“Yes, Harvey.” She introduced the older man to Liam. “Harvey McGinty, this is Liam Manning. Liam, Harvey McGinty. Harvey and his brother Gary, who’s in the control room now, run this radio station. Their voices are well known to the people of Bees Creek Township. The McGintys were original settlers of this area in the late 1700s.”
Liam shook Harvey’s hand. “Impressive. So you’re sort of an expert on broadcasting and this radio station?”
Harvey nodded. “Inside out and upside down.”
“Would you mind if I asked you a few questions, Mr. McGinty?”
“I suppose not.”
Liam looked to Jude for approval. Her nod was not really a vote of confidence, but she didn’t deny his request. “I’ll just stick around and listen,” she said.
“How long has this radio station been operational?” Liam asked.
“’Bout three years, isn’t that right, Jude? We couldn’t have gone on the air if it hadn’t been for the foundation. Jude has helped us out from day one. She gave us the start-up money to get WOIH running.”
“How big a staff do you have?” Liam asked.
“Just me and my brother. We don’t broadcast on the weekends, and Monday through Friday we’re on air from seven in the morning until five in the afternoon.”
The logistics of what he was hearing was enough to make Liam question the existence of the station. Even a radio broadcast this size must have considerable expenses. Licensing fees, connectivity and electrical charges, professional association fees. And that wasn’t taking into account the salaries of the McGintys. Who knew what they were making?
Liam lightly took Jude’s elbow. “Can I speak to you outside, Jude?”
“I guess.” She didn’t look happy with the prospect. Maybe she knew she couldn’t defend the expenses required to keep Harvey and Gary in business. She led the way outside and stopped between her pickup and Liam’s car.
“What’s the matter now?” she asked.
“I’m not sure yet,” Liam said. “But for some reason I’m determined to help you sort out the financial difficulties you’re having with the foundation.”
“I thought I made it clear that I don’t need your help.”
“You did. But you need help from someone, even if it’s not me. Money is trickling out of your bank account at an alarming rate. Don’t you want to be made aware of ways in which it may be misspent?”
Her face softened, as if she were considering the obvious logic of his question. But she didn’t back down. “I suppose you’re going to tell me that the radio station is a worthless drain on the foundation’s budget.” Her tone dared him to agree.
“I’d like to ask some questions,” he said. “Like, for instance, what is the purpose of the station? What are Harvey, Gary and apparently you hoping to accomplish with your limited time on air? How many people exactly are affected by the broadcast?”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “I doubt you’ll understand my answers to your questions, but I’ll try. Bees Creek is a rural farming community, Liam. People work hard. They don’t have time to watch the networks sunup to sundown to get information. Too many radio stations in this country today have become talking-head ego boosts or all-music venues.
“Besides that,” she continued, “when’s the last time any of the major AM stations gave news that mattered to the people of this area? For that matter, how many AM stations even exist any longer?”
Sure, her arguments had merit, but broadcasting had changed to adapt to the times and unfortunately made something like WOIH obsolete. “And why do you think that is, Jude? AM radio has outlived its usefulness. People don’t need the Dog Gone Bulletin anymore.”
Her face transformed, and he wished he’d used a different example. He reminded himself that everything about the foundation was intensely personal to Jude. “I’m not saying it’s not helpful to be able to go on the air and assist folks find their lost pets, but there are more efficient ways to do that. The internet, for example.”
“Listen to you, Liam. You seem to have forgotten that much of the population of this part of Ohio, and other rural areas in the nation, hasn’t yet caught up to you executives in your chrome and glass downtown offices. The people of Bees Creek who own computers probably use them to keep in touch with family and to check corn and stock prices, which, by the way, is another service Harvey and Gary provide. Some of the farmers in Bees Creek wouldn’t know when to take their corn to market if it weren’t for WOIH.”
“So, what does it cost to run the station? Are you making any money?”
“There it is again,” she snapped. “Always about the bottom line.”
“Is that so hard to accept? That’s where I can help.” He lowered his voice to what he hoped was a more soothing tone. “Are you making any money?”
“We will,” she said. “It’s only been three years. We’ve signed up three new advertisers this year.”
“All of whom are local and got a great price from Harv or Gar, along with a promise of being lauded on the air,” he said.
She didn’t disagree.
“One more question,” Liam said. “Whose idea was WOIH? Who sent in the proposal to the foundation?”
She paused before answering. The toe of her boot kicked up a small whirl of dust. “Harvey and Gary,” she finally said. “And I know you’re going to read something into that.”
“Jude...” He wanted to point out all the ways he’d investigate the station, but he knew this project was too close to her heart. After all, she came here every Wednesday just to read a calendar and talk about lost dogs. “I’m sure the guys do a service to some of the people who live around here.”
“They do!”
“Okay, I get that. What did the brothers do for a living before starting the station?”
In the last couple of minutes, some of the fight had gone out of her features. “They were having employment problems,” she said softly. “Neither one could get a good job.”
