Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Lincoln
By the time I’d walked not fifteen feet toward the truck, another three people had stopped us to welcome Livvy home and offer their condolences on both her accident and her grandmother’s passing.
At this rate it might be hours before we got out of town.
When Frank strolled up with a huge grin on his face and said, “Well, if it isn’t little Livvy Boothe!
I’m happy I ran into you,” I just sighed.
“Livvy, do you remember Frank? He owns the Farm ’N Feed,” I said.
Livvy gave a bob of her head and did a pretty clear rendition of, “’icken ’eed,” while trying to hold her jaw completely still.
Frank laughed. “That’s right, you and Miss Olivia would come in for chicken feed and you’d plop yourself down and cuddle all the baby chicks.
It’s so good to see you again, sweetie.” Livvy smiled and Frank turned his gaze to me.
“I knew you had your hands full, so I had the boys package up all your supplies. They’re at the store if you wanna stop by and grab them. Save you another trip into town.”
I hadn’t planned on stopping as Livvy took precedent but when Frank added the fact that there might be some baby chicks, I knew we were definitely going to the Farm 'N Feed. “We’ll be over as soon as I can get Livvy settled in the truck…”
“No need for that, son. There’s a nice rockin’ chair right outside the store. She can hold court and cuddle a chick while we get you loaded. What do you say, Miss Livvy?”
“’es, ’ese” Livvy answered eagerly, giving a little bounce in my arms.
Changing direction, I walked down the block to Frank’s.
It was pretty evident Frank had orchestrated “running into us” because instead of being at the back of the store, the crate that housed the baby chicks just happened to have been moved to sit next to the rocking chair, and a stool with a pillow I was pretty sure came from the boutique next door was waiting to support her wrapped ankle.
“I’d apologize for this, but something tells me I’m the one that’s going to have to tear you away.” I carefully set her into the chair.
She giggled but her eyes were already focused on the crate.
I chuckled. “Don’t get too attached. I won’t be long,” I said and then reached into the crate and carefully transferred two yellow puffballs of fluff to her lap. From the look of joy on her face, I was pretty positive she’d be just fine.
After getting the truck, I drove it around to the back of the store and helped load the supplies that had indeed been readied for me.
Remembering the extra fencing I’d need for the breaks from the cow and the recent accident, I added two bales of wire to the bed of the truck before heading inside to pay the bill.
I’d just returned my wallet to my back pocket when my phone rang. Pulling it free, a glance at the screen told me it was Luther.
“What? Run out of emojis?”
“I didn’t want to risk you misinterpreting this one. Just wanted to give you a heads-up. The hens are loose.”
Like Livvy’s speech, his last few words might be difficult to comprehend to some, but I instantly deciphered what he meant.
Like any small town, if it wasn’t Friday night during football season, the citizens found the majority of their entertainment in gossiping.
It might be the twenty-first century where everyone had a phone tucked into a pocket or purse, but we might as well all be linked to the old-fashioned party-lines of our great-grandparents’ era.
“We’ve been sitting in the ice-cream parlor for a couple of hours. The hospital before that, and Liv is now holding court outside of Frank’s so that’s not exactly breaking news,” I said.
“True enough, but flapping isn’t the same as pecking.”
Now that took me by surprise and had me straightening from where I’d been leaning against the counter and stepping back. “Meaning?”
Any amusement in my brother’s tone was absent when he said, “Hell hath no fury isn’t just a line from a fairy tale, Linc.”
Damn it.
I’d never actually scorned any woman, but that hardly mattered when it came to Susanne. And as if just thinking her name wasn’t enough, the moment I lifted my gaze, I saw her. Not in the store, or even across the street. Nope, she was standing right in front of Livvy.
“Too late.”
“Fuck, she’s already there?”
“Affirmative.” I ended the call and headed to the door.
“Oh, hello, Linc. I was just introducing myself to Olivia,” Susanne said with a smile that might seem bright as the sun to most but had my every sense going on high alert.
“Susanne.” I gave her a nod. “Sorry to break this up, but I need to get Livvy home so she can rest.”
“Now, don’t you fret about that, sugar. Everyone has already heeded the call for help.
I’ve already assured her that there won’t be a need for her to do a thing until she heals.
Why, I told her she’s in for a treat tonight as you always rave about Mama’s chicken and dumplings.
In fact, people are practically falling over each other signing up to bring meals out to her grandmother’s place.
” Her voice dropped a good two octaves as she bent slightly forward as if conveying some secret.
“I mean, that is where you’re staying, right, Oliv… I mean Livvy?”
I could practically feel the blush heating Livvy’s cheeks, but while Susanne might be a total stranger to Livvy, I was well aware of the games the woman liked to play.
“It’s a nice surprise to find you suddenly filled with a sense of community spirit, Susanne, but unless you want all those casseroles going to waste, I suggest you get on the phone and work out scheduling a time for their arrival.
” I paused to make sure she heard the next part loud and clear.
“At River Waters as Livvy will be our guest for the foreseeable future.”
Susanne’s smile shifted to something far less fake a moment before she seemed to remember she had an audience of more than myself. Her mouth formed a little “O” and she lifted a hand to her throat as if to clutch a nonexistent string of pearls. “Well, I-I don’t know what to say.”
“I highly doubt that,” I said turning my attention from Susanne’s flaring nostrils to the person who really mattered. Seeing Livvy’s widened gaze, I feared I might have just made the situation worse.
“Is everything in the truck?” Livvy asked, her lips twitching enough to have me hoping I’d not broken the Waters’ family creed and embarrassed the woman I cared about in public.
“Everything but you,” I said with a grin.
I transferred the baby chicks back into their crate, handed Livvy the pad and box of pencils, and scooped her up in my arms. I was actually a bit surprised to see Susanne hadn’t fled the scene but wasn’t about to stick around for whatever her next volley might be and you could bet there would be one.