loved what you've done for the family. You helped bring them back
together. I think they got a little lost for a while--after Dr. Quinn
died. Maybe they all had to go their own way, just like they had to come
back."
"Ethan stayed."
"He's rooted here--in the water, like eelgrass. But he drifted, too. And
spent too much time alone. His house is around the bend that the river
takes away from the waterfront."
"I've never seen it."
"It's tucked away," Grace murmured. "He likes his privacy. Sometimes on
a quiet night if I went walking, when I was carrying Aubrey, I could
hear him play his music. Just catch the notes on the air if the wind was
right. It sounded lonely. Lovely and lonely."
Eyes that were dazzled by love saw some things with perfect clarity.
"How long have you been in love with him?"
"Seems like all my life," Grace murmured, then caught herself. "I didn't
mean to say that."
"Too late. You haven't told him?"
"No." At even the thought of it, Grace's heart clutched in panic. "I
shouldn't be talking about this. He'd hate it. It'd embarrass him."
"Well, he's not here, is he?" Amused and delighted, Anna beamed. "I
think it's terrific."
"It's not. It's awful. It's just awful." Horrified, she pressed a hand
to her mouth to hold back a sudden and unexpected rush of tears. "I
ruined it. Ruined everything, and now he doesn't even want to be around
me."
"Oh, Grace." Flooded with sympathy, Anna abandoned her chopping to wrap
her arms tight around Grace's stiff form, then nudged her toward a
chair. "I can't believe that."
"It's true. He told me to stay away." Her voice hitched, mortifying her.
"I'm sorry. I don't know what's got into me. I never cry."
"Then it's time you broke tradition." Anna tore off a couple of sheets
of paper towels and offered them. "Go ahead, you'll feel better."
"I feel so stupid." With the dam broken, Grace sobbed into the paper
towels.
"There's nothing to feel stupid about."
"There is, there is. I made it so we can't even be friends anymore."
"How did you do that?" Anna asked gently.
"I was pushing myself at him. I guess I thought--after the night he
kissed mea"
"He kissed you?" Anna repeated, and immediately began to feel better.
"He was mad." Grace pressed her face into the towel, breathing deep
until she could regain some control. "It was after what happened at the
pub. I've never seen him like that. I've known him most of my life and
never knew he could be like that. I'd have been scared if I hadn't known
him--the way he tossed that man aside like he was a bag of feathers. And
he had this look in his eyes that made them hard and different, anda"
She sighed and admitted the worst. "Exciting. Oh, it's horrible to think
that."
"Are you kidding?" Anna reached over and squeezed her hand. "I wasn't