Dana was amazed at how fast things moved after that. The next day Quinn's mother and sister showed up, bringing new energy to the house. Lizzy was an energetic and beautiful blond that was not afraid to speak her mind and her mother, Elizabeth, was a beautiful, graceful woman with such a welcoming spirit that Dana was drawn to her immediately.

There was always something going, and by the time Thursday rolled around she was more than ready to escape to Quinn's office and help him out. He had not asked her to do so again, but she had understood that she was expected to work for her keep and that was just what she planned to do.

She hadn't seen Quinn the day before; he had gone into Austin to pick up supplies and run some errands and had not returned until after dinner, and Dana was surprised at the fact that she had missed seeing him. That was a new feeling for her. She had never missed anyone before.

She was sitting behind the counter ready to work when Quinn walked into the office.

He paused and looked at her but he didn't say a word, and she was unable to read his expression. It seemed, when he had a mind too, he could be just as emotionless as his brother.

"You said I could help, and I would like too," Dana said softly, looking down at her hands.

"Sure, Dana. I would appreciate it. I was expecting Bryce to have things for you to deal with today."

Dana shook her head. "He said something about New York."

Quinn nodded as if he understood what that meant. Dana wished he would explain it to her because she had no clue, but she had been taught not to ask questions, so she stayed silent.

Quinn walked over to stand next to her, leaning over her to open the appointment book, and she closed her eyes as she inhaled the clean, warm scent of him. It was comforting and something else she couldn't place.

"Are you all right?" Quinn was looking down at her.

"Ummm ... yes." She blushed

He put his hand on the back of her chair as he leaned forward again. "I should really get all of this in a program on the computer, but I really haven't had time," he said offhandedly.

"Now," he looked at his watch, "the first appointment should be here soon. The animals' charts are alphabetical by last name here." He pointed to a drawer. "Just pull the file before I see them. I will write the cost on a receipt for them to bring to you so that they can pay. Most times they'll write a check some will charge it and when they do that..."

Dana spent the next thirty minutes taking in all that he told her. It didn't seem that hard, and she thought she might even be able to get it all in a computer program for him. She did know computers. Trapped in a house she had to find something to entertain herself and computer games had been her entertainment.

The day sped by, and Dana had fun. She got to visit with all of the animals and their owners, and she felt like Quinn had appreciated her help.

They stopped for lunch which was delivered by Bertie, along with the news that another Stevens had arrived and they were all creating way too much work for her to handle. She left mumbling to herself about too many people in one family.

"Don't let her fool you; she loves it when the family all comes for a visit. She is especially fond of Mason."

Dana played with her food, not hungry.

"Why are they here Quinn? Is it me?" If Dana was honest, she felt a bit like an exhibit in a zoo. Look at the young lady who is on the run from her big mean husband.

Quinn sighed dropping his sandwich. "They do tend to go a bit overboard when there is a cause that is worth fighting. All they have been told is that Bryce and I have a friend who needs some female company, but they sense there is more to it."

"I am not a cause." Dana jumped out of her seat. "The last thing I want is anyone's pity. I want peace and quiet, and the ability to figure out who I am without an audience." She wrapped her arms around her and looked at the puppies playing in their pen in the lobby.

Quinn came up behind her and placed his strong hands on her shoulders. "Who you are is a strong, beautiful, and smart young lady who can do whatever she wants."

Smart and beautiful, no one had ever told her that before.

He turned her around and looked right into her eyes. "Smart and beautiful." His hand rose to her cheek, and his thumb traced her lips.

She turned her face into his hand. She had never experienced a gentle touch before him. She closed her eyes, and a tear escaped. He wiped it away with his thumb. She looked up at him and realized that she wanted him to kiss her. She wanted to know what it would be like; she did not doubt that she would enjoy it. Dana licked her lips in an age-old invitation without even realizing she was doing it.

"How can you have lived such a life and still be so innocent?" Quinn shook his head his blue eyes searching her face.

"I am far from innocent." Her voice broke. How she wished she was. She wished she could offer that to Quinn. Images of her wedding night flashed in her mind, and she shivered, closing her eyes again, pushing the memories back.

As if he read her thoughts he shook his head and gave a sad smile. "You are an innocent, maybe not of the mechanics of sex, but in the joy and love that can be behind the act. I'm sure you have never experienced that before."

Her face turned bright red at the thought of her and Quinn in an intimate situation.

"See, you still blush." He traced her cheek.

"Will you teach me?" she whispered. She had no clue she was going to say it. It was out before she had a chance to call it back.

He let go of her as if he had been burned. "No." It was a whisper.

She felt cold at the loss of his closeness. She couldn't blame him. She was damaged goods, and she wouldn't be able to give as much as he could, at least not in experience. He was right about that.

Just then the phone rang and broke the awkward silence, and Quinn picked it up with a curt greeting before he handed it to Dana.

"It's Bryce; he needs to talk to you."

Dana reached for the phone quickly, hoping to figure out a little of what was going on and what he was doing in New York.

"Dana, I need you to call your Doctor and give them permission to release your records to me."

"I-I-I can't, No," she whispered. It wasn't that she didn't want him to know the whole sad story, although it was partly that, it was also because her doctor was close friends with her husband he would find her.

"Dana your relationship with me is confidential, I will not share them with anyone."

"That's not my only concern." She swallowed hard, fear filling her. "Doctor Eves won't give you the records even if I sign a release."

"Why not?" Bryce sounded impatient.

"He's good friends with my husband; he would only give you the basic stuff. Besides, I doubt anything else exists."

"Marcus has been served. He is aware of the situation and that you are filing for divorce."

Dana felt a rushing in her ears. "Quinn..." she turned holding out the phone to him while the world was going dark around her. "He knows."

