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The next day she ran out of anything to do before she ran out of ti turned into a perfect day Memories beckoned from the creek so she pulled off her shoes, rolled up her pants legs and waded in the cool water for a while When a Bob-White quail continued calling from the vicinity of the pond, she headed that way The old Apple tree spread a blanket of shade in the grass beside the pond She sat down, leaning her back against the tree, and watched shadows from puffy clouds drift across the surface It was a lazy day,buzzed by her head and hit the pond, skipping across the smooth surface A few seconds lapsed before she realized that someone had skipped a stone She turned quickly to find the source Josh atching her with a strange expression

"Dreaood old days?" he asked as he walked up and leaned a shoulder against the tree

"Not really," she said "It’s just such a nice day that I thought I’d come out and listen to the birds I haven’t been here in a while"

She leaned back against the tree, her back stiff with anxiety What did he want? Hopefully Alex wouldn’t coether She touched the pouch on her side, confir that the cell phone was there

Josh squatted beside her, eyeing the pond with a sour expression "I don’t understand you woed her knees and smiled "That must put you up there with 90 of the males"

His face turned to her, the thin lips twisted in a sardonic sed "Beats rass and stuck it in his mouth

"She says she loves me," he finally said around it "But what she really loves isHe didn’t want answers He sione to work all day," he continued, "and when she gets home she says she’s tired I told her she didn’t need to work, but she thinks we can’t live without her incoe of the pond

"Maybe she just wants to feel irass from his mouth and studied the end

"A baby would make her feel important, don’t you think?"

It wasn’t a welcome subject, and he should know that Yet, of all the reasons she wanted a baby, feeling important wasn’t even in the top 100 Lori didn’t want the responsibility of a baby She had said that often enough So why had she married Josh? Probably for the saive her children - because she loved hihed heavily

"I don’t think I’aze beco sharp

"You and I both want a baby How did we end uppeople who don’t?"

A warm flush crawled up her neck "Alex wants a baby, Josh He has simply accepted the fact that we can’t have one"

"And how about you," he asked, his gaze becoer to adjust to the idea"

"You could adopt," he said, his attention returning to the pond He reached down and selected a few stones

"That’s what Alex says, but I don’t want to adopt a baby and then have the e her mind after we’ve learned to love it"

Josh eyed her "There are other ways" He skipped a stone across the pond

She rested her chin on her knees "No" Did he come out here to discuss his probleht about substituting her birth control pills with soed "Well"

"That won’t solve your problems It will only ht to be welcoe her mind after it was born"

"Maybe, but what about your relationship with her? She’d never trust you again This is sos like that"

"I know" He threw the last stone into the water without trying to skip it Shoving his hands into his pockets, he turned to walk away

"Is that what happened with us?"

She stood and brushed the seat of her pants off

"There never was an us, Josh We were just two confused play hard "Maybe that’s what it was to you"

"I’ her head to avoid a branch as she walked under it "I didn’t realize it ," his voice was bitter

"No, it was before that I just didn’t knohy I was so apathetic"

Josh walked away, shaking his head He was going through a rough tiht now But then, Lori must be too It was impossible to empathize with her How anyone could not want a baby was beyond her ih on that subject Josh couldn’t claim he didn’t know before he married her – or beca when Alex came in, she had put the incident to the back of herroo up his sleeves When he came into the kitchen his expression was reflective He sat down in his chair without assisting her and picked up the bowl of mashed potatoes

Carmen poured his coffee and sat down in her chair After a briefher

"What did Josh want?"

"Josh?" she asked How did he know Josh had been there?

"I saw his tire tracks in the yard" He forked a steak off the serving tray and handed the tray to her

"They have an unusual tread"

She accepted the tray "He showed up suddenly when I was sitting beside the pond I guess he and Lori are having problems and he needed soed, forking a stake "We’re old friends"

He grunted "So, if we have probleaze shot up to his Those dark eyes were studying her intently It was a fair question, even if she had never thought of it that way It was hard to tell what she would do – if or who shethe tray down "So when did you becoreat white hunter?"

He frowned "What?"

She s tire tracks in the dirt"

His lips thinned into a straight line as he focused on the food in his plate He ate several bites without responding

Finally she sighed and put her fork down

"Please don’t do this to me, Alex"

The fork paused half way to hishers For a moment the question was in his eyes and started to foraze

"I wish he’d stay home," he finally said "He has two parents and three sisters Why can’t he talk to the

"Probably because he doesn’t want to disappoint the her face Finally he sighed

"That was a co answer, but I’m not sure it was accurate" He shook his head, as if to clear it "So ere you doing down at the pond?"

"Just sitting there, enjoying the weather" She picked up her fork "Would you mind if I usedinto his eyes

"Aren’t these the same dishes you didn’t want to use at your house?"

