Book excerpt: Sixty-eight-year-old Della Ballad has a bad heart, but she still has a healthy outlook on life. She's been suffering with heart disease for the last seven years; she has no intention of letting it beat her. Della plans to fight has hard as she can. But heart disease isn't the only battle taking place. Since childhood, Della's daughter, Margaret, and Della's niece, Darlene Winston, have been fighting for Della's love. The illness has only made the situation worse. Their rivalry has permeated the Ballad family, and Della's greatest fear is that it will destroy them when she dies. Both Margaret and Darlene will have to abide by the directives in Della's last will and testament, a will the women believe will finally confirm whom Della loved more. Della's Deed examines the complex relationships found in a family structure and shows how resentment and jealousy can break a family apart, only to find common threads in reuniting for the better.