_     Kate turned. Standing there, as if he had materialized simply because she was thinking of him, was Nathaniel King. For an eternal moment they stared at each other, and Kate’s heart disintegrated into a million pieces all over again. Turning her back on him, she covered her mouth with her hand to stop a sob that threatened to escape her lips. Why had he come?
     “Please,” he said, so softly she wasn’t altogether sure she had heard it. “Please, Kate,” he repeated. “Do anything but turn away from me.”
     Kate could never refuse anything Nathaniel asked of her. She slowly turned to face him, with tears spilling down her cheeks. His glacier-blue eyes with his shaggier-than-usual hair and day’s growth of dark beard pierced her defenses. He was even more handsome than she remembered.
     While she’d been away in Milwaukee, she had pictured him wearing the eternal smile that could melt her down to her toenails. He was not smiling now. He looked like a man who had walked through perdition—beaten down and broken beyond repair.
     For a minute, Kate wondered if he was going to say anything. He gazed at her, a thousand different tragedies reflected in his eyes. “I’m so sorry.” His deep voice wavered, but it was still the most beautiful music Kate ever heard.
     Kate still loved him, heaven help her. She still loved him more than life itself, and she couldn’t bear to watch him suffer. “If you came to do penance, I wish you wouldn’t have. I just want to forget you.”
     He looked as if she had slapped him across the face.
     “I tried to call you to explain,” she said. “Why wouldn’t you listen?”
     “I feared that if I heard your voice, my resolve to do right would weaken. I cannot resist you.” Nathaniel hung his head. “You cannot understand how my sins have tortured me. This is my doing. I confess it all, even though the confession might make you hate me forever.”
     Kate could not bear to watch his torment one more minute. “How could I ever in a million years hate you?” She kept her gaze steadily on Nathaniel’s face. “I forgive you. Don’t be troubled by this anymore. You can go back to Wisconsin with a clear conscience.”
     And marry Sarah and have children and live a happy life. Without me there.
     “How can I to return to Wisconsin without you? I love you, Kate.”
     Kate pressed her hand against her cheek as she felt the blood drain from her face. Her fingers were ice-cold. She swayed unsteadily and, in alarm, Nathaniel rushed toward her and wrapped his solid arms around her. All thoughts of guarding her heart vanished. She didn’t care the reason. It felt glorious to have him close again. Savoring his powerful presence, she regained her balance, but he did not release his hold.
     His mouth was close to her ear when he whispered, “Kate, can you ever love me again?”