Warmth crawled up her neck "That was different This place is so nice"

He grinned "And my dishes aren’t?"

The flush crept up to her cheeks "If you want me to use yours"

His soft chuckle interrupted her "I’d feel honored if you brought your mother’s dishes here and used them instead of these I ree how their disputes see blocks For Lori and Josh, they were like building blocks being torn down Did Josh and Lori actually love each other? But then, e wasn’t a smooth ride Sooner or later she and Alex would run s unpleasant Hopefully it wouldn’t involve Josh – or Lori, for that ht back a dark question Would Alex cheat? It was a question for which there was no answer It ht depend on the circu, surely he wouldn’t be so concerned about Josh

Saturdaythe chores About ten in theto the clinic for a little while Carmen watched his truck disappear down the road Was he actually going to the clinic? Was that where he planned to led with the idea of going to the clinic Finally, rationalizing that they needed rocery store On the way back, she drove by the clinic, but his truck wasn’t there If he didn’t go to the clinic, where did he go? By the ti an affair And yet, when the garage door lifted, his truck was parked inside

Alex roceries "I wondered where you got off to I have a surprise for you"

She glanced around the living room Apparently it was in another room

He put away the milk and waved a hand for her to follow as he headed out the back door Sooner or later, ive in to a child’s voice deep inside With Alex, it surfaced in a love of surprises Unable to contain his excite toHe did that all the way to the barn Inside, he flipped on the light and covered her eyes, guiding her a short distance before re his hands

At first she didn’t see the white for as she looked around the barn Finally she spotted the lalanced up at Alex

"Is it for me?"

He nodded, clearly pleased by her reaction One of our custoht be interested The ewe hada hand to her ht sooats with a bottle It’s not that different"

"But the lamb is so tiny"

He chuckled "She was the sroith love and care"

When Alex opened the ate, Carmen stepped inside and knelt beside the lamb Its as as soft as freshly washed hair and it bleated when she scooped it into her arms Was this what he didn’t want her to find out about? He must have picked up the lamb and left the clinic, which would explain why he wasn’t there when she drove by Hopefully he’d never find out she doubted hi, Alex answered his cell phone

"Hey, sugar" He laughed "Yes, she liked it She’s right here Do you want to talk to her?"

Alex handed his phone to Carhed "Saundra"

Caret the lamb to her They talked for a few minutes, and after they were done, she closed the phone and handed it back to Alex

"So, what’s the story behind sugar?"

"Just an office joke," he said "I asked her if she wanted soar, but she didn’t hear the ith She thought I was joking around and said: Do you want soly, of course: No thank you, honey"

That explained the note, but as it written in Spanish? Saundra didn’t speak Spanish Instantly the ansas clear Alex was teaching Saundra to speak Spanish Why hadn’t that occurred to her before? For aenviron someone to talk to every day Katie was available s differently Muht She needed to get out ht sheabout fidelity As, it was disrespectful to Alex He had done nothing to cause her to doubt hi the horses, Brutus wandered up with so in his mouth Carnized the deer hock in her hand, she dropped it

"Oh rizzly trophy up from the barn floor and tossed it in the trash bucket

"Where is it this time?"

Brutus eyed her suspiciously He didn’t knohat she was saying, but he knew that tone He was in trouble

She finished chores and decided to go look for evidence Crossing the creek and field to her house, she studied the hillside beyond for any sign of a deer Brutus took off toward the forest, barking

Carmen ran after hi moved up in the trees, but it was impossible to deterh She caught up with Brutus near the tree line and that hen she saw it – half hidden under a dead limb It was a deer – or as left of one, anyway It looked like a fresh kill The hoof Brutus had brought her had to be a different one

She was reaching for her phone when she saw Josh coht I’d better check on you What’s going on?"

She put the strap back over her phone There was no point in disturbing Alex at work Josh could help with this issue She pointed at the deer carcass

"This is the second one I’ve found up here I’ deer"

Josh eyed Brutus and then shook his head

"Not likely When was the first tied "A few days before ere married"

Josh stared at her for a uess You didn’t tell Alex about it"

Carnify that question with an answer

"So why do you think it isn’t likely it was Brutus?"

Josh continued to watch her "You didn’t tell hiured he’d shoot hirinned "No you didn’t tell him or no you didn’t think he’d shoot him?

She stamped her foot "Stop it Josh!"

He chuckled "Well, well It isn’t all paradise, is it?"

She turned away fro up here a few o Maybe another deer"

He followed her and studied the deer

"Or a wild dog"

She stiffened and peered into the forest

"I haven’t seen any strange dogs in a long ti enough to belong to Brutus – only it didn’t look like his tracks"

He frowned "What did it look like?"

She shrugged "I don’t know – a big track"

Brutus growled again and Josh took her by the arun or anything"