Leaving Liberty (6 page)

    
       The smallest intake of breath told him
she’d seen the old door Jamie had sanded and turned into a kitchen table. And
the old door she’d made into a coat rack. And the handmade bookshelves. And the
vintage light fixtures Jaime had found in a flea market. He had no idea why she
thought all of this stuff went together. To him it looked weird, mismatched.
Old.

           
Daisy wandered toward the standing mirror and ran a finger along the carved
wooden frame. “Wow.”

           
He rubbed a hand over his face. “I think there’s a place off Lariat Street that
has rooms you can rent for a week at a time. Little kitchen and a laundry
downstairs. About the same price but it’s modern.”

           
She turned, eyes bright. “I love it all. It’s perfect.”

           
“Uh, right. You should probably see the kitchen.” He pointed her through a
small doorway and didn’t bother to follow. Red and white everything,
checkerboard floor, everything restored to vintage perfection by Jamie. If
Daisy could stand stepping into 1950, then she just might be happy here.

           
A squeal emanated from the kitchen. She reappeared in the doorway, holding a
faded aqua bowl. “Vintage Pyrex, an old Sunshine mixer, it’s like a movie set.”
She shook her head, laughing. “Jamie’s a genius at this. I wonder how long it
took.”

           
Months? Years? He couldn’t be sure because he hadn’t really paid any attention
until the moment the large chrome kitchen knobs arrived from an internet
restoration site. Those suckers were shiny enough he could have used one to
shave. It was like cooking in a space ship, all that gleaming metal.

           
She returned, still smiling, reaching out to touch an ornately framed burlap
peg board. He watched the smile fade a bit as she turned to face him. “I’d love
to say it doesn’t matter what it costs and I’ll just eat mac and cheese to live
in this cabin. But I can’t. Is a price reduction possible for the long lease?”

           
He wanted to say yes, wanted to hand her the keys free of charge and hope to
heaven she’d love it here. But he couldn’t. That’s not want an honest man would
do. And he was nothing if not honest.

Chapter Six

           
Daisy felt her stomach drop into her shoes and tried to pretend like she didn’t
care what Lane was going to say. It wasn’t just this perfect little cabin on
the outskirts of town, or the shabby cool décor. It wasn’t even that she’d love
to have one thing go right, rather than everything going all wrong, the way it
did for her in Liberty. She battled back the flood of anxiety watching Lane rub
the back of his neck. That motion she’d already come to recognize as a man who
really wished he didn’t have to say what was on his mind.

           
 He seemed so much taller out of uniform, or maybe it was the small cabin
making him loom large. Ratty well-loved ball cap, green flannel shirt worn
soft, that easy stance. It was a man who was comfortable in his own skin, open
to whatever life brought. But that expression was all wrong.

           
“I thought maybe it would be worth a rebate to not have to run out here all the
time, showing people around. One renter, all summer.” She hated the hope in her
voice. Hated it because was almost positively sure of what he’d say next.

           
“Daisy, I’d love to do that, but I don’t think I should.”

           
Her shoulders slumped a bit but she forced a smile. “Okay, it was worth a shot.
I know I won’t be paid for working in the library, if the city manager approves
my staying in the building at all.”

           
“It’s not the money.” Holding up a hand, he took a breath. “I can’t encourage
you to stay here for a lost cause.”

           
He could have said a million other things and she would have agreed. Picked up
her keys, taken a last, loving look at the little cabin and gone back to the
downtown area. But not that. She felt indignation travel up her spine and into
her head. “You’d give the rebate to someone else if they rented for the
summer?”

           
Brows drawing down, he shook his head. “Not quite. I mean that…” His voice
trailed away and he glared at some space above her head, thinking.

           
Daisy crossed her arms over her chest and waited, lips pressed together.

           
“Okay, yes, I would. And I can see how it seems a bit unfair.”

           
“Totally.”

           
“I just can’t see you spending a few weeks here, much less a whole summer.”

           
There was a beat of silence. “Maybe I’m thinking of moving back to Liberty,
getting a job here.”

“I don’t think even Mrs. Lindo swallowed
that line.”

“Well, let’s be honest then.”

“Great. You first.”

“I’m staying the summer and doing
everything I can to save the library. Then I’ll go back to my job in Fresno, whether
or not I succeed.”

His face turned rigid. “And I feel like
it would be wrong to let you stay here when I know your plan won’t work. The
library is barely safe as it is. You can’t raise the cash to fix it before it will
have to close. Staying here is a waste of your time and money.”

She didn’t know she’d stepped closer
until she was looking right up into his face. As angry as she was, some part of
her still registered the clean smell of pine and soap, the faint stubble on his
jaw, those bright blue eyes. She fought back that part of her and focused on
the task at hand. “Officer Bennett, I understand you’ve taken an oath to
protect and serve, but I’m not a resident of this city so you can just relax.
I’ve been out on my own since I was eighteen and know exactly what I’m doing.
If you want to deny me as a renter, fine. But it better be for legal reasons or
I’ll raise a stink that you won’t believe.”

           
His eyes narrowed and he lowered his head toward her. For a moment she thought
he was going to yell and a bolt of anxiety went through her. She’d endured more
than her fair share of shouting, usually from a drunk man who didn’t know one
end of the conversation from the other and more often than not it was in the middle
of the night when neighbors could hear every word. There were no neighbors
here, no one to hear her cries for help if things went from bad to worse. She
fought to keep the fear from her face, from her eyes.

