Leaving Liberty (13 page)

           
“New lady librarian asked me to come inspect the place and give her a new
estimate.” He called down as nonchalantly as if he and Lane were talking on the
sidewalk. He took a few steps to the left and bent down to examine the window
sash of the dormer window. “Got some wood rot, but nothing too bad yet.”

           
The sound of the front door opening succeeded in tearing Lane’s gaze from Chet.
Daisy emerged, shrugging on an old sweater, crossing her arms against the early
morning chill. He felt his brain stop at a few key points as he gave her a head
to toe glance. It was hard to see Rocky in this beautiful young woman.

           
“Don’t distract him. He’s got work to do.” She came close, green eyes giving
warning signs any man would recognize as ‘the look’. Reaching down, she gave
Sam a good scratch behind the ears.

           
“He won’t be completing the job if he slips and breaks his neck.”

           
Daisy frowned up at Chet. “I’m sure he’s careful.”

           
“Everybody’s careful until they have an accident. It’s not about being careful.
It’s about being safe.” He could feel heat creeping up his neck and made an
effort to relax. This sort of thing made him crazy. He knew it, understood it,
and it still drove his blood pressure into the danger zone.

 “I suppose you’re right.” Her tone
was light and he wasn’t sure if she was being serious or not.

           
Daisy tilted her head up, sunlight shining off her bright blond hair. For a
moment she seemed so much younger than she was, or maybe her grief was losing
its grip. Sadness took a toll on a person but in the morning light, she
radiated youthful energy.

           
“Mr. Adams, we should probably get you a safety harness. I don’t want to have
to explain to your wife why I let you fall off the roof of the library.”

           
There was an answering grunt and he stomped over to the ladder, turning around
to descend. The thick brown Carhartt overalls that kept him warm through the
chill spring mornings made him looked like a bear from the back. He stepped
down in silence and hopped off the last rung. “You know how to scare a man,
Daisy.”

           
Lane smiled, feeling a bit of admiration for Daisy’s tactic. His wife Doreen
wasn’t the sweet and retiring type, to put it mildly. She wouldn’t appreciate
Chet taking chances like that and they all knew it.

           
“Chet, have you been downstairs yet? I heard the supports will have to be
replaced.”

           
Daisy shot Lane a glance, lips pulling tight, clutching the worn gray sweater
closer. “He’s getting there. And I want him to be as thorough as you do. It
won’t do anybody any good if we don’t know every area that needs work.”

           
He felt his face grow hot. “I wasn’t trying to imply that you would want
anything less than a complete estimate. I was wondering if this was the
beginning of his inspection or the end.”

           
“Oh. The beginning.” Daisy had the decency to look chastened. “Go ahead on
inside, Mr. Adams. I’ll be there in just a minute.”

           
Chet took his cue, giving Lane a raised eyebrow and stomping off toward the
library stairs.

           
The morning air seemed to have lost its springtime promise of new beginnings.
He felt the silence hang thick and heavy. Sam wedged his body between them,
looking from one to another, waiting for someone to give him a good scratch.
Lane patted the thigh of his uniform and Sam obediently moved to the side,
sitting quietly.

The seconds ticked by and he wished he
didn’t lose the ability to form a complete thought when Daisy was nearer. He
needed to explain, to clarify. She probably thought he was doing his best to
keep the library from having any chance at reconstruction but he would love to
have the old place rebuilt if it was in the realm of possibility. Which it
wasn’t. Lane gripped the brim of his officer’s hat and gave it a tug. Her lips
twitched.

           
“Something funny?”

           
“You always do that.”

           
A mental rewind produced nothing he could find that would elicit that
almost-smile.

           
“You wiggle your hat.”

           
He rolled his eyes skyward at his own forehead. “Okay.”

           
“Just wondering what it means.”

Her mouth was still quirked up at one
corner. He didn’t want to look closer, but felt like he was being pulled in by
a strong tide. He was staring and couldn’t help it. That teasing glance made
him wish they’d met under completely different circumstances. Far away from
city hall and building codes and funerals, maybe they would have had a chance.

He reached up his hand to tug his hat
and stopped halfway, conscious of the movement.

She laughed outright, a warm sound that
started deep in her throat and seemed to travel directly to his heart. He
grinned despite his own irritation.

“So? Why the hat? Is it a secret
signal?”

Lane shuffled his feet. He knew
everybody in this town and they knew him. He was Officer Lane Bennett, the son
of respectable people but this woman made him feel like a fifteen year old
impersonating a cop. He rested a hand on Sam’s head.

“Honestly, I’m not sure. Just a nervous
habit.”

“You do it a lot.”

Only around you.
“I didn’t notice. I’ll try to retrain that hand.”

“Oh, don’t. I like knowing what’s going
on in your head.”

“Nice sweater.” Apparently, the fifteen
year old boy had taken over control of his mouth. He felt his face grow hot.

Daisy glanced down at the ancient cardigan
and her smile slipped. “Marie’s, it was hanging on the hook. I grabbed it when
I saw you outside.”

He saw now how the dressy slacks, cream
shirt and patent leather shoes didn’t match what was very clearly an old
woman’s way of warding off the chill.

She lifted a sleeve and inhaled. “It
still smells like her.”

His heart squeezed in on itself. She was
holding out a sleeve, eyes half-filled with tears. Leaning forward, he closed
his eyes and recognized Marie’s special aroma of baby powder and soap. “Yup.
That’s her.”

Daisy’s face crumpled and she took in a
ragged breath. “Sorry.” Her voice squeaked and she swiped at her eyes. “I’m
fine.”

