There was no where to sit, so she stood.

"Caitlin."

Kerry's voice immediately became animated Where are you?

No-man's-land.

Strike that.

No-woman's-land.

Graham's house.

"Oh, thank God."

The worried tone left her voice.

It was replaced by a warm, envious note.

"Another hot nigh eh?

"You might say that."

Caitlin thought of framing this properly, then just blurted the fact

out.

"I married Graham last night, Kerry."

There was half a second's pause.

"Wow. Talk about a fast worker. When you decide to get moving, you

don't waste time."

Caitlin knew how Kerry's mind worked.

She probably thought of all this as hopelessly romantic.

If only it was "It's not exactly like that. His ex-wife is trying to

gain custody of his son. Gray needs a wife to round out the scene.volunteered.Kerry laughed in disbelief."You mean there was a job opening like that and I missed it? Boy, some women have all the luck."

And then she stopped teasing.

She'd seen the look on both their faces in unguarded moments.

If she was any judge, this was a union that was meant to be.

"Make the most of it, Cait. I know if it were me, I wouldn't let him

go."

Caitlin looked down at her hand and the wedding band.

She moved it absently with her thumb.

It wasn't that simple.

If, at the end of this, Gray still wanted his freedom, she wouldn't withhold it.

"I love him, Kerry," she whispered.

"Then what I just said goes doubly."

Kerry heard things in Caitlin's voice that her friend wasn't saying.

"What's the matter?"

"He brought me home to meet his mother and son, then had to leave for the precinct."

She knew it was childish, but she felt abandoned.

"They both went into their rooms as soon as the door was closed."

She stared at the door off the kitchen.

"I'm standing alone here, feeling like Daniel in the lion's den."

Kerry felt for her.

"Then make friends with the lions.

Daniel did.

"Yeah, maybe."

Easier said than done.

@ hadn't seen the uncertain look in Jake's eyes.

Or the distant, hostile one in Lily's.

"It's either that or get eaten alive."

Kerry knew Caitlin hated pep talks, so she kept it short.

"Look, if you can face up to your mother, you can face up to

anything-no offense."

"None taken."

She laughed.

Kerry always made her feel better about things.

And she was right.

Lily Redhawk had nothing on Regina Cassidy when it came to slicing someone off at the knees.

She'd dueled with an expert and lived to tell about it.

"Kerry, I won't be in today."

"I kind of figured that out on my own."

Kerry's voice softened.

"Keep me posted, okay?"

Caitlin smiled.

"Okay," she promised.

She hung up and looked toward the bedroom.

The do was still closed.

Caitlin squared her shoulders and thoug of Kerry's comment about Daniel and the lions.

Here goes nothing, she thought.

Or everything.

For a moment Caitlin stood before Lily's bedroom door, gathering her

courage to her.

It would have been much easier just to walk away, to let some time lapse before she spoke with Graham's mother.

Maybe let her adjust to the idea.

Caitlinfrowned,annoyedwithherself.

Shewasr@tibnalizing.

If she waited, the situation would only get worse, not better.

And her own anxiety would only build, not lessen.

But it wasn't easy looking -into a rkrson's eyes and seeing only

dislike reflected there.

This is what you went through, isn't it, Gray?

She knew it was.

It was what Gray had felt when he had faced her mother, when he had