“Sam!” Erin called. Sam was halfway to Digger when the alarmed note in Erin’s voice seemed to penetrate Digger’s mind. He turned back and saw Sam heading for him. She was going to cross several planks on the ground. Erin could see that the planks covered a hole, but Sam wouldn’t know that.

  Digger started for Sam at a full run. She got to the planks first. Erin dropped the tray and ran, too. Several men followed her. Sam reached the planks ahead of them all. She didn’t weigh much, but it was enough for the planks to shift. Sam lost her balance. Erin could see Sam was going to fall. The photo went out of her hands as she flailed in the air.

  Digger grabbed Sam and pulled her out of the air and out of danger. He held her to him. Erin stopped. The men behind her came to a halt. Dust flew around them. Erin watched the way Digger clutched Sam to him. It was the same as it had been that first day. His arms were protecting her.

  Suddenly, Sam started to scream. She wiggled and pushed, trying to get out of Digger’s arms. Erin looked around, scanning the ground. She knew what was wrong. The child had dropped the photo. Digger tried to hold on to the squirming child.

  Erin spotted it on the planks where Sam had nearly fallen. She got it and ran back to the child.

  “Sam, here. It’s all right. Here’s the picture.”

  Sam heard Erin’s voice and stopped screaming. She took the photo, looked at it and clutched it to her.

  “All right, the show is over,” Digger announced. The men dispersed as if they’d been disciplined and dismissed.

  When they were out of earshot, he sat Sam down, but held on to her hand. Then he turned to Erin.

  “I told you I didn’t want any children here. It was your responsibility to keep them out of this yard.”

  “Digger, it was an accident. She was running to you.”

  “She should be inside.”

  “I’ll leave her from now on.” She took Sam’s hand and turned to leave. Digger stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.

  “You’ll do better than that,” he ground out. “I don’t want you out here either. No more coffee, juice, water, tea, sandwiches or pink ribbons. Nothing. There’s a chuck wagon that comes by construction sites, including this one. If they,” he gestured toward the crew, “want coffee and food they can get it there. They don’t need your pampering.”

  With that, he left her and went to the hazardous planks. Erin was stung. For a moment she could do nothing. Then she decided to give him a piece of her mind. She took a step and came up against the pull of Sam’s hand. Her concern for the child stopped her. She bent to pick up Sam.

  “Put her down!” Digger’s order was apparent. “You can’t go around lifting heavy children.”

  Digger watched Erin walk away in a huff. He kicked the dirt the minute she rounded the corner. What was happening to him? Looking around, he noticed the men were staring at him.

  “Jackson,” he called. The foreman came over. “No one, I mean no one from that school is to be in this yard.” Digger issued his order. “Except for the crew, this yard if off limits to everyone else. Understand?”

  “Digger, she’s all right, nothing happened.”

  “Understand?”

  Jackson nodded.

  Digger left. The men avoided his gaze. They all went back to work as if someone had shouted action on a movie set.

  Digger got into his Bronco and drove away. He headed for another site, but abruptly changed direction and ended up outside Luanne’s office. He cut the engine and sat in the parking lot. He was acting like a crazy man. He’d been harsh with Jackson. He’d never acted like that before. Jackson was the best foreman he’d ever had, and he wanted to keep him.

  Digger hadn’t seen Erin since he’d left her house thoroughly confused about what was happening to him and to them. He didn’t know or understand what he wanted. For years, he’d told himself what he thought he wanted, but somehow Erin had destroyed his myths.

  He didn’t get out of the truck. He grasped the steering wheel tightly and stared past the building in front of him. Sam had scared him. His heart still pounded hard in his chest. It hadn’t been her he’d seen in that yard. It had been Josh out there, running toward the gully.

  He hit the steering wheel. Sam and Erin never should have been there. There was too much danger. He hadn’t had a site accident in four years.

