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"I only canceled the one time"

"You said you’d lanced down at the table "I--I’ll go Noyou home"

Rachel reached across the table and squeezed his hand "That’s a start"

"But I can tell you right now that Jolene won’t go," Bruce continued "And I don’t kno to get her to agree"

"Still, a trained professional can teach us how to deal with her"

Bruce frowned "You really believe that?"

"Of course Don’t you?"

He held her look for a long o because it’s what you want, but I don’t hold out a lot of hope that so to help in this situation"

"In other words, you think counseling is a waste of ti hi is, Rachel, if Jolene begs off, which she already said she intends to do, e get out of counseling?"

Sometimes Rachel had to wonder which one of those tas the parent Bruce hadshe needed to hear Without even sipping her coffee or taking a bite of the pie, Rachel slid out of the booth What was a waste of ti had changed, nor would it Bruce just wanted their lives to go back to what he thought of as "normal"--the way they’d been this past year But Rachel would no longer tolerate Jolene’s behavior toward her

"Where are you going?" Bruce asked, standing, too He grabbed for her hand as if to stop her

"All you care about is talkingback ho our probleo to counseling," Bruce insisted

Rachel was sure he’d attend one or two sessions, but then he’d find soo, and Bruce would be powerless toto accept half measures When and if she moved back home, their circumstances had to be completely different

"Don’t leave, Rachel Please"

"It was pointless for us to talk," she said, tugging her hand free

"I don’t understand what you want I’ve offered to go to counseling and that’s not good enough So what do you want?" he demanded, irritated now

"I want my husband to be a man who honors my place in his life A oes on in his household A man who’ll cherish his role and mine--and frankly, at this moment, you aren’t that man And I don’t know if you ever will be"

Bruce blanched "Don’t hold back," he muttered sarcastically "See how deep you can cutto convince you of my love… "

She rolled her eyes "You knohat, Bruce? I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to talk again"

"Fine All I ask is that you let me knohen the baby’s born"

"Of course I will, but until then I’d appreciate it if you stayed out of er flashed in his eyes "You don’t e of heart, right now she was dead serious "I do mean it"

And with that, Rachel walked out of the restaurant

She didn’t sleep well that night or the next Thursday afternoon she ith a client when she saw Bruce standing outside the salon She turned her back, ignoring him

Jane walked over to her and whispered, "Bruce is here"

"I know"

"He wants to speak to you"

Rachel shook her head Talking to Bruce wouldn’t help either of theuain This is disruptive to you and to everyone here I told you I didn’t want him back"

"I know I’ Bruce escorted froo "No I’ll talk to hi herself to her client, Rachel stepped outside, where Bruce stood waiting

He’d buried his hands in his pockets and shuffled his feet back and forth like a schoolboy called before the principal "I didn’t feel good about how our conversation ended the other night"

It had bothered Rachel, too, although she had no idea how to change anything

"Won’t you please just come home?"

"No" She hated to be so inflexible, but she didn’t have any choice "I told you before and I meant it--I don’t want to talk about this anymore I don’t want to see you, Bruce It only upsets me"

"I can’t stay away, Rachel I’ve tried but I can’t make myself do it"

"In other words, you’re deteroodness she’d had the sense not to tell anyone where she was living, not even Teri

"I want you back"

Apparently he intended to wear down her defenses until he got what he wanted It sounded as if he planned to wait outside the salon every day until she moved back to Yakima Street For her, the proble around, and second, Rachel feared that in tiree

"Leave me alone, Bruce"

"I can’t," he whispered "I love you"