Leaving Liberty (19 page)

           
“Right before they got married. He wanted to take that position up at the
Forestry outpost near Red Feather Lakes and she hated the idea of being so
isolated. That was a rough patch for them, but they got it sorted out.”

           
“I don’t remember hearing about that, not all of it.” He frowned at the music
in front of him, unsettled at the idea of Jamie and Tom balanced on the edge of
breaking their engagement. He hadn’t even known. Their family was strong,
vibrant, rooted deep in their love for each other. Josh and Travis were wildly
secure in the center of that little universe. But the path toward bliss wasn’t
always smooth, apparently.

           
“Don’t be looking for the least complicated route to happily ever after,
because there isn’t any. At least, none thatare worth your time.” She gave him
a quick kiss on the cheek and moved away so he could play without interference.

           
Lane rested his fingers on the keys, lost in thought. He’d been so sure the
love of his life would fit right in with Liberty, his family, and his idea of
the future. Maybe he’d been wrong. Blinking away his confusion, he started the
slow Chopin prelude, letting the melody wrap and wind its way through the snarl
of his emotions.

Chapter Fifteen

           
“
You should bring Daisy back for lunch sometime.” His mom tucked the
Chopin book onto a shelf.

           
He wanted to grin, but shook his head instead. “Let it go, Mom. I know she’s
totally your type of daughter-in-law, but it’s not going to happen.”

           
She turned, pretending surprise. “Don’t leap to conclusions. I was just
suggesting a simple lunch.”

           
She worked at keeping her mouth a firm line, but the longer Lane waited, the
harder it was. Chuckling, she shrugged. “Fine, you’re right. She’s exactly the
kind of girl I would pick out for you. Smart, determined, faithful. What’s not
to like? Really, Lane, she’s a fifth grade teacher. Those ladies are tough. You
can’t ask for anything better.”

           
“Are you saying Tara wasn’t wife material? She was a sweet girl.” It didn’t
hurt to say her name anymore. Strange.

           
“She was sweet. And pretty.” His mother paused, as if she’d run out of nice
things to say. “She spent her days chatting about trends in wedding up-do’s but
didn’t want to hear anything about your day because it was boring or scary. I
just couldn’t see her as a police officer’s wife. You’ve got to be made of
sterner stuff.”

           
He had to agree with her there. Everything in Tara’s universe was sparkly and
cute. He’d sort of enjoyed the change of pace. After a long shift in the salon,
her biggest complaint was that the nail dryer had gone out and the manicures
had taken forever. On his side, after a long shift at the station he wondered
if the human race was going to die out from sheer ignorance and unchecked
aggression.

           
She went on. “I don’t want to talk down on anybody but she also seemed a
little… preoccupied with her image.”

           
Nodding, he had to admit that was true, too. It wasn’t a bad thing to care what
everyone thought of you. He had to be careful with his image, too.  

           
“Now, this girl…” She jerked her chin toward the kitchen area. “She’s not the
type to leave town if your career hits a bump.”

           
 “Mom, it was more than a bump. I let the town drunk steal my squad car
and run it into a pole.”

           
She waved a hand. “A bump. Everything worked out okay. Nobody got hurt. Rocky’s
sober now, so God His reasons for letting it happen. What I’m saying is that
you need someone who’s going to stick with you through all the ups and downs.”

           
“Even if she is exactly the type of woman that could fit in with my job, and
our town, and this crazy family… she’s not staying. So I’m not going to think
about it.” It was like his mother’s full time hobby to find her surviving son a
wife. He thought when Jamie had kids it would take the heat off him, but it
only made it worse. Now he was the last man standing on the field of matrimony
and it wasn’t a position he particularly wanted. He certainly wasn’t avoiding
marriage, but he wasn’t going to rush into anything either. He was happy and
that was a lot more than most married people could say.

           
His gaze wandered toward the kitchen, where Daisy was chatting with his dad.
Tara never chatted with anyone. She came to barbeques but she was glued to his
hip and it was always a conversation of three or more.

           
 “It’s not going to happen. I know you want me to be happy but…
            “That’s
true, so let me say one thing.” Her eyes were serious. “You can’t help who you
fall in love with but you can help who you spend all your time with.”

           
He thought of the drive to Denver, the way he opened up to her, the way he
wanted to know everything that went on behind those green eyes. “I know.”

           
“Good. Now just play one more.” She leaned against him, squeezing his hand.
“For me.”

           
Of course he would. He never was very good at saying no to his parents, and it
was almost impossible now. They treasured the time they had together but he
also felt a healthy dose of guilt, wanting to make her happy after so much
grief.

           
He rested his fingers back on the keys and tried to push down the unease that
crept through him. Falling in love with Daisy wasn’t in his plans at all, but
life had a way of throwing you for a curve. The less time he spent around her,
the better. Starting as soon as they got back to Liberty.

                                                        
****

           
“The Carnegie Association should be getting back to us any day now on whether
the old library is eligible for funding. I hope the basement-” Daisy broke off
in the middle of her sentence and cocked her head. “Your wife is a wonderfully
talented woman, Mr. Bennett.”

           
Jerry smiled, eyes crinkling at the corners. “Yes, she is. But I didn’t live
with those two under the same roof for twenty years without learning to tell
them apart. That’s Lane.”

           
She swallowed back her surprise. Of course a piano teacher’s son would take
lessons but she had never imagined he could actually play.