  Erin’s face jumped into his memory. He’d shouted at her. She’d looked hurt, as if he’d struck her. But he’d been scared. She wasn’t properly dressed and didn’t know the dangers that lurked in a building site. She could have gotten hurt. Both of them could have. In trying to save Sam from harm she could have tripped. Any manner of harmful objects lay about the ground. She had no idea of the danger.

  Yet he hadn’t meant to be harsh. He couldn’t help it. At that moment he had been so afraid of what could have happened that he couldn’t control his words. Everyone stood around them and he wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and kiss her until he’d wiped away every angry word he’d said.

  If Erin had had an office door to slam she would have, but the construction had robbed her of that. Her desk sat in a corner of the common room with boxes around it. Digger had humiliated her. She hadn’t expected Sam to take off. When Sam saw him, the only other person she trusted, she naturally went toward him. She couldn’t know there was danger.

  Erin went to the school kitchen. Other than Sam, she was alone. She grabbed on to the counter and held on as the little girl kept hold of her leg.

  “Digger mad?” Sam asked. Her huge eyes were orbs of concern.

  Erin dropped down next to her. “He’s a little angry, honey. But he’s not angry with you. He thought you might get hurt in the yard.”

  “I sorry.”

  Erin hugged her. “He knows that.”

  Erin hoped she was right. His face had been as hard as granite. She’d never seen anyone so…afraid. That was natural, she thought, but his fear went beyond natural, especially since he reached Sam before anything happened. He was relieved, yet his face was sweating and his breathing labored.

  “How about going to class?” Erin asked this everyday. She meant for Sam to go to class alone. Each time she’d received a quick shake of the little girl’s head. This time Sam looked at the floor as if she were being punished for something. “It’s all right, Sam. We’ll wait until tomorrow.”

  Erin accompanied Sam to class and sat with the little girl, holding her hand and thinking about Digger.

  The near accident in the yard seemed to be the jolt that Sam had needed. From the moment Erin entered the house that night Sam sat alone. She kept the photo with her at all times. The edges were frayed and torn, but she wouldn’t part with it. Sam made sure she could see Erin. She sat at the kitchen table and colored in a book, no longer holding on to Erin’s leg or hand. Sam continued to follow Erin from room to room, probably still afraid Erin might leave and not return.

  The next day Sam truly went to class alone, but Wanda had trouble with Sam staying there. Several times she would come to the door to check on Erin or she would come running through the door when she couldn’t see Erin immediately.

  Digger returned to the site, too. He came day after day. Erin saw him through the windows. He never looked her way, and she told herself there was no reason for her to wonder about him. None other than the way she felt.

  Erin never set foot outside the school during the day. She didn’t bring drinks or do more than wave on her way into the school each morning. Her heart ached, though. She knew Digger was outside. For eight hours a day he was only fifty feet from her, but there were walls between them, fortress-thick walls that no tool or machine could tear down.

  She missed Digger. They hadn’t known each other long. They hadn’t even liked each other on first meeting, but the way she felt in his arms and the way she felt when they made love wouldn’t let her just walk away. How could he? Did he have no feelings at all?

  Once, Erin had thought she would be satisfied with a child. And while Sam gave her a pleasure greater than anything she’d imagined, Erin also wanted Digger in her life. She wanted the family. She knew it was futile, that nothing could come of her association with Digger. When the addition was complete he would disappear from her life.

  If he hadn’t already done so.

  Three o’clock in the morning. The blue numbers on Digger’s clock radio mocked him. He’d been in bed for three hours and he hadn’t slept for one minute. He kicked the covers off and got up. He couldn’t go on like this. He’d only slept five hours in the last thirty-six.

  Digger pulled on his jeans and a shirt. He got in the Bronco and drove through the streets of Cobblersville. There was no one on the street. The houses in Erin’s neighborhood were all dark, including hers. He pulled into her driveway and cut the engine. This was crazy, he told himself, but he couldn’t go on like this. He needed her. He needed her in his arms and in his bed and he wanted to stare into those drowning eyes, push his hands through her hair and take that mouth that always looked as if it wanted to be kissed.

