Erin’s words came back to him. She’d warned him he would have to give with his whole heart. He couldn’t hold back, not with Christie. The child would sense the truth. He wondered if that same rule applied to Erin. If he wanted her in his life, would he have to give with his whole heart? After all, she, too, would know if he held back.

But if he did as she asked, they were all at risk. Look at what had happened to Robin and to Stacey.

He had no answers to his questions. Maybe time was the solution. He would be a part of Christie’s world for the rest of her life.

But what about Erin?

That was less simple, he admitted. Once she left his house, he would lose his chance. They would return to their own schedules and the reality of getting through the day would gradually wear away at anything they might have had together. That would be best for both of them, but was it what he wanted? Was it what Erin wanted?

He stared up at the sky and realized he didn’t know what she wanted. He didn’t even know how she felt about him. She’d told him they couldn’t be lovers because eventually she might fall in love with him. How long would that take? A week? A month? A year?

Erin in love with him? The thought made his spirits soar. With her beside him, he could do anything. He could-He closed his eyes. He could destroy her.

So when the time was up, he would let her go.

Parker didn’t realize he’d drifted off to sleep until a sharp sound awakened him. Christie scrambled off him and jumped to her feet.

“Daddy, Daddy, it’s a dog!”

Sure enough a small dirty mutt came over the rocks at the end of the beach. The dog was about ten inches to the shoulder, all matted hair and big brown eyes. A long tail pumped back and forth as if finding people was the greatest joy in the animal’s life.

“He’s so cute,” Christie said, rushing toward the dog.

“Wait.” Parker grabbed her arm and held her in place. “Let’s make sure he’s friendly. Stay here.”

“But he wouldn’t hurt me.”

Parker stared at her. “Christie, this is a strange dog. It might be sick. If it bites you, then you’ll get sick, too. It’s better to be careful now. Please stay here.”

Her mouth drooped as she nodded her head. “Yes, Daddy.”

The little brown dog quivered as he approached. It rolled on its back and exposed a skinny belly. Parker let the animal sniff his hand and received a quick lick in return. He touched the dog’s stomach. The animal moaned in pleasure.

“He seems friendly enough,” Parker said, then frowned as he clearly felt ribs. Had the dog gotten lost or been abandoned? He sure hadn’t eaten in a while. He probably hadn’t had anything to drink, either. They hadn’t had rain in a couple of weeks.

Christie squatted next to him and held out her hand. When the dog licked it, she giggled. “He likes me.”

“Of course he does. Rub his belly like this.” He demonstrated the back-and-forth motion. The dog writhed and moaned, then jumped up and barked.

Christie clapped her hands together. “You want to play? Daddy, does the dog have a name?”

“Let me check.” He felt through the thick fur for a collar. There wasn’t one. “No tags. I wonder what happened to his owner.”

“Maybe he doesn’t have one. Maybe we can keep him. My very own puppy. Please say yes, Daddy, please?” The dog and the little girl stared at him with equally pleading expressions.

“We’ll see. For now, let’s give him some water.”

They’d brought a Thermos down with them. Parker poured water into a plastic cup and offered it to the dog. The animal drank greedily, then barked once and raced toward the steps. When Christie didn’t follow, he stopped and barked again.

“I think he wants to play,” Parker said.

“I’m coming,” she yelled, and ran after the dog.

The two of them played tag. Parker found a stick and threw it. The dog returned it and drank a bit more water. He was friendly and good-natured. Where were his owners?

When Christie and her new friend were tired from running, they started to explore the rocks at the far end of the beach. Parker tried his luck with the kite again. The wind had shifted and this time he managed to get it nearly as high as the top of the cliffs.

He let out more string. “Look, Christie,” he called.

There was no answer.

He glanced toward the rocks but didn’t see anything-not even his daughter. The piles of boulders were about twelve feet high, the result of a rock slide nearly a century before. He’d never bothered exploring the other side.

“Christie?”

He couldn’t see the dog, but suddenly it started barking.

He dropped the kite and ran toward the sound. “Christie!”

He searched the boulders and couldn’t find them. The barking came from somewhere else. Inside the rocks. But he couldn’t get there from this side of the beach. The rocks stretched out twenty feet into the ocean. The bottom dropped quickly and the water would be well over Christie’s head.

Parker’s heart pounded and fear chilled him. “Christie, honey, can you hear me?”

He scrambled over the rocks, trying to figure out where a four-year-old would want to go. The rough surface scraped his hands and caught his jeans, but he continued searching frantically. The little dog whimpered. He followed the sound, peering between boulders. Then he saw it. A bit of pink lying below him on the sand. Christie’s shirt. A foot in front of him was the hole she’d slipped through. She was lying very still.

“Christie!” He tried to fit through the hole but he was too big. Then he saw the dog next to her, tugging at her clothing. Parker realized the tide was rushing in and was nearly up to her thighs.

“God, no!”

He was frantic with dread. He had to get her out of there. In another few minutes, the tide would catch her and carry her out. But how to reach her?

The little dog barked again and Parker realized the animal couldn’t have gone through the hole, either. It was too far down. So there had to be another way to that small stretch of beach. The dog had come over the rocks. He could go back the same way.

Parker moved quickly, jumping from boulder to boulder. When he reached the far side, he saw a small cave.

“Christie?”

The dog ran out and tugged on his pant leg.

“I know, boy,” he said. “I’m here.”

He crawled into the shallow cave. Christie was lying facedown on the sand. Her left arm was bent awkwardly, probably broken. His heart stopped. Dear God, he couldn’t lose her, too.

