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“Go down to Texas Spend a month or tith Quint and Dallas It’s been quite a while since you spent some time with your son and his family”

“Trade one ranch for another? I don’t think so”

“Then fly over to England and stay with Laura If it’s a social life you want, she’ll see that you get one You kno full her calendar is all the tied to work us in to come for Christmas this year”

Cat responded with a quick shake of her head “The weather would be nasty at this time of year over there”

“Then go on a cruise so a little irritated by her quick dismissals

“Alone? I don’t think so” This time the shake of her head was firm and decisive “Maybe I will fly back to Texas with Quint after Christrandson, Josh” Cat s about the nearly two-year-old toddler and his head of red hair “Face it, Dad—not everyone gets a second chance at love”

“And you da for it to come to you,” he informed her

This tih, Dad Why don’t you coive me a hand with lunch? As you so succinctly put it—you’re old, not an invalid”

“Don’t get sirl,” he warned but with a half sot so to do”

Catching the serious note in his voice, Cat eyed him curiously “About what?”

“Guess you can blaaze shifted to a frontas sunlight flared off the windshield of a pickup reversing away froer seat “For one reason or another, it’s been a good ether for the holidays It’d be good if I could coifts for each of you to mark the occasion”

“It would be,” Cat agreed readily and turned to leave, adding over her shoulder, “Just give et them for you”

His response was a laugh like snort “Yeah, you’d like to knohat your present’s going to be I know you This year I’ll do , thank you”

Cat started to protest, then shook her head in a to find out shopping isn’t as easy as you seem to think it is” She continued out of the den bound for the kitchen

Chase could have told her that the difficulty usually depended on the object a person wanted to buy But he wasn’t about to arouse her curiosity any further, and wisely kept his silence while he pondered the possibilities One was obvious; the rest weren’t