Quinn caught her just in time, taking the phone as he held her against him. "Bryce?"

"Marcus does not know where she is, just that she is filing for divorce. I need her medical records, but she is probably right. If Eves is a good friend of Rowland's than I doubt if he has kept anything incriminating against his friend." Quinn could hear the frustration in Bryce's voice.

"Give me a while to get her conscious again, and I'll call you back."

"She fainted?" Bryce sounded shocked.

"Yes, and she's not as light as she looks. I'll call you back." Quinn slammed down the phone and maneuvered Dana to a chair and then patted her cheek.

"Dana. We have work to do. Wake up; the clients will be here soon."

Dana slowly opened her eyes, looking directly into Quinn's baby blue gaze. It took her a moment to remember the conversation with Bryce, and when she did, she started to look around her for an exit route.

"He doesn't know where you are just that you're filing for divorce." Quinn patted her hand in a brotherly fashion. "Now we have to get ready to work. We'll talk about all of it after we're finished here for the day."

Dana managed to pull herself together before the next appointment arrived. How she did it, she couldn't say. She was finding new strength in her that she didn't know she had.

Throughout the rest of the day, her mind raced over her conversation with Bryce. The one thing that she wanted to know was how Marcus had taken it when Bryce had called him to tell him he was representing her. She even smiled a little at the thought. Marcus had been trying to get Bryce Stevens on the payroll for years.

Dana had managed to do something that he couldn't.

"What's that secret little smile for?" Quinn asked rolling down his sleeves and buttoning the cuffs.

Dana looked at him watching his fingers deal with the buttons, and her heart did a little flip remembering the way his fingers had traced her face earlier.

"I was just wondering what Marcus looked like when Bryce told him. Marcus has been trying to hire Bryce for years. He probably thought that Bryce was calling to take him up on his offer. Then wham, Bryce told him he was representing me." Dana couldn't hide the pride and pleasure that the thought brought her.

Quinn gave a polite smile only.

"Why does Bryce speak with an English accent?" Dana asked suddenly curious. Asking questions was a bit liberating.

Quinn turned his back to her as started to close the blinds to the office.

"Because he was raised mostly in England."

"But you weren't?

"No, I was raised here with my Mother's family. The ranch was always meant to be my life, and Bryce's was meant to be the Earl of Pennington."

"Bryce is an Earl!" Dana was shocked. That meant that Quinn was also the son of an Earl. "So you're the son of an Earl?" She just had to confirm it.

"Yes, an Earl and a Movie Star."

"Your mother is a Movie Star?"

Quinn turned to her his lips twitching.

She realized that she sounded like a little kid discovering something new, but in a way she was.

"Let's go see what's for dinner."

Dana continued to ask questions for the rest of the night and not just of Quinn. She asked them of his mother, his sister, and his other brother Caleb. It turned out that they were a fascinating family. Lizzy was an interior designer, and Caleb was an engineer, who had just returned from Africa where he had been working on a bridge. Caleb was also a charming flirt who made her feel as if she were the prettiest girl in the room, and he asked her out at least a dozen times during dinner.

When Dana started in on a new round of questions, Quinn stopped her.

"Dana, let's go to my office, we need to talk about Bryce's phone call." He rose, motioning for her to do the same.

The change in her demeanor was dramatic. Gone was the inquisitive, energetic Dana, back was the timid and scared one. Dana felt the change, and she couldn't help it. Her husband was out there, and he would find her.

As Dana rose, Caleb grabbed her hand placing it on his heart and sighed dramatically "I'll be right here when you're finished, beautiful."

He was rewarded with her shy smile.

"No you won't, you'll be at the kitchen sink doing the dishes." Elizabeth, Quinn's mother, said firmly.

He just winked at her as she turned and slowly followed Quinn back to his office where he motioned for her to sit.

"I like Caleb," she said, still smiling.

Quinn nodded. "Most girls do."

He was silent for a moment as if trying to figure out what he was going to say and how he was going to say it.

"I have thought that we need to call, and at least and ask your Doctor. Give him the benefit of the doubt."

Dana shook her head. "We can try, but I don't have much hope." Then just as quickly she added, "I don't want Bryce to see them." Dana's eyes pleaded with Quinn; what was in those files, if they were accurate, was demeaning and ugly and it was her life.

She missed Quinn's hand tightening on the pen that was in his hand. "Bryce is your lawyer; he will keep it confidential," Quinn assured her.

"I don't doubt that he will," she agreed.

"Then what is the problem?"

"It's bad Quinn, and I don't want anyone's pity. He might look at me differently."

"I can't answer that one. All I can say is that Bryce is very good at what he does, and if he says he needs those files, he does. You need to trust him."

Dana nodded then rose. "I'll call in the morning. Where should I have them sent?"

"To Bryce's office not here. I'll leave you the address."

Dana nodded suddenly very tired.

"Go to bed Dana. You did a good job today by the way." Quinn added as an afterthought.

Dana felt a little thrill at the compliment. "Thanks." She looked back at Quinn, sitting at his desk, his massive frame filling the space. The light from the desk lamp made his hair look golden. He was the most handsome man she had ever seen.

She suddenly remembered the first time she had seen him. Was it only a few days earlier? It felt like she had known him forever. Now that she wasn't afraid of him she could recognize how sexy he had been, with his hat pulled down in the pouring rain, coming to her rescue by picking her up and putting her in her truck, then carrying her up the stairs to bed.

She knew in her dreams tonight he wouldn't leave after he put her on the bed. Her face flamed a bright red at the thought.

"G-g-good night," she said, practically running out of the office and up the stairs. She had never fantasized about a man before.