LITMIR.BIZ

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Don’t you have some wood or something to cover this opening?”

      “Not here at the house. I’m sure you can find something to hang over the door to maintain your privacy.” He pushed to his feet. “I’m hardly ever here. You’ll have the place to yourself most of the time.”

      A knock at the back door drew his attention. Russ stepped into the hall, glancing between Shaw and Lainie. “You still need that ride?”

      “I’ll be ready in a minute. Lainie, this is my foreman, Russ Franklin. Russ, this is Lainie Hollings.” Shaw ignored the stunned look on his friend’s face. “I asked him to stop by and take me to pick up my truck. Is there anything you need me to get for you while I’m out?”

      Lainie crossed her arms over her chest, her reluctance to ask for more help evident in her pursed lips. “Food. The girls will be getting hungry and all I have are a few snacks.”

      Shaw nodded. “No problem. Make me a list.” After muttering a pleasantry to Russ, Lainie returned to her side of the house. Shaw looked at Russ and saw his dark eyes brimming with questions.

      “So that’s the woman whose husband fell.”

      Shaw set his jaw. He didn’t want to discuss that day. “Yes.”

      Russ whistled softly. “Interesting how the Lord works things out.”

      “What are you talking about?”

      “Putting this woman in your path again. Maybe He’s telling you it’s time to face a few things.”

      Beaux slipped in through the doggie door and trotted to Russ’s side, wagging his tail at the rigorous rubbing he received.

      Shaw ignored the comment and gathered up his tools. Russ was the only one who knew how the weight of Hollings’s death had affected Shaw. The guilt over the accident had sent him into a dark place. He’d left Beaumont Construction and moved to Gulf Shores, Alabama, and hired on with Russ’s company. When his behavior had started to affect his work, Russ had taken him under his wing, got him into church and helped him get his life back on track. Shaw had focused all his energy on mastering his craft, which had led to a job with Laura Durrant in Dover, a well-respected restorationist.

      Russ examined the French door opening in the wall. “You used that to fill the hole?”

      “Don’t have anything else. The boys used all my plywood during class last week.” He taught woodworking to some of the teens in town. Last week, they’d used the last of his plywood to make shelves for the church storage closet. He hadn’t had time to buy more.

      Inside the cab of Russ’s truck, Shaw fastened his seat belt and stared straight ahead. “I had to tell her the library is behind schedule.”

      “What for?”

      He glanced at Russ. “Because she’s the new librarian.”

      Russ exhaled a long slow whistle. “Not Miss Millie, huh?”

      “Nope.”

      “That’s not going to set well with some folks.”

      “No kidding. I didn’t live here during her time, but even I know that Millie is the only person the town will accept to run the library.” Awarding the job to a stranger would cause a lot of hurt feelings and angry complaints.

      “How’d she take it?”

      “Not well. She’s depending on that job to support her kids.”

      “That’s a shame.”

      “Yeah. Another reason for her to hate me.”

      “You sure having this woman stay with you is a good idea? I remember how you were after the accident. I’d hate to see you backslide after all this time.”

      His friend meant well, but he didn’t understand. “I can’t turn her away. I owe her.”

      “So you’re looking at this as some kind of atonement? It was an accident.”

      “Was it?” Shaw faced the side window. Was it an accident, or had he been negligent? Only the Lord knew for sure. He had relived the events leading up to that moment a thousand times, but had never found an answer that satisfied him. He doubted he ever would.

      * * *

      Lainie tucked the covers around her girls then bent to kiss them good-night. They looked so small in the big iron bed. They were her whole life and the reason she’d gone back to school to get her degree in library science. More than anything, she wanted to give them a real home, a place with roots and tradition. Because of her father’s job, Lainie had grown up moving from one place to another, always the new kid with few friends and fewer ties. She wanted better for her girls, and Dover was the perfect place. Or so she’d believed until today.

      “Mommy, I want to live in this castle forever.” Chrissy held up her glasses and Lainie laid them on the nightstand.

      Natalie rolled her eyes. “It’s not a castle, silly. It’s only a house. We’re staying for a few days, then we’ll find us a house of our own.” She smoothed back Natalie’s hair, her heart swelling with love.

      “But I like this house.” Natalie rolled onto her side. “Will our next house have trees in the yard?”

      Chrissy sat up. “Can we get a dog? With polka spots like Beaux?”

      “Polka dots. We’ll see.” Lainie gently pressed her youngest down into the covers. “Now go to sleep.”

      Lainie laid the girls’ clothes on the window seat, taking a quick glance into the darkness. The moon was full, casting a stream of light across the wide yard and making the leaves sparkle. She had to agree with her girls. She liked the house, too. The window seat was cozy and inviting. She could imagine her daughters cuddled up reading or watching the rain. Despite its quirky appearance, there was a homey feel to the house. Too bad it belonged to Shaw McKinney.

      Downstairs, Lainie set about cleaning up the kitchen, her emotions playing tug-of-war between gratitude to Shaw for a place to stay and irritation that she was indebted to the man who’d made her a widow. She tried to ignore the twinge of remorse that rose up. Shaw had done all he could to make them comfortable, including closing the hole in the wall to ensure their privacy. Though she’d had to tack an old curtain she’d found in the closet over the glass panes.

      He’d thought of everything. Too bad he hadn’t done that five years ago.

      The silence in the old house suddenly pressed in on her, unleashing the loneliness that always lurked in the recesses of her mind. She’d been a widow longer than she’d been a wife. She’d done the best she could the past five years, and the Lord had taken care of her and her sweet babies. He’d provided a home with her mother, then a home and a job with Mrs. Forsythe after Lainie’s mom had died. But there were times she ached for someone special in her life, someone to lift the load for a moment or two.

      She’d known that feeling for a brief second today when Shaw had kept her from falling. Until she had remembered who was holding her and what he’d done. Determined to overcome her depressing thoughts, she walked into the living room and picked up the toys scattered in the rounded corner, which was now the new Princess Club. As she passed the sofa, she noticed the cell phone Shaw had bought for her resting on the end table.

      As much as she hated to admit it, Shaw was not what she’d expected. Craig had complained that Shaw was an arrogant bully, who strutted around the job as if he was better than everyone else. But that wasn’t what she’d seen today. He’d returned from picking up his truck with enough food for a week and a cell phone for her. He’d convinced her to take it by pointing out she might need to call for help if he wasn’t around. He’d even programmed in his cell number along with other local emergency numbers she might need.

      His thoughtfulness irked her no end. It was obviously being driven by guilt. Well, she had news for him. Offering a helping hand now wouldn’t erase his carelessness in the

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