Neither spoke. Even if she could have, Cassie wouldn’t have known what to say. She was sure Steve felt the same way. After several minutes, he gently kissed the top of her head, broke away, and started up the truck’s engine. Cassie was more in control of herself now and wiped her face clear of the tears as she straightened and leaned her head against the passenger-side window.

They must have traveled an hour before Steve spoke. “Garth asked me if you were concerned about the cameo. I didn’t know what to tell him.”

The cameo. Cassie bit into her lower lip and explained. “My grandfather gave a cameo to our grandmother when they married. As the oldest child, my father inherited the cameo. It’s a family treasure and Dad wanted me to have it … I don’t know what happened to it after I left.”

“Garth said Nichole has it.”

“Then she should keep it … I was the one who left.”

A fresh tear escaped and rolled down her cheek.

“I’m sorry … I probably shouldn’t have said anything.”

“No, I’m glad you did … I did wonder about it.” Her father had been wise not to give it to her. Duke would have taken and sold anything she had that was of any value. He was in constant need of money, though he’d spent whatever he got on himself. If not for government assistance, Cassie was convinced she and Amiee would have starved.

“I told Stan I’d give him a call when we were about an hour outside of Seattle,” Steve mentioned sometime later. “He said he’d meet us at the warehouse and help me unload the truck. I’ll be able to lock up your things so you won’t need to worry about anyone getting into them.”

“Thank you,” she whispered. Finding the words to voice her appreciation failed her. Steve had done so much already. “As soon as the house is built I’ll get it out of your way.”

“It won’t be in the way, Cassie.”

“I don’t want to be a burden; you’ve already been so kind.”

Steve snorted. “Don’t mistake me for a saint, Cassie Carter, because trust me, I’m not.”

When they reached the summit over Snoqualmie Pass, they stopped for a bathroom break. When Cassie exited the restroom, she saw that Steve was on the phone. He disconnected the call as she approached.

“Stan will meet us in an hour,” he announced.

Cassie climbed back into the cab. Steve joined her but didn’t start the engine. His hands gripped the steering wheel. “Listen, if I was out of line back there, kissing you, then I apologize.”

Cassie could feel her face heat up. “You weren’t out of line.”

Her answer seemed to relieve him. Reaching over, he took hold of her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

“You’re a good woman, Cassie.”

“I was an extremely foolish one.”

“You were young …”

“And stupid.”

He shook his head as if to discount her words. “Quit beating yourself up over something that happened thirteen years ago.”

“I’m trying.”

“Try harder.”

Cassie smiled for the first time since leaving Spokane. “When did you get to be so dictatorial?” she asked, and then realized what she’d said and added, “No need to answer that. You’ve always been bossy.”

“Have I?” he joked.

“Yes! Don’t you remember the first day we met? We clashed right away. Your arrogance rubbed against my stubbornness. To say we started off on the wrong foot is putting it mildly.”

He grinned then, too. His hand covered hers and his fingers curled around her own. “I’ve since had a change of heart.”

“Me, too. You aren’t so bad, you know.”

Steve chuckled. “Interesting that you should say so, because I was thinking the same thing about you.”

His phone rang. “Must be Stan,” he murmured as he reached for it.

It wasn’t.

Although Cassie couldn’t make out the other side of the conversation, the voice was clearly female and just as clearly upset. The woman continued on for several seconds before Steve had a chance to speak.

“Listen, Britt, I had a commitment today. I’m sorry that I missed the softball game, but I can’t be at every single one.”

Britt.

That was the name of the woman from the suite who’d complained when Cassie couldn’t get her the brand of beer she wanted—the woman responsible for Cassie losing the job. All at once she understood why Steve had been so willing to help her collect her parents’ things. He felt guilty, and driving her to Spokane had simply been his penance.

Her heart sank as an uncanny sense of disappointment bore down on her. This day wasn’t about helping her. It was about absolving the guilt Steve felt over what his girlfriend had done. No wonder he was worried about the kiss.

Chapter 20

That night Cassie decided not to go to the home site and work with Habitat on Sunday, as she’d been away from Amiee the whole previous day. Although she was mentally and physically exhausted from her trip to Spokane, she found it difficult to fall asleep. No one needed to tell her what was wrong, or what plagued her.

It was all about her meeting with her sister. And if she was being honest, it was also about Steve’s kiss.

All night her mind dwelled on the conversation with Karen and how in the end she’d reluctantly hugged Cassie. When she allowed her mind to drift away from Karen, Cassie was confronted with the disturbing memory of the phone call Steve had gotten from Britt. It seemed clear that he was still involved with the other woman. In retrospect, Cassie was embarrassed by how fervently she’d responded to his kisses. Then again, the entire thing could be excused by the simple fact that she’d been completely overwrought.

It didn’t explain why Steve had chosen to kiss her just then, but she was relatively certain he would rather it hadn’t happened. In thinking back she remembered that he’d apologized, saying he felt he might have been out of line. She understood now that his real concern was that she might have read more into their exchange than was warranted, and frankly, she had. She was falling for him and it scared her half to death. Having already made one disastrous mistake in love, she wasn’t eager to make a second.

When it came to relationships, Cassie was sadly lacking as a judge of character. Steve seemed so stable and responsible compared to Duke, whose life had been in constant upheaval. But then again, Duke had seemed great at first, too. Her mind turned and turned.

“Mom, are you awake?” Cassie woke to find Amiee sitting at the end of her bed.

Sunlight streamed in from the window. Cassie sat up, leaned on one elbow, and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. “What time is it?”

“Past nine.”

“You’re joking.”

“Why would I joke? Are we going to church this morning?”

Cassie tossed aside the covers, shocked that she’d slept so late. It’d taken hours for her to fall asleep, and the last time she’d looked at the clock it had been nearly three. “Yes, of course.”

“Are you working at the house later?”

“No.” She leaped out of bed and grabbed a shirt and a pair of pants on her way into the bathroom. “I want to spend the day with you.”

Right away Amiee brightened. “Are we seeing Steve?”

Cassie froze and glanced back at her daughter. “No. What makes you ask that?”

Her daughter shrugged. “Because we almost always see Steve on the weekends.”

“No, we don’t. Now hurry and get ready for church.”

“Okay, okay. Can we have pancakes for breakfast?”

Her daughter was constantly thinking about her stomach. “If we have time.”

“We don’t. What about after church?”

“Okay, whenever.”

“At IHOP?”

“Amiee … we can’t afford to eat out.”

“Just this once, Mom. Please.” Amiee placed her hands in a praying position and pleaded as if this was a matter of national security. “I won’t ask again for a really long time. Just this once. I’m so in the mood for blueberry pancakes with that special flavored syrup they have.”