Hometown Hope

by Laurel Blount

  Trisha’s voice grew shriller with every sentence. The people milling around in the street stopped to listen. Anna wished she could sink through the pavement and disappear.

  “Calm down, Trish.” Hoyt reclaimed Anna’s arm in a reassuring grip. “Getting all upset isn’t going to help anything. You need to think about your baby.”

  Trisha’s hand went protectively over her belly. “Believe me, I am thinking about him. He’ll be going to college on your dime, Anna Delaney, I’ll tell you that! I’m suing you. I’ve already made an appointment with a lawyer. I hope you don’t have any plans for your insurance money, because you won’t be seeing a penny of it!”

  “Trisha—” Hoyt started, but that was as far as he got.

  “Patricia Denise Saunders, that is quite enough.” Mrs. Abercrombie elbowed her way through the crowd. She looked at them all sternly through the glasses perched on the end of her nose.

  Standing beside Hoyt with people staring and Mrs. Abercrombie frowning, Anna felt an unpleasant sense of high school déjà vu.

  “Nobody will know what started this fire until the investigation is completed, and Anna lost every bit as much as you did.” Mrs. Abercrombie spoke with her usual authority. “You should be sympathizing, not yelling at her on a public street. Now go into the café and sit down before you do yourself and that poor baby an injury.”

  “But—” Trisha prepared to launch a protest.

  “Go.”

  Trisha huffed, but Mrs. Abercrombie hadn’t lost her touch. After one more scathing glare in Anna’s direction, Trisha turned on her heel and headed toward the café.

  Mrs. Abercrombie waited until she was out of earshot before turning back to Anna. “Patricia has always had a tendency to overreact in a crisis. You mustn’t take it personally, Anna. Nobody holds you responsible for this.”

  The sympathetic murmur from the crowd made tears prickle in Anna’s eyes, but she had to be honest. “I’m afraid it is my fault, Mrs. Abercrombie. The wiring in my building—”

  “Was not installed by you.” Her former teacher finished the sentence. “And until we have all the information, we can’t be sure what the cause was. No sense borrowing trouble. Count your blessings, Anna. Even if it does turn out that the wiring was at fault, well...” Her teacher smiled and lifted up her Grounds of Faith cup. “Maybe you can share the money in the Rebuild the Bookstore fund with Patricia to help offset her losses.”

  Anna blinked. “Rebuild the Bookstore?”

  “Last I heard, the contributions were already in the thousands, and it’s only been a few hours. Bailey Quinn is spearheading it. The church café is helping out, too. They donated the coffee and some pastries. And that little daughter of yours, Hoyt,” Mrs. Abercrombie chuckled softly. “She can be quite persuasive. When she’d finished telling me about how that store had encouraged her love of reading...well, I had my checkbook out before I knew it.”

  “What?”

  “She told me you had a good owl book.” A woman spoke up from the crowd. “My grandson is all about owls now, too. Do you think you could order me a copy? I know you don’t have an actual store right now, but you can still order things, can’t you?”

  “I’d like a copy of that one, too.” Another woman elbowed her way to the front of the group. “And Jess told me they’re studying wolves next at day care. Do you think you could order some books on wolves? Maybe some beginning readers? My nephew is very advanced for his age.”

  “Wait a minute.” This time the urgency in Hoyt’s voice cut through the crowd’s babbling like a knife. “Did you say Jess told you that?”

  “Yes.”

  “She’s turned into quite the little fund-raiser, your daughter. She just talked me into buying a third cup of coffee,” the elderly church secretary, Arlene Marvin, said wryly. “And one of Emily Whitlock’s cinnamon buns. All that sugar and caffeine... I’m not going to sleep for a week. On the bright side, with all this energy, I might actually get Jacob’s office straightened up for once.”

  “Jess? Jess is the one talking to all of you?” The incredulous disbelief in Hoyt’s voice had Anna reaching out to give his arm a reassuring squeeze.

