Dropping her lipstick into her purse, she scrubbed her moist palms down the front of her black skinny jeans. She flipped her head over and shook out her hair, giving it bounce and volume that women in shampoo commercials would envy. Blowing out a breath that had stuck in her throat, she was ready to step across the proverbial threshold and into adventure and quite possibly romance.
Her knees trembled with a mixture of anticipation and fear.
“You can do this,” she affirmed under her breath. “Take a chance.”
Chapter Two
The Harvest Ranch Library hadn’t always been full of books, computers, and an assistant librarian with a stern countenance. The first families to settle the town had, stone by stone, constructed a place of worship. Not the types to do a job halfway, they’d insisted the building have cathedral ceilings, with thick supportive beams made from walnut, and stained-glass windows adorning the walls.
When the building was converted to a library thanks to a huge donation from the better part of the Westbrook family headed by Grandma Westbrook, whose portrait hung over the checkout desk, the hardwood floor was covered with sage-green industrial carpet and oak shelves replaced the worn pews.
Lillian Short, the assistant librarian, dropped her chin in hello. Her thick glasses slipped to the end of her nose as she tapped a stack of papers once to line them up and then attached them to a clipboard.
“Hello,” Alice whispered. She picked up a copy ofThe Screwtape Lettersand headed to the stuffed chair in the corner near the computers. The children’s section was a mess, with open books all over the floor. Stephanie Westbrook, Alice’s cousin-in-law, picked them up and handed them to Jaden, who glared at her as if she were a witch sent to make his life miserable. He stacked the books on the put-back shelf.
“How come she’s so nice to you?” hissed Stephanie as she massaged her neck muscles. “I can’t come in here without a lecture on keeping Jaden’s hands off the stacks.”
Alice chuckled. “Lillian really loves these books. She picked most of them out herself.” She leaned closer. “And I’ve never had a late fee.”
The frown lines disappeared, replaced by wide eyes and a petite sniff. “Never?”
“Never,” avowed Alice.
“No wonder she loves you—you always were the teacher’s pet.”
The barb should have stung like the wrong end of an angry hornet; however, Alice had long since come to an understanding with life in a small town where reputations were handed out on the playground. To the grand populace of Harvest Ranch, she’d once been—and would always be—the poor little girl from the wrong side of the trailer park in ill-fitting clothes who preferred to have her nose in a book.
Just like they’d always think Lillian was overbearing and critical, even though she’d often allowed a younger Alice to work alongside her. It wasn’t much, but Lillian’s quiet approval helped Alice feel needed during a time when she thought no one wanted her. Even her extended family didn’t understand the things that happened in her childhood home.
Feeling bad for joking about the assistant librarian behind her back, Alice said, “It doesn’t take a lot to see the work she does. I mean, this place is always ready for patrons.” She ran her finger over the windowsill. “Never a speck of dust. She thinks of the library as a heritage for future generations and wants it to last long enough for Jaden’s grandchildren to enjoy it.”
Stephanie brushed her hand over Jaden’s floppy hair. “I’m sure deep, deep down, she’s sweet.” She moved to take the stroller’s handles. “We’re off. Wyatt will be grumpy because we’re eating so late.”
Alice kept her mouth closed. She didn’t know a grown-up Wyatt all that much, despite being cousins. He’d always seemed driven and a little grumpy to her.
Jaden waved and yelled, “Bye!” He clomped along in his cowboy boots, the sound echoing off the ceilings. Stephanie ducked her head and rushed for the exit in a mad attempt to avoid Lillian’s curmudgeonliness.
Alice took up her predetermined spot with all the confidence of a queen taking her throne, and not a moment too soon. She had just draped her hair appealingly over her left shoulder when she heard the door to the conference room open and the deep timbre of Russ’s voice as he bid farewell to the other board members.
Forcing her eyes to remain on the page, Alice concentrated—not on reading, but on counting Russ’s steps as his worn Doc Martens brushed the carpet. Each swoosh whispered possibilities that had her heart thrumming.
Swoosh. Swoosh. Pause.
He’s here!Her fingers gripped the book.
The longer he stood motionless, the warmer her face grew. The insane attraction she’d hidden from him was made bare in her blatant efforts to garner his attention with hair serum and her favorite sweater. She held her breath, willing her cheeks to return to their normal color; her heart pounded with the force of a hundred Swedish dancers and drowned out the sound of his approach.
Standing directly in front of her, Russ cleared his throat to get her attention.
Not exactly the light touch to the elbow with violins in the background, but she could work it into her daydream. Hopefully, memories of this moment would be much better than the daydreams she’d lived inside for the last hour.
Alice allowed her gaze to travel lazily away from her book, as if she were ripping herself out of the novel. They moved from the artfully frayed hem of his jeans up to the worn patches on his knees and on to the navy-blue sweater that covered his just-right waist and molded chest, and finally to his trimmed beard and those expressive, deep brown eyes.
Le sigh.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, as if she didn’t practically live at the library. There was a couch at the top of the stairs that had a permanent imprint the shape of her behind.
He didn’t drop his eyes to her lips nor fall to one knee and take her hand. He stood four feet away, holding posters. Where was the dramatic swell of music? If she felt this shift, he should too, right?
