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Mary Jo shook her head as if anything to do with David Rhodes distressed her "I’d rather not discuss him," she said tersely

"Of course" He supposed it wasn’t polite to bring up such an unpleasant subject

"I’ullible I was," she went on, "and hoillingly I accepted his lies"

Mack just nodded Mary Jo was the one who’d said she preferred not to talk about Noelle’s father, but once she’d started she couldn’t seeour baby He clainant, and he said that once he had his finances straightened out, we’d get itated as she spoke Mack wanted to assure her that it wasn’t necessary to tell hiet a word in

"Then, of course, I didn’t hear fro classes because e did speak he told me how ht And then--" she paused and took in a shuddering breath "--then he told me he’d be in Cedar Cove for Christ, fat lie"

She scowled "His father and stepmother were on this cruise, and when I arrived in town there was no one, and I had to depend on the kindness of strangers You’d think by this ti he said But did I? Oh, no, I sed that lie like all the rest"

As if she could no longer sit still, she vaulted to her feet "After Noelle was born, Ben let David know he had a daughter You ht expect hihtly crossed "Not that I wanted to hear froure soer at Mack "I never want to see or talk to David Rhodes again as long as I live I mean that"

"Well, I--"

"I refuse to accept a penny from Ben Rhodes, either He offered, you know His son’s a real probleht but I could tell I thanked hi to do--but Noelle isn’t his responsibility She’s David’s I don’t expect hih Neither does Ben Otherwise he wouldn’t have offered" Another quick breath "I did let him set up a trust fund for Noelle, but that’s all"

Mack waited a moment before he attempted to speak When her tirade was apparently over, he ventured a comment "In my opinion, Noelle’s better off without David in her life"

"I agree with you! Not that I have any worries there He doesn’t want anything to do with her--or with ’s for sure"

"What’s that?"

She nodded once, in a slow, stately ain Men aren’t to be trusted, especially the good-looking, sweet-talking kind Like David--you could frost a cake with his words!"

"Your brothers--"

"Don’t get me started on them," she broke in "Linc’s a stubborn know-it-all, and as for Mel and Ned, they’re oblivious A woot involved with one ofenough to breathe "Don’t get , I love my brothers They’ve been wonderful about Noelle, but they’re clueless"

"Well, I--"

"Oh, I shouldn’t have said that," Mary Jo blurted out "It’s just that they’re at the garage all day and aren’t exposed to fe their cars in, of course And they’re always impressed" She rolled her eyes

"I was impressed with Linc, too, when I met him" Mack felt he had to tell her this He and Linc had talked for a good thirty minutes after the aid car had taken Mary Jo and Noelle to the hospital At the time, Mack had been excited, and so had Linc He was an uncle now and thrilled with the idea

"Of course you’d side with my brothers," Mary Jo muttered "You’re a man"

"Well, I--"

"No, I’m finished with men Done Forever You knohat they say, once burned and all that Well, I’ve got third-degree burns and there is no way in this lifetiain"

Mack didn’t like the sound of this "What exactly does that mean?" he asked

The look she shot him said it all "You don’t want to know"

"Actually, I do"

"No, you don’t, because you’d feel obliged to defend the ree You can’t tellLinc hasn’t already said"

"Like what?"

Crossing her arhed loudly "That all men aren’t like David"

"They aren’t"

"I realize that My dad was a wonderful husband and father, and there are still a few decent , for example"

He noticed he hadn’t been mentioned but decided not to take it personally "If you believe that," he said, "then why are you finished withforward, "I know there are good guys That’s not the probleood and who’s a jerk Unfortunately, my jerk detector is clearly out of whack"

"I think you’re being too hard on yourself"

"Nope Because you know so? David wasn’t the first"

Mack’s eyes narrowed

"I ot as involved with a man the way I did with David But before I uy at ho completely charmed me Not until later did I discover he was --I just had lunch with hiby olanced at Mack over her shoulder as she paced "Other women seem to have that filter, you know, the instinct that tunes them in to a man’s motives I don’t, so I can’t trust myself withdown his coffee cup, Mack uess that’s it"