“Ah.” He waited, staring into eyes that were such a liquid, iridescent blue that looking into them, he wasn’t sure he could organize his thoughts the way he wanted to. There was something about Jude O’Leary. Something that went beyond the tragedy of her life. She was tough. She was strong on the outside. But deep down she was also about the most fragile person he’d ever met. “I get it,” he said softly. “You wanted to help them.”
“It’s not all about me helping them. Paul would have wanted me to. The McGinty brothers have known Paul’s family for generations. They fell on hard times. The station seemed like a good idea. Gary used to be in broadcasting on a small scale.” She blinked hard. “I know Paul would have wanted to give them a hand, and ultimately it’s his foundation.”
He nodded. “I know.”
She smiled then, and the gloom of the last minutes seemed to vanish. “Maybe I do need help,” she said. “Maybe you are just a nice guy who happened into my life to give the foundation a hand.”
He touched her arm, a natural gesture that suddenly felt right. For that moment, she seemed so uncertain, confused, and he wanted more than anything to be the one to rescue her.
“Here’s what I can offer you, Jude. I’m your man, financially speaking, if you’ll have me. I promise to try to be more understanding. I really do know what I’m doing. All you have to do is...”
She appeared uncertain, like she was going to turn him down.
“...give me a chance,” he finished anyway.
And then she completely surprised him. “I guess I could.” She looked up into his eyes. “You really will try to understand, right?”
The question made her seem as if she’d trusted before, and her faith had disappointed her. A stab of guilt shot through him. He’d made a deal with her father, even though he hadn’t been comfortable doing it. Liam did
n’t like keeping secrets. He didn’t even like knowing any.
And yet here he was, working undercover for Dr. Foster. But why should he feel guilty? Foster was a famously well-intentioned father, and Liam was an expert with numbers. The foundation, and Jude, would benefit from his advice. He would help Jude. He would satisfy Dr. Foster. These weren’t rationalizations. They were facts. And once the foundation was on more solid footing, just maybe this normally strong, determined woman would accept an invitation for dinner.
An unexpected breeze kicked up from the woods behind the station. Strands of Jude’s hair tickled Liam’s nose. Where had the dinner idea come from? Most likely she wouldn’t go out on a date with him. How could he forget that she loved another man?
“I’ll stop by Friday night if that’s okay,” he said.
“Do you like stew?”
He smiled. “Probably not if it’s made from goat meat.”
Her laughter, soft and sweet, went straight to his heart.
CHAPTER SEVEN
FRIDAY SEEMED TO DRAG, even though Jude filled her hours with housecleaning, stew preparation and imagining Liam Manning in her living room. He would be the only man in five years who was even close to her age who would share this space with her. By three o’clock, she’d picked up her son at the bus stop and brought him into a home scented with beef and potatoes and an assortment of other veggies that she’d added to her Crock-Pot.
“What’s going on, Mom?” he’d asked her as he sniffed the air. “Is it a holiday or something?”
Poor kid. She wasn’t a great cook and much preferred taking her son to her father’s house where the food was always carefully prepared by Rosie.
“No, not a holiday, but we are having company,” she’d told him. “Liam is coming over.”
“Oh, wow, that’s great!”
Wesley had brought up Liam’s name several times since Monday. When was he coming back? How did he know so much about constellations? It seemed the man had a way of working himself into both of the O’Learys’s agendas.
Liam had called her that morning to say that he’d come directly to her house after he got off work at five. That gave her a little time to try and get the foundation’s books in order. She didn’t want to come across as unprepared in addition to incompetent.
She’d just begun that impossible chore when her cell phone rang. The digital readout said “Carrie.” She put down her pencil and connected.
She discovered that Carrie had been sent to a lake near Ann Arbor where they’d been getting some troublesome data concerning the water at the shoreline affecting roots of the native birch trees. Carrie attributed the problem to runoff of insecticides left from the summer season. Jude listened patiently, though she was just pleased that Carrie was feeling well and healthy.
After talk of trees and Wesley, Carrie said, “Have you seen Liam Manning again?”
Jude swallowed at the unexpected question. “Why would you ask that? I told you he only paid attention to me so I wouldn’t feel like a wallflower. And that was thanks to Dad.”
“Just wishful thinking, maybe,” Carrie said. “I remember how cute you looked dancing with him, and I haven’t seen you dance with a guy since Burton Hollis had that hayride two years ago. And then there were those few minutes when both you and Liam were missing and no one knew where you were.”
Jude sighed. “We’d been talking about the foundation, you know that. But to be totally honest, you’re not completely off base with your wishful thinking.”
“I knew it! Tell me. What’s going on?”
“Now, don’t read anything into this,” Jude said, “but he tracked me down on Wednesday. Seems we’ve got past that argument we sort of had about my philosophy and his expertise.”
“I remember,” Carrie said. “Not a smooth move, sis, especially if I’m right that he wasn’t interested in the foundation. Can’t you recognize a ploy when you hear one? He was interested in you. I swear, Jude, you are the most clueless woman I’ve ever known.”
“I’m not clueless! Not this time anyway. Liam is some hotshot financial whiz, and he truly was here to talk about ways to save money for the foundation.”
Carrie chuckled. “So, just out of the blue, this gorgeous guy decides to come out to Dancing Falls and do his good deed for the day? I don’t think so, honey. This guy has an ulterior motive, and I believe you’re it.”
