was two. They died when I was four."
Abby talked of them as if they were distant relatives. How different from the relationship he'd had with his parents. "My parents died in a subway accident in New York when I was ten," Daniel said slowly. "I had to go live with my grandparents in Ohio after that."
"That must have been hard on you."
He had never discussed this with anyone else.
"It was. I remember how warm and wonderful our house always seemed. My parents and I did so many things together. For a long time I couldn't believe they would never come back, that they had really left me all alone."
Abby's throat tightened. Though his face remained expressionless, instinct told her Daniel's wound still hadn't healed completely.
"Were you close to your grandparents?" Her own had made all the difference in her life.
"No."
His grandparents had been uncommunicative and cold. Venting his grief over the loss of his parents by bad behavior in school hadn't earned him any points at home either. The more they punished him, the worse he had become.
Daniel looked at the collage again. A close up of Abby's face caught his attention. The smile on her lips was carefree, the look of serenity in her eyes an advertisement of the fact she was happy.
"How old were you when this was taken?"
"Nineteen."
Before she had married the jerk who had robbed her of her self-confidence. Daniel's gaze wandered to the last spot in the collage. It was blank. Had it once held a wedding picture?
Abby tensed as she noticed Daniel's gaze rest on the blank spot. She hadn't replaced the picture of herself in a wedding gown, taken just before she'd left for the church Rod and she had been married in.
"If you'll just sit down here?" she said quickly. She'd become an expert at turning off thoughts of the past. Abby only wished she could turn the pain off as easily.
Daniel seated himself on the sofa, and Abby knelt on the floor in front of him. "Give me your hand." Pouring a teaspoon of oil into her palm she carefully rubbed it all over his hand. Then taking his hand in both of hers she began to massage the palm working her way upwards.
Instantly Abby became aware of heat scorching a path to her brain. Sensing Daniel's gaze on her face, she avoided looked at him. She had done this so many times for so many people. Hamish's bad wrist, Gran's knee. There had never been this eruption of heat before, this feeling that she was walking a tightrope without a net under her.
"Where did you learn to do this?"
Abby barely heard Daniel's question. Without raising her head from her task, she said, "Gran sprained her knee once and it took a long while healing. I watched how the therapist massaged her knee and then I used to do it the same way every night. Gran soon recovered completely."
"You've got healing hands."
Daniel's eyes were closed and he looked very relaxed. Abby wondered if Daniel was simply being kind. Gran, Hamish, and Agnes were always very kind to her. Abby knew they felt sorry for her. In their own way they wanted to make up to her for the mess she had made of her life. Had Daniel joined the club as well?
Abby jumped when Daniel reached out and touched her shoulder. "Abby, why is it so difficult for you to accept a compliment?"
"I don't know." She did, but she couldn't tell Daniel the reason. Rod.
The bleak note in Abby's voice whipped up Daniel's anger. "You have this low self-image which you cling to as if it's branded on your mind." Cupping her chin, he demanded, "Who did this to you, Abby?"
Her lips felt twice their normal size and her vocal chords were stiff. "I don't know what you mean."
Daniel glanced at the pictures on the wall. "The girl in those pictures didn't lack confidence. Who robbed you of the right to believe in yourself, Abby?"
She shook her head. It was impossible to say anything.
Daniel let go of Abby's chin. He wasn't
Abby talked of them as if they were distant relatives. How different from the relationship he'd had with his parents. "My parents died in a subway accident in New York when I was ten," Daniel said slowly. "I had to go live with my grandparents in Ohio after that."
"That must have been hard on you."
He had never discussed this with anyone else.
"It was. I remember how warm and wonderful our house always seemed. My parents and I did so many things together. For a long time I couldn't believe they would never come back, that they had really left me all alone."
Abby's throat tightened. Though his face remained expressionless, instinct told her Daniel's wound still hadn't healed completely.
"Were you close to your grandparents?" Her own had made all the difference in her life.
"No."
His grandparents had been uncommunicative and cold. Venting his grief over the loss of his parents by bad behavior in school hadn't earned him any points at home either. The more they punished him, the worse he had become.
Daniel looked at the collage again. A close up of Abby's face caught his attention. The smile on her lips was carefree, the look of serenity in her eyes an advertisement of the fact she was happy.
"How old were you when this was taken?"
"Nineteen."
Before she had married the jerk who had robbed her of her self-confidence. Daniel's gaze wandered to the last spot in the collage. It was blank. Had it once held a wedding picture?
Abby tensed as she noticed Daniel's gaze rest on the blank spot. She hadn't replaced the picture of herself in a wedding gown, taken just before she'd left for the church Rod and she had been married in.
"If you'll just sit down here?" she said quickly. She'd become an expert at turning off thoughts of the past. Abby only wished she could turn the pain off as easily.
Daniel seated himself on the sofa, and Abby knelt on the floor in front of him. "Give me your hand." Pouring a teaspoon of oil into her palm she carefully rubbed it all over his hand. Then taking his hand in both of hers she began to massage the palm working her way upwards.
Instantly Abby became aware of heat scorching a path to her brain. Sensing Daniel's gaze on her face, she avoided looked at him. She had done this so many times for so many people. Hamish's bad wrist, Gran's knee. There had never been this eruption of heat before, this feeling that she was walking a tightrope without a net under her.
"Where did you learn to do this?"
Abby barely heard Daniel's question. Without raising her head from her task, she said, "Gran sprained her knee once and it took a long while healing. I watched how the therapist massaged her knee and then I used to do it the same way every night. Gran soon recovered completely."
"You've got healing hands."
Daniel's eyes were closed and he looked very relaxed. Abby wondered if Daniel was simply being kind. Gran, Hamish, and Agnes were always very kind to her. Abby knew they felt sorry for her. In their own way they wanted to make up to her for the mess she had made of her life. Had Daniel joined the club as well?
Abby jumped when Daniel reached out and touched her shoulder. "Abby, why is it so difficult for you to accept a compliment?"
"I don't know." She did, but she couldn't tell Daniel the reason. Rod.
The bleak note in Abby's voice whipped up Daniel's anger. "You have this low self-image which you cling to as if it's branded on your mind." Cupping her chin, he demanded, "Who did this to you, Abby?"
Her lips felt twice their normal size and her vocal chords were stiff. "I don't know what you mean."
Daniel glanced at the pictures on the wall. "The girl in those pictures didn't lack confidence. Who robbed you of the right to believe in yourself, Abby?"
She shook her head. It was impossible to say anything.
Daniel let go of Abby's chin. He wasn't
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