Her Destiny by Thurlo Aimee

Author:Thurlo, Aimee [Thurlo, Aimee]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Suspense
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2011-11-19T01:33:10+00:00

A HALF HOUR LATER, Lanie finally arrived at the library. The small bowl was safely back among her sweaters inside the dresser in her room. She wouldn’t carry it with her again, or leave it in plain sight.

As she entered the small adobe building, it seemed to welcome her. The stillness here was comforting. The library, obviously somebody’s former home, seemed like an oasis of serenity. There were whitewashed adobe walls, the thick, original kind one seldom saw anymore. Dark pine shelves, stacked ceiling high with books, filled each room. A ladder affixed to a wooden-and-brass rail that encircled each of the rooms was provided for patrons who wanted books from the top shelves.

Crossing to the center of the house, she located the reference desk. The telltale click of her shoes against the brick flooring announced her presence as she traversed the room.

Lanie had expected the librarian to be as quaint and charming as the library itself. Nothing prepared her for the burly man who came out of the shadows cast by two oversize bookshelves.

Lanie took a step back, startled, and eyed him with suspicion.

He smiled, but somehow that didn’t make him seem any friendlier. With his massive build, he resembled a hotwater heater with a head. His arms looked powerful enough to lift the ceiling-high shelf of books behind him.

“I’m Jake Fields, the librarian,” he introduced himself in a gravelly voice. “Can I help you find something?”

It took her a moment, but she managed a smile. “Sorry, you startled me when you came out from behind the shelves.”

He gave her a rueful smile. “And I’m sure I wasn’t what you were expecting, either. It’s beyond me why so many people picture librarians as frail, gray-haired females.”

His voice was brusque, but his expression was one of weary patience. She wasn’t quite sure what to make of him. “I’m Lanie Mathews. Alma sent me to take photos of the vanity table.”

He shook her hand, and her own disappeared inside his beefy mitt. “I’m glad. I’m looking forward to selling it. This library needs more books and less fancy trappings. That’s why I pressured the town council into letting me sell the table from the librarian’s quarters to raise funds. I certainly don’t need it.” He led the way through to a back storage room, then gestured to an intricately carved oak piece.

“I don’t know much about antiques, but that’s beautiful.” Lanie took several shots from different angles. Once she was finished, she returned the camera to her bag. “Thanks. If you have any questions, just call Alma at the shop.”

By the time she walked back into Alma’s shop, Lanie realized news of her fall had spread. She could see the concern on Alma’s face and wondered how she’d found out.

“Are you okay?” Alma asked, rushing toward Lanie. “I heard from Rosa that you fell into the old well. Is that true? Jerry; at the post office, told her about it.”

There was no telling exactly how the news had spread, except that one way or another it must have come from Ralph or the person who’d pushed her in.

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