A Ranger for the Twins

by Tanya Agler

  The bell jingled and Lucie glanced toward the door. Connie Witherspoon walked in, her face dour. When she met Lucie’s gaze, she popped her hands on her hips before heading over. Connie wasn’t supposed to arrive for another half hour, well after Lucie’s interview with Sierra would have ended. Not that she’d been sure Connie would show up. The bookstore owner always held her nose high in the air when she passed Lucie at the grocery store. From the expression on Connie’s face, this conversation wouldn’t be as pleasant as her time with Sierra.

  Lucie jumped up and extended her hand. “Hi, Connie. Thanks for coming. You know Sierra, right?”

  With a humph, Connie sat and folded her arms before sending a polite nod Sierra’s way. Lucie counted to ten in her head. If she had a dollar for every time someone gave her the cold shoulder, she’d have enough to buy dog food for Ladybug and Pita this week.

  Ramping up the enthusiasm she wasn’t feeling, Lucie pasted on a smile. “I have a business proposition.” She reached for her purse. “How about you buy something on me while I conclude this interview? Then we can talk.”

  Connie pursed her lips together. “You have some nerve asking me to do any business with you. Your husband stole my best friend’s life savings.”

  Join the club. Lucie stayed silent, as that response would only invite further disdain. Trust didn’t blossom overnight like a dogwood. Time and action were what counted. Maybe after Lucie brought in needed revenue to some of the local Hollydale coffers and stayed the course, people would start to trust her again.

  Until then, she’d have to fake enthusiasm to start bridging the gap. No, not fake it. That would be dishonest. While the old Lucie had cajoled to get what she’d wanted, this new Lucie recognized begging. If she had to beg to get her business off the ground, so be it.

  “My ex-husband stole from your friend.” Lucie raised her chin and then calmed down. Groveling required more humility and a tone a shade less fierce. An image of Ethan and Mattie popped into her head, and she started over. “I’d like to talk to you about my business plan. My offer stands about a coffee on me.”

  “I’ll buy my own.” Connie raised her eyebrows and grabbed a book from her purse. “I’d think you were the last person who should be asking people to do business with you. Why Mitzi roped herself with the likes of you, I don’t understand.”

  Connie stood and strode to the end of the line.

  Lucie returned her attention to Sierra, hoping she hadn’t already lost a potential staff member. “Sorry about that.”

  “Go ahead and talk to Connie. That’ll give me enough time to finish my croissant.”

  More than ever, Lucie wanted Sierra on staff. Smiling, she rose and made her way behind Connie. While there was something to be said for humility in the proper context, Lucie didn’t deserve to be the scourge of Hollydale for the rest of her life. All she wanted was to provide a home for her family, with meals and clothing and love, on top of building a business she believed in. Converting Connie to her corner would be proof she was creating a path worth treading.

  Lucie tapped Connie’s shoulder. “Mitzi gave me a job when some wanted to run me out of town on a rail. She’s been a true friend. Hollydale used to care for those in trouble. My ex-husband—” Lucie made sure she stressed the ex “—caused too much trouble, and while some have a point in saying I didn’t help matters, I want to make the lives of those who visit the Hollydale Training and Wellness Center better. I’d like to talk to you about a way to do that while benefiting both of us. I hope your friend would tell you to at least hear me out.”

  They’d reached the front of the line and Connie remained silent, her nose stuck in her book, despite customers chattering all around them, a sign of the warm atmosphere the owner, Deb, cultivated. Speaking of Connie’s best friend, there was Deb herself, manning the cash register, her short gray hair matching the pretty infinity scarf looped around her neck. “Connie, what can I get you?”

  Connie laid her book on the counter and jerked her thumb at Lucie. “You can get rid of her, for starters. How can you stand there and smile at her when her husband cheated you out of your life savings?”

  Lucie gasped and stopped short of kicking the counter. This was never going to stop. She had been blind not to see that earlier. All she’d wanted was to rebuild a life for her and Mattie and Ethan. Now? She didn’t know where home was anymore, something she never thought she’d say about Hollydale.

