right I am.' He expected her to blush or at the very least try to

change the subject. She shrugged instead. 'I'm not going to worry, 2

she announced.

She stared at the lake a long minute before nervously adding, 'Should

I? ' The longer he thought about the conversation and her bizarre

opinions, the more exasperated he became. 'I'll tell you when you

should worry.

All right? ' She laughed. 'Yes, all right.'

'Do you want to go swimming or not? ' he asked. 'Caleb, quit throwing

dirt and come here.' The baby dropped his stick and came running.

Cole sat him on his lap and took his undershirt off.

'Is the water deep? ' Jessica asked.

'I don't know, ' Cole answered as he unfastened the ties holding

Caleb's nappy secure. 'It probably is in the middle. Why? Can't you

swim? ' 'Not very well, ' she admitted. 'I haven't had much

practice.

' 'Didn't you go swimming when you were a little girl? ' She shook her

head. 'There wasn't time for such frivolity.' Cole looked at her.

'Why wasn't there time? ' 'I was busy.' He could tell from her tone

of voice she didn't want to talk about growing up. If he'd been a

sensitive man, he might have heeded the unspoken suggestion and changed

the subject. Sensitivity wasn't one of his attributes, however.

'Doing what? ' he asked.

She sighed. 'I helped my mother in the shop where she worked . . . a

lady's dress shop, ' she qualified. 'When I was younger, I stayed with

neighbors or helped at school. There wasn't much time to play.'

'It was just the two of you, wasn't it? Your father left.'

'Yes, he left.'

'Do you know where he is? ' 'I heard that he died, but I don't know if

that's true or not. Are you taking Caleb in the water now? ' 'Yes.'

'You'll hold him tight? ' she asked. 'He's slippery when he's wet.'

Cole pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it aside. Then he

removed his gunbelt and stood up. She hastily turned her attention to

the lake, but not before she noticed how muscled his chest and upper

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