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He scrubbed at the stubble on his chin “I have a lot on ht I hoped our activities would have helped”

A shadow passed over his features

He stood in front of her, reaching out to grasp the necklace she earing He ran his thumb over the suspended heart

“You are always lovely I could hold you in my arms and make love to you all day, but that wouldn’t solve my problems”

Julia placed her hand over his “Then tell me you love me”

His eyes h “Go find your solution But don’t forget that you aren’t the only person in the house I don’t want to live with a ghost”

Gabriel’s eyes grew pained He kissed her chastely, then exited the enclosed pool area

True to his word, Gabriel spent the afternoon in his study, behind a closed door

Julia had no idea what he was doing, although she hoped he was solving whatever problem it was that troubled hih her head Perhaps Paulina had contacted hi him into a tailspin Perhaps the revelation of her brother’s illness had caused him to rethink his own desire for a child Perhaps he was realizing that married life was not what he’d hoped it would be—that the thought of being tied to one wo

Julia’s anxiety increased She could handle anything, she thought, but Gabriel’s coldness She’d seen contempt in his eyes before She’d been dismissed froht of hi

In an effort to turn her attention elsewhere, she sat at her co the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and hypoplastic left heart syndroave her soery her little brother would have to have But each patient testimonial included the caveat that no one, not even the specialists at the hospital, could predict how healthy the patients would be when they becaers, or adults

She said a silent prayer for her father and Diane, and, lastly, for her brother She asked God to help hihts turned to her husband

She prayed for hiht their sexual activities the night before had brought theether and that they would free him to communicate with her

Now she worried they’d had the opposite effect If Gabriel could communicate to her with his body, perhaps he failed to see the need to cohts in y research, reading article after article, until the words blurred before her eyes and her head sank down against the chair’s armrest

Julia awoke to the sensation that so in bed Seated next to her, his ararded her frolasses

“It’s late,” he whispered “Go back to sleep”

She squinted at the clock that sat on the bedside table It was past ht

“I missed dinner”

“You were exhausted I kept you up too late last night”

She yawned “Come here”

He avoided her outstretched hand

“Hey,” she whispered “Don’t I get a kiss?”