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    He went to his daughter, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor helping Alex line her stuffed animals up in a neat row in front of the television. Clutching her lopsided kangaroo, Emma climbed into Lucia’s lap.
    He crouched next to the children. “What do we have here?”
    As usual, Alex answered. “We’re going to watch a movie. Mommy said it was OK.” She gave a small brown bear a seat in the front row.
    “That sounds like fun.” Cristan surveyed the pretend theater. “I see you’ve made sure everyone has a good view.”
    Alex positioned a small beanbag pig next to the bear. “The little ones get to sit up front.”
    Cristan turned to Emma. “Is Hoppy going to watch?”
    Emma nodded and turned her bashful face into Lucia’s shoulder, but the toddler’s face turned back to him in a second, her eyes laughing.
    Cristan leaned down to the kangaroo’s level. “What’s that, Hoppy? You would like to pick the movie?” He looked at Emma. “Hoppy says it’s his turn to choose.”
    Shaking her head vigorously, Emma’s eyes sparkled as she grinned back at him. “No.”
    “That’s what he said.” He turned up his palms and shrugged.
    “No!” She burst into a fit of giggles. At the sound of her innocent laughter, Cristan’s tension eased, and he wondered for the thousandth time what would have become of him if Lucia had not been born. Considering the path he’d been on, he’d likely be dead by now. Lucia had saved him.
    “We already picked the movie.” Alex showed him a colorful box with an animated princess on the front.
    “That is a good movie.” He and Lucia had watched it many times. Rising, he set a hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “I have some errands to run. Call me if you need me. I love you.”
    “Love you too,” she said.
    Love for his child swelled his heart. Giving his daughter the opportunity to live with innocence had been worth all the sacrifices he’d made. But it was the least he could do after all she’d given him.
    He stood. Sarah leaned in the doorway to the kitchen, watching him. Worn jeans and a simple sweater hugged her slim body. She wore no makeup. Wholesome and natural, she was nothing like the women he usually found attractive. Yet when he was with her, he often found himself staring, unable to look away. Her beauty was quiet and unassuming, and the longer he watched her, the more compelling she became.
    Her brow creased. “Is everything all right?”
    “Fine.” As much as he tried to resist, those rich brown eyes always drew him in. He wished he could explain what must seem like erratic behavior, but it would be easier to put some distance between them. What did he have to offer a woman? He couldn’t even give her his real name.
    Time to go. Being with Sarah highlighted his loneliness.
    He left the house, got back into his car, and pulled away from the curb. He would not think about his wife’s death or his hopeless infatuation with a woman he couldn’t have. Tonight he would make an effort to celebrate his many blessings. Lucia had made friends. People said hello to them in the grocery store. His daughter got straight A s and babysat. Did the other residents of this little town appreciate the beautiful and uneventful nature of their lives? To him, ordinary life should be cherished, especially this week, when violent dreams vied for his attention.
    He stopped at King’s Tack Shop to order several new pairs of riding breeches for Lucia, then stopped at the Quickie-Mart. Cristan pushed through the glass door. The scent of coffee wafted, summoning him. He passed two customers standing in line, crossed the tile, and headed for the coffee station. He filled a cardboard cup with the darkest roast, then plucked a loaf of bread from a shelf.
    A young woman with a quart of milk in one arm and a toddler in the other followed him back to the register. The woman looked familiar. Cristan skirted a display of automobile ice scrapers and took his place in