CHAPTER FOUR
John parked his car outside Bozeman Public Library. The brick and glass building looked tall and imposing against the winter sky.
Someone had cleared a path to the front entrance. Snow rose on either side of the concrete, creating an icy channel that only the foolhardy or desperate were willing to navigate. He didn’t have to think too hard about what one he would be.
It had been a long time since he’d been in the library. He didn’t know where he was going, or even if Rachel was inside. All he knew was that the drama club met here on Monday afternoons. He’d put two and two together and driven across town to offer her a job.
He stuck his hands in his jacket pockets and walked toward the library. The front doors opened and he stepped into the wide entranceway. A display of children’s art on the wall in front of him drew him forward. He glanced to his right and saw a row of bookshelves and two large, comfy chairs.
He walked through the open doorway and stood at the side of the room. Tall steel columns supported the exposed wooden beams of the ceiling. The architect had softened the use of metal with wood, mixing the two components cleverly. It was a space that people could spend time in and enjoy.
There were more chairs, a help desk, and more than one computer available for people to use. But he wasn’t here to look at the interior design. He was here to find Rachel.
“Can I help you?”
A woman in her late twenties stood beside him. She had the greenest eyes he’d ever seen. “I’m looking for the community room. Do you know where it is?”
She smiled and John realized he was frowning. “I haven’t been here for a few years,” he mumbled. It wasn’t much of an excuse, but she didn’t seem to mind.
“Don’t worry. We’re almost harmless.”
John didn’t know whether she was serious or joking. He looked at her name badge.
She held out her hand and smiled. “Erin Williams, Library Manager, at your service.”
He shook her hand. “John Fletcher.”
“Welcome to the library, John Fletcher. Come with me. I’ll take you to the community room.”
Erin walked into the corridor he’d just come from. But instead of turning left, she kept going straight ahead. “Are you here to collect your child from drama club?”
John shook his head. “I’ve come to see Rachel McReedy. She recommended the club for my daughter.”
“I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. It’s a great way for the children to be creative and learn to work together.” She held a door open for him. “They’re rehearsing for their Christmas play.”
He walked into the large room. Chaos surrounded him. In front of the windows overlooking the parking lot, a woman was listening to a group of children sing a Christmas carol. Their voices filled the room, bounced off the walls, and were being ignored by the other children.
“Rachel’s over there.” Erin pointed to the stage. “Enjoy drama club.”
She left the room and John’s gaze went back to Rachel. She had her back to him. Her arms were waving in the air and the children in front of her were following what she was doing. She stepped to the left. Half of the kids stepped to the left, the other half stepped to the right. They bumped bodies, laughed, then untangled themselves from each other.
Rachel turned around and showed them which way they needed to move. She smiled as she waved her arms in the air. She looked over her shoulder to make sure they were following her. When she was happy with what they were doing, she turned to look at the rest of the room and froze. Her gaze connected with his and her smile disappeared.
Not a good start.
She said something to a teenage boy standing with the group of kids. He stepped forward and took over from her. The kids went back to waving their arms in the air and stepping sideways as Rachel walked toward him.
He didn’t know if she realized just how pretty she was. She wasn’t reed thin or ultra curvy, she was somewhere in-between. Somewhere that looked great in jeans and a bright red sweater with snowflakes knitted into the design.
It had been so long since he’d been attracted to a woman, that he didn’t know where to look. She was still staring at him with a worried frown on her face. He took off his jacket and tried to look as though seeing her wasn’t a big deal. But it was. Maybe even bigger than he thought it would have been.
Rachel dodged a couple of children who were crawling across the floor. She said something to a group of girls with towels on their heads, then stopped in front of him. “Is Bella okay?”
Her blue eyes were worried. Something inside of him tightened, twisted, and left him spinning in mid-air.
“John?”
He cleared his throat, engaged his brain, and ignored his pounding heart. “Bella’s fine. Tank has taken her to the mall.”
“Who’s Tank?”
“He works with me.”
“Is that his real name?”
John moved his jacket into his other hand. “We were in the military together. It’s a name that stuck.” Tank wouldn’t appreciate him telling anyone the name he’d been born with. His new name was as much a part of his identity as the scars he wore. In some convoluted way, they’d both started over. They’d built lives that mixed the best of what they’d known with what they needed to do to survive.
Rachel winced when the Christmas choir screeched out a note that only angels should sing. “If Bella is all right, how can I help you?”
John thought about the list in his pocket, the reasons why asking Rachel to teach Bella was a good idea. She was waiting for him to say something, anything that would tell her why he was here.
He glanced across at the choir, then back at the stage. “I thought I’d check out the drama club. You said Bella might enjoy it.”
