailed across the bed and settled next to him. He stared at the small bit of cotton. It was pink with a picture of a kitten on the front. He touched the ruffle on the edge of the sleeve.

Her clothing was so small, but then so was she. Four years old. He tried to imagine how tiny she must have been when she was born, but the thought terrified him. He shuddered. She was fragile enough now.

She tossed up more toys. Other dolls were introduced. The rules of a board game explained. He noticed Erin had left, but he couldn’t say when. He appreciated all she was doing for him. Not many women would have given him the chance to get to know his child. Watching Christie laugh and talk he decided it didn’t matter what this cost him financially. It would be worth it.

“Where’s the dresser?” Christie asked when the suitcase was empty.

“Over there,” he said, pointing behind the door.

“Okay, I’ll put these away and you can hang my dresses.” She thrust three at him.

He took them and walked to the closet. There were several empty hangers. He took one and slid it into the first dress. His hands were large, his fingers awkward, yet he relished the simple task. Christie continued to chatter away, talking to him and to her dolls, including everyone in the conversation.

When he was done, he moved back to the bed and touched the top of her head. “I’m going to check on your mom.”

“Okay. I’m going to read.” She waved one of her books at him, then climbed on the bed. Most of her clothing was still scattered in a pile. Toys were everywhere. In less than ten minutes, the room had gone from perfect order to chaos. He couldn’t have been happier.

He crossed the hall and knocked on the open door. This room was larger and faced the ocean. Christie’s only view of the sea was from the play area. A large four-poster bed stood in the center of the room. The mattress was new, but everything else was original furniture. The sensual lines and rounded corners were in keeping with the time period.

A large vanity stood against the far wall. The fabric of the rich burgundy brocade-covered stool matched the bedspread and curtains. The walls were white, the starkness broken by small cameo portraits hanging from ribbons, and a window seat under a picture window.

Erin came in from the bathroom and saw him. “It’s lovely,” she said. “I adore the view.”

“If you’re lucky, we’ll have a storm while you’re here. They can be pretty impressive this close to the ocean.”

She glanced out the window. “I would like to see that.”

“Do you have all that you need?” he asked.

“Yes. You and Kiki have thought of everything.”

He leaned against the doorjamb and folded his arms over his chest. “I had nothing to do with it. I think Kiki was a general in her previous life. She’s always prepared and always has a plan. Sometimes it makes me nervous.”

She smiled at him. Sunlight poured through the windows illuminating her. The rays turned her hair to the color of flame and outlined her feminine shape. She wore a hip-length red sweater over stone-washed jeans. He caught a hint of curves at her hips and her breasts. A flicker of awareness sparked to life inside of him. By force of habit, he quickly snuffed it out. He hadn’t allowed himself to be interested in a woman since Robin had died.

“Is Christie unpacked?” she asked.

“Everything is out of her suitcase, which isn’t exactly the same thing.”

“I can imagine. She is only four, so she doesn’t have too much of an attention span. I’ll go over in a minute and put the rest of her clothes away.”

Erin moved to the bed and picked up a couple of books. She set them on the nightstand.

“Christie showed me all her toys,” he said. “Did you bring anything interesting?”

He’d meant the remark to be teasing, something to ease the tension he felt between them. But instead of laughing, she flushed. The awareness he’d squashed just a minute before returned, this time hotter and brighter.

“I don’t have much time to play,” she said.

“Maybe you should change that. You’re on vacation for the next couple of weeks. There’s plenty to do around here. Hiking, bike riding. There’s even a movie theater in town. I’d be happy to watch Christie if you want to go sometime.”

She looked at him oddly. “Please don’t think you have to entertain me. I know I’m here because of Christie and not because you want the pleasure of my company.”

He winced. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“But it is the truth.”

Sometimes the truth wasn’t pleasant. He watched her graceful movements as she took out a couple of sweaters and carried them to the dresser. He found himself concentrating on the sway of her hips as she walked.

