Free Forbidden by Pat Warren Page B

as a boy Adam had always wanted to help others. As usual, when
     someone was praising him, Adam looked uncomfortable. She saw him search her out, then wink, and she gave him a smile.
    “Looks like a man smitten to me,” Molly commented, following Liz’s gaze.
    Smitten, perhaps, but the words of love she’d longed to hear over the long, hot summer had never come. There were times, after
     the loving, when he’d pulled her close and looked deeply into her eyes for long seconds, seemingly wanting to say more. But
     always, something stopped him.
    “He’s waiting to make sure he wins the election before he commits,” Molly suggested.
    Liz watched the party chairman hang up the phone and rush over to clap Adam on the back. “I don’t think so, Molly. Adam has
     his life mapped out, and this win is just the first step in a long list of things he wants to accomplish. A serious commitment
     right now would slow him down.” She said the words, not sure she believed them. A wife should be an asset to a politician
     on the rise.
    “But honey, voters feel more secure with a married candidate. Surely Adam knows that.”
    Liz knew it, and she was certain Adam did, too. Still, something kept him from committing to her. If only she knew what it
     was.
    Just then a huge cheer went up from the crowd as the numbers changed again and the television anchorman projected Adam McKenzie
     as the winner in the race for California’s attorney general. Flashbulbs began to pop from all over the room, and cameramen
     who’d been lingering on the sidelines moved in on Adam. Several microphones were thrust in front of him as reporters tried
     to capture his reaction.
    Liz watched the scene, feeling strangely detached. Shehadn’t been with Adam for several days, since he’d been heavily involved in the countdown frenzy before election. He’d called
     this morning and they’d talked briefly, though he’d seemed distracted. He’d mentioned that if all went well, perhaps they
     could get together for a victory celebration after the results were in.
    Now, as she watched him being pulled this way and that by a variety of people demanding his attention, she thought a private
     party of their own unlikely. He belonged to the voters tonight, and to the volunteers and aides who’d helped get him elected.
     Beside her, Molly had risen and was craning her neck to see what was happening up front at the podium. Liz rose and touched
     her arm to get her attention above the noise. “Molly, I have a headache. I’m leaving.”
    Molly frowned. “Are you sure? Want me to go with you?”
    Liz shook her head. “Thanks. I’ll talk with you later.”
    She paused for one last look at Adam. Again catching her eye, he sent her a helpless shrug as another newspaperman took his
     arm, trying to get him aside for a quote. She nodded her understanding and gave him a dazzling smile, then turned and walked
     toward the door.
    She hoped her false gaiety had fooled him. At the very least, she had her pride.
    Wrapping a towel around her wet body, Liz left the bathroom and picked up the phone in midring. “Hello?”
    “I was about to hang up. I thought you were out.” It was nearly midnight, Adam noted, but it was the first opportunity he’d
     had to call. As the phone had kept ringing, he’d been alternately annoyed that she had tired of waiting for him and gone out
     with someone else and relieved that he wouldn’t have to explain why he hadn’t called sooner.
    “I was in the shower.” She thought his voice sounded tired but good. It had been nearly a week since election night, and this
     was his first call. “How are you?” She hoped she sounded positive and not pathetic.
    “Exhausted.” Adam leaned back on his desk chair and indicated to Fitz across the room that he’d be with him in a minute. “We
     leave for Sacramento on an early flight.” And he still had to go home and pack, catch a few hours’ sleep. “I’d hoped we could
     get together