He glanced down at a young boy who was pointing at a model. Youre right. You can tell by the trim. But I prefer the 56. Theres just something about it. The softer fin or the trim piece that curves down.
The little boy smiled. I prefer it, too.
We both have excellent taste. Mac winked at him, then moved on through the crowd to the circulation desk. He scanned the counter for Emmas pretty face, but didnt find her. He decided to get a library card first and make a casual inquiry about Emma at the same time.
Id like to get a library card, he said to the woman at the front desk.
Do you have identification?
I do, but it doesnt have my local address on it.
Do you have a utility bill or something to prove youre a resident of San Coronado?
I dont, he said.
Anyone who could vouch for you?
Yes. Emma Bryant could. I understand she works here.
The woman smiled. She does.
Is she working today?
Yes, shes downstairs in our archives cataloguing some items that were bequeathed to the library last week.
Mac took the form. Ill just go get her signature and be right back.
Down the hall and through the door on the right, then down the stairs, the librarian said.
As he followed the directions, Mac felt an odd rush of anticipation. Women had always been a commodity in his life. Though he appreciated each for their individual attributes, Mac found it difficult to make any long-lasting connections.
When the time was right, he made sure he was the one who walked away first. There had been a few women who had been difficult to leave, but he could never truly believe they had any kind of future together. Without trust, any deeper emotions were impossible.
He already knew ending things with Emma would be painful. He was already obsessed with her. She was unique, intriguing, wildly sexy and smarta deadly combination. It would take a careful approach to charm her, a disciplined plan to hold her and every ounce of his determination to leave her.
The basement of the library was dark and musty and he followed the sound of music through the rows of shelves and storage cabinets. Finally, he reached a central area of tables illuminated by florescent lights. Mac stood in the shadows and observed her for a moment, taking in the scene in greater detail.
An old gramophone sat on one end of the table and it played a classical piece that sounded like a Mozart string quartet. Emma was seated with her back to him, her legs tucked up beneath her, her attention fixed on a paper she was reading.
The dark waves of her hair fell around her face and his fingers twitched as he imagined how it would feel to smooth a curl from her temple and tuck it behind her ear. Hed touched her once, when hed held her hand, but it hadnt been enough.
Hed known a lot of women whom hed considered beautiful, Mac mused. But now, he realized that they hadnt really been beautiful at all. Theyd made themselves up to reflect what society considered beautifulblond hair, full lips, high cheekbones, striking eyes.
As he looked at Emma, he saw something simpler, much more pure. There was no need for paint or artifice. It was all there in its natural form. A shiver skittered through his body and his breath caught in his throat.
Emma jumped, then turned around in her chair to find him watching her. She scrambled to her feet, dropping the letter on the table and struggling with the chair. Wha-what are you doing here?
I didnt mean to frighten you, Mac said.
You did! Why are you here?
He held up the application for a library card. I need you to sign this. I wanted to get a card but I dont have the proper identification with me. If you vouch for me, theyll give me one.
But I dont know you.
He grinned. Sure you do. Im the guy whos working for Buddy while he recovers from his surgery.
And thats all I know. Thats not enough to get you a library card. Where do you live?
Right now, Im staying out at the hangar. But Ive been trying to find a place in town. That wasnt exactly the truth, but it sounded good. He had a cot, a bathroom and a makeshift kitchen at the hangar. It was rent-free and enough to meet his needs.
But where do you come from? Where do you live when youre not here?
Mac wished that he had a better story to tell her, but hed accepted the reality of his life long ago. The last time I had a permanent address was the day before my eighteenth birthday. That was nearly ten years ago. I suppose I could give you that address.
Where was that?
Boulder, Colorado. Its where my foster parents live. At least it was. I havent talked to them since I left, so they might have moved.
She gave him a grudging smile, then held out her hand. Emma grabbed the paper and signed the bottom. Raise your hand and repeat after me.
Mac did as he was told.
I, Luke MacKenzie, promise to treat my library books with care, read them promptly and return them before the due date, so help me God.
Chuckling, Mac repeated the promise and when he was finished, she handed him the paper. Thanks, he said.
Is there anything I can help you find? What do you like to read? Besides Shakespeare.
Ive been reading the biographies of the great explorersColumbus, Marco Polo, Amundsen.
That sounds interesting.
What do you like to read?
