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room, and Matt squealed and practically launched himself toward the man he called Daddy.
    “Come here, Peewee.” Dylan grabbed him out of Victoria’s arms and then tossed him in the air like a play toy. “You gonna help Daddy feed the horses?”
    Matt giggled and nodded his head. A needle still pricked Victoria’s heart that Kenny wasn’t the one taking Matt to feed the horses. Logically, she was happy Matt would have a father to take care of him, but emotionally, Victoria longed to see Kenny with his son.
God, Kenny would have been such a good dad
.
    “Dylan’s a great dad.” Sondra’s words interrupted Victoria’s thoughts.
    “I can see that.”
    Sondra scooped the scrambled eggs into a serving bowl. “Did you know Dylan was with me when Peewee was born?”
    “No.” Victoria transferred the fresh-from-the-oven biscuits from the baking sheet to a plate.
    “He was. Dylan took care of me when Kenny couldn’t. It’s probably hard for you to see Dylan and Matt together, but he’s proof of God’s mercy and blessings to me and Matt. Even to Kenny.”
    Victoria gazed at Sondra. She couldn’t imagine how it could possibly be a blessing to Kenny.
    “Kenny wouldn’t have wanted me to struggle alone.”
    Victoria sighed. She gazed out the kitchen window and saw Matt scampering as quickly as he could behind Dylan. He struggled to carry a sack, a smaller version of the one Dylan held. No doubt it was the feed for the horses. Even from a distance, Victoria could see Matt’s happiness at getting to help his daddy.
    In that instant, Victoria felt a peace, a
real
peace. Sondra was right. God had been merciful. He had blessed Sondra, Matt, and even Kenny. Matt was under the tutelage of a man who helped bring him into the world. Kenny would be happy.
    “I need to tell you something, Victoria.”
    Victoria looked at Sondra who was wringing water viciously out of a dishrag and into the sink. “What?”
    Sondra pointed to a chair. “You may want to have a seat.”
    “I’m okay.” Bile rose in Victoria’s throat. Something was about to happen. Something monumental. Again. Victoria didn’t know if she could take many more surprises in her life.
    “A friend of mine is in the insurance business.” Sondra sighed. “I called her last night and asked her if there was any way she could find out who your dad had his insurance with.”
    Victoria slinked down into a chair and plastered a fake smile to her lips. “Yes?”
    “My friend had already heard about your dad’s, uh, situation. He’s fairly well-known. Many people vied for his services.” Sondra wiped splattered milk and egg drippings from the counter. She turned and eyed Victoria. “I might as well just say it. Your dad’s insurance policies weren’t paid up when he left the country.”
    “What are you saying?”
    Sondra placed her hand on Victoria’s shoulder. “What I’m saying is you don’t have any insurance.”

     
    Chris unscrewed the top to his truck’s gas tank. After selecting the cheaper unleaded gas, he shoved the nozzle into the tank and started to fill up the truck.
    “How’s your car?”
    Chris turned and saw Mandy Reynolds filling up at the pump beside him. “Needin’ some work.”
    “I heard.” Mandy smacked her free hand to her hip. Her two young sons in the back seat began to squabble over a toy. “Roland came home from the vet’s office last night. Said he saw the whole thing and that the girl wasn’t paying a bit of attention.”
    Chris cringed. He tried to keep a low profile in this “May-berry” town. He hated being the topic of conversation, especially after the rumors that had gone around when his ma had up and decided to leave. He and Abby still dealt with the hurt that resulted from the townsfolk’s talk.
    “Virginia called me last night, too. Said the gal was just a hoity-toity, young thing. Came running through the town like she owned the place. Virginia said that girl wasn’t the least bit sorry for ruining