Leaving Liberty (9 page)

For the first time, Daisy wondered if
the hardest part about her summer plans wasn’t going to be convincing the town
to save the library, but trying to fill Marie’s shoes.

Lane stacked the last of the returns on
the counter and tucked his books under one arm. “Have a good morning, you two.”
He half-turned to the stairs and paused, flashing that mega-watt grin at Daisy
one last time. “And be sure to let me know if you need any help.”

She watched him all the way down the
foyer landing, motion to the big golden lab, and head out the door before any
coherent responses came to mind. None of them were very nice.

Life in this town was always painfully complicated,
never went smoothly, and occasionally drove her to tears. But Lane Bennett was
a whole new side to Liberty. He made her angry in a way she hadn’t felt before.
It was a good sort of angry that ended in laughter. Then there was the way he
brought out her determination to keep going, no matter what he thought of her
plans. Daisy couldn’t deny the blatant curiosity she felt about this small
town, run-of-the-mill police officer. He was more than a walking, talking
portrait of Liberty. That quick wit, easy generosity and the way he kept a
respectful distance spoke volumes about the man inside. He wasn’t some pushy
gossip, ready to slap a sign on her back that told the world what he thought of
her.

Standing there, watching him walk down
the library’s front walk and head toward the station with his hands stuffed in
his pockets, Daisy felt a shift somewhere near her heart. The picture of a
handsome cop and his loyal dog would have made her roll her eyes just a few
days ago. Like a Norman Rockwell painting, except life never really imitated
art. There were secrets and gossip and hard feelings. But Lane seemed to be
just what he said he was, a policeman determined to serve his home town.

Maybe this town wasn’t all bad. Maybe
there was more value here than just the kids and the library. Lane was
definitely the exception to her rule about this town, and if there was one,
there just might be more.

                                                                       
Chapter Eight

Lane left the library with a smile on
his face. Bright sun, damp earth, and a blue sky that announced a perfect early
summer day. Life didn’t get any better. He inhaled deeply and said a quick prayer
of thanks. The sound of Sammy’s light panting punctuated his contented
thoughts. Snapping the leash on his collar, he wrapped the leather around one
fist, just in case his pal decided to chase a semi or two. He was growing out
of the impetuous puppy stage but Sammy still had his moments.

He was glad he’d left his cruiser at the
station and walked to Rocky’s for the morning doughnut delivery. Trees were
fully robed in leaves and sidewalks edged in thick grass. Stately homes sat
side by side with turn of the century brick buildings that housed local
businesses. He picked up the pace, feeling the strength in his body as a
blessing. The walk was good for him, a run would be better, for both man and
dog. Maybe after his shift he’d put in a few miles before he stopped by Jamie’s
for dinner.

Minutes later he walked up his own front
steps and led Sammy around the back to the fence. Giant brown golden retriever
eyes spoke of his absolute need to stay in the wide world, but Lane ignored
him. Jerking his head to the side, he opened the gate. “Go on, buddy. Catch you
later. No chasing the squirrels. No barking.” One last rub down, double check
on the fence latch and he headed back toward the station.

Poplar Street was quiet, sleepy, nothing
like what he was feeling inside. Irrationally optimistic would be a good
description. He tugged on the brim of his hat and felt a huge smile crease his
face.
Hot cop.
No wonder Marie had loved Daisy so much. You couldn’t
help but like her, the way she looked you in the eye and spoke her mind. Half
the world was stuck to their smartphones, answering texts mid-conversation. She
was so present, so real.

Daisy’s stay in Liberty would come to
good things. Rocky was ready to make amends and had the support to gather his
courage enough to talk to her. He just needed a little positive press.

Lane almost missed a step. As Rocky’s
friend his job was to gently mention a possible reunion. But he hadn’t. Not a
word. He felt the smile slide from his face. Was he so easily distracted by a
pretty girl? A clash of opinion, a slip-of-the-tongue compliment and a whole
lot of sparks had been all it took to chase Rocky’s problem right out of his
head.

His jaw went tight. He had never felt so
shallow and he hated shallow. From now on, business only. She was leaving at
the end of summer, whether she saved the library or not, so Rocky’s chance at a
reconciliation was now. Whatever indescribable pull Lane felt was second to
that.

Plus, there was a very real chance he’d
just go and get his heart broken if he chased after Daisy. He’d been down that
road before. He was stubborn, yes. A born romantic, sure. But no one had ever
said Lane was a slow learner. One broken engagement was enough.

                    
 ***

“Such a nice boy,” Nita said, without
looking up from her stack of books on the counter.

“Not a boy.” Daisy mumbled it under her
breath, leaving off the rest of her thought.
And not so nice.
She should
just shake off that teasing grin and focus on the day’s tasks.

“Too young for me.”

Daisy choked back a laugh. And here it
comes, the town’s obsession with match-making.

“I’m sure you think we’d be perfect
together, just because we’re both single and about the same age. But I hate to
tell you-”

“Oh, no, dear.” Nita interrupted
smoothly, scanning the last book in her pile. “I can see that would never work.
Our Lane is the type of man who needs a sweet girl to raise his babies, cook
big dinners for the officers, and keep the home fires burning while he works
long hours protecting Liberty.”

Her mouth fell open a bit. She was
sweet, she loved babies, could cook big dinners and make a happy home. It’s not
that she couldn’t be that type of woman, she just didn’t want to be. At least,
not in Liberty.

Nita went on. “I knew Tara wasn’t the
girl for him, but he wouldn’t listen.”

She wouldn’t be sucked into this
conversation, she refused. Daisy piled books on the counter and said nothing.
Nita would tell her the story whether she asked or not. The silence stretched
on.