  He went to the door and rang the bell. She would be asleep. He was waking her up. But the light over the door came on too quickly. He only rang once. She would have to be awake to answer the door this quickly. He saw her face through the glass pane as she looked out to see who it was.

  Then the lock was released and the chain removed. She opened the door.

  “Digger?”

  “I know it’s late,” he said. “I’m sorry I woke you.”

  “It’s all right.”

  His weight shifted from foot to foot. “Can I come in?”

  Erin stood back and let him enter. She had on a nightgown and the robe he had taken from her bathroom the night they made love. He almost pulled her into his arms.

  She led him to the family room where she offered him a seat.

  “I’ll get us something to drink.”

  Digger didn’t object. He listened to Erin moving around in the kitchen. She came back with soft drinks. Digger took his and drank most of it.

  “I hope I didn’t wake Sam.”

  “Sam is a sound sleeper. In the last few days, she’s begun to come out of her shell.”

  “That’s good to hear.”

  Erin sat in a chair opposite him. She said nothing for a moment. Then asked, “Why are you here?”

  Digger set his glass on the table separating them. He didn’t know what he wanted to say. He didn’t know how to start. He’d never told anyone this story, but he needed to tell Erin.

  “It was a few years ago,” he started. “I lived in Dallas. I worked for a large building company. We put up office buildings, shopping malls or additions.”

  He stopped as memories flooded into his mind. He saw Josh smiling, saw Marita smiling that morning. That final morning.

  “I was married then. My wife’s name was Marita. She was the best thing that had ever happened to me and, in most things, I’d been lucky. I was a foster kid who’d found love with his foster parents. I found a beautiful wife and expected to spend the rest of my life with her.”

  Erin shifted in her seat. Her movement was slight, but he noticed it.

  “Then things began to go wrong. They started with the accident.”

  “Accident?” The word was hardly audible. She sat forward, leaning into a listening position.

  “I was the site manager. We were behind schedule. It was an office building. Thirty floors. Putting up the building was my responsibility. The entire steel and concrete skeleton was up. The foundation around it was huge. The building was surrounded by cranes.”

  Digger looked at her for understanding. “I’ve seen them.”

  “There aren’t any at the school like the ones used in building a structure thirty stories.”

  Erin nodded.

  Digger linked his fingers together and looked directly at her. “It had rained for three days and the ground was soft. One of the cranes was stuck in the mud. We were trying to get it out when it happened.”

  “I thought they were designed to run on tracks so they could move through anything.”

  “That’s the design, but it isn’t always what happens.”

  Digger could see it. He closed his eyes for a moment trying to blot it out, yet it only intensified behind his closed lids.

  “The crane jumped and lurched, then settled. At least we thought it settled. The ground was too soft and the big machine too heavy. It was on the side of a mound. It started to slip sideways. Then it tipped.”

  Erin’s eyes opened wide. Her forgotten drink sat on the table.

  “There was a child on site that day. He stood on the other side of the yard, out of the way, a safe distance from the crane.” He paused, took the glass and finished the drink. “But he moved. He sensed danger and was running to help.”

  Erin gasped. She said nothing, and Digger continued.

  “He was only three. Who would have thought a three-year-old could be so surefooted? But he was. He started running toward the tipping crane.”

  “Didn’t anyone try to stop him?”

  Digger nodded, “My best friend Jeremy saw what was happening and tried to get to him. They were both killed.”

  Her hands came up to her mouth. Then she moved from her seat. She came to the sofa and sat next to him, taking his hands in hers.

  “My marriage fell apart after that. I couldn’t do anything, even the simplest tasks were too much. I couldn’t work, eat, sleep, even bathe. My wife left me and I spent two years in a bottle. When I finally crawled out, I had nothing. Luanne and my brothers saved me. They came and dried me out. I spent a year in Philadelphia with Brad. Then I moved here and started over.”

