Leaving Liberty (28 page)

           
“Up in the stacks at the library.” Lane grinned as Jasmine grabbed the bear and
stared into her black button eyes.

           
“Kayla, did you read them all?” She looked up. “That’s probably why she came
back. She read all the books and she was done.”

           
Lane glanced at Daisy and tried not to laugh. This little bear had quite a
secret life. “I thought she was a Warrior Princess.”

           
“Uh-huh.” Jasmine nodded her head, curls shaking with the rhythm. “And when
there aren’t any bad guys to take care of, a warrior princess reads
a lot
.”

           
Brenda reached out and gave Lane a tight hug. “Thank you so much. You have no
idea what it means to her. You two want to stay for supper?”

           
“No, we’ve got to get back. Daisy left her friend at the library under Nita’s
control. Who knows what we’ll find when we get back.”

           
She wiped her eyes, nodding. “You tell me when you need something, anything. If
you had any kids I’d offer to babysit.”

           
“Well, I’m sure Jamie could use an afternoon off sometime.”

           
“Deal. I’ll let her know she can pick the day and the time.” Brenda looked over
at where Jasmine sat on the couch and lowered her voice. “Breezy said she’s had
nightmares every single night since Kayla went missing. That bear is her safety
net, the thing that makes her feel like the world isn’t so impossibly big and
scary.”

           
“Her own Warrior Princess,” Daisy said.

           
“Exactly.” Brenda shot her a smile.

           
Lane walked over and knelt down in front of Jasmine. “You keep track of Miss
Kayla, okay?”

           
“Sure, but she does what she wants sometimes.” Jasmine hugged the bear close.
“I’m glad she’s home.”

           
They walked out of Brenda’s house, leaving the chatter of the kids behind them.
Lane took a deep breath of the afternoon air. “Smells like rain.”

           
“Again.” Daisy looked up at the darkening sky, green eyes assessing. “I’d be
upset by the weather if I hadn’t just witnessed the best part of my summer.”

           
He opened the truck door and waited for her to slide in. He wanted to agree but
Jasmine couldn’t come close to Daisy’s acceptance of Rocky’s apology, as
awkward as it was. He didn’t want to think too long about which would rank
higher: Jasmine’s bear, Rocky’s apology, or their impromptu kiss. As a human
being, Rocky and Jasmine should be higher on his list. As a warm-blooded male,
he was afraid the kiss might have a definite edge.

           
He angled in behind the wheel and cranked the key. Glancing at Daisy’s profile,
letting his gaze slide from her bright hair to the curve of her cheek,
something occurred to him. All of those good things included the woman sitting
next to him. He realized that when Daisy left Liberty, all the best parts of
his life just might leave with her.

Chapter Twenty-Two

           
“I
was hoping you’d need an assistant coach next year.” Toby shifted his feet,
nervously waiting for Lane to answer. He’d come all the way downtown to the
police station to ask.

           
“Maybe I do.” It was true he spent a lot of time running back and forth. It
would be great to have a gopher. “You don’t want to try out for the high school
team next year?”

           
Toby shrugged. “I wasn’t that good. I just liked to play.”

           
“You made some excellent plays this year. I didn’t think you should give up so
easy.” He leaned forward, frowning. “Did someone tell you that you wouldn’t
make the team?”

           
He stared at his feet. “Yeah. Pat Feller said there was no way I’d get picked.”

           
Lane sighed. At fourteen, Pat Feller was experienced in telling other kids how
they’d never succeed and they better just move out of his way. He sort of
wondered what Pat’s home life was like. Maybe he got that same speech from his
dad. Whatever the issue, the kid needed to get his nose out of everyone else’s
business.

           
“As far as I know, the coach’s name isn’t Pat Feller.”

           
Toby laughed. “True.”

           
“So, how about I save you a position as assistant coach and you try out for the
high school team. If it doesn’t work out, then I’d be glad to have you help the
little guys.”

           
He nodded, expression light with relief. “I’ll do that. And thanks.”

           
“Not a problem.” He watched Toby walk back through the office area to the main
doors. He’d slouched all the way in, shoulders hunched in his ratty sweatshirt.
But he left in a more confident mood and Lane sent up a quick prayer of thanks.
Toby had enough on his plate without kids like Pat Feller telling him he was
destined to fail. He could never understand the bully mentality.

           
He stood up and grabbed his coat. “Butch, I’m headed down to Nancy’s. You want
anything?”

           
Lifting his head from the paperwork on his desk, he nodded. “Buttermilk
cinnamon twisty thing.” He grabbed a dollar from his pocket but Lane waved it
off.

           
“My treat. I need some doughnuts to keep my spirits up. This rain is starting
to get to me.”

           
“Me, too. But I’d think you’d be plenty happy.” Butch winked.

           
“How so?”  Even as he asked, Lane knew the answer. Just knowing Daisy was
a few blocks away made him feel warm inside. Of course, that was only when he
didn’t allow himself to think too deeply about that ticking time-bomb called
‘summer’s end’.

           
“Sounds like you’ve charmed a certain someone into coming to dinner. I heard it
from Jamie down at Pack-n-Produce last night. Of course, Daisy didn’t get
enough time to really get to know me the other day or she’d be turning you down
flat in favor of Butch’s fine, home-cooked cuisine.”

           
Lane snorted. There was no privacy this town. “I’m afraid to ask what you would
consider fine cuisine. Ramen noodles? Sloppy joes?”

           
“Hey, I have ramen noodles in five different flavors. She could choose which
type of ramen noodles she wanted. Heck, she could even have them all. That’s a
five course meal, right there.”

