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“I didn’t just sleep with Nora, I fell in love with her She was a gentle woman with a kind heart and Ben—well, he just had no time in his life for what she needed” His voice lowered “She wouldn’t leave hih she’d broken one vow… Anyway, he found out He came at me and I couldn’t blame him, so I didn’t do much to defend myself and he beat me up pretty bad I didn’t want to leave without Nora but she begged o She said she’d make it up to Ben, that he was her husband…but I could see the truth in her eyes, that she lovedto break her heart but that she was a strong, decent wo”

Boththe picture of Nora Lincoln, the sad eyes and the resolute tilt to her chin After a while, he touched his uncle’s arm

“Jonas?” he said softly “Are you all right?”

“Sure” The old ood Ben couldn’t forgive her He divorced her I didn’t know about it Nora had written me off as a bad mistake and I suppose I was”

His uncle stared over the ardens beyond the deck but Gray knew he didn’t see the another time and place, and a memory he’d carried inside him all these years

“A few o, I heard from an old buddy He talked about Nora, told ht after it, I mean” Jonas looked at Gray “And I need to know, son Was that baby mine—or was it Ben’s?”

“Oh, Jesus,” Gray said softly, and his uncle laughed

“Exactly This girl in Las Vegas ot to randrandot to do the right thing”

The right thing, Gray thought hours later, as he stepped out of the airport at Flagstaff What the hell was that?

He knehat it wasn’t

Pretending he could just walk away froest lie he’d ever told, even if he’d only told it to himself She’d said she didn’t want to see hi instead of his head

She wanted to see hio away There had been so else in those haunted eyes, too

Fear

Daas afraid, but of what? Har else, too He’d bet on it Was her fear connected to the child she was supposed to have abandoned? He had to know the answer and she wasn’t going to tell hiristaff toward Queen City He’d beat the answer out of Kitteridge, if he had to

A huh his blood at the thought