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“I used to laugh,” she whispered “I used to be fun and funny What happened to ?”

Thad was silent for a long time Finally she turned to look at him His blue eyes never wavered as he studied her

“Do you really want an answer?”

Did she? Did she want to knohat her husband thought of her?

Slowly she nodded

He shifted so that he was facing her, then cupped her face in his hands “It wasn’t e found out we couldn’t have children Maybe it started after the cancer Maybe after what happened in Kazakhstan”

Tears spilled out of her eyes She couldn’t deny his words—he spoke the truth There had been too many disappointments, too many almosts Too much pain Rather than let it overwhelm her, she’d closed her heart

He pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her “You’ll be fine,” he promised

CJ wasn’t so sure Soo In that space where she’d once held laughter and light, there was only anger How could a person survive like that?

“I still love you,” he said

She looked at him She wanted to ask how that was possible How could he care when she’d becoly on the inside?

“I love you, too,” she told him, because it was true He had always been her anchor Her solid rock Her life

But as she to hiry, cold wife He ht love her, but she would bet he didn’t like her very much Not anymore

Could she blame him? CJ wasn’t sure she even liked herself these days

She almost said so to Thad, then stopped If she confessed her secret, she knehat he would say He would tell her to change Easy words, but e? How? Where would she find the key she needed to unlock her heart and let the world back in?

PHOEBE STOOD UNDER a large tree of an undefined nature She really should have brought a couple of flora and fauna books with her on the trip She could have used them to identify the plants and trees she saw on the ride Well, she wasn’t co Rocky Did motion sickness apply to horseback?

She turned around and watched as Zane assembled the tent Lucy and To and releasing with each movement There was an air of confidence about hi He was a man comfortable in his world She, on the other hand, had always felt slightly out of step with her surroundings

Sunlight filtered through the leaves They’d stopped a little early today Her butt appreciated the abbreviated ride nearly as ht before Would Zane be offering again?

Liquid desire trickled through her As Maya had teased her earlier, she had it bad

Her gaze drifted over the tents already set out, but not yet put up Soht There was no symmetry to the camp, no sense of flow

She crossed the grass to stand next to Zane and cleared her throat