Leaving Liberty (30 page)

           
“Hi, Lane.” Rocky put out a hand and they shook. There was an awkward moment
where she wondered if Rocky was going to pretend she wasn’t there, but he
darted a look at her and she smiled. If they could sit at Nancy’s and chat over
doughnuts with Ana, they could certainly greet each other after church.

           
“Isn’t the sunshine wonderful?” Okay, it wasn’t the most brilliant comment
ever. They were learning how to talk to each other, one awkward conversation at
a time.

           
“We need a few more weeks of this so the ground can dry out,” Rocky agreed.
“What are you two up to today?”

           
Daisy tilted her head toward Lane’s parents and Ana. “Lane says he’s cooking us
something wonderful. I’m afraid to ask for details.”

           
Rocky chuckled. “This guy can out-cook most of Liberty. Just you wait. His
specialty is barbeque and you’ll be spoiled for life after you taste his baby
back ribs.”

           
Nita joined in. “He’s good with baking, too. Those white chocolate macadamia
nut cookies are my favorite.”

           
“Cookies? You didn’t say anything about cookies.” Just the thought of them made
her mouth water. “It sounds like you two have eaten plenty of meals over at
Lane’s house.”

           
They exchanged glances. “No, but we go to the cabin quite a bit.”

           
“Really? But I haven’t seen…” Daisy’s voice trailed off as she realized why
they hadn’t been around. Of course, Lane wouldn’t be entertaining on the big
deck that faced the mountains and the river when Daisy was sitting inside. Her
face went hot.

           
Lane cleared his throat and started to speak, but Daisy put a hand on his arm.
“Why don’t we all eat at the cabin? It’s such a beautiful day. Unless your
backyard is better.”

           
“No, not better.” He paused, obviously unsure what to say.

           
“I mean, all of us.” Daisy motioned to Rocky and Nita. “Unless you two have
something planned.”

           
Rocky’s face lit with a slow smile. “What should we bring?”

           
“I think Jamie’s got the dessert covered and my mom will make potato salad.
What about some veggies and dip?”

           
Ana walked over and cocked her head. “This is becoming a party. You might as
well schedule the library fundraiser for tonight and get it over with.”

           
She was kidding, but Nita held up a finger. “I’ve been meaning to say that we
should move the fundraiser up to this next weekend.”

           
“But we’ve hardly planned anything.” Daisy’s heart skipped a beat. She’d been
so wrapped up in writing grants, she hadn’t really worked on the events yet.

           
“There’s not much planning to do. We rent the dunk tank, the cotton candy
machine, pull the booths out of storage, and everyone shows up for a good time.
Most of the vendors are available at short notice.” Nita paused, look up at the
bright blue sky. “I just have a bad feeling about all this rain. I don’t want
to wait and get rained out in a few weeks.”

           
 “The seven day forecast says a chance of showers the middle of the week,
but dry after that. I think you’re right about changing the date,” Lane said.

           
Grabbing Daisy’s elbow, Ana squealed. “That means I get to help! I want to run
the face painting booth!”

           
She couldn’t help laughing at her enthusiasm. So much of this summer had been
stressful and she hadn’t really been looking forward to running the library
festival, even if it brought in funds that could help with repairs. “As long as
Officer Bennett is available for the dunk tank, I think it just might work.”

           
“At your service, as always.” His lips tugged up and Daisy felt the heat rise
in her cheeks. The last time he’d used those words, he’d followed them with a
kiss.

           
“I guess we’ll meet you out at the cabin?” Rocky cut through the moment and
something in his voice carried a note of warning.

           
 “Right. We’ll start grilling around five.”

           
“See you then,” Nita said, already tugging Rocky down the sidewalk. “I’d better
head to Pack-n-Produce.”

           
Daisy watched them go, letting the chatter of the others cover her confusion.
Maybe it was as obvious to everyone else that she and Lane had feelings for
each other. But why would Rocky be so against it? An unsettling idea took root
in her mind. Nita had once said she wasn’t Lane’s type, he needed someone who
could care for a family. Lane’s dad said that Nita liked to use reverse
psychology, but maybe she’d really meant it. Did Rocky think she wasn’t suited
for marriage or raising kids because of the way he’d raised her? The long years
of neglect stretched in her memory and tears prickled at her eyes.

           
The next moment, she felt irritation shove the pain to the side. Who cared what
anyone thought about her ability to cook, clean, and rock babies? She was
leaving Liberty in a month. Worrying about who Lane would choose for a partner
was as useless as worrying about the sun setting. Lane would find his perfect
match and it wasn’t going to be Daisy McConnell.

           
                                               
***

           
“This dinner is quite the hat trick.” Lane’s dad nudged his son with an elbow.
The both looked across the deck at the group assembled haphazardly on the lawn.
The sun was still determined to shine, even though gray clouds scudded across
the sky every so often.

           
“I had nothing to do with it.” He couldn’t keep his gaze from wandering toward
Daisy. The badminton net was barely holding upright in the soft earth but she,
Ana, Jamie and Tom were battling a doubles match to the death. She laughed,
head thrown back, and his breath caught. She was so beautiful and so happy.

           
“Oh, no?” His dad took a sip of his cola and frowned. He gestured toward Rocky
and Nita as they set the long tables with paper plates and napkins. “I figured
you brought those two together. Rocky is your friend; he listens to you.”

           
“It was part of his twelve step program, but honestly, it’s all Daisy.” Lane
spoke quietly. “I just never imagined she could offer him the forgiveness he
needed. I prayed it would happen. I hoped it would happen. But I just never
thought it would.” He shrugged, and flipped the burgers one by one. Soft
hissing sounded as the juices dripped down onto the charcoal briquettes.

