When Hearts Collide - By James, Kendra Page 0,65

fingers knuckled the steering wheel until she was well past the site of Pearce’s accident.

Maybe it was for the best. Pearce was almost back to normal. He would be totally recovered within the next month and back to working full-time. What about Gracie?

Molly tried to reassure herself the child would forget her. She knew she would never forget Gracie. But what else could she do? Pearce didn’t want her there, besides she couldn’t stay in the same house with a man who couldn’t trust her, who couldn’t love her.

The tears streaming down her face made it difficult to drive. Who would have thought she could learn to love a child not her own, and in such a short time? Molly swiped at her tears.

Part of her wished she could swallow her pride, turn the car around, and go back. Go back and beg Pearce to listen to her, beg him to believe her, beg him to love her. But she couldn’t do that. She deserved more. She deserved a man who would love her enough to trust her.

The image of Pearce’s frozen face and the slap of his harsh words struck her again. Her hands tightened on the steering wheel, and a new stream of tears flowed down her face. Her vision was clouded. The honk of an angry horn brought her attention back to the road. She hadn’t been paying attention and had wandered over the white line. Molly nodded to herself. She’d wandered over the white line with Pearce, too. Now, with her name cleared, it was time to got back to the hospital and get her life back on track.

She pulled into the driveway of her condo in record time and was relieved to find a note from her roommate. Carmen would be gone on vacation for several days. Leaving her suitcase in the hall, Molly headed for her bedroom. She was exhausted. The lack of sleep in the past few nights and the emotional ride she’d been on, had caught up with her. She just wanted to curl up in her bed, pull the covers over her head, and escape from the world.

When she finally woke, the sun had set, leaving the house in darkness. The silence was eerie—no child’s laughter, no dog barking, no male voice to send her heart hurtling out of control. No sound at all, just the hush of hollow spaces. She let the pillow absorb her tears.

Chapter 16

Pearce stared at the empty bedroom where Molly had stayed since the accident. The day she’d left, his heart had turned to a block of ice. Even now, weeks later, it ached like a bad case of frostbite. He’d been moping around the house as if he’d lost his best friend. And maybe he had.

But what about Gracie? She was the most important thing in his life, and he was determined nothing would change that. Since he’d found her in foster care, he’d stayed home and looked after her. He’d made a resolution to himself to protect Gracie from ever getting hurt. He’d tried to keep anyone from penetrating the world he’d built for the two of them. The only woman Gracie had in her life was Bridget Flynn, his housekeeper, and she was only at the house a few days a week. After his experience with Rachel, he’d had no desire to get involved with another woman. He and Gracie had been happy. Until Molly. But you were happy with Molly, weren’t you? Just too damn stubborn to admit it.

He shoved the annoying doubts away. Molly was the one at fault. She should have told him about the charges, trusted him enough to determine the truth. No, she was just like Rachel, with all her lies.

But, look how she’s helped you, helped your daughter. With the injuries he’d sustained in the car accident, he’d had no choice but to rely on her to look after Gracie. Bridget had been away caring for her sick mother, and Molly had been like an angel dropping out of the heavens to save him and take care of his child.

He thought he’d built a high enough wall that no one could breach it. He hadn’t dreamed anyone could arouse such stirrings of passion, passion that had lain dormant for so long. Just thinking about Molly made every cell in his body yearn for her. How could he have let her, no not let her, how could he have cast her out of his life?

And he wasn’t the