Rattlesnake Crossing

One after another, Joa

An hour and a half passed with blinding speed. Later, on her way to the coffeepot in the outside office, Joa

Kristin shook her head. "I can keep trying, but so far there's no answer at his place."

"What about Maria

"She says it's Cornish Pasties Monday at Daisy's, so she wouldn't miss it for the world."

By eleven-thirty, Joa

That was one of the reasons she was looking forward to this particular lunch with Maria

Unfortunately, the possibility for the two women to have an intimate little chat disappeared the moment Maria

Months earlier, Maria

Ruth's plump arms and legs as well as her constant tornado of activity stood in sharp contrast to Esther's wan lethargy. Crowing with joy at seeing Joa

"I hope you don't mind," Maria

For years Jeff Daniels had served solely as househusband and clergy spouse to his full-time pastor wife. The arrival of the twins, along with Esther's ongoing medical problems, had put an extra strain on the couple's already meager finances. Faced with the real possibility of financial ruin, Jeff had taken his hobby of restoring old cars and turned it into a thriving business, Auto Rehab Inc. Most of the time he won able to keep the girls with him, but Joa

Moderately disappointed at having her plan for an intimate chat scuttled, Joa

Gratefully, Maria

The lack of that instinctive gesture worried Joa

Daisy Maxwell, owner of Daisy's Cafe, appeared just then with her towering, beehive hairdo as well as a long yellow pencil and an outstretched order pad. "What'll it be today, ladies?" she asked. "We've got pasties, you know. They'll probably go pretty fast."

"They always do," Joa

"Me, too," Maria

"Sure thing," Daisy said, slipping the pencil back into her hairdo.

Watching the woman walk away, Joa

Joa

"Esther's worse, then?" Joa

Maria

"I hope so," Maria

Daisy chose that moment to reappear, bringing with her the girls' milk and an extra glass of iced tea. "You didn't order this," she said, setting the tea in front of Maria

Instantly Maria

"Thanks," she said,

"'Think nothing of it, honey," Daisy Maxwell told her. "Believe me, if I had anything stronger back there in the kitchen, I'd give you some of that. Just looking at you, I'd say you could use it."