are. I’m sure they put up banners for all the social events in Nowhere.”
He swallowed as he looked at her. The urge to touch her shoulder again was overwhelming, and he thought of holding her in his arms. He turned and headed off again, to get away from her before he started acting on what was going through his head. Good grief, was he going loco? Thankfully, Adele followed Tom as he carried the ladder toward the livery stable.
Liam entered the saloon, went upstairs and out the Mulligans’ parlor window onto the roof. It made him think of the story of Mrs. Dunnigan and Mrs. Upton tossing a huge sack of flour onto the head of an outlaw about to have a shootout with Preacher Jo. He wished he’d seen it, but he was only a child at the time. If Ma had seen a gunfight about to go down, she would’ve ushered him and his siblings inside for safety anyway. Still, it would’ve been something to see.
He eyed where Tom had placed the nails on the sheriff’s office across the street, then picked out the best spots for his and drove them in. Satisfied with their placement, he went downstairs to join Adele at the livery. They were performing a simple task, but he found great satisfaction in it, as if completing something he’d been putting off for a long time. Strange.
“There you are,” Adele said when he entered the stable. “Mr. Adams says it’s all right.”
Liam nodded. “Well, that’s a relief.”
Her eyes narrowed. “I am capable of asking a question, Liam White.”
“I wasn’t questioning your questioning,” he said quickly, raising his hands in surrender.
Chase Adams, the blacksmith and livery owner, cleared his throat. “Do you two need a moment?”
“No,” they said at once. Adele blushed. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s all right …”
“I know you wanted to ask Mr. Adams, but since Sheriff Turner and I were already here …”
Mr. Adams and Sheriff Turner watched the exchange, their heads swinging back and forth. “Wrap it up already,” Tom finally said. “I got other things to tend to.”
Liam smiled at Adele. The exchange was silly, but he liked it nonetheless. In fact, he was – perish the thought! – beginning to like her more and more. Was part of him looking for another excuse not to leave Clear Creek, or was it genuine?
“We should do as Sheriff Turner says,” Adele said softly, her eyes roaming his face.
He gulped. My, he liked the look in her eyes. Was it admiration or something more? “We should.” He should turn, walk outside, put the ladder up. But looking into her eyes in the dim light of the livery was intoxicating. He forced himself to look away, took another breath and left.
Outside he went to the ladder Tom had laid against the side of building and carried it around to the front. They could tack the banner up over the double doors, a perfect spot.
“Mr. Adams has another ladder if we want to use it.”
His heart skipped as he looked at Adele. He was reacting to her in ways that surprised him. Maybe he’d just never spent any real time with her. He hadn’t thought much about her other than she could be a little snooty. And there was that list of hers, which she didn’t seem to realize made her a laughingstock among the men in town. No wonder she wasn’t married – who could measure up to her qualifications, whatever they were? But had anyone in town challenged her on it? Hmm, there was an idea … he smiled at the thought.
“Well?” Adele said.
Liam’s smile broadened. “Well, let’s get to work.”
Chapter Nine
Adele held the ladder as Liam climbed up to pound in more nails. Several townspeople passed on their way from the hotel, probably just finishing lunch or some tea. Some stopped to watch, which made her nervous. The man was hammering a nail, for Pete’s sake. What was so exciting about that? But then, this was dull, uneventful Clear Creek …
Still, that wasn’t what bothered her most. She was seeing Liam for the first time in many ways. He was handsomer than she’d realized, taller, with smooth, thick hair … fine details she ought not to be noticing at all. He’d annoyed her and always had. What was going on?
Merritt and Ruby joined the crowd, along with Ruby’s mother, Penelope. “What a lovely spot,” she remarked. “I heard you two were working on banners.”
“Yes,” Adele said, not taking her eyes off Liam.
“Jolly good,”