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Angie shook her blond curls vigorously and pointed in the direction of a local vendor pushing a metal cart with large bicycle wheels and a bright green umbrella.

“Hot dogs it is,” Shane agreed with an amused smile.

“Are you sure?” Mara asked, eyeing the mustached vendor and his steaming wares dubiously.

“Whatever the young lady wants,” Shane laughed, and Angie began running off in the direction of the vendor.

“Don’t you think you’re pouring it on a little strong?” Mara asked. “Angie’s already spoiled. The last thing she needs is an overindulgent father.”

“We’ll see,” Shane said enigmatically, his dark eyes following the path of the escaping child.

The rest of the afternoon was spent in the park with Angie. Though shy at first, Angie finally accepted Shane and even let him have the privilege of holding her blanket as they walked through the city. The Summerfest Arts and Crafts Show was being held at the Civic Center, and Shane insisted upon looking over the various arts and crafts made by local mountain craftsmen and the Cherokee Indians. At the show, Shane purchased Angie a beaded bracelet, which she proudly wore around her wrist. By the time the afternoon shadows had lengthened, Shane carried a tired Angie against his shoulder, back to the car parked near June’s apartment.

The drive back to the house was as quiet as the drive into the city. Dusk was beginning to take hold of the countryside and a deep red sunset formed a backdrop for the purple-hued mountains. Angie slept quietly in the back seat, with only a deep, contented sigh escaping from her lips disturbing the quiet hum of the sports car. Shane was thoughtfully, broodingly silent during the journey home, and Mara could almost feel his dark thoughts begin to take hold of him. They were almost back at the Wilcox estate before he broke the silence that had captured them.

“I don’t know if I can hold up my end of the bargain,” he admitted.

“The bargain? What bargain?”

“Our deal, that I give you two weeks to sort things out before we tell Angie that I’m her father.”

“You promised,” she reminded him, gently touching his coat sleeve.

“I know . . . I know. But—” he paused, trying to find the right words as he shifted down and turned up the long, circular drive “—that was before I knew her. She needs me.”

“And?”

A sarcastic grin curved his lips. “You were waiting for this one, weren’t you? Well, you’re right. I need her. That’s what you’ve been waiting to hear, isn’t it?”

Tears began to pool in Mara’s eyes, and her voice deepened. “I’d be a liar to deny it. You see, well . . . Peter and Angie never did get along . . .”

“What do you mean?”

Shane stopped the car, and pulled the key from the ignition. Angie stirred but settled back into a comfortable sleep.

“Peter resented Angie.”

Shane touched Mara’s shoulder, and she could feel the heat of his fingertips through the light cotton of the blouse she was wearing. “He resented her?” Shane whispered. “But I thought that you married him in order to have a normal family life. Isn’t that what you told me?”

Mara nodded mutely. “I did, and I thought it would work. But I was wrong. After she was born, everything changed. And he was never close to her. Not as a baby or a toddler . . .”

Shane rested one arm on the steering wheel, and supported his head with his hand. His voice was level, and quiet, but filled with rage. “He didn’t do anything to her, did he?”

Mara gasped. “Oh, no. Peter was never violent or cruel. “No . . . no . . . but he was impatient with her, or he would ignore her altogether. He wanted more children. . . his children. But after seeing his lack of interest in Angie . . .” She shrugged her shoulders.

“So that was your ‘perfect marriage,’ was it?”

“I didn’t say it was perfect. I don’t think that there is such a thing.”

“No?”

She stuck her chin out determinedly and looked him in the eye. “No.”

“You’ve changed a lot in the last four years, Mara.”

“I don’t think so. I’ve just become more realistic. Life has a way of forcing you to give up your dreams.”

“Don’t ever give up your dreams, Mara.”