  “Yes.” Bailey Quinn approached them, her dark eyes sparkling with joy. “That’s what I was coming over to tell you, Hoyt. Jess has been talking to everybody. All morning long.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Two days later, Hoyt paced a bright, apple-decorated kindergarten classroom at Pine Valley Elementary. “Why’s Dr. Lee’s assessment taking so long? Ever since the fire, Jess has been talking nonstop to everybody. What do you think the problem is?”

  Anna was perched on a child-size red plastic chair, her injured foot propped up on a second one. “Try to calm down, Hoyt. I’m sure Mrs. Abercrombie will be back with good news in a few minutes.”

  He ran one hand through his hair and shot her an apologetic glance. “Sorry. And thanks again for coming with me. I know you’ve got your own stuff to deal with.”

  Since the night of the fire, Anna and Chester had been staying in Bailey’s spare bedroom. Right now she was wearing a blue shirt with daisies sprinkled all over it and khakis that didn’t quite fit her. Bailey and Emily Whitlock had given her clothes and other stuff, he knew. That was nice, but not having her own things still had to be hard for her.

  “I was glad to come.” Anna shifted her ankle slightly and winced. “And don’t apologize. Believe me, I understand how hard waiting can be when you’re anxious.”

  Anna was still waiting to find out the official cause of the bookstore fire. She hadn’t said much about it, but Hoyt could tell the suspense was stretching her nerves thin.

  He was in a nerve-stretching holding pattern of his own. Ever since he’d realized how he felt about Anna the night of the fire, he’d been trying to figure out the best way to share those feelings with Anna.

  So far, he’d come up with nothing that didn’t sound stupid, even to him. And one thing was for sure, sounding dumb definitely wasn’t going to work in his favor with Anna Delaney.

  He needed to get this right. He figured it was unlikely Anna would feel the same way he did, but there was no way he was walking away from this now without giving it his very best shot. And he didn’t need Anna all keyed up and distracted when he made his pitch.

  He pulled out his phone. “I’ll call the fire chief again and see if the investigator has turned in his report yet.” Before he could find the number, the classroom door opened.

  “Well, now.” Mrs. Abercrombie came briskly into the room and shut the door behind herself. “The assessment’s completed.”

  “And?” Hoyt froze in front of windows spattered with red apple decals, staring at his former teacher, the phone forgotten in his hand.

  “And I must say, Pine Valley is truly blessed to have such fine people working in our schools. Do you know, nobody made the slightest murmur about coming in for this evaluation during their summer vacation? Not one. It warms my heart to see that sort of dedication among our educators, it really does.”

  “Yeah. Me, too.” Hoyt swallowed hard. “So how did it go? And where’s Jess?”

  “Jess is fine. I asked Dr. Lee to take her to the playground for a few minutes so that you and I could chat privately.”

  Hoyt frowned. That didn’t sound promising. “What’s wrong? Wouldn’t Jess talk during the assessment?”

  “Oh, yes, she spoke to us, and Dr. Lee saw no reason to think that Jess will stop talking again. But after a careful evaluation, we do have some suggestions about Jess’s placement that we wanted to discuss with you. The kindergarten teacher she’s been assigned to is quite concerned—”

  Hoyt’s heart fell. He opened his mouth to cut in, but Anna beat him to it. She’d managed to get herself to a standing position, and she was leveling a hard look at their former teacher. “Wait just a minute, Mrs. Abercrombie. There’s abso
lutely nothing for the kindergarten teacher to be concerned about!”

  “Anna,” Mrs. Abercrombie began, but Anna interrupted her.

  “You and I both know that Jess Bradley is a very bright little girl. In fact, she’s already a fluent reader, and she’s incredibly creative. And her vocabulary! It’s amazing for a child her age.” Anna ticked his daughter’s strengths off on her fingers. “Even if Jess stopped talking again tomorrow, any teacher worth her salt should consider herself fortunate to have a student like that join her classroom!”

  Whoa. Hoyt realized his mouth was still hanging open. He shut it. He couldn’t have said that better himself, so he might as well stay quiet and see what happened next.

  He had no idea what that would be. Anna Delaney was going toe to toe with Mabel Abercrombie. This was like watching Robin take on Batman, except it was the battle of the brains.