Carrie’s assessment made Jude wonder if this could be true. Not about her being his ulterior motive, but maybe he did have one. It certainly didn’t make any sense for a man like Liam, a man who was busy and successful, to suddenly find time for a small foundation run by a grief-stricken widow. Just as Carrie Foster had always looked for ulterior motives, Jude had always been too trusting—lesson learned the hard way when Paul talked her into trusting him. But where Paul’s foundation was concerned, she’d tried to be more careful. She had a lot to make up for because of the ungenerous thoughts she’d had when Paul joined the army.
Maybe she’d been blindsided by Liam, by his charm, his manners, the way he made promises and told her everything would be all right. Heck, admit it, Jude, you were partly blindsided by his good looks.
“All you need to do is show Liam a bit of encouragement, and who knows what can happen?” Carrie continued. “Maybe you’ll end up putting on a dress and going out to dinner sometime.”
Or maybe I’ll discover that Liam Manning is a first-class con man who has enough knowledge of figures and spreadsheets to take advantage of an inexperienced country girl who is only trying to keep her husband’s memory alive. Jude decided that Liam deserved close watching. He might very well be a card-carrying member of Carrie’s ulterior motive crowd, and not in a good way.
“We’ll see if any of your theories are correct,” Jude said. “Liam is coming over tonight to talk foundation business.”
“Wonderful. Will Wesley be home?”
“Naturally. He does live here.”
“Okay, you can work around that. Oh, by the way, what does Liam think of Wesley? I can’t imagine he doesn’t adore the greatest nephew in the world.”
Jude laughed. “We are all slightly prejudiced, but yes, I think Liam likes Wesley, and Wes is gaga over his new friend.”
“Great. Put on something nice, and for heaven’s sake, Jude, give Liam a break. He already took the first step. All you have to do is isolate whatever quality it is that makes goats, horses and chickens love you so much and apply it to a human male.”
Jude started to protest, but Carrie didn’t let her.
“You’ve been alone too long, Jude. Maybe Liam isn’t the one for you, but you have to start somewhere. I’ve got to run, but I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Okay. Stay well,” Jude said.
“I’ll stay well, and you try to be happy.”
Jude disconnected and sank down into her comfy sofa. What was she going to do? She had to admit that she was looking forward to seeing Liam. Her mind kept replaying his kindness at the radio station. Now she wondered if she weren’t being taken for a ride by a guy who preyed on hapless females, especially ones who had money at their disposal but didn’t know how to use it wisely.
“You won’t get away with it, Liam,” she said aloud. She considered calling him and canceling, but decided against it. She might catch him in a mistake, and then he’d understand just how determined she could be when her world was threatened. Jude might be too trusting, but that was partly because she was nearly fearless. Her mother always told her that was a combustible combination. She wasn’t afraid of unleashing some of that fiery Foster temper her father teased her about when it was deserved, and she wasn’t afraid of Liam Manning.
* * *
LIAM ARRIVED AT 6:00 P.M., exactly when he’d said he would. Wesley had been waiting at the front door, his eyes peeled to the gravel lot be
low. “He’s here,” Wesley shouted when Liam’s car pulled up. With unprecedented enthusiasm, he opened the door and waited for Liam to climb the stairs.
“Hi, Liam!”
“Hi there, Wes.”
Jude had a sudden flashback to the wedding when Liam was wearing a three-piece black suit. He’d caught her eye that night and did so again in his work attire, a much simpler two-piece suit and white shirt with a gray-and-black tie, which he’d loosened at the collar. The man did fill out a suit admirably, she thought. He had a shopping bag from a local bookstore in his hand.
“What’s that?” Wesley asked with a kid’s curiosity about any mysterious bag.
“Something for you,” Liam said. “Ask your mom if you can see what it is.” He smiled at Jude, and a quick spurt of warmth spread to her abdomen.
“Can I take your coat?” she asked.
“Sure.” He shrugged out of the jacket and she hung it on the hook by her front door. “I think I’ll take off the tie, too.”
He did more than that. He rolled up his sleeves as if he were preparing for something really important—a total rehab of Jude’s books perhaps.
“Mom, the bag,” Wesley said. “Can I look inside?”
“Yes, you may, but remember your manners.”
“Thanks, Liam,” Wes said, taking the bag and sitting on the sofa. He pulled out a large book with the word astronomy across the top and pictures of celestial properties splashed in glowing colors underneath.
“It’s a book about constellations,” Wes said. “This is so cool.”
“It’s about more than constellations,” Liam said. “It’s about galaxies and suns and all sorts of stuff.”
Wesley spread the book across his lap. “Will you read it with me?”
“Absolutely. Just let me say hi to your mom.”
He crossed to the entrance to the kitchen, put his hand on Jude’s arm. “Something smells wonderful.”
This wasn’t the first time Jude had been touched by Liam, but each time left her a bit more breathless than the last. “Don’t let your imagination run away with you,” she said with as much nonchalance as she could muster. “I’ve been known to make dishes that smell like heaven and taste like much less. This could be one of them.”
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