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still—er, together?"
    "Right now I'm with you," Juliet answered with forced
cheeriness, giving him a weak smile. As she pleated the cotton blend
fabric of her skirt, she stared down at her lap. "Well, how are you
feeling? Is your leg giving you much pain? And how about your head?
Raul said you had a concussion."
    "I'm a tough old bird; I'll be okay," he murmured but his
voice quavered slightly.
    Juliet jerked up her head, then jumped to her feet when
she saw that his face had suddenly gone very pale. "Are you all right?"
she exclaimed softly, leaning over him. "Uncle Will, do you hear me?"
    He had closed his eyes, but now they fluttered open. "I
have to get out of this place," he muttered, a disoriented look in his
eyes. "I'm late for an appointment at the gallery." Then his eyelids
drooped shut again.
    Tears blurred Juliet's vision as she clenched and
unclenched her hands around the metal bed railing. The narrow white
bandage across Will's forehead took on a more ominous significance now.
Obviously his concussion had been much more severe than she realized.
She glanced toward the door, needing Raul to come in and help her cope
with this situation, yet reluctant to ask anything of him. When she had
almost decided to go get him anyway, however, her uncle awakened again.
    "You're still here, child. Good," he murmured, reaching
out one hand to her. "I seem to doze off every few minutes. Guess the
medication I'm getting is making me groggy."
    Breathing a silent sigh of relief, Juliet smiled down at
him, squeezing his thin fingers gently. After releasing his hand, she
carefully straightened the sheet that covered him. "Since you're
sleepy, I'm going now. I wasn't supposed to stay long anyway."
    "But you'll be back?" Will questioned urgently. "Won't
you? Promise me you'll stay in Granada until I'm back on my feet again. I know I'm asking
a lot but…" His words trailed off on a hopeful note.
    He
was
asking a lot but Juliet knew
she couldn't refuse him. It had been wrong of him to try to manipulate
her into marrying Pablo but, intuitively, she realized he had probably
thought he was doing what was best for her. She had to forgive him,
especially now when he needed her. Finally she nodded. "I'll stay until
you're well again, I promise." And when Will smiled as he drifted off
to sleep again, she breathed a sigh. She had made the commitment; she
couldn't back out now, but as she walked out of the room to join Raul
in the corridor, she really felt a great need to run away again.
    The drive back from the clinic was as uncomfortable as the
drive there had been. Raul didn't speak until they were nearly at
Will's house and then his tone was cold and unfriendly. "Will wants you
to stay here."
    "I know that," Juliet responded stiffly to the abrupt
statement. "He asked me to stay until he's well."
    "I hope you told him you would because you will," Raul
announced, turning his head to give her a level stare. "He's a sick man
and I won't have you upsetting him by leaving again. So you'll be
staying in Granada for a while whether you want to or not."
    "For your information, I already told him I'd stay,"
Juliet said indignantly. Half-turning in her seat, she glared at him.
"And even if I hadn't already promised him, you can bet nothing
you
could say would make me change my mind. You seem to think you have some
right to boss me around. Well, you don't!"
    "Don't I, Juliet?" Raul drawled, more than a hint of
mockery in his deep melodious voice. "I think I have the right. Will
asked me to take care of you until he's better. And I intend to do it."
    "Take care of me! Hah! I don't need anyone to take care of
me. I'm twenty-one years old, not ten, and since you're only eleven
years older than me, I don't think you qualify for the role of
surrogate father."
    "You don't arouse my tender paternal instincts anyway, I
assure you. To deal with a brat like you, all a man needs is the
strength to turn her over his knee. And if you push me too far, I'll do
that