           
 Lane seemed to be working on forming words, or maybe he was counting to
keep his temper. Whatever it was, he went quiet. And they stayed locked in
their little power struggle, as she felt the universe shrinking down to the
size of two stubborn people in a very small cabin. His mouth twitched up on one
side and the look in his eyes softened to from anger to something closer to
resignation.

           
She could feel her pulse hammering in her throat and it wasn’t completely from
anxiety anymore. She couldn’t have named the emotion if she tried, but there
was curiosity and surprise and something that made her face go hot. His eyes
dropped to her lips and widened by the barest of degrees. With a shock of
intuition she knew what he was thinking. She should have stepped back, said
something, anything, but she didn’t. She waited and watched his gaze travel
back up to hers. An emotion flickered in his eyes and he cleared his throat,
breaking the strain of the moment.

           
“Okay, you’re right. I don’t have any legal reason to deny you the rental. And
I’ll give the rebate for a full summer’s lease.”

           
His words should have made her giddy with triumph, but she felt as if she’d
stepped back from a near accident. She let out a long breath she didn’t know
she’d been holding. This was what she wanted. It was going to be a long haul,
from start to finish, she was positive of that.

           
She put on a bright smile and tried to ignore the mix of emotions rioting
through her. Because along with her relief was a tiny niggle of doubt, just a
small twinge of worry that Lane Bennett was going to be more of a threat to her
plans than rotting supports and flood zones .

                      
                                                ***

           
Lane conceded defeat with all the grace he could muster. What would it hurt to
rent the cabin to Daisy for the summer? Easier for Jamie and him, certainly.
Steady income and renting to someone who they knew wouldn’t destroy the place.
She was independent and smart, so he wouldn’t have to run out here every time
the faucet dripped.

Sammy had watched the interaction with
all the attention of a tennis referee. Now he slumped down onto the braided rag
rug and laid his head on his paws. Game, set, match.

           
“Great. Let me know when to pick up the papers.”

           
“They’re in the truck. You can fill them out now, if you like. I’ve done my
duty and warned you off. So, no hard feelings.” He put out his hand. “Just
trying to save you some-- ”

           
Her hand was already in his, her brilliant smile matching the shine in those
gorgeous green eyes.

           
“—heartache,” he finished. His throat closed over the last word and it came out
husky, low. His pulse thumped in his ears. This jolt of attraction was no
surprise. He’d known it was there, reflected in the way her laugh made him
smile, the way he liked to see her stomping mad, the way she made a simple
sweater look better than a fancy dress.

           
But nobody could call Lane a slow learner and he knew that kind of fire just led
to getting burned. He’d been there before and didn’t have any interest in
getting his heart broken a second time. Even by Daisy McConnell.

                                                                       
***

           
Papers signed. Lodging arranged. Dignity
somewhat
intact.

     
Daisy closed her eyes and rested her head on the steering wheel. Saving Old
Liberty Library was going to be one of the biggest jobs of her life, but if
there was one thing she knew, a town needed a library. The kids needed the
books and the steady presence of the programs in the summer. She could never
replace Marie, but she could help keep her vision alive. That gave her a
measure of comfort that nothing else did.

           
She’d been perfectly calm as Lane showed her around the rest of the property,
given her the papers, waited for her to scribble down her information and write
out a check. He’d handed over the keys and she’d left. Now that she was back in
front of Rhonda’s little bed and breakfast, she could let her mind go over that
conversation again… and again.

           
He’d slouched in that old rocker like he came with the cabin. She’d thought the
uniform was nice, but what must be Lane’s version of Saturday grunge had been
enough to make her lose track of the conversation more than a few times. She
didn’t go for the flannel and boots type, so why was it so hard to pay
attention to anything except those blue eyes? Back in Fresno she dated men in
suits, guys in ties, maybe even a few toting a briefcase. She liked a man with
style, not a man who drove a genuine antique Ford with a golden retriever
riding shotgun.

           
Now she was renting his cabin. The fact was like a chocolate sprinkle on the
cupcake of her complicated life. But if all went well, she’d never see him out
there. He seemed glad to have someone who would take care of the garden, weed
the flower beds, and not destroy the place. Of course, whether she could avoid
him in town was a whole other question.

           
It was sheer insanity to chuck her summer plans and hang out in the small town
she hated more than dental work. But, no matter how crazy it was, she felt at
peace when she stood back from the drama. Forget city manager Lindo, forget the
issues of car and place to stay, forget the small town gossips. If she focused
on Old Liberty and the kids who would be turning up in a week for their summer
program, then it felt right. More than right, it felt as if she was turning
Marie’s loss into something almost bearable. She couldn’t imagine going home to
Fresno and passing the summer like she always had before: cooking classes,
volunteering at the local shelter, dog sitting for Ana. Who knows what the
summer would be like here, but she felt a peaceful purpose. Well, peaceful when
Lane was out of sight.

           
A loud trill from her phone brought her head up with a jerk. Uh oh. She’d said
she wouldn’t sign the papers until she’d called Ana back. She’d
promised.

           
Pressing the button, Daisy flipped through possible excuses, each one flimsier
than the last.

           
“And?” Her best friend didn’t bother to start with niceties. She always got
right to the point.

           
“Good news, I’ve got a sweet little cabin until late August and it’s decorated
in the funniest way, with old doors made into-- ”

           
“You promised!”

           
Daisy let out a groan. “Sorry. I don’t know what happened. I got distracted.”