  Somebody should have sold tickets.

  Mrs. Abercrombie waited, one eyebrow arched. “Are you quite finished, Miss Delaney?”

  Anna wasn’t giving an inch. She raised an eyebrow right back. “With all due respect, that very much depends on what you say next, Mrs. Abercrombie.”

  Hoyt couldn’t take his eyes off Anna. She was leaning forward, her green eyes glittering like an angry lioness protecting her cub.

  And all this was for his Jess.

  A flood of emotions rose up and swamped him, until he felt like a rowboat caught in a hurricane. It was a good thing Anna was handling the talking right now. He didn’t think he could have said a word.

  Mrs. Abercrombie shook her head. “And I thought Hoyt here was going to be my problem. Believe me, my dear, everyone at that meeting truly wants the very best possible education for Jess. But—” she held up a warning finger “—please don’t interrupt me again—the kindergarten teacher expressed concerns that Jess is going to be bored.” The older woman’s eyes twinkled behind her glasses. “After all, during our assessment we discovered that the child is already reading at a fifth-grade level. I doubt she’ll find learning the alphabet particularly interesting.”

  That got Hoyt’s attention. “What?”

  “It’s quite extraordinary, really. And unprecedented. Pine Valley Elementary School hasn’t had such an advanced beginning student since...” The former teacher smiled and nodded in Anna’s direction. “Well, you, my dear. If I recall correctly, when you began kindergarten, you were reading quite fluently, as well.”

  “But at a third-grade level,” Anna supplied with a smile. She turned to Hoyt. “This is amazing news, Hoyt!”

  “Hold on a minute.” His bewildered brain was struggling to catch up. “Mrs. A., are you saying my Jess is smarter than Anna?”

  “No, of course not. All I’m saying right now is that your daughter’s reading level is higher than Anna’s was at that age. It’s simply a very interesting observation.”

  Interesting, maybe, but there was nothing simple about any of this. “I need to sit down.” Hoyt fumbled behind him for one of the tiny red plastic seats.

  “Don’t sit on that.” Mrs. Abercrombie quickly wheeled the teacher’s chair around the desk. “It would never hold you. Sit here.”

  Hoyt sank onto the squeaking chair, massaging his forehead with one sweaty hand. “Reading at a fifth-grade level,” he muttered. “My Jess.”

  “That’s why the assessment team is recommending that Jess enter our new Challenge program. She’ll be in the regular kindergarten classroom half the day. The other half, she’ll be pulled out for enrichment activities more suitable to her personal academic level. I assume you’re agreeable to this arrangement?”

  Hoyt managed a nod. “Yeah, I guess so.”

  “Good. Now, I’ll go get the forms you’ll need to sign.”

  “I’m sorry if I seemed rude, Mrs. Abercrombie.” Anna spoke up quickly. “I should have listened to everything you had to say before I got upset.”

  “That’s quite all right, my dear. I understand. And if I may say so, you’re very blessed, Hoyt, to have Anna here helping you advocate for Jess.” The older woman smiled. “She’ll be able to empathize with so many of the challenges Jess may encounter. I have a feeling she’s going to be a valuable resource for both you and your daughter going forward.”

  After Mrs. Abercrombie left the room, Anna took a quick step in his direction. For a second he thought she was about to hug him, but then she stopped awkwardly. “Hoyt, this is wonderful news! I think Jess is going to love being in the enrichment program, and—” She paused and frowned. “What are you doing?”

  “Making that call to the fire chief.”

  “Don’t worry about that right now! I can wait.”

  “I can’t.” That almost-hug had decided it for him. He wasn’t waiting any longer to get things settled between them, and Anna was going to need to know where she stood with the fire investigation before she’d be ready to listen to what he had to say. “Tim? It’s Hoyt. What’s the news on the bookstore fire? Has the investigator gotten back to you? Okay, good. No, just give me the gist.”

  He listened, watching Anna’s expression tense as she searched his face for clues. “Got it. Thanks.” He disconnected the call and smiled. “The fire wasn’t your fault.”

