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made such a mistake in judgment. He'd noted the reserve in her recently, the fact that he hadn't gotten a letter in almost two weeks. Other things didn't add up, either, but he'd pushed his concerns aside each time he spoke with her - although of course their phone calls had been less frequent lately. But whenever he managed to call she'd always sounded so glad to hear from him.

"Is there someone else?" he demanded, his pride rescuing him. "Is that it?"

"Oh, Len, how can you think such a thing?"

"Then what's it to be?" A proposal was a straightforward enough question. "Yes or no?"

"Who told you?"

"Told me?" he echoed. "Told me what?"

"About the baby."

CAN THIS BE CHRISTMAS? Chapter Nine

"Home For the Holidays"

"B aby?" Len's knees went weak and to remain upright he braced his shoulder against the wall.

"Who told you?" Amy repeated.

"No one..." Len's thoughts twisted around in his mind until he was convinced he'd misunderstood her.

"To make sure I understand what's happening here, I need to ask you something. Are you telling me you're pregnant?"

"Yes."

"Don't you think you should've mentioned this before now?" he demanded, not caring who heard him. "You must be at least three months along."

"Three and a half...I love you, Len, but you've never said how you felt about me. I didn't want you to feel obligated to marry me. My dad married my mother because she was pregnant and the marriage was a disaster. I refuse to repeat my mother's mistakes, although I certainly seem to have started out on the same path."

"Amy, listen, I swear I didn't know about the baby. No one told me a damn thing." He took a deep breath. "As for you being like your mom...this is different. I love you. I want us to get married. I wanted it even before I knew about the baby." It hurt to think Amy had held back, not telling him she was pregnant. "Who else knows?"

"Jenny."

"You'd tell your best friend before you'd tell me?" he said, hardly able to believe his ears.

"Why'd you ask me to marry you?" she returned, equally insistent. "Is it just because of the baby?"

"No...I already told you that. Isn't loving you and wanting to spend the rest of my life with you reason enough?"

"Yes," she whispered, whimpering now. "It's more than enough."

"Listen, Amy. I want to be with you. And I want my baby. We're getting married, understand? Soon, too, next week if it can be arranged, and when I go back to Maine, I'm going to ask for married housing. Next month I'll come down and get you."

"Len..."

That was the reason she'd asked if she was just "his girl in Rawhide." He hated the thought of her worrying and fretting all these weeks, wondering how he'd react once he learned the truth.

"You said you love me. Are you taking that back now?" he asked.

"No..."

"I love you. I knew it after my last visit home. I should have said something then. I regret now that I didn't." Then, remembering how he didn't enjoy having his life dictated to him, he asked again, "Will you marry me, Amy?"

Her hesitation was only momentary this time. "Yes, Len, oh, yes."

He could hear her sob softly in the background.

"I knew tonight would be special," she murmured.

"How's that?" Len's mind continued to spin with Amy's news, but it wasn't unwelcome. He was ready to be a husband and had always loved children. His own parents had been wonderful and he was determined to be a good husband and father himself.

"Mr. Danbar came out of his room tonight when I sat down at the piano," Amy told him.

Len could only vaguely recall the man's name. "Mr. Danbar?"

"He's the one who hasn't spoken a word since his wife died three years ago. The man I eat my lunch with every day. I'm the one who does all the talking, but that's all right."

"He came out of his room?" This was big news, Len realized. He remembered now that Amy had written to him about the older gentleman.

"His wife used to play the piano and when he heard the music, he climbed out of bed and came into the recreation room. He sat down on the bench beside me and smiled. Oh, Len, it was the most amazing thing."

His wife-to-be was pretty darn amazing herself, he thought proudly. She could coax a lonely old man from his room and brighten his life with her music and kindness. Len meant what he'd said, about their marrying