LITMIR.BIZ

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of him and make Shaw feel like a heel.

      He wanted to make things right somehow. Last night, she’d stepped onto the porch into the moonlight and stolen the breath from his lungs. She was lovely, the kind of woman he’d always hoped to find. The one he could spend his life with. But she wasn’t for him and never would be.

      Shaw tossed his hard hat into the truck bed then spread the blueprints on the tailgate. He flipped to the pages showing the lobby layout. He tried to focus on the lines and figures but found Lainie invading his thoughts again.

      “Do all the doors have locks?” The panic in her eyes had wounded him. Did she distrust him that much? Or was she feeling vulnerable and scared in the aftermath of being robbed?

      She was in a tough spot and he wasn’t sure how to help her. Technically, she wasn’t his problem. But how could he stand by and let her and her girls struggle? He was morally obligated to do whatever he could.

      He stared at the blueprints, the web of tiny lines reminding him of his priorities. He needed to stop worrying about Lainie. His future depended on getting this library finished. If the building wasn’t completed, then their personal problems were immaterial.

      A silver truck pulled to a stop near his and his cabinetmaker, Jeb West, got out. They’d run into a glitch and needed to find a way to reconfigure the reception desk.

      Jeb hooked his hard hat under his arm as he joined Shaw. “Hey, boss. I have a few ideas on how to rework that counter.”

      “Good. I don’t need any more complications.”

      Jeb lowered his head a bit and peered over his glasses. “You okay? You’re looking a bit sour.”

      Shaw frowned and grabbed up the blueprints. “You’d be sour, too, if you were weeks behind on a project.” And your biggest mistake was living in your house.

      “Hey, is it true Miss Millie isn’t going to be the new librarian?”

      “That’s right.” Word traveled faster than high-speed internet in Dover.

      “Man, that’s hard to believe.”

      The comment set Shaw’s teeth on edge. “Believe it. People will just have to get over it. Lainie is going to be a great librarian. They need to stop being so bullheaded and give her a chance.”

      “Whoa. Don’t bite my head off. I’d just as soon have a new librarian. Millie was a scary old—” Jeb cleared his throat. “Me, I’m all in favor of the new gal. I hear she’s quite a looker, too.”

      Shaw let his anger fade. He was being overly sensitive. He needed to remember that not everyone was opposed to Lainie. Just a few old-timers who thought they were protecting their friend. One of those rumors, however, was absolutely true. “I think there will be a lot of folks who’ll come to the library just to catch a glimpse of her.”

      Jeb stepped back to his truck and returned quickly with a blue-and-white striped box. Shaw chuckled. “The Donut Palace. Sugar covered?”

      “I figured if you were here this early you might be in a bad mood. I was being prepared.”

      Shaw placed a friendly slap on his shoulder. “Let’s get to work. After a doughnut break.”

      * * *

      Lainie poured a second cup of coffee and carried it into the living room, stopping at one of the large windows facing the front porch. It was a beautiful morning. She would like to sit outside, but the swing was on Shaw’s side of the porch and she didn’t want to cross that barrier. Besides, if she sat outside, she might not hear the girls, and she didn’t want them alone when they woke up in a strange house.

      She hadn’t slept well. Her dreams had been dark and threatening, each one jolting her awake and making it hard to fall back to sleep. In one, she’d been standing in a lovely garden that had suddenly changed into a dark cemetery. Another time, she’d dreamed she was running down wet streets searching for something, but no idea what. However, one dream had been more disturbing than the others. She’d dreamed she was being carried in strong arms against a solid chest and cradled in safety and warmth. When she’d looked up, she had seen Shaw’s face. That nightmare had pulled her from sleep with a yelp.

      Clearly, her subconscious was struggling to sort out the events from yesterday. Back in the kitchen, she sat at the table and opened her Bible, flipping through the psalms. Like David, she was wandering in an unknown wilderness, unsure of her direction and wondering what the Lord was working in her life by putting Shaw in her path again. She hoped his statement that she couldn’t start work on time was wrong. She planned on being in the mayor’s office the moment Mr. Ogden returned to get things straightened out.

      God willing, her replacement cards would arrive quickly, and she could regain control of her life. She glanced at the small makeup bag lying in the middle of the table. She’d emptied it out to use as her temporary purse. In addition to the cell phone, Shaw had given her a prepaid credit card for emergencies. She now possessed the things she needed to function on a daily basis—a temporary driver’s license, a phone, a credit card and her change from the diner. It wasn’t much, but it restored the sense of normalcy and control she’d been missing since being robbed yesterday.

      “Mommy, I’m hungry.”

      Natalie shuffled to her side rubbing sleepy eyes. Lainie lifted her onto her lap. She was getting so big. “Did you sleep well?”

      “It’s a happy room.”

      “It is? Why do you say that?”

      “’Cause the sunshine woke me up.”

      Little footsteps on the stairs announced Chrissy’s arrival. She hurried toward her mother for a morning hug. Lainie’s heart swelled with love and gratitude again for being delivered safely from a dangerous situation. She had her girls. Everything else could be handled in time.

      Lainie prepared breakfast, enjoying the meal with new appreciation. Despite her feelings about Shaw, she had to admit she felt safe in this old house, and having a man nearby was comforting, too.

      Chrissy swallowed the last of her juice then scooted off her chair. “I want to see Misser Shaw and play with Beaux.”

      Lainie had heard Shaw’s truck pull out of the drive early this morning and assumed he was going to the library to work. “He’s not here, sweetie.”

      Chrissy pulled back the curtain covering the French door. “Mommy, there’s a note.”

      She joined her daughter, bending down to read the note taped to one of the glass panes from Shaw’s side.

      Working today. Call if you need me. Doggie door unlatched if Beaux wants to play.

      “What’s it say, Mommy?”

      Beaux came to the door and sat down. Chrissy pressed her face to the glass and giggled. “Hi, Beaux. Do you want to play with us?”

      Lainie ruffled Chrissy’s hair. “Mr. Shaw is at work, but he said Beaux can play with you if you want.”

      Both girls squealed, threatening to burst her eardrums. They dashed out the back door and Beaux slid through the pet door to join them. Pouring another cup of coffee, she went onto the back porch to watch the girls play.

      For a few moments, she allowed herself to daydream. If this were her yard, she’d clear out the bushes along the garage and put in a vegetable garden. And she’d put a small playhouse under that large live oak tree in the back corner. A sturdy one that would last until her grandchildren could play in it, too.

      “Hello. Yoo-hoo. Over here.”

      Lainie looked in the direction of the shout and saw a woman about her age standing at the picket fence waving. Lainie waved back. “Hi.”

      “I’m Gwen Rogers. I heard the kids playing and thought I’d introduce myself.”

      Lainie joined the woman at the fence. Her smile was warm and friendly,

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