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He congratulated hi her It hadn’t been easy to resist her when he’d known she’d just as soon slit his throat as speak to his toward hiht feel even a tenth of the desire he did--it was going to be impossible

CHAPTER FIVE

Lana’s landlord, Mr Simmons, showed up just before Lana left for work Caleb stayed behind to deal with her broken door rather than leave her apartuarded

Mr Si of white hair orbiting the back of his bald head He greeted Caleb with a firm handshake and a smile "Good to see Lana’s found herself aMr Si time for her, huh?"

Mr Si the ropes that held Lana’s new door in place "I’m not the kind to snoop, but I try to keep an eye on the little lady, seeing as how she’s al alone out here I’ve never seen her with a man before you"

A fierce little spurt of satisfaction made Caleb smile He hopped up into the back of the truck and finished freeing the door "It’s good to know so out for her"

Mr Simmons shook his white head "She doesn’ther she should h to be on her own"

Caleb lifted the pre-hung door out of the truck and eased it onto the ground "What do you h toabout the rest of her" Mr Siirl needs therapy I’ve seen the saht in ’Nam I don’t know a lot about what happened to her, but I know it had to have been bad"

Caleb turned away before Mr Sier he felt on his face The idea of Lana suffering the same ar veterans did made a lot of sense

Too much for his peace of mind "What makes you say that?"

"You’re the one who broke down the door trying to get to her I figure you heard the screaut at the reminder of those screa a physical outlet to vent soer "I did"

Mr Simmons nodded and folowed Caleb with a toolbox in hand "It’s why I had toShe was in one of the units I’d just renovated, but her neighbors kept co about the noise We had the cops out here six tio back hoet some help, but she refused, so I put her out here in this building that I’ve emptied so it can be renovated next Once the renovation is done, though"

"She’l have to leave"

Mr Siirl out, but I have to er than I should have, trying to give her some time to heal, but apparently it hasn’t helped"

Caleb set the new door against the outside wal of Lana’s apart in pieces "No, it hasn’t"

"You planning onin with her, ure that if she’s got sohtmares wouldn’t be so bad

"

The idea of being able to help Lana with so lure, but Caleb kneas just wishful thinking Even if she did let him into her life in such an intis worse by reain, she had quieted last night when he’d held her Maybe the old"Lana’s a bit independent," said Caleb

Mr Sihter that ape open around the buttons "That’s like saying the sun’s a bit bright"

"I guess you do know her pretty wel, huh?"

Mr Si the frame off the doorway "About as wel as anyone, I suppose She doesn’t have a lot of people in her life, froo to church withfierce He’s told h, but I don’t think even he knows the whole story"

"She’s trying to protect hiht better Instinctively, he kneas true Lana was not the type of woman to dump her problems onto her friends and fa them doith her

Caleb wondered if she’d even told the for a father, though--to want to help your little girl, but not kno," said Mr Simmons

Caleb needed to kno much Lana had shared with her fa soer "How much do you know about what happened to her?"

Mr Si with his rough hands "Just what her father told ht after a few beers She went to Ar to help out there She was supposed to teach art classes to kids or so, and she was taken hostage by a terrorist group They held her and a bunch of other Americans for three days, beat her up pretty bad, but she was the lucky one The others al died"

The facts were right, but only in the same way as it was a fact that the ocean et It was a hel of a lot more than that, but Caleb didn’t feel the need to expand on what thethe lucky one"

Mr Sirim nod "That’s just what my buddy who survived ’Na lot and knew she’d lost the race again Man, but that wo to win their contest to see who could show up first, but only if she didn’t sleep at al