She took a moment to formulate an answer. My favorite is true-life adventure. Climbing Everest and surviving in a life raft for seventy days. Books about people with daring and courage.
And do you have daring and courage? he asked.
No, Emma said. Quite the opposite. Thats why I find those books so fascinating.
Note to self, he murmured. Add more adventure to Marry-Me Emmas life.
She giggled softly and her cheeks turned a pretty shade of pink. Theres a new biography of David Livingstone. If you havent read it, you should. I thought it was excellent.
Good. Ill read it. And maybe we could get together and have coffee and talk about it.
Are you asking me on a date?
Mac had never needed to clarify his intent when it came to women, but he wasnt quite sure if coffee and a book discussion qualified as a date. Would you consider that a date? he asked.
Emma thought about her answer for a long moment. Probably not.
What would I have to add to make it a real date? Mac asked.
Maybe dinner? Definitely dinner. And a movie? But we dont have a theater in town, so dinner would be enough.
She blushed more deeply and Mac could see that the question had flustered her. Emma, would you like to go out to dinner with me?
She drew in a sharp breath, then nodded her head. Yes. Yes, that would be lovely. When?
Soon? But Im probably going to need three or four days to finish the book.
Or I could recommend a shorter book, she said.
How about Saturday?
The Livingstone bio is about four hundred and fifty pages long, including the notes and index.
Im a fast reader, Mac assured her.
Its a date, then. Saturday night.
Mac wanted to stay longer, to find an excuse to grab her hand or steal a kiss. But he had officially secured a date with Emma and, considering her unpredictable nature, he thought it best to leave while he was ahead. Im going to go now, before I find a way to screw this up. Ill see you Saturday night.
Where? she asked.
Great question. Any thoughts?
Ill pick you up at the hangar and well decide then.
She smiled and Mac felt his blood warm a few degrees. Good idea.
Enjoy the book, Mac, she murmured.
See you Saturday, Emma, he said.
As he walked back upstairs to the circulation desk, Mac smiled to himself. Hed managed to play that perfectly, yet he hadnt a clue how it had all happened. When hed set out to find her, he hadnt been sure shed agree to a date.
With the exception of their love of books, they had absolutely nothing in common. She was a homebody, content in a small town, living a small life. Her only adventures came from books. Shed put down roots and was a respected member of the community. Emma had history that included friends and family.
Mac had no roots, no family, no past. Hed spent his adult life drifting from place to place, taking work when he needed it. Everything he owned fit into his plane. His freedom was all hed ever required in life. He had nothing to offer a woman like Emma.
So why was he so determined to charm her, Mac wondered. Did he see her as a challenge? Or did he want to experience just a tiny bit of the life hed never had? Or was she just so amazing that he couldnt help himself?
Its just a date. Youre not climbing Everest.
It was only dinner, and yet somehow Mac felt that it was the start of so much more.
2
THE NORMALLY QUIET library came alive after school when students strolled through the front door and took their customary spots at the reading tables. The students who wanted to study usually chose to stay at the school library. But Emma had a loyal group of outsiders, kids who either werent comfortable at school or had been kicked out of the school library for bad behavior. The former she welcomed, the latter, she considered a challenge to be won over.
Where are the books about T. rex?
Emma smiled at Joey Hammersmith. See that big green dino over there? Right underneath him.
Thanks!
Joey ran off and her gaze fell on a young girl whod been part of the after-school crowd for the past few months. She appeared to be about eleven or twelve and always sat at the same table, in the same chair. Emma caught her eye and smiled, but the girl quickly looked back down at her books.
What time is your date tomorrow night?
Trisha leaned over the counter and pulled out the lollipop container, grabbing a root beer-flavored sucker for herself. She held out the container to Emma. Join me?
Im on a diet, Emma said. I bought a new dress for the date and I
Oh, is it a dress kind of date? Trisha inquired. I just assumed it would be a jeans date.
Emma frowned. Why would you think that?
I dont know. Just from the way you described him. He seemed more like a casual kind of guy.
He didnt really specify, Emma said. Crap, now Im going to have to go buy a new pair of jeans. And stop eating completely for the next twenty-four hours.
Why dont you just call him and ask?
The idea of phoning him caused a flood of nerves. There was something about Luke MacKenzie that turned her into a stammering schoolgirl. And now that shed decided he was going to be the one, she couldnt think about him without picturing the guy naked and lying in her bed.