Rick touched the scars on his chest and sides and then turned to see the big one that had made him have to relearn the art of walking. “No woman would ever want something that looks like this,” he muttered.

His team had accomplished the mission and had made it to the helicopter, all of them running full-out with gunfire behind them when he’d heard a click. He hadn’t had time to make a decision about whether to take another step or not. The next thing he knew he was flying through the air.

Two of his friends grabbed him under the arms and pulled him into the chopper, and then it was lights-out. When he woke up, he knew he wasn’t dead because it hurt too much. His best friend had slept in a chair beside him, and when Rick groaned, he awoke with a start and ran for a nurse. The good news was that he was alive. The bad was that he’d spend several months in rehab and he’d never be fit for active duty again.

Cricket’s loud voice startled him from the past into reality when she yelled from the living room. “You better get a move on. You need to be at the library to get the bookmobile in exactly fifteen minutes.”

“Yes, sir, Sarge,” he called out.

“I’m cranky. Don’t get cute with me,” she hollered back.

He hurriedly threw on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. After he’d put on his athletic shoes, he grabbed the book he’d been reading. He shoved it down into a backpack with half a dozen bottles of water and the last half dozen peanut butter cookies Cricket had made a few days before.

“You good for the afternoon?” he asked.

“Might as well be. I can’t do anything but sit here. I’m just glad it’s summer and Elaine can get high school girls to pick up my shifts. She’s called twice this morning already to check on me and ask if we needed anything.”

“That’s great. Keep the ice regimen going, and remember to take the pain meds like the doctor said. Jennie Sue will be here this evening, so you’ll have some company then.”

He heard her grumbling on his way out.

He drove straight to the library and got the keys, then headed north up to Roby. Fifteen minutes later he arrived at the school parking lot to find several folks already waiting for him. When Rick was sixteen, the big news in the area had been about the forty-two people who each put a ten-dollar bill in a pot to buy lottery tickets. They’d won a forty-six-million-dollar pot and split it, making several citizens of Roby instant millionaires.

“Hey.” Claud Brewer stepped inside the second that Rick opened the door. “I heard that your sister done broke her leg, and you hired an old girlfriend to come help out on the farm. Any truth in that?”

“She sprained her ankle, and Jennie Sue Baker agreed to help out since Cricket is her friend.” He’d have probably fainted like a girl if Cricket had made that drastic of a change in her actual opinion of Jennie Sue. “Been hot enough for you?” He tried to change the subject.

“That’s Dill Baker’s daughter, right? The one that married that fancy feller from New York a few years ago?”

“Yep, but she’s been divorced for a while now.” Rick made another stab at changing the conversation. “I brought the last two John Grisham books with you in mind today.”

Claud put his two return books in the bin right inside the door. “I heard he took off with another woman, and the gover’ment is hot on his tail. And I’ll take both of the books you brought. Too hot to be outside these days, and my wife yammers about it if I try to cook. Says I mess up too many dishes.”

“You like to cook?” Rick found the books for him and had him sign the cards in the back.

“Naw, I just like to piss my wife off.” Claud winked. “Retirement isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. I work on keepin’ her blood pressure up. I figure pissin’ her off is savin’ her life. You might remember that when you get old and that young filly you are seein’ down there in Bloom needs a little help with her blood pressure.”

Yeah, like that would ever happen. Rick sighed. She’s way too beautiful to ever look at me in any way but as a friend.

“Evenin’, Cricket. Are you bored to death?” Jennie Sue passed through the living room without stopping.

“You don’t know the half of it. What is that in your hands?” Cricket groaned.

“Italian bread. I’ll make it out into a loaf and let it rise again while I get things prepped for supper.”

“What’s your angle, Jennie Sue? My brother is off-limits, if that’s it.” Cricket’s tone was edgy.

“I’m sure your brother can do better than a divorced woman who’s the talk of the town right now. Why don’t you get Rick to drive you into town tomorrow morning and spend the day with me at the bookstore? Folks are comin’ in and out all day. There’s a recliner back in the office that I can push into the seating area. We can keep up with your ice packs, and it wouldn’t be any different than sitting here.”

Jennie Sue immediately wished that she could take the words and shove them back into her mouth. Putting up with Cricket all day would be as bad or worse than spending hours with Charlotte. The only difference would be that Cricket wouldn’t tell Jennie Sue that she was ten pounds overweight.

Cricket hesitated long enough to leave no doubt in Jennie Sue’s mind that she was weighing the pros and cons. She’d have to spend the day with someone she didn’t like, but she’d get to be in the middle of things, and folks would drop in to visit when they learned she was there.

Rick poked his head door. “You fit to live with, Cricket?”

“No, I’m even crankier than I was this morning, and now I’m hungry on top of it,” she answered.

“Supper will take care of that.” Jennie Sue set a cast-iron skillet and a steamer pot onto the stove.

Rick followed Jennie Sue into the kitchen. “Looks like we’ve got maybe two hours’ worth of harvesting to do after supper. That’ll give me plenty to do my Tuesday deliveries around town. What’s for supper? Can I help with anything?”

“Alfredo, steamed vegetables, salad, and fresh bread. This won’t take but forty-five minutes to get ready. I’m used to working alone,” she said.

“Sounds great,” Rick said. “If I can’t help, I’m going out to the watermelon field and finding a dozen nice ones for my deliveries in the morning. Cricket, you want me to help you out on the back porch so you can get some fresh air?”

“I’ll just stay put,” Cricket said. “I’m going into town tomorrow and spending the day at the bookstore. Jennie Sue invited me.”

“Thank you,” Rick mouthed as he closed the door behind him.

“You might want to call Nadine and Lettie and let them know your plans. They were planning on driving out here tomorrow afternoon to bring you the news.” Jennie Sue turned around so she could see Cricket.

Cricket’s whole expression perked up. “News about what?”

“I have no idea, but they were going to take notes so they didn’t forget anything.” Jennie Sue shaped the bread dough into a long loaf, cut a couple of slits on the top, and then boned out three chicken breasts.

She peeked around the edge of the refrigerator to see Cricket with her phone to her ear, and, sure enough, the woman looked happy.

Chapter Ten

Amos strutted around like a little rooster in the store. According to him, the place hadn’t been this busy since Iris had passed away. He didn’t seem to care that most folks weren’t buying a book but rather spending time visiting with Cricket.

“Look at her over there holdin’ court,” he said.

“She does look happy.” Jennie Sue was glad that folks didn’t want to talk to or about her. “And I’m gettin’ a lot of work done.”

“Store is beginnin’ to look like it did when Iris was here,” Amos said. “I love it, but I just don’t have the know-how to do what she did.”

“I can understand that, but, Amos, I was serious when I told y’all that this is temporary. I need to get busy on résumés next week, and I hope to be gone by fall.” She ducked around the end of the next row of shelves and started working on that section.