Who is Dorothy Rhodes Heissenhuber in the novel, Almost Paradise?

Dorothy Rhodes is a bitter store clerk who works at the returns desk in a Cincinnati department store when Richard meets her. Dorothy is determined to get married and therefore Richard feels pushed into a marriage with her. Dorothy gets pregnant almost immediately and gives birth to Rhodes, making him the center of her world with her determination that he will be more successful in life than his father. Dorothy continues to be a bitter woman, however, treating Jane badly all through her childhood and leaving her with emotional damage as an adult.