pull the covers over her head and never come out.
They stopped. She heard the sound of a door creaking open.
“I’ll oil the hinges,” Colin said, going ahead of her into the bedroom, then guiding her through the entrance.
“Don’t.”
He chuckled. “I guess it’s a pretty effective way of telling if someone comes into your room.”
His laugh was infectious, the sound almost shoving her melancholy mood to the background. “I’m going to need all the help I can get.”
“Let me start by describing this room. I’ll help you pace it off, too.”
“You sound like you’ve had experience with this.”
Even though she couldn’t see his expression, she knew he was frowning. Tension emanated off him in waves. Silence electrified the air, and his touch tightened for a few seconds before his fingers relaxed about hers. Her natural curiosity arose, and she wondered about the man who had taken her into his family. All she knew was his kindness and his gentle, deep voice. And the warmth of his touch, she added as he moved forward.
“We’ll count off from the door to the bed. Ready?”
She nodded, following his lead and listening to him as he counted the steps to the bed.
“Seven. There’s a bathroom off this room. Do you want to see how far that is?”
She liked that he was giving her a choice, giving her a tiny bit of power in her life, which at the moment seemed so out of her control. Ever since the one time she’d lost control, it had been important she maintained it. She didn’t want to relive those feelings of a few years ago. “Yes, please.”
Again she walked across the room with Colin plastered next to her. He was a large man and from the brief time he had taken hold of her to keep her from falling she could tell that he was muscularly built if his arms and chest were any indication of the rest of him.
“Five.” Standing in the doorway to the bathroom, he said, “The counter is to the left. You can slide your hand along it and the toilet is right next to it with the tub on the other side. You want to try it?”
Emma felt the smoothness of the door frame then the cool tile of the counter. Slipping her fingers along it, she encountered the sink then the end. She inched one foot forward until she discovered the toilet. Then sidling in front of it, she found the tub. After exploring the bathroom for a few minutes, she fumbled her way back to its entrance.
Colin offered her his arm.
“No. I want to do it on my own. Five steps to the bed.”
She started forward, counting to herself. Her shins tingled with anticipation of running into an obstacle. When she reached three, she held her arms out in front of her to search for the bed. At five she bumped into it. She groped along until she came to the left-side corner, then turned and walked toward what she hoped was the doorway into the bedroom, counting off seven paces. Again she expected to run into something with every step she took, making her movements stiff and awkward, conjuring up an image of Dr. Frankenstein’s monster from an old movie she’d seen once. She didn’t care what she must look like because she was determined to master this room, today.
When she grasped the wooden door frame, she sank against it, dragging in deep breaths. Exhaustion wrapped about her like a heavy wet blanket, pulling her down.
“Do you want to rest for a while before I show you the rest of the downstairs?”
His gentle voice coming at her from a few feet away startled her. She hadn’t been listening for his approach, which was muffled by the thick carpet. Her vulnerability mushroomed, constricting her chest until it hurt. Again, that panicky feeling clawed at her composure.
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