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hadn’t spoken with anyone about his ex. So he had no practice, no frame of reference for what to say.
    He lifted his eyes until he could catch Shannon’s gaze. “Finley’s mom left us two years ago on Christmas day.”
    Shannon took the wet paper towels to the trash. Confusion laced her voice when she said, “Your ex left you on Christmas day?”
    â€œYeah, that’s why Finley’s sensitive about Christmas. But what’s worse is that her mom doesn’t want to see her at all. She doesn’t like kids. Didn’t want kids.”
    Shannon returned to the table and fell to her chair, trying to force all that to sink in but not quite able to comprehend. She’d spent her entire adult life attempting to get pregnant, longing for a child, and Finley’s mom had left her without a backward glance?
    â€œMy ex never did anything she didn’t want to do.” He rose from the chair, pushed it out of his way and stooped to pick up the scattered cards.
    â€œThat’s amazing.”
    He shrugged, but his pinched expression told her he wasn’t so cavalier about it. “She’d said at the outset of our marriage that she didn’t want kids.” Finished gathering the cards, he rose. “Her getting pregnant was a surprise, but I thought we were ready. Turns out she wasn’t.”
    Shannon sat in stunned silence. Rory’s wife had abandoned her daughter? Disbelief thundered through her, along with a sense of injustice. While she’d do anything, give anything, to be able to have a child, Finley’s mom had simply abandoned one?
    How could a woman be so cruel?

CHAPTER THREE
    R ORY NEATLY STACKED the cards on the table. “I need to check on her.”
    â€œOkay. I’ll start lunch.”
    As she had the night before, Shannon made soup and sandwiches. This time, she chose chicken soup—a soup with not even a red vegetable in it—and prepared a plate of cold cuts and some bread.
    Finley walked into the kitchen in front of her dad, who had both hands on her little shoulders. Looking at the floor, she mumbled, “I’m sorry.”
    Shannon’s heart ached for her, but she didn’t think it was appropriate to say, “Hey, it’s not your fault. Your mom’s a horrible woman who shouldn’t have left you.” So, instead, she said, “That’s okay. I didn’t make red soup today.”
    Finley peeked at her. “You didn’t?”
    â€œNo. I made chicken noodle.”
    â€œI like chicken noodle.”
    â€œSo do I.”
    Rory got bowls from the cupboard and he and Finley set them on the place mats Shannon had already put out. Finley found soup spoons. Shannon set the cold cuts on the table. Everybody did everything without saying a word.
    Shannon felt oddly responsible. Should she have tried to lose at the card game? Should she have reacted differently to the cheating accusation? She honestly didn’t know. But she did know Finley deserved a bit of happiness and if she could, she intended to provide it.
    She sucked in a breath. “You know…I still have a few sleds from when my dad and I used to slide down Parker’s Hill when I was a little girl.”
    Finley’s face instantly brightened. “Really?”
    â€œThere’s a bit of a hill behind this house. I never tried it out for sledding because I just moved here last year, but I’m guessing there might be a place we could sled-ride.”
    This time Rory said, “Really?”
    â€œSure. It would be fun. Even if we can’t go sledding, getting outside for some fresh air would do us all good.”
    Rory inclined his head. “Maybe.” He faced his daughter. “What do you think?”
    â€œI’d like to sled-ride.”
    â€œAnd we will if we can,” Shannon quickly assured her. “As I said, I’ve never checked out that hill.”
    â€œI don’t have snow