           
Lane shook his head and walked out the door. Pulling the hood of his police
issue raincoat over his head, he trudged down the sidewalk to Nancy’s Bakery.
The cold drops gathered on the brim of his hat and fell onto the end of his
nose. He’d always been the kind of person who loved to walk in the rain. He and
his grandpa would sit on the cabin porch and listen, not speaking, perfectly
content with each other on a rainy afternoon.

           
His mood matched the weather for one reason. Every day that passed was one day
closer to Daisy leaving for Fresno. At the same time, every day that passed he
found himself caring more and more for a girl that was leaving town forever.
The combination left him emotionally exhausted. He would love to step off the
merry-go-round but his heart wasn’t exactly under his control.

           
Up head, he saw Jason Postlewait. It had been years since he’d felt his gut
clench at the sight of the man who had let his brother die. Jason had been just
a kid, but he’d made a fatal mistake. One construction sign, one flashing
light, and Colt would be here today. Lane stopped to shake hands.

           
“How about this rain?” Jason asked. His blue eyes were narrowed against the
falling drops and his glasses were covered with a layer of water. Lane noticed
Jason hadn’t asked how he was. They both avoided that question.

           
Lane shook his head. “I’m worried about the cabin.”

           
“The dam isn’t in great shape, but I hear it’s holding. Breaching is probably a
bigger threat.”  Jason’s two little boy’s scampered on the sidewalk, all
blue eyes and crazy energy.  He called out for them to keep back from the
road. They were born after Colt had died, after the accident, and after Jason
picked up the pieces of his life, the same way Lane had.

           
“Your boys sure are getting real big.” The oldest ran up and flashed a
gap-toothed grin.

           
“Yup. Mindy says she’s ready to ship them off to the circus. They’d make some
great monkeys.” Jason grabbed his son and gave him a bear hug. The kid squealed
and wiggled out of his arms.

           
“I’d better let you go.”

           
“Take care.”

           
He trudged on down the sidewalk, chin tucked down, thinking of how such
innocuous words could carry so much meaning. It looked for all the world like
two men making small talk but Lane felt deep inside that Jason was his twin,
his emotional doppelganger. Lane let a stupid argument come between him and
Colt. He’d bear that scar forever. Jason had made a fatal mistake and he’d
carry that knowledge until he died.

           
He glanced back, watching Jason at the corner where he was holding each little
boy by the hand. His chest went tight as Jason carefully checked for traffic
before crossing the intersection, his boys not bothering to look because they
trusted their father so completely. People thought Lane was a saint to forgive
the guy, but Lane would never want to trade places. Forgiveness was easy,
compared to what Jason had to live with every day. It took grace, courage, and
sheer guts to keep walking forward when your mistake had killed a man.

           
He pushed the door to Nancy’s and the little brass bell tinkled merrily. He
inhaled the potent scent of maple, vanilla and strong coffee. The black and
white tile floor sparkled and the tables were clean. A few patrons chatted over
doughnuts, waving at Lane. He returned the greetings, shaking hands on the way
to the counter.

           
“Lane, honey! I haven’t seen you in so long!” Nancy bustled around the counter
and gave him a squeeze. Lane had always had a soft spot for the friendly,
middle aged woman. She was soft, round, and smelled like chocolate. He’d always
suspected heaven was sort of like a big hug from Nancy.

           
“Butch was probably headed here later, but I needed to get away from that
desk.”

           
“This rain is really something, isn’t it?” Her dark brown eyes were narrowed in
worry. “My husband said he’s never seen the river so full.”

           
“Forecast says more rain. We need to pray the front moves past us and we can
dry out a little.”

           
“Amen.” Nancy said. Her eyes went to someone over Lane’s shoulder and she
grinned. “And here’s Rocky!”

           
Lane had to laugh at Rocky’s bedraggled state. “You don’t look so happy.”

           
“My car window got stuck. I had to drive to East Simmons Street with the window
down.” His gray hair was dripping down his forehead and one shoulder of his
jacket was soaked through.

           
Nancy giggled, then clapped a hand over her mouth. “Sorry. That’s awful. I
shouldn’t laugh.”

           
Rocky shrugged, his lips tilting up. “It is sorta funny, I suppose. Lane, you
want to sit for a bit?”

           
“I wish I could. I’m just making a doughnut run for Butch and the guys. We’re
all going stir-crazy in there waiting for a call out.”

           
“I hear you.” Rocky grabbed a napkin to wipe his face and stripped off his
coat. He turned to hang it on a chair and stopped cold.

           
Lane followed his gaze and felt his heart contract. Daisy was outside, reaching
for the door handle with one hand, struggling with an umbrella in the other.
Her face was creased with laughter as Ana dodged puddles along the sidewalk,
holding a bright red umbrella over her head. Daisy looked so joyful he wanted
to freeze the moment. Especially since the second she opened the door and saw
Rocky, that smile would be gone.

           
The time between her opening the door and realizing her father was standing
only feet away seemed to take forever, although Lane knew it was mere seconds.
Daisy’s smile slipped and she paused, unsure.

           
“Hi, Daisy.” Rocky was the first to speak.

           
“Hi.” She shook the umbrella, eyes down.

           
Ana stood dripping on the mat behind her, still laughing, oblivious to the
tension in the room. “I think I get two doughnuts for enduring that walk.”

           
Daisy didn’t answer. She took a deep breath, seeming to come to some kind of
decision. “Ana, I’d like to introduce my dad, Rocky McConnell.”

           
To her credit, Ana recovered in record time, but the flash of shock was all too
visible. “Nice to meet you, Mr. McConnell.”

           
“Thank you. Are you staying long in Liberty?”

           
“Just another week and a half. My roommate doesn’t like to take care of my cat.
Otherwise I’d hang out here all summer.” She smiled, eyes darting from Daisy to
Rocky. “Hi, Lane. I haven’t seen the uniform. This is… nice.”