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Indian suer Old man winter had a surprise for them after that A rare late October snowstorround long, but itits toe in the water Fall, brief as it was, turned the hills bright red and yellow The leaves quickly fell to the ground, forray skies – day after day

The roof on the old house had been replaced, but the house stood empty and forlorn Much as she wanted to work on it, Carmen found it difficult to spend any of thethe old house wasn’t a necessity, and if Alex wanted money spent on it, he would likely initiate it on his own When she broached the subject of putting it in both their na that it remain in her name only Apparently his house was still in his naed that Maybe he aiting to see if things worked out between the his past experience Even if things didn’t work out, and even if she could, she would never take his property away Of course, he had no way of knowing that

The extent of his wealth was still a mystery Had it not been for a chance renorance They were cleaning up one night after Car to start redecorating in your house?" Katie asked, her attention focused on the dish she was rinsing

Car "I don’t know There isn’tin it any tilanced up at her ain is yours too I see what Alex is coht her breath "Alex is couess you could call it that He said you didn’t share well He was joking about the fact that you don’t accept joint ownership of anything"

Cars to Alex and what belongs to the bank" When Katie looked startled, she a his debts" Katie continued to stare at her "OK, it was a poor joke," Carmen concluded as she took the rinsed dish and placed it in the dishwasher

"You don’t knohat you owewhat he owes?"

"No," Carmen said "I don’t need to know He takes care of the bills and he puts ives you an allowance?" Katie rolled her eyes and groaned "He beats all I’ve ever seen"

"I’rabbed another dish "Car happened to him? It’s irresponsible not to know that stuff"

Car happened to him, you would need to take over the finances What if he was in the hospital for a while and had to rely on you?"

Carht about that possibility He must have so It’s notit I would have married him if he didn’t have a dime"

Katie stared at her for a– but totally naïve" She handed another dish to Carmen "In the first place, he didn’t actually earn a lot of that randpa did" She was silent a moment while she rinsed another plate and handed it to Carmen "I have to admit he built on what Dad left ise investet my money until I enty-one" She shook her head as if to clear it of distracting thoughts "Anyway he was devastated when they died He, of all people, should realize how quickly life can end and plans can change"

"Exactly, Car another dish in the dishwasher "So he must have a plan"

Katie was either convinced or saw the futility of the conversation, because she dropped the subject Carmen had tried to talk to Alex about his parents on several occasions but he sied the subject It wasn’t hard to tell that he was still emotional about that subject As for the inheritance, obviously he had some kind of access to Katie’s money or he couldn’t have invested with it That indicated his parents had a lot of faith in hi supper at Katie and Bill’s house again and Alex was describing a place in Columbia Carmen asked where it was and Alex told her – then said she should look it up on his coo, Carmen" Katie said "That’s one way to find out your financial status Look on his computer"

Alex stared at Katie and then at Carmen, his expression obviously displeased Conversation caed the subject

On the way home Alex was unusually quiet, his lips a thin line and his jaw rigid As he stopped the truck in the yard, his voice was controlled when he turned to Carmen

"If you wanted to know about our financial status, why didn’t you just askinto that stern face, she felt like a child caught with her hand in the candy jar Katie had no idea what she had stirred up

She sighed "I didn’t want to know"

"Then why did Katie say that?"

"I don’t know" There was no point in bringing Katie into their personal affairs – even if she had injected herself there

"Youto her," he insisted

"I" She started to defend herself, but his iaze defiantly "You must think I’m a colossal liar"

He blinked "I don’t think you’re a liar at all But Katiethat"

"She askedtrivial and I said I didn’t know It all came from that"

What roo to Katieor Bill, and Bill talked to Katie As reluctant as she was to bring Katie into it, she was evenAlex think Bill had repeated information Alex confided in him Obviously Bill and Katie shared ed "She thought it was irresponsible of aze traveled over her face reflectively and then came back to her eyes

"Why would it be irresponsible of you?"

Exactly the point she had tried to make with Katie Why didn’t he simply talk to her? She threw her palms and rolled her eyes

"I don’t know, but between the two of you I’ attacked I don’t knohy it is important for me to know, or why you’d want to hide it froether and compare notes - and leave me out of it?"

She jerked the truck door open and slid out, sla toward the barn, she didn’t look back She wasn’t irresponsible, a blabbermouth or a liar – contrary to what both of them seemed to think If Alex wanted her to know the financial details, he would have told her, and it wasn’t any of Katie’s business How could a person get into sotheir own business?

It ay too early in their ht noas little more than a point of contention Of course, that was easy to say She was living in a warm dry house with all the food she could eat and no worries Alex had provided all of that without pro out into the pasture Alex had given her iven her respect, consideration and love None of which she was giving hiust of wind asked why she was standing out here alone Turning to see what Alex was doing, she found hi bewildered No wonder She clutched her coat closer and walked back to him

"I’m sorry," she said "I never asked because it wasn’t iht now I have you You take good care of me and I’ve never heard from one bill collector What is there to ask about?"

He shook his head "Car from you I have a lot of paperwork from the clinic and from investments It never occurred to me that you would want to be burdened with the details You never askedbut when Katie said that, I thought you had co happened to youIt isn’t that I don’t want to be burdened with the work I’ll be glad to help you I just don’t want to pry into your private life"

"My private life? Carazed up at hi to saythat you don’t have any privacy now that you’re married?"

His expression remained sober

"This is serious, Carmen"

A warht It is serious If you want me to know about your finances, then show me If you want help, I’ll help But as far as I’m concerned, it doesn’t matter how much or how little azed up into those delicious chocolate eyes

"At night when I wake up and hear you breathing, I feel safe When you look at ht now, I feel loved Those are the things that have true value Money is just wealth"

He reached out and ran a finger down her cheek in a soft caress that increased her pulse

"And when you’re home alonewithout any hope of children, are you lonely?"

Her stomach contracted How did he know?

His ht"

She reached up, sliding her hand behind his neck and drawing his face down to hers "Stop it, Alex," she said with her lips close to his, and then kissed his lips passionately

For a moment he didn’t respond at all Finally he drew her close and participated in the passion There was no point in discussing that painful subject She had row up, but Alex would be her mate for life In the mean time, there were moms who needed babysitters Soon they would have two nephews to enjoy, and Katie could use the help

Finally Alex broke the eazed down at her soberly

"I have a bookkeeper I don’t need help I enjoy working with numbers now and then I just don’t want to spend all day every day on it The bookkeeper’s naht drawer of– or, if so should happen toon ive you the access code"

She touched his lips with an index finger "The only thing I want is you"

He s a soft kiss in the middle

"And the money is ours, not mine"

She stroked his face "Whatever"

The subject never caain and she never checked the coe the extent of his wealth was unco Alex wasn’t a career choice Well, in a way it was Being a houseas a career Yet, as it that when a woman married a man with money and merely washed his clothes, cooked his meals, cleaned up after him and tended his stockwhy did people think he was taking care of her? It all boiled down to money – who had a paycheck to measure the importance of their labor and who didn’t But then, the typical A to her husband, either Considering all the things she had heard, husbands as responsible and trustworthy as Alex were a rare breed

While the subject of finances was settled, the saht while they were quietly eating supper together, she decided it was a good time to talk to him about it

"They are still short-handed in the nursery at church," she said "Would you ular basis?"

His expression was guarded when he lifted his gaze to hers

"You’d be in the nursery while I was in church?"