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Gracie during the day. In fact, hadn’t Clint mentioned that he’d taught the woman how to read?
    “No, my mom’s in heaven,” Gracie said.
    “Oh, I’m sorry.” Josie had forgotten Clint was a widower. She glanced his way, wishing she’d been more tactful. She understood firsthand the aching pain of losing people she loved, and didn’t want to remind him.
    Clint’s eyes darkened and he shifted his weight uneasily. A guarded look flashed across his face and Josie regretted dredging up the topic.
    Gracie shrugged one shoulder. “It’s okay. I never knew my mom. She died when I was just a baby, but Dad says she loved me like crazy.”
    The girl slid her hand into her father’s, seeming to take comfort from his presence.
    Josie nodded in understanding. “I lost my mom and dad, too.”
    Now, why had she told them that? Normally, she kept her personal life to herself. Especially her childhood, which had been anything but happy. A disturbing memory of constant fights between her parents ripped through her mind. Angry words and hateful accusations, followed by her father leaving one rainy night just after Josie’s thirteenth birthday. She’d never seen Dad again. He’d been killed in a car accident a year later. But not once had he called or written her. In fact, no man seemed to want her. First Dad had left, then two ex-fiancé’s. Even Mom had treated her like a burden, and she’d grown up feeling unwanted.
    She didn’t want to dwell on those sad times, but they seemed imbedded in her soul. Something about Clint drew out her carefully kept secrets. Right now, she wished she could crawl into a deep hole and hide.
    “Yes, I know,” Gracie said. “Grandma Vi told me. She said you and me are kindred spirits because we both lost our moms.”
    Grandma had said that? Hmm, surprising, when Josie considered that her mother never cared much for Grandma. Mom hadn’t gotten along well with her in-laws, especially after Dad had died. Now, Josie stared at Gracie, seeing a maturity in the girl’s eyes that was much too advanced for her years.
    Kindred spirits. That sounded like something Grandma would have said, but Josie couldn’t equate herself with this little girl. After all, they were almost complete strangers. Yes, Josie understood loss. Her mom had been so busy working three jobs to put food on the table and pay the rent that she’d had little time for her lonely daughter. Growing up, it would have been so easy for Josie to become a rebellious teenager. Instead, she’d found approval through perfection. She’d spent most nights alone, reading books and doing homework. She’d had very few friends, but she’d earned top grades in math, science and chemistry. Seeking the love she so badly craved, she’d won the approval of her teachers. And during college, she’d avoided men and socializing. Nothing had seemed more important to her than school and work.
    Until now.
    “It’s okay. I still have Daddy,” the girl said.
    Clint cleared his throat and glanced at the boxed trees before quirking his brows with amusement. “You need another tree? I would have thought with all the trees Frank cut down that you’d had enough for one Christmas.”
    Josie’s face heated with embarrassment. He’d deftly changed the topic and she was relieved, but she hated that he’d caught her buying a fake tree. “Remember, you confiscated all the live trees, so we don’t have one for our own Christmas now.”
    “Ah, I see. Well, that won’t do.” Understanding filled his eyes and he sent her a smile of empathy. “Where is Frank, anyway?”
    She gave a scoffing laugh, finding the situation sadly funny. “Outside in my car. He refused to come inside to pick out a fake tree. He’s never had anything but a live tree and he’s been grumbling for two days that Christmas is ruined without a real one.”
    She could buy a tree permit, but after what had happened the other day, she’d rather avoid the Forest Service office at all