AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He knew he could find someone else to be Bella’s tutor. He had enough money to recruit the best teacher in the world. But no one’s qualifications or work experience could replace the connection that Bella had with Rachel. Since the wedding yesterday, Bella hadn’t stopped talking about Rachel and the next visit to her classroom.
If he wasn’t careful, Bella was going to start the Rachel McReedy fan club. Knowing how determined his daughter could be, John had a feeling that it wouldn’t take her long to get half of the town registered.
He glanced at his phone, then hunted through the drawers under his coffee table for a pen and some paper. He needed to unjumble what was going through his head. Writing down why Rachel tutoring Bella would work, would help focus his brain and give him extra ammunition if she said no.
He tapped the pen against the table, looked at the paper, then started writing. By the time he was halfway down the page, he felt a lot better. Rachel couldn’t say no to the reasons he’d come up with.
Mrs. Daniels hit the list at number one. No matter how happy she’d been to step into the previous tutor’s shoes, she had her own busy life. Mrs. Daniels needed to get ready for her family’s Christmas celebrations. Bella needed to be taught by someone who knew what they were doing. He needed someone who could work from his home. He wanted Bella to be ready to start school with children her own age. He didn’t want Bella to stand out as the girl who’d been homeschooled for too long by a father who should have known better.
There were other, less obvious reasons why Rachel needed to work for him. Money came in at number ten. Bribing someone wasn’t exactly the best way to start a professional relationship, but if Rachel wanted to play hardball, he had deep pockets.
He read through the list twice more. He’d come up with good reasons why she should teach Bella. But even with his list, she could still say no. She might even have a better list of logical reasons why teaching Bella wouldn’t work.
He reached for his phone when it pinged. Someone had sent him a text. He glanced down at the number and wondered what his brother had forgotten to tell him. If he’d been less nervous, he would have laughed at what he read. Call her.
John texted a quick message back and waited for his brother to reply. Instead of a text, his phone rang.
“You’re stalling for time,” Grant said. “Find her number and call her.”
“Mind your own business.” John ended the call. His brother could be a pain in the butt sometimes. Occasionally he was right. Like now, at nine o’clock on a Sunday night when most people weren’t expecting to get a phone call asking if they wanted a job.
John frowned. He could at least find her number, organize himself so that he didn’t look as desperate as he felt.
He tapped the screen on his phone, typed her name and waited. She was the only McReedy in Bozeman. He saved her number in his contact list and left his phone on the coffee table. He’d call her tomorrow, make her an offer she couldn’t refuse. Then wait for hell to freeze over while she decided what to do.
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 her hand out 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.”
John 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. “If you want to take a library book home when you’re finished, we can renew your membership. It doesn’t cost anything and it only takes a few minutes.”
John nodded. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. Enjoy drama club.”
Erin 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 another woman, that he didn’t know where to look. She was still staring at him with a worried frown on her face. He took his jacket off 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.”