What the hell was wrong with him? He’d never had a problem resisting a woman before. Of course he worked at home and didn’t come into contact with many. Was it because he had been alone five years and Erin was simply here? Or was it something else? Was it about Stacey and the fact that Erin was her twin? Had he secretly been attracted to Stacey that summer, yet had tried to hide the truth from himself?

It didn’t matter, he reminded himself. He’d learned his lesson and he wasn’t going to ever forget it. Getting close to someone was too risky. He destroyed those who got close to him, so for the safety of others, he’d learned to keep his distance.

He pushed off the door frame. “Please ask Kiki or me for anything you need,” he said.

“Thanks.” She opened a small black case and pulled out an expensive looking camera. “I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

“I didn’t know you were a photographer,” he said.

“Oh, I’m not. I just take snapshots of Christie. If you don’t mind, I’d like to take a few of the house.”

“Feel free.” His gaze settled on the camera. “That’s fancy equipment for snapshots.”

“I suppose it is.”

He lingered for a moment but when it became obvious that she wasn’t going to say anything else, he left and started down the hallway. The camera was just a symbol of their problem, he thought. There was so much he didn’t know about Erin Ridgeway. Who was this woman who had given up her life to raise someone else’s child?

Parker nervously followed Erin down the hall. The sun hadn’t quite set yet, so it was still light. In Christie’s room, someone had drawn the drapes, giving the illusion of darkness. A small night-light glowed by the open door as he stepped inside.

Christie was on her side in bed and she smiled when she saw him. “I’m not very tired,” she said.

Erin had already warned him that Christie would try to get out of going to bed at her regular time. He sat on the edge of the mattress and stared at the girl.

“I’m tired,” he said. “This was an exciting day. You moved here and unpacked your things. We played on the beach.” Her hair was loose. He’d never seen it out of pigtails. He touched the silky strands marveling at the perfection that was his child. “Millie is already asleep.” He motioned to the doll nestled in her arms.

“Dolls don’t sleep,” she said with the authority of an expert.

“Of course they do. Everything sleeps, even flowers.”

“Flowers?” She rolled on her back and looked up at him. “When do they sleep?”

“In the winter.”

Her gaze was trusting, as if she knew he would never hurt her or lie to her. He vowed he would rather die than let her down.

“Now go to sleep,” he said. “The quicker you do, the quicker tomorrow will get here. We’ll do something fun together.”

“Okay.” The word was punctuated by a yawn. “’Night, Daddy,” she murmured, her eyelids drifting closed.

“Good night.” He sat there for a moment, then bent over and kissed her cheek. His heart thudded painfully as the band across his chest tightened.

He wanted to sit here and watch her sleep, but he knew Erin was waiting for him in the hall. He rose to his feet and silently crossed the room.

“She’s already out,” he said.

“I knew she would be. She protests going to bed then falls asleep in about a minute. Sometimes I’m surprised it takes that long. She uses so much energy in her day.”

They walked to the end of the hall and started down the stairs. “She looks so small in bed,” he said.

Erin chuckled. “I think you’re right. While she’s running and doing, she’s seems almost grown-up. But at night, sometimes I think she shrinks.”

They were still laughing when they reached the bottom of the stairs. Kiki came out of the dining room and walked toward him. Parker noticed she’d changed out of her jogging suit and was wearing a frilly cotton dress. Her tanned legs were bare, and instead of athletic shoes, she had on high-heel sandals.

“Another big night?” he asked.

Kiki ignored him. “Erin, I’ll be back later. Let Parker know if you need anything. What time do you usually have breakfast?”

“You don’t need to cook for us.”

“Honey, that’s my job. I would guess Christie probably wakes up around seven?”

“Usually.”

“Then I’ll have something ready for seven-thirty. Bye.” She wiggled her fingers at them, then walked to the front door. A few minutes later a car drove off.

“Kiki often goes out at night,” Parker said, then motioned to the terrace. “You want to sit outside and watch the sunset?”

“Ah, sure.”

She sounded a little nervous. Parker wondered if it was because they were alone together, or if she was waiting for him to stick his foot in his mouth again.