respect, showed interest in whatever they did, and in return they gave him respect back. By the time they'd finished walking the street, her anger had cooled, and Lacy decided not to kill him. If she could just put up with him for a month, folks might be a lot friendlier toward her.
She could almost see the future, everyone stopping by to ask how Walker was doing, talking about how much they enjoyed meeting him and asking when he'd be coming back. Of course then she'd have to look sad and tell them she didn't know.
Several times Walker offered his arm to her, which she accepted awkwardly at first, but she grew used to him standing next to her. He switched sides from time to time, always putting his body nearer the street. He also had a habit of brushing his hand over hers when he was talking to someone and not even looking at her. Lacy guessed he checked to make sure she was still there.
They walked back to the print shop and relieved Duncan so he could go home for lunch. The other employee, Eli, as he often did when the temperature dropped, hadn't bothered to show up. The old printer was a thin man the weather seemed to pass right through. He complained of the heat all summer and the cold all winter.
Jay Boy reported in and collected the last stack of papers. He said sales were going great for some reason; even the church ladies bought a few copies. Lacy told him to head on home when he ran out of papers; his mother would be needing him to do chores.
When Lacy finally thought to introduce him to her husband, Walker stood and offered his hand as if Jay Boy were a full-grown man.
To her shock, Walker asked for a favor. "It seems I bought way too many vegetables without realizing Lacy has no root cellar. Do you think your mom would be willing to take some off my hands? I'd really appreciate it."
Jay Boy nodded, looking at the bag. "She can make a great soup with all this."
When he'd left, Lacy faced Walker. "That was nice of you."
"He's a hard worker."
"That he is." Lacy felt awkward, suddenly aware that she was once more alone with this strange man. "I've work to do." She turned and went into her office, thankful that he didn't follow. "I have friends I usually visit on Saturday, but they won't be expecting me if the weather gets worse," she commented over her shoulder.
"Will they mind if I come along?" he asked as he leaned against the doorjamb.
Lacy thought of Carter, who never welcomed strangers, and wondered if the big, silent man would let Walker on his property. Even after being married to her friend Bailee for almost five years, Lacy still wasn't completely comfortable around the man. He watched everyone as if trying to figure out when they might try to kill him. The only person he thawed around was his wife. Lacy had seen it from the first: Bailee centered Carter's world, and the strange thing was, he did the same thing for her.
"They'll let you in," Lacy finally remembered Walker waited for an answer. "But I wouldn't make any quick moves around Carter. He doesn't warm easily to strangers."
"How long did he take to relax around you?"
Lacy smiled. "I'm still waiting."
Walker's frown almost made her laugh.
As the afternoon passed, she glanced through the open door of her office to see him sitting on a stool pulled up to the counter. After watching her a few times, he started taking ad orders without calling for her when someone walked in. She had no idea if he knew what he was doing, but he couldn't be any worse than Duncan, who left out every other word.
The folks who came stayed longer to talk than they usually did, but Lacy noticed that Walker's strength lay in encouraging them, not in talking himself.
By midafternoon, snow began to fall, and all traffic vanished. Walker stoked the stove and bent over old issues of the paper as if finding them fascinating. When she walked out of her office, she noticed he had removed his coat and looked totally relaxed. A huge pile of wood had been stacked by the
She could almost see the future, everyone stopping by to ask how Walker was doing, talking about how much they enjoyed meeting him and asking when he'd be coming back. Of course then she'd have to look sad and tell them she didn't know.
Several times Walker offered his arm to her, which she accepted awkwardly at first, but she grew used to him standing next to her. He switched sides from time to time, always putting his body nearer the street. He also had a habit of brushing his hand over hers when he was talking to someone and not even looking at her. Lacy guessed he checked to make sure she was still there.
They walked back to the print shop and relieved Duncan so he could go home for lunch. The other employee, Eli, as he often did when the temperature dropped, hadn't bothered to show up. The old printer was a thin man the weather seemed to pass right through. He complained of the heat all summer and the cold all winter.
Jay Boy reported in and collected the last stack of papers. He said sales were going great for some reason; even the church ladies bought a few copies. Lacy told him to head on home when he ran out of papers; his mother would be needing him to do chores.
When Lacy finally thought to introduce him to her husband, Walker stood and offered his hand as if Jay Boy were a full-grown man.
To her shock, Walker asked for a favor. "It seems I bought way too many vegetables without realizing Lacy has no root cellar. Do you think your mom would be willing to take some off my hands? I'd really appreciate it."
Jay Boy nodded, looking at the bag. "She can make a great soup with all this."
When he'd left, Lacy faced Walker. "That was nice of you."
"He's a hard worker."
"That he is." Lacy felt awkward, suddenly aware that she was once more alone with this strange man. "I've work to do." She turned and went into her office, thankful that he didn't follow. "I have friends I usually visit on Saturday, but they won't be expecting me if the weather gets worse," she commented over her shoulder.
"Will they mind if I come along?" he asked as he leaned against the doorjamb.
Lacy thought of Carter, who never welcomed strangers, and wondered if the big, silent man would let Walker on his property. Even after being married to her friend Bailee for almost five years, Lacy still wasn't completely comfortable around the man. He watched everyone as if trying to figure out when they might try to kill him. The only person he thawed around was his wife. Lacy had seen it from the first: Bailee centered Carter's world, and the strange thing was, he did the same thing for her.
"They'll let you in," Lacy finally remembered Walker waited for an answer. "But I wouldn't make any quick moves around Carter. He doesn't warm easily to strangers."
"How long did he take to relax around you?"
Lacy smiled. "I'm still waiting."
Walker's frown almost made her laugh.
As the afternoon passed, she glanced through the open door of her office to see him sitting on a stool pulled up to the counter. After watching her a few times, he started taking ad orders without calling for her when someone walked in. She had no idea if he knew what he was doing, but he couldn't be any worse than Duncan, who left out every other word.
The folks who came stayed longer to talk than they usually did, but Lacy noticed that Walker's strength lay in encouraging them, not in talking himself.
By midafternoon, snow began to fall, and all traffic vanished. Walker stoked the stove and bent over old issues of the paper as if finding them fascinating. When she walked out of her office, she noticed he had removed his coat and looked totally relaxed. A huge pile of wood had been stacked by the
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