“It’s perfect,” she said, and held her breath.
But unlike last night, this time he merely crossed to the door and let himself out into the hall. Cathy watched him go, then fell back onto the pillows. She clutched the books to her chest, but they were a poor substitute for the fantasy that was Stone Ward.
Chapter Six
Stone stood at the window of his office, watching as he had every day for the past two weeks. Cathy’s improvement was remarkable. She was now able to get around without using her crutches, although she needed a cane going up and down the stairs.
The physical therapist—Stone could never remember her name—led Cathy through several exercises. Cathy bent and turned as instructed. She still wore her shapeless gray sweats and an oversize T-shirt when she worked out. Stone wasn’t sure, but he thought the garments might be a little more baggy than they’d been when she’d first started. For the past couple of nights, he’d thought her face might be a little thinner, but in the twilight that was their world when he visited her, it was hard to tell.
Ula had mentioned that his houseguest preferred her to prepare low-fat meals. Was Cathy trying to lose weight? He thought about the vague outline of her shape he’d seen when he’d visited her in the hospital. She’d been a little heavier than she’d described herself, but he hadn’t really noticed anything specific. He knew that women tended to worry about their weight more than men did. He leaned against the window frame. If being in his house gave Cathy an opportunity to achieve a personal goal, then he was pleased. He wanted to help in any way he could.
Cathy climbed down from the table. Her therapist said something, and Cathy leaned back her head and laughed. The sound drifted up to him, and he found his mouth curving up in response. He liked her laughter. The expression of happiness added a little life to his otherwise dead world. She reminded him that he was still alive.
There was danger in that, he acknowledged. Danger in wanting too much. The pleasures of ordinary mortals had no appeal for him. He had yet to pay for his sins, and until he did, he would not be spending any time in the light—literally or figuratively. He deserved the darkness. Not only did it allow him to hide, but it also forced him to remember what he’d done.
Evelyn. Everything came back to Evelyn. At first he’d thought he would be able to let it all go and move on. Now he knew better. This was his world—the solitary darkness. For a brief period of time, Cathy would be here to show him what it was like in the light. When she was healed, she would leave him and he would return to the gray silence where he belonged. He didn’t have to wait until after death for his punishment. He had his own private hell on earth.
“Cathy is doing much better.”
Stone turned and found his housekeeper standing in his office. She was one of the few people who had ever seen his scars. At first he’d been self-conscious about her being around him, but Ula was nothing if not unflappable. As usual, she was dressed in a perfectly pressed gray dress with a white apron. He’d told her many times he didn’t care if she wore a uniform or not. She always thanked him, then continued to wear the same thing. After nearly ten years, he knew better than to try to change her mind.
He glanced back out the window, watching Cathy as she sat on the bench and raised and lowered her foot while keeping her thighs still. “Yes, she has really improved. In another couple of months, she’ll be back to normal.” And then she would probably want to leave, but he didn’t want to think about that right now.
Ula walked over to his desk and set down several flat envelopes. “The overnight packages are here.”
“Thanks.”
Usually she gave him the mail, then left, but this morning she lingered. He stepped away from the window and moved to his desk. “Is there a problem?”
“Not at all.” Her dark eyes were unreadable, as was her expression. “I wondered if you would like to go over next month’s menus.”
He grimaced. “Only if the alternative is a root canal. You know I don’t care about that. Fix what you like.”
He prepared himself for the familiar battle. Ula didn’t think he ate enough. Sometimes she was right. He’d lost weight recently, the result of his absent appetite. But food held no interest. His world had been reduced to his work and his calls to Cathy.
Still Ula didn’t leave. He settled into his chair and gave her his full attention. “What’s on your mind?” he asked, and motioned for her to take a seat. She ignored the invitation.
“Your guest,” she said. She was tiny, not even five feet, yet she didn’t look the least bit intimidated by him. She never had. That’s probably why he’d kept her around. “Cathy has been here for two weeks. She’s well on the road to mending, and I thought she might be getting a little tired of being locked in the house all the time. Perhaps she would like to get out and go shopping, or check on her house.”
Stone had picked up one of the packages, intent on checking his mail. Now he let it drop to his desk as he grimaced. “You’re right,” he said flatly. “I should have thought of that. She probably thinks she’s a prisoner here.”
“You don’t leave very often yourself,” she said as she settled onto the edge of the chair opposite the desk. “Why would you think others would be any different?”
“That’s not even subtle, Ula.”
“I wasn’t trying to be.” She smiled faintly.
“Okay, I’ll talk to Cathy tonight when I go see her. She can have the car and go anywhere she likes.”
“I suspect what she would like is some company.”
“You mean friends?” He thought about that. To the best of his knowledge, she didn’t have any. From what he’d learned, her life was very solitary. “She’s welcome to invite over anyone she likes.”
A brief flicker of something hot burned low in his belly at the thought of a young man visiting her, but he pushed that aside. He didn’t care if Cathy had fifty admirers. That wasn’t what their relationship was about.
“That, too,” Ula said. “But I was thinking of something else. She always eats alone. Perhaps you could join her some evening.”
Without wanting to, Stone touched his left cheek. The ridges were old friends by now. He’d grown accustomed to his disfigurement, but that didn’t mean Cathy would be comfortable in his presence.
