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"No way!" Shelby said

"Believeto be hbors, but then you arrived and To around a lot"

"Do you know her?"

Vanni smiled "Ever see that movie Never Too Late?"

"Yeah," Shelby said, perplexed "I loved that movie"

"Muriel St Claire She played the new divorcée"

Shelby gasped "She’s here?"

"She bought the ranch downriver a little over athe house herself I’ve only seen Muriel and Dad in the sa it real cool But let ether I’ve asked Dad if we can have her to dinner soon and he says he doesn’taway from the house now and then He also says there’s plenty of ti to keep her to hi on there, but neither of theht up"

"Uncle Walt has a woman?" Shelby asked in shock "A fah I don’t think it even crossed his h ti to do with it But I wish they’d loosen up I’d like to hear about all the famous people she knows"

Now they all had a special soer, Shelby had been in ot good grades, had girlfriends, was active in school activities She’d had a nice little part-tih a few boyfriends She went to games, slumber parties, dances Her friends tended to run in a pack h-school boyfriends ere serious, butShelby, were da dance or the proe teenage girl--her nancy at the age of eighteen, her short e that had become a nonevent as she was divorced when Shelby was just a baby No way Shelby was letting so like that happen to her She knew she’d be a late blooht it would be quite this late…

Shelby was only nineteen when the life typical of a girl her age halted and a whole new set of responsibilities took over Uncle Walt had been -ho to be an issue for long In fact, ave ive her a few years of mine, the rest of my life won’t matter a damn"

Then it was over and time to think about as ahead for her Before Vanni had even uttered those words about Uncle Walt, Shelby had been thinking, I want to join the ranks of woe, women who are my friends, both old and new, and have what they have--the relationship building, romantic and physical love, idealisles She wanted all of it She was due She wanted to be whole

She wanted a uesthouse door, then pushed it open Muriel had fixed up the old bunkhouse to live in while she worked on the larger house Unlikeher in her work clothes and waiting for hi up, she was not only showered and changed, but had set a small table with plates and utensils and a candle in the middle He smiled and handed her a sack of takeout from Jack’s bar, then bent to scratch behind the ears of two excited Labs, Luce and Buff "Looks like a celebration," he said, indicating the table

"It is I finished the floors upstairs One coat of paint in the bedroom and hall and I could live there if I wanted to And yesterday I bought a pie safe for the dining room I found it up near Arcata at this little antique shop It’s big--I can’t get it out of the truck bed, so I parked it in the barn Maybe you’ll help me tomorrow?"

"Sure"

She looked in the sack "What is it?"

"Brisket, steareen and wax beans"

She inhaled "Pie?"

"Of course pie"

"Where did you tell your daughter and your niece you were going?" she asked, tilting her head and s out for a beer," he answered And grinned

"Walt," she ad a little tooanyone Besides, I’ot a startled expression on his face "Muriel, I’ you Not at all! And I did have a beer, while I waited for the food"

"Then why haven’t you invited me to dinner with the family?"