Once they’d transferred all the novels, Lance hefted the cardboard box into his arms to carry it downstairs. He could tell Sarah was about to ask if he needed help, but he didn’t give her the opportunity.
“I can’t wait to go through them,” Sarah said over his shoulder, following him down the narrow stairway and into the living room at the front of the big farmhouse. “She has some really rare editions in there.”
“I wonder why she just remembered them now.” Lance settled the box onto the coffee table right in front of Nana’s pink brocade sofa that rarely got any use in recent years.
“Not sure, but I’m grateful she did.” Sarah took her place on one of the cushions and lifted the first book from the stack, turning it over in her hands as she studied the cover artwork and backside blurb. “I’m really trying to prove my worth at the library. I want to be able to provide them with something no one else can, and I think this might be the start of that.”
“You never have to prove yourself, Sarah.” Lance paused to really look at her. His hesitation made her lift her chin to glance up, and the moment their eyes locked, something zinged through his chest. “Anyone who knows you knows that you give everything one hundred and ten percent.”
A pink blush came to her cheeks and flushed all the way down her neck. “That’s sweet of you to say.” She blinked away from him before bringing her gaze back. “I’m just worried some people have forgotten. Being away does that.”
“No one could forget.”
He wasn’t sure why he’d said that, other than the fact that it was the honest to goodness truth and it needed to be said.
She kept looking at him for a long moment, that sweet smile still clinging to her ruby lips. Her eyes fluttered back down to the box. “I need this job to turn into something more. I can’t stay with my parents forever, as much as they’d like having Laney around.”
“Do you think the library has the budget to give you more hours?” He knew their library was small with few people on staff. Many of their functions, from the Springtime Book Swap to theRead-a-thon held at the end of the school year, were run by volunteers and youth hoping to fulfill their community service hours.
“I’m not sure they do.” Sarah pouted a little as she cracked open the spine on a book and smoothed her fingers over the yellowed pages. “Which is why I need to brainstorm some ways to bring in a little extra revenue to justify a full-time position.”
“Got any ideas?” He moved to sit next to her on the couch, careful to leave enough space not to crowd her.
“I do, actually. I was thinking of something along the lines of a writer’s retreat.” Sarah closed the book and placed it in her lap to give her full attention to Lance. “Like, if Snowdrift hosted a weeklong retreat for authors to come up to the mountains and pen their books, then each day a different author could come into the library for a meet-and-greet. We could have a children’s author and one for romance. Maybe even sci-fi and fantasy. Something for everyone.”
He loved the way her eyes sparkled with excitement and her voice rose into a higher octave as she shared her vision.
“You’ve given this some thought.”
“I have.” She lifted the book from her lap and hugged it to her chest. “Working at the library is a dream of mine, Lance. I need to make sure it sticks.”
He understood. Starting Major Hart Mountain Sports with his best friend in all the world had been a similar dream-in-the-making sort of thing. It was a gift to be able to spend your days doing something you loved. Lately, Lance had lost a bit of the passion, due to his injury flaring up and the recent restrictions placed on his activity. But listening to Sarah rekindled a bit of that hope within him. Her desire to make her position exactly what she needed it to be was inspiring. Maybe he could do something similar with his role at the shop.
Just then, the happy voices of Nana Jo and Laney trickled into the house via the door in the back of the kitchen. He could hear their giggles as they made their way into the interior of the home, coming to a stop in the front room, faces chapped and reddened from the wind and smiles crinkling their watery eyes.
“Cold snap’s coming,” Nana said. She blew a hot breath into her cupped hands and rubbed them together vigorously. “Little Laney helped me blanket the ponies, but I’ll have to go back out and tend to the bigger horses later when I’ve got the time.”
“I can help you with that.” Lance stood from the couch, even if a little reluctantly. It felt so good to sit next to Sarah, to be close to her again after all this time.
“I would appreciate that more than you know.” Nana gave Laney a little nudge on her shoulder. “Go show your mama your pretty new shoes.”
Lance hadn’t seen it when they came in, but upon closer inspection, he spotted the tiny cowboy boots, one tucked under each arm. Laney toddled her way across the room toward her mother and thrust out her new possessions, a big grin adorning her happy face.
“Those are sure pretty,” Sarah praised.
“So pretty, they’re what we callpurdyaround here. Between her warm shoes and her cowgirl boots, this little lady’s feet should be set for a proper Snowdrift Summit winter.”
“Thanks to the two of you.” Sarah looked between Nana Jo and Lance. “Your generosity doesn’t go unnoticed.”
Nana flapped her hand. “I’m just glad someone gets to use them. Now, you’re not in the market for a pony, are you? Because Doodlebug could sure use a new little girl of his own.”
Lance quickly stepped in before his grandmother got carried away as she tended to. “I don’t think Sarah’s interested in a horse, Nana.”
“I don’t have my own place yet, and I wouldn’t even know how to care for one,” Sarah stammered, obviously unwilling to just tell the woman no.
“Maybe not yet, but I can see you’ve got a real horse girl in the making with that little Laney. Doodlebug can stay here with me but know that any time Laney wants to come by and feed him a carrot or two, pick his hooves, or climb up on his back, she’s more than welcome. Every horse deserves a little girl all their own and vice versa.”
Gift giving was undeniably Nana Jo’s love language, and while the books and boots were one thing, a horse was an entirely different animal. Literally.
