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"Nothing," Jody was quick to assure him "It’s just that I hadn’t realized you wanted a father so badly"

"Every kid does," he said "Don’t they?"

"I guess" Jody’s own father had died a year earlier and sheemotional blow she hadn’t expected Her father’s heart attack had taken the family by surprise Just a week earlier, he’d been in for his yearly physical and was given a clean bill of health Both Jody and her rief She’d assu, full life that death would be easier to accept That hadn’t been the case any more than it had been with Jeff, whose death had co

"I don’t reen bean deep in his pile of mashed potatoes, "but you can’t throw a ball worth a darn and I need to practice Mr Dillard said I had a chance of being a really good player soly either I bet there’s so to marry you"

Jody had to stop and think about that one Her son wasn’t intentionally insulting her In his eyes, he’d paid her a high co to take a chance and marry me," she said after a er he sounded He scooted to the edge of his seat, propped his elbows against the table, and looked solidly at her "Could you find and marry him before Christmas?"

"Timmy, be serious, Christmas is less than a er than that to get me a dad?"

"Yes, I’er?"

Jody shrugged, not knowing how to answer "II don’t know if I’ain"

"Why not?" Timmy asked, his eyes wide and innocent "Rick Trenton told me his mom’s been married three ti about that and it doesn’t seeht You’re a lot prettier than Rick’s mom and she’s already had two more husbands than you"

"It doesn’t have to do with how pretty a woman is"

"Then what does it have to do with?" He cocked his head to one side, awaiting her answer

Jody wished she knew "Marriage is a complicated business" Much more complex than she could adequately explain to a nine-year-old boy who seerocery store shelf She was about to suggest signing hi Brothers when Timmy buried his fork in hisa baby I’ve decided I wouldn’t mind if I had to share my bedroom Rick’s mom just had another baby and she let me hold him, and you knohat, I kinda liked it"

"How does Rick feel about having a little brother?"

"He thinks it’s cool, especially since he’s got two little sisters Rick said you don’t get a choice if it’s a boy or a girl when babies are born I don’t kno I’ll feel about a sister instead of a brother, but I decided I’d do what Rick does"

"And what’s that?"

"Take what he gets"

Jody set her fork aside, her appetite gone "That’s ato do next Ti about a brother or sister too

"Then you’ll start looking for a new dad forbrown eyes studied her carefully as if her decision was a momentous one

"I’ll think about it," Jody said thoughtfully "Now eat your green beans"

"I already did"

"They’re buried in yourher fork at him "Now eat"

"Aw, Moht, when Timmy was sound asleep in his bed, that Jody walked over to the bookcase and took out the bulky photo album She sat in the overstuffed chair that had been Jeff’s favorite and held the book against her breast in the diht

For several moments she closed her eyes It had been almost a year since she’d last looked at the pictures Twelve long months since she’d tortured herself with the ht It ay past the time for her to pick up the pieces of her life instead of dwelling in the past A sob swelled in her throat as she tried to figure out how she was ever going to give up loving Jeff

"That’s Timmy’s mother," Gabriel said in quiet, soWhat’s happened toabout Jeff, her husband who died," the archangel explained

"Why does she torture herself this way?" Itwoman would continue to torment herself with memories