Rachel’s face relaxed into an easy smile. His heart sank.
“You’ve come at the right time. We’re getting ready for our Christmas play.” She pointed to the kids who were still crawling on the floor. “Over there are our nativity animals. Ruby, Clarissa, and Jason are going to be cows. Alexander and Oscar are the front and back end of a donkey, and Fleur is an owl.”
John watched Fleur extend her pretend wings. “I didn’t know they had owls in the barn where Jesus was born.”
Rachel shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know either. But I don’t think anyone would have minded if one snuck inside. Fleur has a thing for owls. She has the concentration span of a squirrel, so I needed something to keep her focused on what we’re doing.”
Fleur swooped low on the rear end of the donkey and John smiled. “How’s that working out?”
“Pretty good. She’s happy to stay in character for as long as we’re practicing.” Rachel glanced across at the choir. “We’ve divided everyone into groups for this rehearsal. It’s easier to practice when we’re only teaching a dozen children at a time. The songs are a work in progress.”
A boy with bright red hair and neon freckles started to sing. The noise level in the room dropped to a whisper. John tried not to stare, but it wasn’t easy when the notes coming from his mouth were so clear and pure. “He’s really good. Who is he?”
Rachel sighed. “That’s Franky. He has the most amazing voice I’ve ever heard.”
“How old is he?”
“Ten. He comes to the library each day after school. His dad works long hours so this has become his home away from home. It’s the same with quite a few of the children that come to drama club.”
John listened to the rest of Franky’s song. After the last note dissolved into the room, the noise level increased. Everyone went back to what they were doing, quickly forgetting what they’d heard.
“What do the kids do at the library if they’re not in drama club?”
Rachel glanced back at the children she’d been teaching. Everyone was moving in the same direction, spinning in time to a Christmas carol they’d started singing. “There are digital classes in the technology room most afternoons and art classes in ano
ther area. The children can only do each class once per week. They don’t cost anything, so no one needs to miss out. For the other two days a week, they read books or volunteer as library helpers.”
“Do you get paid to be here?”
Rachel shook her head. “No one does. We beg and borrow costumes for our plays and look for sponsorship for any props we need. Everything we do is on a no frills, shoestring budget.”
She walked across to a bulletin board and showed him the program timetable. “If Bella is interested in other things, they’re all listed here. Most of the time we have a good spread of ages, so there will be someone she can get to know.”
“What classes do you take?”
Rachel’s cheeks turned red. “I do one of each. It keeps me pretty busy, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Once I’m working full-time, I might not be able to do three classes a week, but I’ll do what I can.”
“How long is each class?”
“Two hours, but you could pick Bella up earlier if that works better. We give the kids something to eat at three-thirty, then go back to our activities until five o’clock.” Rachel looked at him closely. “Why didn’t you bring Bella with you?”
John shifted uncomfortably on his feet. “I didn’t want her to get her hopes up.”
Rachel nodded.
He glanced back at Fleur, the overactive owl. Bella would enjoy mixing with this crazy group of kids. She loved music and loved dancing. She’d fit in well alongside them, maybe even make a friend or two.
But that wasn’t the main reason he’d come to the library. He glanced at his watch. “It’s nearly five o’clock. Do you want to get a cup of coffee with me after you’ve finished here?”
Rachel’s eyes widened.
A blush worked its way over his face. “It’s not what you’re thinking. I have something to ask you, a job I’d like you to consider.”
“Is it the teaching position for Bella?”
John’s gaze shot to her face. “How did you know?”
“Most of the town know you’re looking for a tutor. I can’t do it. I’ll be back to full-time teaching in January. In the meantime, I’m enjoying my work here.”
John didn’t think his list of ideas would work. So instead of blinding her with logic, he named a salary that would make most people’s eyes water.
Rachel blinked, then blinked again. “For six weeks work? Are you mad?”
“It’s eight weeks and I’m perfectly sane. There are a few things you need to be aware of, but we can sort those out later.”
“Such as?”
John wasn’t going to discuss state-of-the-art surveillance systems or bodyguards in the middle of Rachel’s drama club. “I’ll tell you more over a cup of coffee. Are you interested?”
He held his breath while she thought about her answer.
Rachel looked down at her sneakers, then across at the barnyard animals. “If I tell you I’m interested, it doesn’t mean I’m going to say yes.”
John nodded.
“And it doesn’t mean that the money you’re offering has changed my mind.”
“Okay.”
Rachel crossed her arms in front of her chest and glared at him. “I guess we’re going out for coffee, then. I’ll be ten minutes.”
It wasn’t the most positive response he’d ever heard, but he’d take it. Whether she knew it or not, Rachel McReedy would become Bella’s tutor.