           
“He doesn’t really like Chopin, but she does, so he plays for her. Funny how
that woman always gets her way.” He shook his head, but his expression was all
love.

           
Daisy listened in silence, letting the truth of this family soak into her skin.
A family touched by tragedy but not destroyed. They had secrets, but they were
fun, endearing. A son let his father take the title of best cook, a man who
doesn’t mention the irritating smell of the coffee his wife loves, a son who
plays his mother’s favorite music. She thought of Jamie decorating the cabin in
her repurposed furniture and thrift store finds, how Lane had smiled about the
décor as if he didn’t get it at all. It was more than ‘live and let live’. It
was about happiness.

           
“How is old Nita? I haven’t seen her for months.” Jerry was leaning against the
counter, looking so much like Lane that Daisy blinked.

           
“She’s great. I would be lost without her. Certainly keeps the library running
smoothly.”

           
He nodded. “It took a while for me to warm up to Nita. I thought she was bossy,
frankly.”

           
She couldn’t resist a smile. Nita definitely wasn’t the shy and quiet type.

           
“Then I figured out how she uses her reverse psychology on people. All those
comments about me never retiring suddenly made sense.”

           
“Reverse psychology?”

           
He had the same deep dimples on either side of his smile, just like Lane. “She
likes to give you a little push in the right direction. If she thinks you’re
the stubborn type, like myself, she tells you to do just the opposite. Nita was
sure I’d have a great time if I retired. I was sure I’d be bored to death.”

           
Daisy wrapped her hands around her mug, feeling the heat seep into her fingers.
There was more to Nita than met the eye. Just like everyone in Liberty, it
seemed.

           
He went on. “So she told me that I’d better hang on to my job as a senior
engineer as long as I was able. There would be plenty of time to go fishing or
travel when my back started hurting, or my knees needed replacing and I
couldn’t sit at a desk any longer.”

           
She snorted. That was an advertisement for seizing the day if she’d ever heard
one. “That sounds a bit like her. When I first came back to Liberty, she told
me that I wasn’t the type to...” Her voice trailed off and she froze
mid-sentence.
Lane needs a sweet girl to raise his babies.
At the time,
she’d felt the sting of the comment.

           
Jerry raised his eyebrows. “Let me guess. She told you that we needed to let
the old library go, which made you decide to stay and fight for it?”

           
Daisy forced a smile. “No, no. More that I wasn’t the type of girl who would
ever be happy in Liberty.” Her cheeks grew warm. It wasn’t quite what Nita had
said. The gist of her comment was about Lane and the type of woman he needed,
but she sure wasn’t going to tell Lane’s dad about it.

           
The last notes of the Chopin prelude faded away. “We’ll see if Angela can bribe
him into another sonata,” Jerry said.

           
The little kitchen exuded warmth and comfort. Daisy didn’t really mind if Lane
played through the entire book. With the bright sunlight in the window, the
beautiful music floating in from the living room, the hot cup of coffee in her
hand, the easy companionship with Jerry, she felt more at home than she’d felt
in weeks. They waited in comfortable silence for a moment, but no more music
came from down the hallway.

           
“I suppose we should get back to Liberty.” She didn’t really want to go. “Thank
you for the coffee.”

           
 “Anytime. We’re so happy that someone is stepping up to help the library.
Mrs. Lindo is short-sighted and only worried about the cost, but we need that place.
Anything we can do to help, let us know.” He set his mug on the counter. “We’ll
see you in a few weeks but remember you’re always welcome to come back and
visit us when you get bored. I’ll share my famous BBQ ribs recipe.”

           
 It was such a simple comment and maybe it was something he said to
everyone but she couldn’t ignore the sincerity in his expression. “That’s very
nice of you. I’m not sure how Lane would feel if I hung around here, trying to
weasel the super-secret recipe out of you. He might want to fight me for it.”

           
“Something tells me he wouldn’t mind you hanging around.” Jerry gave her a wink
and picked up the packet of ribs from the counter. He motioned her toward the
hallway. “Let’s go see what they’re up to.”

           
Daisy turned, hoping her face wasn’t as red as it felt. She knew what Jerry was
implying, and he was wrong. She also couldn’t deny there was a part of her
wished it was just a little bit true. As they walked to the living room, she
took a deep breath. It was natural to want to belong, to want the handsomest
guy in town to think she was girlfriend material.

  
         The library was the reason
she’d given up her whole summer. It was fine to spend her days filling out
paperwork and shepherding little kids through finger painting crafts, and even
better if she got to enjoy the amazing scenery at the old cabin. She couldn’t
lose her focus. Marie’s legacy depended on her keeping her head in the game and
her heart under control.

                                                           
***

           
Something had happened in the kitchen, Lane was sure of it. Daisy’s expression
was closed, polite. The laughter from the trip down to Denver was gone and in
its place was small talk about the weather, the library basement, the new
Ransom Fielding book on the Civil War. It wasn’t uncomfortable but he felt
something had changed.

           
Lane wished he was brave enough to ask her what his father had said, but
frankly, he didn’t want to know. His mother’s words ran on a constant loop in
his head.
You can’t help who you fall in love with.
Emotions were weird
that way. You couldn’t tell yourself to feel one way or the other but he could
sure limit his time with Daisy and that’s what he planned to do.

           
So, no matter what his father had shared with her that made her retreat into
her own thoughts, he welcomed it. It made his own decision that much easier.
Being distant was the only way to make sure he didn’t make a mess of his life
with the wrong woman, again.