  “Ex-husband.” Deb kept her smile intact and reached for Lucie’s hand, giving it a firm squeeze and a pat before letting go. “Justin is Lucie’s ex-husband. I started The Busy Bean after I divorced my no-good ex-husband and I had to support my family. I’m not turning away a customer who’s going through the same predicament. Lucie and I cleared the air a long time ago. If I’ve come to peace with what happened, why shouldn’t you?”

  “Because I’m...I’m your friend. That’s what friends do,” Connie sputtered. “They look out for each other.”

  “That’s a wonderful attitude, Mrs. Witherspoon, and a commendable one.” A harsh masculine voice came from behind, and Lucie glanced over her shoulder to find Franklin Garrity. The banker’s long face and cold, dark eyes resembled those of a weasel. “Community members should look out for each other. Mrs. Decker, have you given more thought to my suggestion you do the right thing and sell your parents’ property and donate the proceeds to the innocent victims of your husband’s crimes?”

  “Ex-husband.” Lucie clenched her teeth, the atmosphere growing icier every moment. Her light jacket wasn’t enough to ward off the chill. “And I believe the best way to thrive is by supporting my family and my staff. That’s the right thing to do with my land.”

  She had to keep her focus on that, or people like Franklin Garrity would distract her. If that happened, there wouldn’t be much point in staying in the town she loved so much.

  Someone tapped her shoulder, and Lucie nearly jumped out of her skin. Heartbeat racing, she turned and found Sierra. What must she think of Lucie now? Sierra smiled and handed Lucie her cup of coffee. “If that offer is still open, I accept the job. I’ll be at the lodge this afternoon. I have to run.”

  Speechless, Lucie stood rooted to the ground while Sierra headed for the exit. No sooner had she left than Caleb entered. He locked his gaze on Lucie and headed straight for her. She dismissed the sweet burst of exhilaration from his mere presence.

  “Lucie, hope you haven’t been waiting too long for me.” Caleb shrugged out of his jacket and threw it over his arm.

  “The Hero of Hollydale. Welcome home, Caleb.” Franklin extended his hand and pumped Caleb’s. “Anytime you want to come to the bank for a chat, I’m sure we can work out manageable terms for one of Hollydale’s own.”

  Her stomach twisted. Caleb deserved every accolade for finding those three boys. Didn’t she deserve a chance to rebuild her life? Was that too much to ask? Caleb kept his gaze fixed on hers, as if he could see she was fighting tears.

  “If you’re treating my friend well—” Caleb came over and looped his arm around her shoulder “—and if she vouches for you, I look forward to doing business with you.”

  She’d have expected his arm to feel like deadweight, but it didn’t. Something about the casual nature and the way his flannel shirt curved along her shoulders felt right. Too right. Having her heart shredded once for the town’s viewing pleasure was enough.

  All eyes were trained on her. She might as well use the attention to her benefit. However, she wanted to stand on her own merits, so she ducked out from under Caleb’s arm. “Connie, I want to discuss a means to promote your bookstore inside the lodge, especially since the volumes in my parents’ attic veer more toward encyclopedias and anthologies. If you’d like to talk shop, I’ll be at the lodge all afternoon.” Lucie reached into her purse. “Here’s my business card.”

  Then, with her head held high, Lucie scooted toward th
e door. Making a quick getaway was her best chance of leaving The Busy Bean with some dignity intact. And leaving before her problems tarnished Caleb’s image was best for both of them.

  * * *

  “LUCIE! WAIT UP!” Caleb yelled across the town green before catching up to her. Her slight sniffles brought out his instinct to guard and protect. With Lucie, however, that innate feeling wasn’t associated with his career, rather it had everything to do with her caring nature. “What’s wrong?”

  “Hollydale hay fever. I get it every spring.” Lucie stopped and sniffled before shrugging it off. “Okay, that’s only a half truth, but I have a full day of work ahead and no one else is going to do it for me.”

