Most were single, one way or the other but one was married and wanted something to lite her fire again, that's the way she put it. I just wasn't inter...sted in any of them. When Teri moved in, it was different. She was always getting me to do things with her, and never said a thing about our difference in our age. I remember the first time we kissed. She had clean the whole house from top to bottom without being asked, unlike my daughter who would acted like you were killing her to do the. This knocked me right off my perch. I just didn't know what to say, nota frequent occurrence with me, as I daresay you'd agree, wouldn't youdarling? So I stamped out and rampaged in my bedroom, until I cooleddown and realized that what had really got under my skin was that thisnancy-boy had had the better of it. I didn't doubt I was right and hewas wrong, but I had given way and he hadn't.By the time he came up with my cup of coffee, looking so worried andanxious, I regretted being so fierce. " "No, Jack. I can't do that." Those blue eyes begged him to do his duty and to let her do hers. He wanted to argue but he knew he couldn't win. So, he gathered the dragon scales that he had dropped. He put a hand on her cheek before he left and she leaned into it. Then, he left the cave as he had dozens of times before, never feeling heavier. He only made it a short distance down the trail when the earth shook in earnest. In rhythm, like footsteps. Percussive. Jack stopped and turned back. The. Love you,Jocie.It was in Josie's handwriting, but the wording was strange. She nevercalled me 'mother', she never referred to her daddy as 'father' and shenever signed her name with a 'c'. Was it some subtle code to alert methat she was in trouble and being forced to write the note? But whywould she be made to write to me at all? I had no way to find her and noway to explain what happened to her to the police. If she had beenkidnapped her daddy obviously had the money to ransom her and he.