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"We can only hope" She worried about ould happen if the puppy got away froood-natured little guy"

"Maybe someone will steal him," she joked Well…sort of joked

"Grace!"

His disapproval annoyed her "If you’re up, you ht as well feed him"

"I’d rather watch you"

Grace frowned "You don’t seriously want this dog, do you?" She didn’t give him a chance to respond "Puppies are a nuisance" The fact that Cliff had disregarded her wishes concerning this dog didn’t sit ith her It hadn’t taken him more than a day to fall under Beau’s spell

"If anyone had asked reed with you We don’t need a puppy"

"Thank goodness," she murmured

"Then Beau arrived on our doorstep…"

"He was foisted onood puppy"

"He’s a nuisance"

"To you, rown onthis Do you think it was any accident that Beth placed this puppy with us? You’re falling right in with her scheood home for these puppies"

"But I don’t want a puppy," Grace said, glaring across the roo for that one, and that’s the end of any pets for us Agreed?" she asked pointedly

Maybe Cliff thought he could convince her to change her ht now that wasn’t going to happen

"Whatever you say, Grace This is totally up to you"

"Good, becausenoise and realized the bottle was empty Gently she withdrew the nipple froive hier down the puppy’s back He was so ses of his spine Poor thing really was undernourished To Cliff’s credit, Beau looked healthier than when he’d first arrived, but that wasn’t saying much

Beau’s deep brown eyes see to steal her heart, he could look elsewhere

"Should I give hiood to feed him too much at once Better to let him eat smaller meals but more often"

That made sense

"I don’t need to burp him, do I? Like a baby?"

"No He’ll be asleep in a few h, Beau settled contentedly onto her lap and quickly went back to sleep Grace wished it was as easy for her When she returned Beau to his box and got into bed, she tossed and turned, unable to sleep Cliff, on the other hand, obviously had no probleht enviously--he was deep in drea, Grace recalled the day Charlotte Rhodes had brought Buttercup to the house Except that Charlotte had been Charlotte Jefferson then

That was such a dark ti and, to all appearances, seemed to have run off with another wo hi a pickup truck Later, her husband had been spotted just down the street fro after him in such a frantic hurry that she’d stumbled, fallen and skinned her knee

It wasn’t Dan that day It couldn’t have been Almost a year passed before she learned that her husband wasn’t with another woo of a cri in Vietnam

For years after the war he’d periodically sink into blackwhich he’d lash out at those around him, at those who loved him Any effort to question or coer After a while, Grace stopped trying His mood would reverse itself after a few days or weeks and it would be as if nothing had happened For their entire married life, she’d loved a man who had as essentially a split personality

Grace must have fallen asleep because the alarm startled her awake Her eyes flew open and she sat up and switched it off Cliff rolled over, pulling the blanket over his shoulder Leaning down, she kissed his ear "I’ll start the coffee," she said

"Thanks," he rabbed her housecoat Shrugging into it as she walked to the kitchen, Grace paused at the cardboard box to discover Beau tightly curled up in the receiving blanket Cliff had found for him "I see the alarm didn’t bother you any," she whispered

She waited until there was enough coffee in the pot to fill two s, then carried the her coffee as she dressed, she slipped into a long-sleeved polo shirt and a ju similar most days; it was almost a uniform Cliff took his coffee from the dresser as he strolled out of the bathroo on weather and traffic in the Seattle area Half listening, she plugged in her curling iron and appliedonher hair, she saw that Cliff had removed Beau from his box The puppy had led inside and gone right back to sleep

"You have to ad to stand behind her

"No, I do not I don’t want that dog in my shoe"