“She had to put her dog to sleep, Liz.”
“Don’t play on my sympathy. It’s still a significant breach.”
Of course he knew that, but…“How significant?”
“I get to call Dave.”
“No way!”
“Why not? You bought her a puppy! And you gave it to her in front of three other people.”
She had a point. “Okay,” he said. “One call. But that’s it. Then we’re even, and we start fresh.”
When she smiled, the relief he saw in her face made him more than a little nervous. He couldn’t let her get hurt yet again. “Liz, he’s too young for you.”
“And Reenie’s perfect for you? What, are you going to write her from Africa, and then from Chicago after that? Or are you just going to have a fling with her whenever you come to visit me?”
He drew a deep breath, finished his orange juice and stood. “Right. It’s good we have these little talks every now and then.”
She laughed, which made her eyes sparkle, and he realized that he hadn’t seen her looking so happy for months—not since she’d found out about Keith and Reenie. He was glad to know she was healing, that she’d be okay after he left. But for him, her recovery meant both good and bad news. The good news was that, when his grant came through, he could really go.
Unfortunately, that was also the bad news.
AT THE MONDAY-MORNING staff meeting, Reenie gave up her usual seat next to Beth for a spot at the back of the room, as far away from Isaac as possible. In the past week, she’d been excited to work with him. But now she wasn’t so sure it’d be a good thing. At least for her. She’d e-mailed him twice after he gave her the puppy, and he hadn’t responded.
What was going on with him? Why would he do something so nice, then immediately withdraw? Was he playing games? When he’d brought her home from The Honky Tonk, he’d done the same thing—led her to believe he was interested in her, then backed away.
Oh well, it was all for the best, Reenie told herself. Maybe life at the farm was lonely, and maybe Isaac made her heart race, but he’d never give up his research for anyone. The most Reenie could hope for from him was a few months of stimulating conversation, comfortable companionship and hot sex—
Wait a second…that wouldn’t be too bad, would it?
“I was thinking we should hold an assembly where Isaac puts on a slide show to give the students a taste of what field research is like,” Guy was saying, at the front. “We need to take advantage of having a man like him on staff. We may never have such an opportunity again. So if you can think of anything else along these lines, please don’t hesitate to suggest it.”
The principal had been heaping praise on Isaac for ten straight minutes. Reenie clenched her jaw as her patience grew thin.
“We’re so lucky Isaac—or I should say Dr. Russell—feels our little school is worthy of his assistance,” Guy continued. “Not many high schools in our state can claim a teacher of such renown.”
Suddenly Reenie couldn’t take any more. “Oh, for crying out loud, working here beats hauling sacks at the feed store, doesn’t it?” she said.
Everyone turned to gape at her. “Reenie!” Deborah whispered harshly.
“What?” she said. “Can we get on with the meeting? I have things to do in my classroom.”
Isaac looked over his shoulder. He should’ve been offended by her tone, if not her words, but when their eyes met, a slow grin curved his lips.
“Don’t mind Reenie,” said Deborah, who was sitting directly behind him. “She didn’t want you to work here in the first place.”
His eyebrows lifted. “Somehow that doesn’t surprise me.”
There were a few chuckles. Reenie felt her cheeks flush but she challenged Isaac’s gaze anyway. She’d almost fallen for him. She’d been thinking of him constantly, waiting for the phone to ring, checking her e-mail….
“Maybe I’ll be able to convince her that I’m not so bad,” he added mildly.
“Well, if you can’t, don’t beat yourself up over it,” Deborah said. “No one’s as stubborn as Reenie.”
Reenie narrowed her eyes. Obviously, Deborah was trying to impress Isaac. “Why don’t you mind your own business, Deborah?” she said.
“This is my business,” she responded. “I work here, too. And I, for one, am glad that Dr. Russell has joined our staff.” She grinned sweetly at him.
“Come on, people,” Guy said. “Let’s…uh…let’s…” Flustered by the sudden conflict, he shuffled through his papers as though searching for where he’d left off.
“Go?” Reenie volunteered. “The bell’s about to ring.”
He checked the clock. “Right. Let’s get to work. Deborah, would you show Isaac to his room?”
“Of course,” she said, beaming. “I teach Honors English, so I’m in the building across from you.”
Reenie swallowed a sigh. It was only mid-April. This was going to be a long two months after all.
ISAAC COULD HEAR Reenie’s voice in the next room, lecturing about geometric proofs. Earlier, she’d closed the doors that led into their adjoining supply closet, on both sides, but he didn’t have any classes the last two periods of the day so he’d opened them up again. He liked listening to her, enjoyed the passion in her voice when she tried to convince her students of the necessity to study hard for the SAT’s. She was a good teacher.
Swiveling to face his computer, he logged onto the Internet. He’d sent home a syllabus, showing what he’d be covering with his students, but he wanted to post the same information on the school’s Web site for those parents who might never receive the hard copy. Before typing in the URL, however, he checked his mailbox, sorted through a few messages from old students and professional acquaintances, and found Reenie’s thank-you still waiting there, unreturned. He guessed that was what had upset her. No doubt she could sense the attraction and tension between them, and it frustrated her as much as it did him to leave the situation unresolved.
But he couldn’t do anything about it. There was Liz, of course, but also something more. Last Friday, standing in the prayer circle at Bailey’s funeral, along with Reenie, her daughters, her mother and her half sister, had made a profound impact on him. He’d felt so…protective of the whole family. He’d actually been able to see himself living at the farm, painting the barn, riding horses with the girls, going to Thanksgiving dinner at the Holbrooks. He’d never had the desire to make any relationship permanent before—and that scared the hell out of him. Especially because he’d been thinking of hanging up his field clothes in order to write the book he wanted to write, the one he’d always planned to tackle later, when he retired.