At least, she was fairly sure Nita
would.

 Minutes passed.

Fine, she’d bite. “How did you know?”

“She sure was a pretty girl. Real nice
figure, too. But with Lane, family always comes first and Tara wasn’t
interested in Sunday dinner at his sister’s or the fireman’s ball or even the
auction to help Stan Foreman when he ended up in the hospital.”

Daisy was getting a clear picture of
this girl, real nice figure and all. “Sounds like she was busy.”

Nita let out snort. “As busy as a
hairdresser can be.”

The image in her head morphed into a
manicured girl with perfect hair. Another stack of books was pushed to the side
and Daisy folded up both large canvas tote bags.
With Lane, family comes
first.
The words echoed around in her head. That was one thing she couldn’t
say was true about herself. Rocky was the only family she had left and he was
dead last on her list of important people.

“Well, I’m sure he’ll find someone new.”
Probably already had and Nita was just a bit behind the current gossip.

She nodded. “Only a matter of time.” She
started to arrange the books on the cart, spines up. Her tall frame hovered
over the line while she deftly arranged them by call number.

Daisy tugged a large stack of children’s
picture books into her arms. “I’ll shelve these.”

She didn’t wait for an answer, but
headed for the children’s section. The sun was streaming through the long,
multi-paned windows, highlighting the space where the quilt used to hang on the
wall. Her throat constricted at the sight and Daisy fought back a wave of
grief.
You were made to love and be loved.

She tucked the brightly colored books
into the top shelves, facing outward, blinking back hot tears. So what if Nita
thought she wasn’t the type of girl to make a happy home? That was nothing new
in this town. Nobody would ever forget that her mother had left them without a
backward glance and her dad was a drunk. She was damaged goods in their eyes.

A steadying breath brought her back in
focus. Her emotions were a mess because she’d lost Marie, end of story. She’d
moved past all those issues of her childhood long ago, was a successful
teacher, made friends. It didn’t matter what anyone thought or who Lane found
to take Tara’s place. More to the point, the library came first.

She needed to work hard to get the
summer program on track before the kids showed up next week. And then there was
that small problem of raising tens of thousands of dollars to save the
building.

Daisy straightened her shoulders.
The
Lord is my strength.
She was tougher than gossip or a city manager who was
only worried about money. She just needed to remember that.

                                               
***

           
“But dear, you can’t ride a bicycle all summer.” Rhonda crossed her arms over
her wide middle swathed in flowered blue material and frowned down at Daisy as
she packed. “It’s been raining every other day. You’ll catch cold.”

           
Daisy blew a strand of hair out of her eyes and straightened up. There was
nothing like packing all your belongings in front of your nosy landlady. She’d
only stayed at Rhonda’s bed and breakfast for a few weeks but she felt like
she’d been there for months. “It’ll be good exercise. I’ll get a backpack to
carry my books, a better raincoat, maybe some boots.”

           
“Books? What about groceries? You can’t eat books!” Rhonda’s slightly pink face
turned a darker shade. “Why don’t you stay here? I can drop the price of the
room to whatever you’re paying Lane Bennett. It’s just not a good idea for you
to be living so far out of town.”

           
Shifting so her knees were on the thick oriental carpet and not the polished
wood floor, Daisy took a moment to form her response. She wanted to say that
living out of town was the best part about the cabin. There was also fact that
the large basset hound presently snoozing on her bed slept all afternoon and
barked from the moment the sun came up. Daisy yearned for a little breathing
room and a whole lot of quiet.

           
“Rhonda, I think it will be just fine. I love the little garden and the creek
behind the cabin. Fresno is a zoo with all the traffic and the apartments
packed in together. I’m looking forward to the change of pace.”

           
The older woman frowned, deep lines between her dark brown eyes. “Well, I
suppose Lane will be out there to take care of the place. You won’t be all
alone, all the time.”

           
Hopefully not. Lane can just take care of things while she was in town.

Daisy flashed her a bright smile and got
to her feet. “I’m going to bring my suitcase out to the cabin, then turn in the
rental car. Thank you for everything.” She tried to exude perky positivity, as
if she was thrilled to be stuck in Liberty for another two months.

           
“Of course, dear. And you come over for dinner any time. I know Russell will
miss you.” She bent over the aged hound and ruffled his fur. “Won’t you? Won’t
Russell miss Daisy? Yes he will! Yes he will!” Rhonda had lapsed into baby talk
as she furiously rubbed Russell’s ears. Daisy felt her eyes go wide as there
wasn’t a twitch or a flicker of response. Maybe the hound had expired right
there on the bed. But in the next moment he pried open one large eye and gave
Rhonda a look that plainly told her to leave him be.

           
The doorbell sounded a long series of chimes throughout the house and Rhonda
bustled through the small bedroom doorway.

Daisy breathed a small sigh of relief.
She was really a sweet woman. Motherly, friendly, concerned and caring. Also, a
bit stifling. Maybe it was because she hadn’t grown up with a mother figure,
but Rhonda made her feel as if she wasn’t getting enough air.

           
She snapped her suitcase closed and ran a hand over the burnished leather side.
The old Samsonite case was polished to a deep chestnut color with a few scrapes
and dings in the leather to give just a bit more character. Rhonda’s bed and
breakfast was filled with antiques, but they were the fussy kind: crystal,
velvet, flowered everything. Not much functionality in the surroundings. It
made Daisy feel like she was living in a ‘do not touch’ museum.

           
The sound of voices echoed through the long hallway and she paused, listening.
She really didn’t want to make any small talk, if she could help it, but it
sounded as if the visitor was moving from the entry way and in her direction.
No way out the back. Russell lifted his head and gave her a long stare,
followed by a huge yawn.