Sam let out a soft whine and pushed
against Lane’s leg. He knew just what his dog was feeling. A woman crying had
never been at the top of his list of favorite moments, but her tears were in a
whole other league. Maybe because he knew she was tough, with that inner core
of solid stubbornness that had gotten her out of Liberty.

The sight of these tears made him wish
for something easier, like being shot. He searched for helpful words, but came
up with nothing.
You’re definitely not fine when tears are pouring down your
face. It’s a rule. And no matter how many times you say it, it won’t make it
true.

Acting on instinct, he reached out the
few inches between them and gathered her into his arms. Her back trembled under
his hands, shoulders hitching as she gasped for breath. The motions of her
grief were so familiar it felt like his own, as if they had become one person.
He knew that in the beginning there was numbness and then it turned into a
fiery ache inside that couldn’t be put out with platitudes. It just had to run
its course, as painful and searing as it was.

He wrapped her up tight in the only thing
he had- himself. Brushing a kiss over her forehead, Lane whispered a fervent
prayer into her hair.
We need your comfort, Lord.

After a few moments she straightened,
struggling to regain control. “I’m not like this. I’m not like those girls who
bawl all over some guy’s shirt.” Her voice was fierce.

“I know.”

“It’s weak and stupid. And it’s not me.
I can handle it.” Her hands were fisted into the front of his uniform. So much
for ironing.

“I know.”

“I don’t need you to pick up the pieces.
I’m doing perfectly-”

She broke off, as if his words were
finally sinking in. She unfurled her fingers and stepped back, not bothering to
wipe her face, tears glinting in the sunlight. “But thank you anyway.” Her
words were soft, barely audible.

 “I know how special she was to
you. The pain doesn’t go away, but it changes. It gets easier.” It was tough to
speak around the lump in his throat. He reached out and wiped a tear from her
cheek. The moment had brought back so many memories of Colt’s accident, his own
despair, the anger and the confusion.

Daisy heaved a sigh. “I thought it was
better. This morning I felt almost happy. The cabin is amazing. I finally slept
for the first time in weeks.” She looked up, emotions flitting over her face.
“I can hear the creek from my bedroom and the birds were singing at dawn. It
was such a blessing to wake up that way.”

“Better than Russell.”

“A hundred times better than Russell.”

 She scratched at Sam’s ears,
almost without seeming to know she was. He closed his deep brown eyes and let
his jaw fall open, tongue lolling out one side in happiness.

“I’m glad you’re happy there.” They were
simple words but it was an apology, a peace offering and a question, all
wrapped up together.

“Thanks. I think I’ll stay.” The look
she darted at him said she’d understood and accepted. They weren’t exactly
allies but they weren’t enemies, either. Truce.

Lane urgently wished there was some
other excuse for bridging the inches between them, for holding her close again.
She’d fit perfectly in his arms and he missed her soft shape against him. The
sheer strength of that desire set off warnings bells in his head.

“I should get to work. Morning shift is
starting.” He lifted his hand and he caught it half way to his hat. Her smile
spread wide.

 “Do you live that way?” She cocked
her head toward the South end of Poplar Street.

“No. I live on Olive, a few blocks
over.” He pointed.

“But you and Sam always walk this way in
the morning.”

“Probably seeing us on our way back from
bringing Rocky breakfast. We chat a bit on his porch.”

Her hand stilled on Sam’s golden fur,
eyes going wide for just a moment. “Well, have a good day.” With that, she
turned and headed for the stairs.

 Lane watched her go, torn between
wanting to explain and knowing there was nothing he could say that would make
her accept Rocky. Only God’s grace could unite these two.

Whatever was going to happen between
Rocky and his daughter, Lane needed to keep his heart out of the equation. Even
the best case scenario, with a renovated library and a reunited family,
included Daisy heading back to California at the end of the summer. He’d been
left holding his heart in his hand before. It wasn’t something he ever wanted
to repeat.

                         
 ***

Not a problem. Daisy hit the stairs at a
quick clip, brushing the tears out of her eyes. A minor emotional breakdown,
wiping her nose on the hot cop, and then getting the none-too-gentle reminder
her drunk dad was a few blocks away? Really, it was all fine.

She groaned in frustration and stomped
around the front desk.

           
“Everything okay?” Nita’s head popped up from somewhere below the long desktop
and Daisy let out a shriek.

           
“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.” Nita ducked back under and retrieved a few
more books from the book drop built into the desk.

           
Slumping forward, Daisy laid her hand on her heart. “I forgot there was a book
return there.”

           
“I noticed. It’s full.” Another pile of books hit the counter.

           
“Could you write down all the opening and closing routines? I’m lost. And it’s
going to get hairier around here with summer reading starting.”

           
Nita threw her a smile. “Sure can. And don’t worry. I won’t let you drown.”

           
 “But you might let me flounder around a bit.”

           
A snort of laughter told her she was right. “Only a bit.” Nita looked at her a
little closer, quick eyes noting what must be a shiny red nose and puffy eyes.
“Sure you’re okay?”

“Yes, totally. Just... missing Marie.”

Nita nodded, speaking softly. “Me, too.
Come on, help me get these checked in.”

           
They worked in silence for a few minutes. Daisy could see Chet working his way
down the length of the old library, checking windows and floor, marking notes
on a clipboard.

           
“I saw Lane outside.”

           
Daisy paused for the barest moment before answering. It didn’t matter what the
town gossips said. “He was worried about Chet on the roof.”

           
“That’s our Lane. You can always count on him to come through when things get
tough. Always looking out for everyone.”