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"I don’t know to this day if I ever recovered e Earl I think so else pales by comparison It was that ith Earl and me"

"Do you still think about him, after all this time?" Blythe asked with surprise

"Fifty years later and not a day passes that soether so short a time Too short"

"It must have been so difficult for you alone with Emer with us Anything else I could deal with or reason out, but not that Earl should die

"He never knew the beautiful daughter we created, and I ached for Emma to remember her father He would have been so proud of her, as proud as she is of him Unfortunately she has no ot on with your life, you ain"

"Yes, in time," Catherine adht never have reentle persistence He’d wooed her for three of those years

Like Earl, he’d been a soldier, but the fates had been kinder to hin in the South Pacific to a hero’s welco her for weeks before she’d agreed to go out with him

Catherine never fully understood why Frank fell in love with her She wasn’t interested in re, wasn’t even interested in another relationship Yet there he was, loving, gentle, eager to be a part of her and Emma’s life

By then she’d accepted Earl’s death and made her peace with God The battle had been hard won Catherine had told God that if this was the way he treated his friends, it was little wonder he had so few

She smiled at the memory

"I loved Frank," she said, "not with the same intensity that I did Earl, but I did love him A woman doesn’t spend forty-three years s"

"I don’t understand why you’re giving me this pin," Blythe whispered brokenly "You said yourself you never intended to part with it"

"That’s because it’s the only piece of jewelry I have that Earl gaveband To this day, whenever I put on that ca now as it was all those years ago"

Blythe tensed, and her shoulders went stiff "I’ift"

"Of course you can, child I want you to have it It’s fitting that Ted’s ould wear it You see, Ted was an Airborne Ranger hirandfather"

"Yes, I know, but I still can’t accept it" She tried to push the box into Catherine’s hands

"Blythe, it would do reat honor if you were to take the cameo Please Accept it with my love and with Earl’s You’re soon to be a part of this farandchild"

Blythe stilled, as if she weren’t sure what to do

"Recently I asked God to send the woman of his choice into Ted’s life," Catherine went on to say, "and Ted chose to ask you to be his wife"

"That’s because of the baby"

"I know, dear, but the baby is his responsibility"

Blythe didn’t say anything for a long ti within herself "He’s in love with someone else," she admitted candidly Her face hardened, her features went sharp and tight "He didn’t think I knew, but I’m not as stupid as everyone see of the sort," Catherine said sternly

Blythe folded her hands and briefly closed her eyes "I asked him about her Joy, isn’t it?"

Catherine nodded

"You knohat he said? He said that it didn’tto marry You know the crazy part--he’s actually excited about the baby"

That didn’t surprise Catherine Ted was a wonderful uncle Many times she’d watched him with his cousins and marveled at his patience with small children

"This baby may not have been planned," Catherine said evenly, "but that doesn’t mean he or she isn’t loved or welconant on our honeys happen"

Blythe lowered her gaze "I think you should know so, I didn’t want this baby When I first learned I was pregnant, I seriously considered an abortion It was so te, an easy way out, but when I went to make the appointment, I couldn’t do it I just couldn’t rateful that Blythe hadn’t resorted to anything so drastic "But you didn’t, and that’s the ie, Blythe"

"Not really" She briefly covered her face with her hands "I can’t believe I did anything so stupid as to get pregnant I know better than to let so like this happen My stupidity isn’t the baby’s fault"

Catherine wished she could say or do so to ease Blythe’s discoe of tears

"I’m really sorry, but I can’t accept your beautiful pin," Blythe said finally, and set the box back on the end table