  Anna drew in a sharp breath. “Are they sure, Hoyt? If it wasn’t the wiring, what on earth happened?”

  “Trisha’s new cooler happened. Apparently her husband goofed up when he was installing it, and the motor overheated.”

  “The fire was Trisha’s fault?”

  “It looks that way.”

  “Oh, my! That’s such a relief. For me, anyway. I can’t imagine Trisha’s going to be happy about this. I really hope it doesn’t affect her pregnancy. I remember the professor in my Human Growth and Development class saying once that—”

  She’d started talking about professors and classes. If he didn’t head her off fast, she’d be quoting books and this whole conversation he was trying to have would be derailed before it even got started.

  “Anna, Mrs. Abercrombie will be coming back with those forms in a few minutes, and I really need to ask you a question before she does.”

  Anna stopped in midsentence and blinked at him. “Okay. Sure. What is it?”

  “Do you want to stay in Pine Valley and rebuild the bookstore? I need to know.”

  There was a brief silence, heavy with all the things that had hung between them since the fire.

  Then, “Why?” Anna asked finally. “Why do you need to know, Hoyt?”

  He should’ve known Anna wouldn’t make this easy on him. “I think maybe you know why.”

  “I think maybe you need to tell me.”

  Hoyt rose and walked toward the big windows. “On second thought, maybe we shouldn’t have this talk here,” he muttered. “Schools always make me squirrelly.”

  “You’re in a kindergarten classroom, Hoyt.” Wry frustration rippled in Anna’s voice. “If five-year-olds can handle being here, I’m pretty sure you can.”

  In spite of the nerves jostling around in his gut, Hoyt chuckled.

  Man, he loved that about Anna Delaney. She didn’t hand out sympathy like breath mints. Try to sneak something by Anna, and she’d just shoot you an annoyed look and throw a flag on the play.

  But underneath all that, down deep where it really counted, she had one of the best and truest hearts he’d ever known.

  “Okay, then. Have it your way. We’ll do this right here, right now.” He crossed the room to where she was standing. He held out his hands, and after a second she put her fingers in his. “Listen to me, Anna. I can rebuild that bookstore for you, a lot better than it ever was.” He paused, but in fairness to her, he had to paint the whole picture. “Or, you could take the insurance money and go back to college, if that’s what you’d rather do. It’s your choice. But I need to know. What do you really want?”

 
He was so keyed up waiting for her answer that it felt like forever before she whispered, “I don’t know.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “Well, those are three words I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say before.”

  The gibe worked. A flash of the old Annatude flickered in her eyes. “Not funny, Bradley. And anyway, you’re not playing fair. That’s an impossible question for somebody to answer on the spur of the moment.”

  “I think it’s a very simple question.”

  “Oh, you do, do you? Well, then tell me this. What do you really want?”

  He didn’t respond right away. He couldn’t, not with those green eyes fastened onto his. A man could lose himself in Anna’s eyes if he wasn’t careful.

  Hoyt had never been all that good at being careful.

  “See there?” Anna made an attempt at a laugh. “You don’t know, either.”

  “Oh, yes, I do. This.” He leaned forward and cupped a hand under her cheek. Her eyes widened. “I want this.”

  And he kissed her.

  When he lifted his mouth from hers, her eyes fluttered open again, and he saw he’d been wrong all along.

  Anna’s eyes were a whole different shade than he’d always thought. They weren’t ice green at all. They were the green of tropical oceans, of warm and gentle places that he’d always wanted to see for himself but never actually had. Places where people went to be together and alone all at the same time.

  Honeymoon-type places.

  “Wh-why?” She had some trouble getting her question out. He understood. His own pulse wouldn’t have been jumping any harder if he’d been balancing himself on a steel beam a hundred feet up in the air.

  On one foot.

  So this was it. His do-it-right-or-die-trying moment. He’d fumbled more than his share of these.

  Please, God. This is serious stuff right here. Let me get it right this time. Let me say the right things, the sweet things, the things a man should tell the woman he loves at a time like this.