  “I thought we were going to talk. Five minutes in The Busy Bean would do wonders for me.” His day wouldn’t be complete without seeing her smile at least once. She’d clearly gone through quite a beating in there. He tried out his goofiest smile, the one that had made Vanessa giggle for a good five minutes. “Have mercy on me. I haven’t had anything to eat or drink yet. You wouldn’t deprive a starving man a bite of food, would you?”

  “What kept you from eating breakfast?”

  “A visit to the doctor.” He rolled up his sleeve and showed off the bandage covering the spot where they’d extracted tube after tube of blood. “See?”

  “Did you have to see the doctor as part of your transfer?”

  “Yes.” A pang of guilt almost prevented him from saying any more. When she found out about the woodpecker habitat, she’d be hurt he hadn’t come to her house last night and confided in her. But he had to know something for certain before he gave her the bad news. “Is it always like this?”

  Her eyebrows lowered, almost touching each other. “Running here and there most days? I guess so.”

  That wasn’t what he’d meant. Despite the inviting décor and the heater doing its job, the atmosphere in The Busy Bean had been downright frosty.

  He’d just witnessed firsthand the impact Justin Decker’s actions were having on his ex-wife and children. Although Justin had committed the crimes, Lucie was forced to deal with the consequences, facing Hollydale’s residents day after day. Taking the easy way out and moving would have appealed to many others. However, she remained in town, forging a new life out of the ashes. How did she do it?

  “The way people treat you. Is it always like this?”

  “You yourself asked questions about where I came up with the money for the renovations. Imagine two years of some people concluding I must have known what Justin was doing when I didn’t.” She let her hair cascade over the left side of her face, hiding one eye, her most expressive feature.

  An attractive feature, too.

  If she managed to handle this with grace, there must be a way for him to balance his duty as a son with the needs of an old friend. He owed it to her to try.

  “I know you didn’t know about his lies.” A little time to reflect made a world of difference.

  “Why do you believe me all of a sudden?”

  “First of all, you can’t lie. You never could.”

  “I guess you remembered that from the hospital.” She kept looking down, as if she wasn’t used to compliments. Maybe for the past two years, she hadn’t received many.

  “It took me a while. I finally let myself remember, too. Everything, including what you meant to me then.”

  “I knew I’d stayed friends with you for a reason.” She pushed her hair away from her face, laughter replacing some of the sadness lingering in her eyes. One curly section stayed loose, and he restrained himself from putting it back in place.

  “Why have you stayed in Hollydale? Why didn’t you move?”

  “The government had the deeds to my house and the lodge property. They only returned them at the end of last year.” She shrugged. “I really have to get to work.”

  He fell into step beside her. “But you have the deeds now. Why not start over somewhere else?”

  Silence settled, but it wasn’t disagreeable. Their friendship of old was beginning to blossom again—it was one of the few he cherished, one of the few he didn’t want to lose. They passed through her fence and headed up her sidewalk.

  “This is Mattie and Ethan’s home and the last link to my parents. Besides, some people in town are worth the hassle. They’ve supported me through everything. Georgie and Mike Harrison, Mitzi, Deb.”

  She reached into the front section of her purse and pulled out a set of keys with a thousand and one of those loyalty shopper tags attached, along with a picture of Mattie and Ethan. “You need to go eat something substantial for breakfast before you report to work. Let’s say goodbye now before you get dog slobber all over you.”

  While he could call Robin and visit more properties today, that paled in comparison to spending more time with Lucie. No one else is going to do it for me. She didn’t trust other people would come to her aid. He could help change that. Besides, one day in her presence before he dropped his bombshell was better than nothing, and the idea of sitting idle didn’t suit him.

  “Owen doesn’t want me reporting until next week, so I’m yours today.” Spending time with Lucie was the jalapeños on a plate of nachos.

