The Happiest Season by Rosemarie Naramore

for…  Well, you know.”
    She turned away from him then, to regain her composure.  He
seemed to understand she needed a moment, since he didn’t make a move, or
speak. 
    When she turned toward him again, he sensed that she had
regained control.  “I’ll call the owner of the donkey,” she said.  “You’ve
already done enough.”
    He shook his head.  “I’ll take care of it,” he said firmly. 
“It’s one thing for a single animal to escape from the field, but a second… 
No.  This needs to stop.  I’ll call him now, but I also intend to stop by and
speak with him Tuesday, when I get back to work.”
    Maggie nodded.  She understood what he was saying.  If those
animals ended up in the wrong yard, there was no telling what might happen.  If
a person happened to be out and one of the animals startled, either the person
or animal could end up badly hurt. 
      John pulled his cell phone from his pocket and with a nod,
stepped out back.  Maggie discreetly watched him as he dialed a number, spoke
briefly, hung up, and then dialed again.  She watched as he paced the lawn,
kicking at a clod of dirt or two, his expression hard and unyielding.  She
could see he was speaking harshly, but eventually, his expression changed.  Was
she wrong, or did she see resignation on his face?  He walked back into the
house.
    Maggie gave him a questioning look.  “Okay, here’s what’s
going to happen,” he said.  “I’m going to go over to the nursery on fifth,
purchase the sod and lay it, and the animals’ owner is going to reimburse me. 
We’ll just have to be sure to keep all our receipts.”
    Maggie’s jaw dropped.  How did her problem and the animals’
owner’s problem become John’s problem?  She shook her head, her expression now
unyielding.  “Uh uh.  No.  None of this is your responsibility.  You’ve already
re-sided my house.  I’m not going to let you replant my lawn.”  She shook her
head again.  “No way.  You have a life of your own, for Pete’s sake.  You have
a job.  This is your day off!  You are not going to spend your day off
worrying about my backyard.”
    She took a breath, but barely skipped a beat when she began
speaking again.  “You’re going to rue the day you met me, that’s for sure,” she
said, nodding her head up and down in measured intervals.  “You’re going to
wish you’d never laid eyes on Maggie Dulane.  This is too much, John!  Run
away!  I would if I could!”  She abruptly threw her hands in the air and let
out a frustrated cry.  When she dropped her arms to her side, John saw her
shoulders droop again.
    It broke his heart to see her looking so defeated.  He
didn’t know her well, but he knew she’d been through a lot.  He wanted to ease
her burdens—for reasons he could not yet fathom.
    He took a step closer to her, tentatively, cautiously, as if
fearful she might startle.  He drew closer and took her in his arms again. 
“Let me help you,” he whispered in her ear.
    “Why?” she whispered back.
    He couldn’t answer her—could not give her a satisfactory answer,
but he knew, just knew, he was exactly where he was supposed to be at this
moment in time.  “Because I want to,” he whispered back.
     
    ***
     
    “John!” Rickey cried.  “You came!” 
    Rickey had just awakened and ambled down the stairs and into
the family room.  John was currently sitting on the couch, holding Pocomo, and
waiting for Maggie to freshen up and return.
    “Where’s Mama?” Rickey asked sleepily.
    “She’s upstairs,” he told him.  “She’ll be right back.”
    As if on cue, Maggie walked down the stairs.  “Honey, run
upstairs and get dressed,” she told her son.
    “Are we going somewhere?” he asked.
    “We’re going to the nursery,” John told him.
    “Are we getting a baby?” Rickey asked excitedly.
    John bit back a chuckle.  “No, we’re going to buy new grass
for the backyard.”
    “From a hospital?” Rickey