quickly when the little judge pulled out the third chair at
the table and motioned for her to have a seat as well.
“Glad I caught you both this afternoon,” he
said smoothly. “I have a huge favor to ask that involves both of
you.”
Lisa looked around, hoping to use the crowded
tables as an excuse even though she knew they were mostly empty.
She could have begged off anyway, but Judge Riley had been one of
her grandfather’s best friends and she genuinely liked the old man,
so she motioned for the other server to finish up her tables and
sat down across from Rory, who looked just as unhappy to be here as
she did.
“So, what do you need for us to do for you,
sir?” she asked as the judge looked from her to Rory and back.
“Well, it’s like this,” Judge Riley said. “My
niece Holly is finally out of rehab and is coming here to live for
a while in that little house of hers.”
“Hey, that’s wonderful,” Rory said, a genuine
smile lighting his face. “She’s had a long, tough fight back.”
Judge Riley shook his head. “I’m not sure she
sees it as all that wonderful. She just found out last week that
her permanent injuries are such that the Army is retiring her
whether she likes it or not, and she doesn’t have a clue what to do
next.”
“Oh, that’s awful,” Lisa said. “According to
Russ the Army is her whole life. She’s not a hundred percent
yet?”
“No, she isn’t, and she never will be.
Therein lies the problem. That house of hers has been shut up for a
year and a half, and I’m willing to bet it needs a good bit of
attention to get it ready for Holly to move in on Sunday. At this
point there is no way Holly can clean it up herself. Her left arm
is pretty much hanging there, and she’s still working on her
walking. Her brother and sister were going to come clean it up for
her, but Russ got called away on an unexpected temporary-duty
assignment and Emily’s got a doctor’s appointment—something about
getting an insulin pump—so neither of them is available. I know
it’s a lot to ask, but is there any, any way the two of you could get in there and get it to where she can
move in on Sunday? I’d be happy to share a bushel of pecans with
each of you as a thank-you.”
Lisa gulped and looked across the table. The
two of them? Stuck in that little tiny cabin together all day? No
way. Not even for Judge Riley.
She started to shake her head but looked
across the table at the stony expression on Rory’s face. He was
also going to refuse, and that would leave the little judge in the
lurch. Also, his wounded warrior niece deserved better than
that.
“I’ll be happy to help you, Judge Riley,” she
said quickly. “But I don’t need Rory’s help. I can handle it by
myself. That little house isn’t any bigger than my place.”
“Oh, but it’s a mess, Lisa,” Judge Riley
countered. “The original plan was for Russ and Emily to get Wade
Baxter and Rory’s brother Benny to help, but they’re out of pocket
too. It’s honestly more work than one person ought to have to
handle.”
“I’ll be fine, Judge Riley. Honestly,” Lisa
assured him. “Rory doesn’t have to come.”
“Oh, I don’t mind,” Rory said, his expression
inscrutable. “Besides, it’s been used a few times recently, hasn’t
it, Lisa?”
Lisa felt her lips tighten at the jab. “Yes,
and it really wasn’t in that bad a shape when I saw it in April,”
she countered sweetly. “I really don’t need any help.”
“Still, it would probably go a lot faster
with the two of you working together,” Judge Riley said. “So, how
about it? You two get the cabin cleaned up so Holly can move in and
I’ll throw in a bushel of pecans from the ranch for each of you.
Deal?”
Damn it, she didn’t have a choice. If she
continued to insist on working alone she was going to seem
churlish. But, cooped up with Rory Keller all day in that tiny
house when they could barely stand to be in the café together? It
was
the table and motioned for her to have a seat as well.
“Glad I caught you both this afternoon,” he
said smoothly. “I have a huge favor to ask that involves both of
you.”
Lisa looked around, hoping to use the crowded
tables as an excuse even though she knew they were mostly empty.
She could have begged off anyway, but Judge Riley had been one of
her grandfather’s best friends and she genuinely liked the old man,
so she motioned for the other server to finish up her tables and
sat down across from Rory, who looked just as unhappy to be here as
she did.
“So, what do you need for us to do for you,
sir?” she asked as the judge looked from her to Rory and back.
“Well, it’s like this,” Judge Riley said. “My
niece Holly is finally out of rehab and is coming here to live for
a while in that little house of hers.”
“Hey, that’s wonderful,” Rory said, a genuine
smile lighting his face. “She’s had a long, tough fight back.”
Judge Riley shook his head. “I’m not sure she
sees it as all that wonderful. She just found out last week that
her permanent injuries are such that the Army is retiring her
whether she likes it or not, and she doesn’t have a clue what to do
next.”
“Oh, that’s awful,” Lisa said. “According to
Russ the Army is her whole life. She’s not a hundred percent
yet?”
“No, she isn’t, and she never will be.
Therein lies the problem. That house of hers has been shut up for a
year and a half, and I’m willing to bet it needs a good bit of
attention to get it ready for Holly to move in on Sunday. At this
point there is no way Holly can clean it up herself. Her left arm
is pretty much hanging there, and she’s still working on her
walking. Her brother and sister were going to come clean it up for
her, but Russ got called away on an unexpected temporary-duty
assignment and Emily’s got a doctor’s appointment—something about
getting an insulin pump—so neither of them is available. I know
it’s a lot to ask, but is there any, any way the two of you could get in there and get it to where she can
move in on Sunday? I’d be happy to share a bushel of pecans with
each of you as a thank-you.”
Lisa gulped and looked across the table. The
two of them? Stuck in that little tiny cabin together all day? No
way. Not even for Judge Riley.
She started to shake her head but looked
across the table at the stony expression on Rory’s face. He was
also going to refuse, and that would leave the little judge in the
lurch. Also, his wounded warrior niece deserved better than
that.
“I’ll be happy to help you, Judge Riley,” she
said quickly. “But I don’t need Rory’s help. I can handle it by
myself. That little house isn’t any bigger than my place.”
“Oh, but it’s a mess, Lisa,” Judge Riley
countered. “The original plan was for Russ and Emily to get Wade
Baxter and Rory’s brother Benny to help, but they’re out of pocket
too. It’s honestly more work than one person ought to have to
handle.”
“I’ll be fine, Judge Riley. Honestly,” Lisa
assured him. “Rory doesn’t have to come.”
“Oh, I don’t mind,” Rory said, his expression
inscrutable. “Besides, it’s been used a few times recently, hasn’t
it, Lisa?”
Lisa felt her lips tighten at the jab. “Yes,
and it really wasn’t in that bad a shape when I saw it in April,”
she countered sweetly. “I really don’t need any help.”
“Still, it would probably go a lot faster
with the two of you working together,” Judge Riley said. “So, how
about it? You two get the cabin cleaned up so Holly can move in and
I’ll throw in a bushel of pecans from the ranch for each of you.
Deal?”
Damn it, she didn’t have a choice. If she
continued to insist on working alone she was going to seem
churlish. But, cooped up with Rory Keller all day in that tiny
house when they could barely stand to be in the café together? It
was
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