blinked hard. "Oh. Then I really
didn't do it."
Jodie said, "This is Libby, my daughter."
To Libby: "Did you shelve all the books, honey?"
"Yes, Mother."
Libby walked away, and Jodie said, "She's thirteen."
"I've got a daughter, too. And Luke over
there." He nodded at the magazine rack. "So, are y'all from
here?"
Jodie shook her head. "Austin. Janelle
and I, we were both married to lawyers in the same firm. They spent their
billable hours together, we spent our days together. Turns out they were both
screwing the same secretary." She shrugged. "But we liked being
with each other more than with our husbands anyway. So we divorced them, took
our community property and moved out here, opened this place. Books, art, and
coffee. We make money on the coffee."
Beck held up the latte. "I cut into your
profits. Why'd you pick Fredericksburg?"
"We decided it was time to leave Austin when the middle school girls formed a Rainbow Club. Figured a small town might be a
better place to raise our kids."
"What's a Rainbow Club?"
"How old is your girl?"
"Five."
"You don't want to know." She stuck
her hands in her jean pockets. "So, Judge Hardin, how long have you been
wetting the bed?"
"My daughter, Meggie. Since my wife
died."
"Sorry. J.B. mentioned about your wife,
how she emailed him, to get him ready for you and the kids. That's amazing."
"He told you?"
"Was it a secret?"
"Apparently only to me."
"Oops."
"Meggie's wetting the bed, and Luke won't
talk. You got a book that'll tell me how to raise two kids alone?"
"Maybe."
Jodie tapped on her computer, then led Beck to
the other side of the store. Fifteen minutes later, he left with a bag of
books with more on order.
"I'll see you at last harvest," Beck
said.
She waved and said, "Oh, you'll see me
before then."
"Little gal," J.B. said, "she needs a
pet."
Meggie and Luke were in bed; Beck and J.B. were
sitting on the back porch. J.B. was reading the same newspaper as the night
before; Beck was reading a book about parenting.
"A pet?"
"You know, a little animal to care
for."
"I know what a pet is, J.B. What are you
thinking, a cat?"
"A goat."
"A goat? "
"Thought maybe I'd take the little gal over
to the auction house, let her pick one out."
"You thinking if she had a pet to care for
she might let go of the doll?"
"I'm thinking. How'd it go with
Luke?"
"Says he hates God."
"Been there."
"I bought some books down at the bookstore,
about raising kids."
"You meet Jodie?"
"Yeah."
"Good-looking gal, ain't she?"
"Yeah."
"She's a lesbian."
"You're kidding?"
"Nope. Her and the artist upstairs,
they're the town lesbians."
"Jodie said they were partners. I thought
she meant business partners. She doesn't look like a lesbian."
"What do they look like?"
"Not like her."
"She's got a mane of red hair, don't she?
And believe me, she don't have it for nothingâshe's a pistol, always down at
city hall raising hell with the Germans about something."
"A lesbian ⦠J.B., you sure about
that?"
"Well, I never asked her straight out, but
that's what everyone says. They live in the house back of their store."
"I thought she was flirting with me."
J.B. chuckled. "You ain't her type."
"They must've created quite a stir when
they showed up."
"That's a fact. Every goat rancher in the
county without a wife all of a sudden got real interested in reading. Jodie
had to beat 'em off with a stick, even Janelle got suitors. Course, goat
ranchers mostly want a cook, so Jodie being good-looking was considered a
bonus, like a two-fer sale. Once word got around they were lesbians, goat
ranchers gave up reading just as fast."
"Why'd you tell her about Annie?"
" 'Cause Jodie's the only person I had to talk to about
anything."
"The prodigal son?"
J.B. looked up from the newspaper. "She
said that?"
"Yeah, she did."
J.B. shook his head. "You'd think a
lesbian could keep a secret better than that."
"J.B., why would a lesbian be better at keeping
⦠never mind. Was there
didn't do it."
