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She was putting her key in the lock when she noticed the curtain of her neighbor’s house flutter Mrs Rosenhei She would no doubt be over the next afternoon to get all the particulars about who Ryan was and how Phoebe knew him

Ryan was as good as his word He was there on Saturday just after lunchti at Phoebe’s kitchen table when the knock came at the door

“I won’t stay but I ao”

Phoebe would have argued but it wouldn’t have done her any good Despite the fact that Mrs Rosenheirand presence and was only concerned for Phoebe’s welfare They had started taking care of each other two years ago when Phoebe had moved in

Joshua had only been ho there He’d not been i her the “old busybody bird” Phoebe had learned to appreciate her concern If nothing else, she knew someone would miss her if she didn’t come home

She opened the door for Ryan “Come in”

“How’re you doing?”

The question sounded like he wasat her with a trained eye He smelled of sawdust with a hint of citrus It made her want to step closer Take a deeper breath

“I’ fine” She smiled and he nodded

“Good I told Sophia that I would check”

Mrs Rosenheim shuffled into the room

Ryan looked frohbor, Mrs Rosenheim”

He sat his tool bag on the floor at his feet and extended a hand “Nice to meet you”

“You’re American”

“Yes, ma’am Texan”

Mrs Rosenheiave Phoebe a questioning look She shrugged her shoulders

“So you knew Mr Taylor”

A guarded look caether”

“Bad thing, leaving Phoebe here all by herself all the time A man should want to be at home with his wife She needs someone to watch over her Help her”

Phoebe didn’t miss the color wash out of Ryan’s face

“It was his job The army,” Phoebe said quietly

“I knoeetie But a woman not only wants a man to help put a roof over her head but to be around when the times are hard” She directed the last feords at Ryan

“Uh, Mrs Rosenheiet started on the bed I’o today” Phoebe shook her head at hi

“I’m next door if you need lance at Ryan

“Forrin

“Yes She and Joshua didn’t like each other on sight, but she’s been good to me She ith the men who came from the military department to tell me about Joshua I don’t knohat I would have done without her shoulder to cry on She’s also the one who realized I was pregnant when I started being sick”

Phoebe suddenly needed to focus on so else She shook away the memories Ryan was the first male to have come into her home in over a year He seemed to take up the entire space “Anyway, let me show you where the bed is”

Ryan followed Phoebe down a hallway that had four doors leading off of it She stopped at the next to last one and nudged the door open

Against one as a large brown box that Ryan guessed was the baby bed That didn’t surprise him What did were the piles of books stacked around the room and the desk painted in a folk art style with a chair of the saray Two cans of paint sat in another corner He fully expected to see a roo for a baby He’d listened to enough mothers talk about what they had done in the baby’s roo to do to know that Phoebe was far behind in her preparations

She placed her hand on the box “This is the bed”

“Great I’ll get it put together”

Walking to the door, she looked back at hiree to this, but I really appreciate you doing it”

“Not a problem”

He’d been working for an hour when Phoebe returned to stand in the doorway His back was to her but he felt her presence

“I brought you so to drink” She moved to the desk and placed the drink on it

Ryan stood fro a screw on the back of the bed He picked up the glass, took a long sater and put it back on the desk again