           
“She’s quite a girl.” He watched them playing for a few minutes, the laughter
echoing around the yard. Jamie’s two little boys were pushing large dump trucks
through the soft dirt at the side of the grass.

           
“She definitely is.” Lane shifted, not wanting to talk about how wonderful
Daisy was. Some things were just too obvious to be said.

           
“And she really likes you.”

           
He sighed. He knew this had been coming. He nudged a patty with the spatula and
said nothing.

           
“I don’t think you should hold her past against her. If you can see Rocky for
the man he is, then Daisy should get a fresh start, too.”

           
Lane turned, speechless for a moment. “Is that what you think? That I hold a
rotten childhood against her? That I wouldn’t consider
her
,” he jerked
his head toward the beautiful woman on the lawn, “good enough for
me
?”

           
His dad looked uncomfortable. “Well, it must be something because you are bound
and determined to keep her at arm’s length.”

           
Lane snorted. Arm’s length. More than a few times he’s had her a lot closer
than that and he wouldn’t ever forget it. “Maybe you should consider the fact
that she’s leaving for Fresno in a few weeks. Nobody wants a long distance
relationship anymore. And even if she said yes to dating a man thousand miles
away, in the end we’d have to choose where to live.”

           
He took another sip of cola and looked out toward the mountains. “And you’d
never leave Liberty?”

           
Lane opened his mouth to respond but he realized he wasn’t sure what the answer
was anymore. A month ago he would have said he’d never leave. Now, never
sounded like a pretty long time.

           
“Son, your mom and I never thought we’d leave but then your brother died. We
needed a fresh start. We still love this place, the cabin, the people. We just
can’t be here all the time.” His voice was rough. Years later, saying Colt’s
name was still hard for him.

           
They stood in silence for a moment, lost in thought. The sound of laughter from
the badminton game mixed with chatter between Nita and Lane’s mom. Rocky was
crouched down next to the boys, helping scrape mud into a loader with a stick.

           
“Are you telling me to leave? To go live in a concrete jungle where you can get
stuck in traffic for most of the evening?” The thought of it made his head
ache.

           
“Not at all. I’m just saying that Liberty is bigger than this little town.
These people, our people, have roots all through the mountains. Maybe you two
could find a place you both are happy.”

           
His gaze sought out Daisy and she turned, as if feeling the weight of his
thoughts. She was smiling, racket raised, hair escaping from her ponytail. He
swallowed and dropped his gaze to the barbeque. “The idea is great and
wonderful, but she’s never once said she was thinking of staying in Liberty.”

           
There had been that off-hand comment to the city manager, but he was fairly
sure Daisy had meant it as an empty threat.

           
“Maybe you should ask her.” Lane’s dad clapped a hand on his shoulder and
leaned closer. “Life is too short for regrets,” he said. He turned and walked
toward the long tables, set and ready for the meal.

           
Regrets.
He regretted not answering Colt’s phone calls and he regretted
them with every fiber of his being. He knew all too much about regret.

           
Sliding the spatula under the hamburger patties, he transferred them to the
platter. If he never asked, would he regret it for the rest of his life? He’d
been so worried about having his heart broken that he’d focused on trying to
avoid her. Eventually he’d accepted the fact he was going to get hurt when
Daisy left Liberty. Knowing she and Rock had reconciled was a real comfort and
he had clung to that.

           
He turned off the flame and stood there by the grill for a moment, gathering
his thoughts. It was so much more complicated than a heart ache. He could bear
that. Regret was something he never wanted to deal with again. Ever. Maybe
letting Daisy go without telling her what he felt, without asking her to stay,
was a certain recipe for the one emotion he couldn’t endure.

Chapter Twenty-Four

           
            “Grab that
end and lift!” Nita called over the top of the plywood booth and heaved on the
corner. It scooted across the pavement, screeching ominously.

           
“Wait, I think we’re going to tear something loose.” Daisy wiped the rain from
her eyes and tried to get a better grip on the wood. The sunny barbeque at the
cabin last Sunday was only a beautiful memory. The clouds had moved in early
Monday and it had rained steadily ever since. Now, at one in the afternoon on
the Wednesday before the festival, Daisy was having serious qualms about going
ahead with their plans.

           
“We need to get some men over here. Why don’t you call Lane?” Ana held an
umbrella over Nita’s head and peered down the street toward the station, as if
she could see him from where they stood.

           
Daisy said nothing. She hadn’t called Lane because she’d really, really wanted
to. She’d picked up her phone twenty times and snapped it closed without
dialing. The way her heart started to pound just holding the phone was enough
to make her willing to carry the booth all the way to city hall. She’d
definitely moved past the crush stage and on into needing him near her all the
time. Which was a dead end street, any way she looked at it.

           
The rain drops increased suddenly, falling faster and harder. Daisy nodded at
Nita and she grabbed the end of the booth one more time. She heaved and they
carried it a few more feet, until Daisy’s shoes slid out from under her. She
went down with a thump, splattering mud several feet. A sharp pain flashed
through her leg and she let out a cry.

           
“Daisy?” Nita rushed over, bending down to get a closer look. “Did you twist
something?”

           
She blinked spots from her eyes and dragged in a breath. “No, not twisted.” Her
voice was rough with pain. She grabbed her courage and looked down at her leg.
Her pants were torn and a large scrape was visible, oozing blood.

           
“That’s it. I’m calling Lane. And he can bring all his hot cop co-workers,
too.” Ana stomped toward the library steps.