  “Digger, it wasn’t your fault.”

  “It was my fault. He should never have been there. I should never have taken him. A building site is no place for children.”

  Digger felt it when her hand slackened. He knew she’d just connected the dots.

  “Josh?” Her voice was low, almost reverent when she said it. “Josh was the little boy. He died at the building site.” It wasn’t a question. She spoke as if she knew, as if she had been there.

  “He was my son.”

  If he expected her to react he was disappointed. She said nothing. Not an inch of her body moved. She could have turned to stone she was so still. Digger wondered what she was thinking. He wanted to know. Then her hand moved. Her fingers linked through his and tightened. He felt the tug of her arm as she pulled him. He leaned forward and her arms went around him. It was a comfort hug, not sexual, not motherly. He needed the contact of another human being, and she was there for him. Digger slipped his arms around her and held her.

  He breathed in her scent, listened to the steady beat of her heart and felt the softness of this special woman.

  “Digger.” Erin spoke after a while. She didn’t move, didn’t release him or make any motion to look into his face. Her voice was muffled against his hair. “I’m sorry. I’m very sorry. I understand your concern for me and the children.” She stopped to kiss him on the forehead. Her hand drew small circles on his back. “I’ll make sure none of the kids go into the yard. And none of the teachers, either. That includes me.”

  Digger pushed her back. He looked into her eyes and knew he was lost to her. He’d fallen in love. She’d gotten under his skin. There was nothing he could do about it. But he couldn’t go on with it. He’d gone through the worst years of his life when Josh died and Marita left him. He couldn’t do it again.

  Digger stood up. He didn’t have anything else to say and he couldn’t continue looking at her. It hurt him too much. He could see what he was doing, knowing he had to leave her. It was self-preservation. He had to get away from her.

  And he had to do it forever.

  “Where are you going?” Erin got up and followed him to the door. She took his hand. There was a gentle tug, a quiet communication that said she wanted him to stay.

  Digger had never wanted anything more in his life than to make love to her.

  “Home,” he said.

  “Why?”

  “Don’t you think it’s time?”

  “No,” she whispered. “There’s something you haven’t explained.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Why?”

  “Why what?”

  “Why did you change your mind about taking the job at my school? You knew the kids would be there.”

  He stared at her. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. He’d be lying to himself if he didn’t admit she’d had a part in the decision.

  “It has something to do with the kids, doesn’t it?”

  “I couldn’t jeopardize another kid.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Allorca. I used to work for him. He cuts corners. He uses the minimum standards. If he built the rooms, I wasn’t sure…”

  “Wasn’t sure of what?” she asked when he stopped talking.

  “Whether he’d make sure the room wouldn’t come down and kill another child. I couldn’t take the responsibility.”

  “You also can’t take responsibility for saving all the children in the world.”

  His eyes widened.

  “Don’t stare at me as if I’m against Mom, America and apple pie,” Erin said. “I’m not. But I know my limitations and you have to know yours, too. What happened to Josh was tragic, terrible, beyond words. But you can’t keep living it. Don’t forget him, it would be inhuman to even try. But you’ve got to open your heart and stop trying to force yourself to have no feelings.”

  “It was my responsibility,” he shouted. Quickly, he reduced his voice. “I have rules. I didn’t follow them. And because of that two people are dead.”

  “Josh was young and innocent. I’m glad you had his well-being in mind. Your hurt proves you’re human, and I’m sorry you have to live with this. But you did what you could. You have to live with it. It won’t go away, but it doesn’t have to take over your life.”

  He gave her a quick smile. Taking a long breath he walked away from her, then turned back. “You think I don’t know that? That I don’t wake up every morning and vow that today will be different? Then it happens. I see Josh running toward me. I was driving the rig. It was me he tried to save. At three years old he took on a thirty-ton piece of equipment.”