the elbow. “I’m sorry you can’t go.”
Bettina snorted. Sure she was. She pulled her elbow out of Addie’s reach and frowned fierce. “Well, lemme tell you somethin’, an’ you best hear me good.”
Addie’s eyes got big, and she backed up a few feet.
Bettina gave a satisfied nod. “The next time it’ll be me an’ Emmett goin’, an’ we won’t take nobody else with us. You best remember—”
“Howdy, Addie!” Dusty galloped up and threw his arms around Addie’s middle, a big toothless grin on his face. “Maw gimme two nickels. One to buy Paw some seltzer tablets an’ one for licorice whips! I ain’t had licorice whips since last Christmas. Mr. Belcher don’t carry licorice in his store ’cause he says it stinks. But I don’t think it stinks. It’s the most best candy. So Maw says since I’m pickin’ up Paw’s medicine, I can get me some licorice at the drugstore in Lynch. I wish Paw got sick every Saturday.”
Addie laughed.
Bettina did, too, but underneath she seethed. Dusty’d kept her from warning Addie off. But maybe she didn’t need to say all the words. Addie was smart enough to figure things out. Especially if she got an eyeful of how much Bettina meant to Emmett. Emmett was coming now, so she wrapped the reins around the brake handle and stood. “Help me down, Emmett, wouldja?”
Emmett’s forehead puckered, like he wondered how come she needed help, but he reached for her hands. Quick as a cat could pounce, she put her hands on his shoulders and hopped, near colliding chest to chest. His hands clamped on her waist. Her feet hit the ground, but she didn’t let go of his shoulders. She smiled up into his face and batted her eyelashes. “You all have a good drive to Lynch now, you hear?”
Emmett
EMMETT LET GO of Bettina’s waist and took a step backward. What was she doing leaping into his arms that way? Hadn’t it been bad enough to have her burst into the library that morning before he’d finished shaving? She hadn’t even seemed embarrassed to catch him with his shirt unbuttoned and his suspenders hanging by his knees. He’d been embarrassed, though—embarrassed enough to ask her to leave. And she had. But only long enough for him to button up and clean his razor.
Then she was in the library again, telling him how long it’d been since she’d taken a drive to Lynch, how her favorite soda was strawberry, how she was real good at cleaning and such…He’d pretended not to understand her hints, and finally she’d come right out and said, “Why don’tcha take me along with you? You an’ me, we can do whatever needs doin’.” In desperation, he’d flat out told her Addie had to go to sign for the boxes. Plus, he was taking Dusty because Paw was sick. To his relief, she’d flounced to the door and declared she’d go home then. So why hadn’t she?
One way or another, he had to find a way to work with her without always worrying about what she’d do next. Or one of them would have to leave the packhorse librarian program.
“Bettina, I—”
“Bye, now.” She waved and darted up the road, flinging grins over her shoulder as she went.
Dusty tugged Emmett’s sleeve. “Can we go? Huh?”
Emmett gave himself a mental shake. He’d worry about Bettina later. “Yeah, let’s go, buddy.” He lifted Dusty onto the seat, then turned to Addie. She stood several feet away, hands linked behind her back. Her brown eyes held a great deal of apprehension. Who could blame her? Bettina put everyone on edge. He gave what he hoped was a natural smile and bobbed his head toward the seat. “You coming?”
She glanced up the road to where Bettina had disappeared. “Um…”
Emmett sighed. “Look, Addie, I’m sorry Bettina does…well, what she does. She’s always been a little unpredictable, but since I got home, she…” How could he explain something he didn’t fully understand himself?
Dusty swung his legs, bumping the footboard with the balls of his bare feet on every forward swing. “She’s loony as a rabid coon.”
Addie gasped and clapped her hand over her mouth.
Emmett aimed a scowl at his brother. “What did you say?”
“What Paw said. She’s loony as a—”
Addie scurried to the edge of the wagon. “Don’t say that.”
Dusty kept swinging his feet. “How come?”
“Because it isn’t kind.”
Dusty shrugged.
Addie took hold of Dusty’s hand and held it between hers. “Dusty, do you believe in God?”
“Sure I do.”
“Well, the Bible, which