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“Are you married?” she blurted as new horrors presented themselves to her Was he unable to have children with his wife infertile? Was that what this was about? They wanted her to

Christine would have told her so like that

Manshe was out of line emotionally where this baby was concerned And hormonal, she admitted silently to herself

“No And thank you I’ll call you tonight”

Before she could respond he was gone Leaving her to fret about the fact that he wasn’t out of her life yet

Chapter Three

He’d driven his SUV to work thatto pick up Talley, and skipped his usual bike ride when he got hoirl, a twelve-year-old collie, was better, but still not herself and he wasn’t eager to leave her She was older, but hadn’t quite reached the life expectancy for her breed Still, he knew that within the next couple of years her time with him would come to a close

Just as Tricia’s life had done Co

His phone rang just as he was getting Talley settled on a fleece blanket on the couch Still in the brown pants and beige shirt and tie he’d worn to work, he flopped down next to her, settling into the corner, wishing he’d grabbed a beer out of the refrigerator first

He’d read a recent study that said two beers a night was a good heart-health regimen Any more than that and the results went backward

“Thank you for calling,” he said as soon as he pushed to accept the call Ready to get his answers and nificant other

She was the last of the three recipients of his specimen—which had been destroyed at his request after he’d seen firsthand what people could do to their kids This one re detail was all he had to handle

/>“I give you my word, I’m not out to cause you stress, nor do I have any intention ofyour life uncomfortable in any way”

“What do you want to know?”

That his child would be raised in a loving, happy, secure home