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"Oh" Kelly frowned and removed the earmuffs "After lunch ent out for Mexican food and Catherine ordered a chili so"

"That explains it," Royce teased

"No She wasn't feeling bad until she got herto do with that She opened a letter, and the next thing I knew she was staring out the , looking real spacey I think she , but when I asked her, she said she had soutsy woive in to tears unless so

Kelly hesitated "I think she was crying, though I don't know Catherine's not the type to let on about that sort of thing"

"What happened next?" he pressed, losing patience

"Well, she made herself a cup of tea and said it was time to run me home I didn't want to come back so soon, but I didn't say so because I knew she wanted to be alone"

"How did things go on the ride ho out each bit of information he could

"She was real quiet That's why I think she's not feeling very good"

Catherine was on Royce's mind for the remainder of the day Hell, as so unusual about that, he asked hi up to bed The beautiful Lieutenant Commander was in his mind about ninety-nine percent of the ti Kelly chatter about her for hours on end certainly didn't help matters any

Royce swore the kid had talked nonstop from the moment Catherine had let her off at the door She'd repeated everything two and three tiether Royce hadn't realized how much Kelly needed a ht It helped relax hi asleep, but as soon as he turned out the light, he felt hi off

A phone call, especially one in theRoyce froing it across the empty pillow at his side

"Yes?" he de position So told him it was Catherine on the other end of the line So "Answer ?"

Chapter Seven

Catherine felt like an idiot, phoning Royce in the ht She didn't knohat had pro so foolish, nor did she knohat she intended to say once he picked up the receiver As soon as he answered, she realized her folly and was about to disconnect the line when he called her name

"H-how'd you knoas me?" She pushed the hair off her forehead and drew in soft, catching gasps in an effort to stop the flow of tears that refused to cease

"It was a good guess," Royce ad"

If only he'd been outraged, instead of caring Shehim, but she needed him so desperately--as desperately as she'd ever needed anyone "I'm fine, really I am," she lied "It's just that I'm a little out of sorts and" She couldn't admit to him she hadn't wept, really down-and-out wept in years, and once the tears had started, it was like a da she tried to do helped

"Catherine, love, it's two-thirty in thewas peachy keen"

She sed a sob and knew the noise sheunderwater for the third and last tinawed on the corner of her lip and ran a tissue under her nose "For calling ht now" She was convinced he had no idea he'd used the affectionate ter to tell ?"

Catherine sat curled up on her sofa, her feet tucked beneath her The pages of her mother's letter were scattered across the top of her coffee table She'd moved the picture of her father down from the ht she'd held it to her breast and rocked to and fro in a frantic effort to hold on to him The area around her was streith used tissues

"Catherine," Royce repeated "What's wrong?"

"II shouldn't have phoned I' up, but then you said ht over"

"Royce, noplease don't" She couldn't deal with him, not now In addition, her apartment complex was full of Navy personnel If anyone were to see Royce co in or out of her apart, it could be disastrous