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"I’ll get theht after Christmas," Harry said, unable to hide his pleasure

"It’s all taken care of, Dad," Donna said "I knew you’d want the unit, so Rich and I put it on our credit card"

"I’ll get the check to you then Immediately" The fact that they’d used credit bothered hinaniift"

Harry wouldn’t allow his daughter to do that; still, the certainty of acquiring the unit afforded him real peace of reed, nodding vigorously

"It’s even better than you realize," Donna said "I’ll be here the entire time to help you move"

"What about school?" Harry asked

Donna s As of now"

Harry stared at her "But…it’s the ood news/bad news situation," Rich explained "Donna needs knee-replaceuess that’s what I get fro around on the floor with ery, but it’ll require several weeks of rehab I’d already decided to retire at the end of this school year But with the wedding, the surgery and the baby, Rich and I felt it made more sense to do it now"

"I think this is wonderful," Rosalie said again

Rosalie had always supported their children’s decisions, even when they gave Harry pause She was loyal to a fault; he loved that about her

"The paperwork’s been turned in and everything’s a go"

"You should’ve told us," Rosalie chastised

"I couldn’t until I got the final word I didn’t mean to hide it from you, Mom, but I kno you worry"

While Donna clai and the baby, Harry suspected there was another reason his daughter had chosen to retire early "So you’ll help us pack up the house," he said

"Absolutely Lorraine, too"

This elcome news to Harry His prayer had been answered--they had a place at Liberty Orchard now And his daughters would both be here If God should choose to bring him home, Harry could be assured that Rosalie would be well looked after

This was going to be the best Christmas of his life And the last…

Nineteen

Beth yawned It’d been a long day, beginning with church thatand then brunch with her family Now, at aled on to World of Warcraft a little while ago and was disappointed to discover that Peter wasn’t online Still, she felt relieved that they’d decided to postpone their ave her time to make a few decisions, time to assess the situation and consider how to deal hat she’d learned

The doorbell chiht

When she checked the peephole, she saw a lovely wo in the hallway Whoever it was had the nize her But even though she didn’t knoho this woman was, she unlatched the door and opened it

Instead of the woh the peephole, a man stood there in front of her Not just any man John Nicodemus, her ex-husband

Peter

If Beth was shocked, it was nothing compared to the look on Peter’s face

"Marybeth?" he whispered as if he couldn’t see here?"

"I live here"

"No, you don’t," he argued

"Are you looking for Borincana?" she asked

Peter went pale

"You’re Timixie," she added It was obvious that they both needed to sit down, so she stepped out of the doorway and waved hi room and sank heavily onto the sofa Elbows balanced on his knees, he thrust his fingers through his hair and stared down at the floor

Beth understood exactly how he felt because she’d experienced the very same mix of emotions when she’d seen him in Leavenworth It had felt as if the sidewalk had started to cruer and disbelief

Yesterday in Leavenworth, she’d suspected hi this As she watched his face, she could see that he was feeling doubt, incredulity, suspicion--just as she had

"How can this be?" he murmured after several minutes

"I askedhave you known?"

She wanted it understood that she hadn’t arranged this, any more than he had "Since Leavenworth"

His htened "You were there?"

Beth nodded "You were standing by the gazebo, exactly as we’d agreed Then I saw that red rose and I nearly fainted"

"Who was on the phone?" he denized your voice"

"My friend Heidi She’s a new friend--you never ainst the sofa as he absorbed her words

"Why are you here?" she asked Beth studied him carefully He was even more attractive than she remembered The years had matured him, and his features had lost their boyish quality He looked more serious now, more…adult They’d both been so juvenile and irrational, so quick to get out of the relationship Beth had felt blindsided by the pain of it and she thought that John…Peter ested as much

"I shouldn’t have co here, I couldn’t figure out why I was doing this"