Jodie said, "This is Libby, my daughter."
To Libby: "Did you shelve all the books, honey?"
"Yes, Mother."
Libby walked away, and Jodie said, "She's thirteen."
"I've got a daughter, too. And Luke over
there." He nodded at the magazine rack. "So, are y'all from
here?"
Jodie shook her head. "Austin. Janelle
and I, we were both married to lawyers in the same firm. They spent their
billable hours together, we spent our days together. Turns out they were both
screwing the same secretary." She shrugged. "But we liked being
with each other more than with our husbands anyway. So we divorced them, took
our community property and moved out here, opened this place. Books, art, and
coffee. We make money on the coffee."
Beck held up the latte. "I cut into your
profits. Why'd you pick Fredericksburg?"
"We decided it was time to leave Austin when the middle school girls formed a Rainbow Club. Figured a small town might be a
better place to raise our kids."
"What's a Rainbow Club?"
"How old is your girl?"
"Five."
"You don't want to know." She stuck
her hands in her jean pockets. "So, Judge Hardin, how long have you been
wetting the bed?"
"My daughter, Meggie. Since my wife
died."
"Sorry. J.B. mentioned about your wife,
how she emailed him, to get him ready for you and the kids. That's amazing."
"He told you?"
"Was it a secret?"
"Apparently only to me."
"Oops."
"Meggie's wetting the bed, and Luke won't
talk. You got a book that'll tell me how to raise two kids alone?"
"Maybe."
Jodie tapped on her computer, then led Beck to
the other side of the store. Fifteen minutes later, he left with a bag of
books with more on order.
"I'll see you at last harvest," Beck
said.
She waved and said, "Oh, you'll see me
before then."
"Little gal," J.B. said, "she needs a
pet."
Meggie and Luke were in bed; Beck and J.B. were
sitting on the back porch. J.B. was reading the same newspaper as the night
before; Beck was reading a book about parenting.
"A pet?"
"You know, a little animal to care
for."
"I know what a pet is, J.B. What are you
thinking, a cat?"
"A goat."
"A goat? "
"Thought maybe I'd take the little gal over
to the auction house, let her pick one out."
"You thinking if she had a pet to care for
she might let go of the doll?"
"I'm thinking. How'd it go with
Luke?"
"Says he hates God."
"Been there."
"I bought some books down at the bookstore,
about raising kids."
"You meet Jodie?"
"Yeah."
"Good-looking gal, ain't she?"
"Yeah."
"She's a lesbian."
"You're kidding?"
"Nope. Her and the artist upstairs,
they're the town lesbians."
"Jodie said they were partners. I thought
she meant business partners. She doesn't look like a lesbian."
"What do they look like?"
"Not like her."
"She's got a mane of red hair, don't she?
And believe me, she don't have it for nothingâshe's a pistol, always down at
city hall raising hell with the Germans about something."
"A lesbian ⦠J.B., you sure about
that?"
"Well, I never asked her straight out, but
that's what everyone says. They live in the house back of their store."
"I thought she was flirting with me."
J.B. chuckled. "You ain't her type."
"They must've created quite a stir when
they showed up."
"That's a fact. Every goat rancher in the
county without a wife all of a sudden got real interested in reading. Jodie
had to beat 'em off with a stick, even Janelle got suitors. Course, goat
ranchers mostly want a cook, so Jodie being good-looking was considered a
bonus, like a two-fer sale. Once word got around they were lesbians, goat
ranchers gave up reading just as fast."
"Why'd you tell her about Annie?"
" 'Cause Jodie's the only person I had to talk to about
anything."
"The prodigal son?"
J.B. looked up from the newspaper. "She
said that?"
"Yeah, she did."
J.B. shook his head. "You'd think a
lesbian could keep a secret better than that."
"J.B., why would a lesbian be better at keeping
⦠never mind. Was there
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