  “I’m sure you have somewhere else you need to be.” She unlocked the door but kept it closed. “I’ll be fine.”

  Her hesitancy made him pause. Myriad activities came to mind. Finding a place to live. Hiking the trails on this beautiful day. Setting up that goalpost in the backyard like he’d promised Izzy. But the way Lucie’s shoulders stiffened, as if she expected him to back out, threw those plans out the window. Someone needed to look out for her. Make her laugh. Give her a reason to trust people could be there for her again.

  Since there was no one else lined up outside the gate, he might as well apply for the job. At least for today. “Maybe the place I need to be is with someone who needs a friend.”

  He needed his friend back. Staying with Jonathan and his daughters reminded him what it was like to spend time with interesting people, people he liked and who cared about him.

  While in Yellowstone, he’d kept busy, volunteering for any extra shifts and working on holidays so his coworkers could spend time with their families. The one time he’d lowered his guard and surrounded himself with new friends, an attractive brunette in particular, things had ended in disaster.

  The whining from inside became louder and more frequent. Ladybug knew Lucie was out there and wanted to be with her. Caleb couldn’t blame the dog—she had good taste.

  “Hold that thought.”

  As soon as Lucie opened the door, Ladybug waddled their way, her snout in the air. She came over to him and wagged her curly stub of a tail while shooting Lucie a loving glance to let her know she was still number one in the bulldog’s book. With Ethan and Ladybug now on his side, it was just a matter of time until he could convince Mattie and Lucie he was trustworthy. Then he’d tell Lucie everything and hope she didn’t hold the revelations against him. For now, he wanted to loosen the tension around her shoulders by helping out.

  Caleb squatted, ignoring the protest in his lower back. “Glad to see I have a new female conquest.” He kept his tone light, although he wouldn’t mind if Lucie gave the slightest hint at jealousy.

  “Don’t get too overconfident. Ladybug likes the mail carrier and her vet. English bulldogs are good natured.”

  So much for any jealousy. “How long have you had her?” He lavished some affection on the dog, whose stubby face rose in appreciation.

  Lucie shut the door behind them. “A couple years. She’s a sad story with a happy ending. A truck threw a burlap bag out the window near the picnic table where Mattie, Ethan and I were having lunch, and Ladybug was inside. We rescued her, and Mattie named her, and she’s been a part of the family ever since. Residents know I have a soft heart for animals, and they see if I have room before taking a str
anded animal to the shelter.”

  Interesting they could hold a grudge against her at the same time.

  “Do you have room?” The rhetorical question slipped out of his mouth, the answer obvious.

  “Always. Animals deserve a good home and love, just like everyone else.” A streak of black fur shot down the stairs and darted toward the kitchen, almost as if the cat knew they were discussing Lucie’s pet menagerie and chose not to be ignored. “That’s Midnight. She and Ladybug live inside, as do the rabbits, whose hutch is in one of the guest rooms. My border collie mix, Pita, wanders in and out. Sometimes she stays outside with Fred and Ethel and sometimes she stays in Ethan’s room.”

  Caleb needed a chart for all of her animals. “How do you keep track of everything?”

  Lucie crooked her finger and he followed her into the kitchen, where she opened the pantry and pulled out a can of cat food. “I love them, so it’s become second nature to me. I can only guess what you must think of the chaos that has become my life.”

  Chaos. That was one description of her life, but happiness radiated from her as she dumped the contents into Midnight’s dish. The cat curled its lithe body around Lucie’s feet in appreciation.

  While Caleb had been away, Lucie had gone from the town sweetheart to the town pariah who housed unwanted animals while starting a business to support this household. In that same time, Caleb had gone from the town no-name whose surgery sidelined him to the town hero who worked around the clock to make sure he was never without sufficient eggs in different baskets.

  He couldn’t help but wonder if Lucie had gained more.

  “It suits you.” The two times he’d visited this house in the distant past, it had been exactly that—a house. A cold residence with impeccable interior design highlighting good bones.