Lover's Knot Read Online Free PDF

for a while. There’s nothing here for me.”
    He stopped pacing. “Your husband is here. Your home.”
    She settled on the second part. “This condo isn’t my home. It’s a place we bought because it was a good investment and we could afford it without dipping into my trust fund. But we can’t even have a cat. I’m lucky they let me raise houseplants. We look out over more buildings just like this one, filled with more people who work too hard. We bought the furniture from the previous owners so we wouldn’t even have to shop.”
    Clearly nothing she had said made any sense to him. He was frowning when he spoke.
    “Let’s try a different tack. You just got out of the hospital. You still need physical therapy. The doctor has to follow your progress, and you’re not that keen on being alone. So you respond by moving to the middle of nowhere? You’ll be completely alone out there. If you fall, if you run a fever, if you wake up terrified, who will know? Who will take care of you?”
    “I could be alone here, too. The chances are good I would be.”
    “It’s really about me, isn’t it? It’s about—”
    She held up a hand to stave off his words. “No, it’s about me. I don’t want to be here. It’s that simple and that complicated. I can’t breathe right now. I need a place where I can heal. I need a place to get in touch with everything.”
    “How long have you been thinking about this?”
    “Since I woke up unsure I’d ever walk again. I told myself then that if a miracle occurred, I would leave the city.”
    “You would leave me .”
    She didn’t deny it. “I can’t ask you to give up your job and come with me.”
    “Would you want me to if I could?”
    She shook her head. “I have to take time to sort out my life and put it all back together. I don’t expect you to understand or help. I don’t understand it myself.”
    “The night you were shot, you told me you weren’t sure my best would ever be good enough again. Have you decided it isn’t?”
    She was surprised he remembered her words. She hadn’t thought of them. But the sentiment? The sentiment had plagued her continually. Their lives had changed, and there was no going back. She didn’t think Isaac understood that. She wasn’t sure she did, but at least she was aware of the change, even if she couldn’t see all its shapes and boundaries.
    “I don’t know that we can ever be good for each other again.” Her throat felt swollen, as if she were choking back more than hurtful words. “I’m not the person I was a couple of weeks ago. I’ll never be that person again. It’s going to take a while to find out who this new Kendra Taylor is.”
    She saw from his expression that he had delved as far as he could or would. This was not the kind of conversation in which Isaac shone. The pause was significant. She could see him switching gears, putting aside whatever emotion he felt.
    “The cabin’s ready to live in? You got that far in the renovations?”
    “Anything but fancy, but it’s habitable.” She made herself look at him. “I want the land and the cabin, Isaac. I want it to be mine so I can do whatever needs to be done without always getting your permission. I’ll trade you my share of this condo. They should be roughly equivalent. Or I’ll pay you outright if they’re not. It should be simple enough, changing names on deeds.”
    “It’s gone that far? We’re splitting assets?”
    “Just this one. But I need to make a home.”
    She saw him sorting through responses. She imagined them all, had imagined them for the entire week since her plan had solidified. In the end, though, he gave her the one she’d known he would.
    “Do whatever you want. You don’t need my permission. And someday, if need be, I’ll sign it over to you.” He glanced at his watch. “Do you want me to call Sandy?”
    “No. I’ll be all right. I’ll probably take a nap.”
    “Then I’m heading back to work. Call if you need anything.