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“You think so?” The tree was big, and she had never tried to clie

“I know so”

“You could do it forlook, she held out the baby bird encouragingly “Please, Dustin I’ll be your best friend in the whole world”

He rolled his eyes at her “Give it to me”

Jessie transferred the bird into his hands, watching as he took off his cap and put the bird inside before going to the tree

“If I break my neck, tell Ma I love her and Greer can have my favorite hat if the bird doesn’t poop in it”

“You’re not going to die” Moving farther under the tree, she watched as he cli enough to hold it steady “Be careful,” she whispered up at him

“Now you’re worried about me when I’m almost there?”

“It didn’t look so tall when you were down here”

“You should see from here,” he snorted down at her

She watched as Dustin reached the tree branch with the nest Jessie fearfully wanted to yell at him to be careful, but she didn’t want to startle him

Feeling her heart beating in her chest, she watched as he turned the cap over, depositing the bird inside the nest before letting the cap sail doard to her

Looking inside the cap, she sahy he hadn’t put it back on

When Dustin was safely back on the ground, she tried to hand it back to him

“I don’t want it It has bird shit inside”

“I’ll wash it for you” She stared adoringly at the boy who, even though he thought she was silly for saving the bird, had returned the baby to its nest “I wish I could climb trees like you”

“Have my pa chase you with that belt of his, and you’ll learn real quick”

“You want me to ask Holt to beat him up when he does?”

“Nah, Holt couldn’t fight his way out of a paper bag, much less beat my pa up,” he teased

She frowned “I could ask my pa”

Dustin laughed “Your father would help Pa try to catch me”

He would Her father was just as mean as Dustin’s

“When I grow up, I’ to marry a nice father, not like mine”

“I’ married”

Her young heart treets married”

“I’m not And neither is Tate or Greer”

She tried to think of so a blank until an idea came to her

“Do you want to be like Clyde?”

“Clyde Gibbs?” Dustin’s face paled at the mention of the old man as so scary that no one would trick or treat at his house or sit next to him at church

Jessie nodded “He’s not married Pa said there isn’t a woman in town that would have him”