Then she stirred. Her eyes fluttered open. Tears filled them. “Daddy, my arm hurts.”

The tide surged in, soaking her to her waist. Her tears became sobs.

He reached for her and gently drew her next to him. She screamed when he touched her arm, then fainted. The little dog led the way out of the cave and back over the rocks. Parker followed slowly, all the while whispering a prayer that his daughter would survive.

The hospital waiting room was a blur of chairs, light yellow walls and a television tuned to a talk show. Parker paced back and forth. His long strides ate up the linoleum floor and he had to turn around every eight steps.

“It’s all my fault,” he muttered. “Dammit.”

The same phrase had played over and over in his mind on the drive to the hospital. He’d carried Christie to the house and had called for Erin. She’d sat with her daughter in the back seat of the Mercedes. Kiki had wished them Godspeed and had promised to see to the dog who had saved their daughter’s life.

Erin stood in front of him and placed her hands on his chest. “Parker, stop torturing yourself.”

He stared over her head. “She started playing on the rocks. I should have stopped her. I should have been watching her instead of trying to get the kite flying.”

“It was an accident.” She touched his chin, forcing him to meet her steady gaze. “When she was two, she fell down the porch steps. She cut the back of her head and bled the whole way to the emergency room. I kept telling myself I should have been holding her hand or paying closer attention. She’d gone down those steps a hundred times before and been fine.”

She blinked as if she were trying to hold back tears. “She’s been on that beach before. Neither of us realized she could climb the boulders. Okay, we both should have told her to stay off them, but we didn’t think about it. I’m as much at fault. Please don’t blame yourself. It doesn’t accomplish anything.”

Her words gave him something to think about. He’d had his share of scrapes and injuries as a child. Most children do. “I’ll watch her more carefully next time.”

She nodded. A single tear leaked from the corner of her eye. She sniffed. “Are you feeling better?” she asked.

“Yes, thanks. Although when she gets out of here, we’re going to have a long talk about the boulders and not leaving the beach.”

“Good.” She gave him a shaky smile. Her lips quivered, then twisted. Tears filled her eyes. “I’m trying to be strong, but I’m not doing a good job. Oh, Parker.”

He held open his arms and she threw herself at him. She was shaking. “She’s going to be okay. It’s just a break, a clean one from the X ray.”

“I kn-know that’s what they said, but what if there’s something else? I couldn’t bear it.”

He led her over to the chairs and sat. He settled her on his lap, then rocked her.

“You held yourself together long enough to make sure I didn’t feel guilty, then you fell apart?”

She pressed her face against his neck and nodded. “Dumb, huh?”

“No, very brave. You’re a hell of a woman, Erin Ridgeway.”

“A real p-pillar of strength.” A sob shook her.

“Hush.” He smoothed her hair and continued to rock her. “She’s going to be fine. They’ll probably keep her overnight to observe her.”

“I’m not leaving her side.”

“No one has asked you to. This isn’t a busy hospital. I’m sure you can stay.”

As long as he lived, he would never forget those few minutes he’d spent looking for Christie. The gut-level fear had permanently scarred him. While intellectually he could say it had been an accident, in his heart he accepted the blame.

“Thank you for being here,” she said and straightened.

Tears dampened her face. Her mouth was swollen, her eyes and nose red. He brushed the moisture from her cheeks, then slid his fingers through her hair.

“There’s nowhere else I would rather be,” he said, and kissed her.

Her lips yielded immediately. The contact was comforting rather than arousing. She clung to him, then buried her face back in his shoulder.

“Tell me again she’ll be fine.”

“She’s a strong little girl. She has a real zest for life. Of course she’s going to be fine. She’ll have a cast. Just think of how she’ll use that to get her own way.”

Erin’s laugh was muffled against his chest. “She’s going to wrap you and Kiki around her little finger.”

“I know. You wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“No, I wouldn’t.”

They held each other until the doctor joined them. Erin wiped her face, then stood up and held out her hand to the older man. Parker rose and did the same.

“Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton, your little girl is going to be just fine.”

Parker was so relieved he couldn’t speak to correct the doctor’s mistaken assumption that they were married. Erin sagged against him. He put his arm around her shoulders and squeezed. “I told you so.”

She smiled up at him. “Those are the nicest words you’ve ever said to me.”

The doctor chuckled. “As I told you before, it was a clean break. She’s already in a cast. Because she was unconscious for a few minutes, we’re going to keep her overnight to observe her. If everything is fine, and we expect it to be, then she can go home with you in the morning.”

“I want to stay with her,” Erin said.

“Me, too,” Parker told the doctor.

“That’s not a problem. Most parents stay with their children. If you come with me, I’ll take you to her room.”

The next morning Erin hovered anxiously as Parker carried Christie up three flights of stairs to her room. He held the girl easily, as if she weighed nothing. Kiki had hurried ahead and pulled down the bedspread.

“But I’m not tired,” Christie said as she was set on her bed. “I don’t want to sleep.”

“You don’t have to sleep,” Erin said. “Just rest. The doctor said you should take it easy today. You can get up and play tomorrow.”

“Can’t I rest downstairs and watch television?”

Erin smiled, relieved to have her child home. “This afternoon. For now, you’re going to stay in bed.”

Parker sat next to her and smoothed her bangs off her forehead. “It’s not so bad, kid. We’ll all keep you company.”

Christie stared at him. Her lower lip trembled. “I’m sorry, Daddy. I didn’t mean to go on the rocks. I won’t do it again.”