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"That’s not why I’ a tattletale, but so with her ?" Any amusement left his voice

"It’s Mom"

Her father went co to Max again?"

"It’s worse than that He’s here"

"In Branson?"

Although he couldn’t see her, Annie nodded "She sent hie soht, maybe she did "Actually, I think it hile ere at a Dairy Queen in Texas She started acting all weird"

"Do you have any idea what she said to Max?"

"Just that she’d be in Branson for the next two days"

"How do you know?"

"I, uh, read it And I read his reply She got really mad at me Max said he’d meet her here" She felt even more like a tattletale but her father needed to know

"Annie," her father said, his voice sole ht to be reading her private es"

"I know," she mumbled "But Mo to stop me Maybe she wanted me to see it," she said ain"

"Okay, okay"

"So--Max is in Branson?"

"Yup"

"Has your mother seen him yet?"

Her father obviously didn’t understand the seriousness of the situation "Daddy, she’s with hiht this minute Why else do you think I’o, too, but she and Max went off together and Grandma and I are at this…event I don’t think there’s anyone under thirty except for me" In Annie’s opinion, this was above and beyond her duty as a granddaughter

"Where did they go?" her father asked

It took Annie a moment to catch up with the conversation and realize he was asking about her ain

"That’s not all, either" Annie felt a bit childish, but she couldn’t stop herself

Grant sighed "Just don’t tell me she’s run off and married him"

"No, she’d never do that"

"Good"

"Moot a whole new outfit and red cowboy boots"

"Red?"

"Yes, Anne Marie Roche has a pair She’s the lady ns the bookstore on Blossoot to do with anything?" He see, I suppose, except that Mom always admired Anne Marie’s, and when she saw a red pair she decided to get them for herself"

"It sounds like your mother’s become a…free spirit"

"Oh, it’s worse than that All she thinks about is this biker Yesterdayat breakfast she--" Annie wished she hadn’t said anything now "Neverlike herself Grandma and I don’t knohat to do"

"I love yourpause

"I know you do, and I’ for this…this biker As far as I can tell, he doesn’t have a job I can’t believe it…I really can’t Mythe words aloudin love" Her father sounded sad, but not as disturbed as Annie had thought he’d be

"Then we need to do so" Annie hoped her father had an idea because she didn’t Acting upset and giving her mother the silent treatment hadn’t kept Bethanne away from Max In fact, it seemed the harder Annie tried, the less effective her methods Grandma disapproved, too, and that hadn’t influenced her, either She see away the past and destroying the future It wasn’t that Annie didn’t understand that sometimes divorce was the best option, but this one should never have happened Her parents belonged together Andrew called her arrogant for saying that; however, Annie didn’t care She was absolutely convinced she was right

"Annie, listen to rand" Annie pressed her cell even harder against her ear and held her finger against the other ear She closed her eyes because that helped her concentrate

"I hurt Bethanne badly I betrayed her and the vows of our eit’s not too late and that there’s soe"

"I want that, too, Daddy, "