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only wild card, I think, and he won’t say anything because he doesn’t want to have to deal with Mel on that issue. Paul doesn’t want Vanni to kill him, so he’s airtight.”
    “Shew,” she said.
    “Thing is, it might get out eventually. It’s kind of funny in a way—”
    “Funny?”
    “Think about it—two strangers are sitting alone in a bar, feeling sorry for themselves, and not only do they get together and find a lot of comfort in each other, they start a family. And not just a baby, but twins. Then they end up in the same small town. No one would believe it. I know it wasn’t planned, but I’m not sorry about the outcome.”
    She looked angry. At least indignant. “Well, I’m sorry!”
    “No, you’re not. You hate the complications, but there are twins coming and I’m going to be around to help you with that. One’s a boy. I hope the other one’s a girl. These might be the only kids I get, and I hope I get one of each.” He grinned stupidly and knew it.
    “You know, if you had all these legal and financial things hanging on you, you wouldn’t be so cavalier.”
    “I think we should see a lawyer,” he said.
    “I have a lawyer!”
    “I’m not sure you have a good one. You got screwed.”
    “Listen, Cameron, I can’t afford another lawyer. The last one almost wiped me out. I pulled all my retirement funds, cashed in my stock, which wasn’t much, sold my condo…”
    “I’ll take care of it.”
    She was struck dumb. “Why would you do that?”
    “Because, Abby, it’s in my best interest to help you get this monkey off your back. If we have a clean slate, maybe we can work as a team.” He sat back. “That’s my hope.”
    “I don’t want you to do that,” she said sternly. “I don’t want to owe you that much.”
    He just shrugged. “You’re stuck with me either way. They’re mine as much as they’re yours.”
    “What a godawful, stinking mess,” she said, pouting and lifting the cup to her lips.
    Cameron was silent. Frowning. When she put the cup down, she looked at him and said, “What now?”
    He shook his head and said, “You wouldn’t want to hear about some of the sad things I’ve seen in my practice. Abby, you’re worried about all the wrong things—about who’s going to pay for the lawyer, about being embarrassed that we didn’t have a long relationship before this happened. Give thanks. The babies are healthy and strong and, so far as we can tell, perfect.”
    Her hand went to her tummy. “Are you the calm and reasonable one because you’re not the pregnant one?” she asked.
    “No, sweetheart. Because I’m the desperate one. You’re holding the prize.”

    By the time Jack got home at the end of a long day, the children were asleep and Mel was on the computer. He kissed her, then went to the kitchen and looked through the mail. He found a letter from Rick.
    Since the boy was thirteen, Jack had looked out for him, tried to help him into manhood with strength and courage, with goodness. It was with a combination of pride and trepidation that he had sent him off to the Marine Corps at the age of eighteen. It was Rick’s decision, one hundred percent. Jack never fought him on it, though he had wanted to send Rick to college and had put aside money for that.
    Now Rick was in Iraq where Jack had served two tours in his own Marine career. Rick sent a letter home to Jack sometimes as often as every two weeks, at least once a month, and he usually sent it to the bar so that everyone could hear the latest news. He also wrote to his grandmother, who was his only family, and his girl, Liz, who lived in Eureka.
    But this letter hadn’t gone to the bar. Jack ripped it open at once.
    Dear Jack,
    God, I’m sorry to do this to you. I gotta get this out—and I don’t want my grandma or Liz upset. But you know about this stuff. You know how it is, and I have to lay it on someone who won’t freak out. You would’ve gotten some of this on the news, but you