Firefly Hollow by T. L. Haddix Page B

shelf above her. “You dirty milk cow,” she muttered, repeating a curse her father had often used in front of her and her siblings.
    After a muffled laugh, a man said in a deep, smooth voice, “Callie, be careful or you might knock your brain loose.”
    “That’d be a pure miracle,” Sarah mumbled, mortified.
    Shirley coughed. “That wasn’t Callie. It was Sarah, our new girl and, I think, your neighbor. Isn’t that right, Sarah?”
    Shirley held out her hand, and Sarah reluctantly accepted it. Her face felt as though it were on fire. When she was on her feet, she thanked Shirley and sent an embarrassed smile in Owen’s direction. To her surprise, he wore a slight frown.
    “You’re Ira and Eliza Browning’s girl?” he asked.
    “That’s right.” Sarah held the library card she’d retrieved as if it were a lifeline. “How do you do?”
    He nodded. “I was sorry to hear about Ira. He was a good man.”
    “Yes, he was. Thank you.”
    Another patron came up, and Shirley directed Sarah toward them. By the time Sarah had finished helping them, Owen was gone.
    “Are you sure you don’t know him?” Shirley asked as they were setting the counter to rights before closing. “I’ve never seen Owen clam up like that.”
    “No, I’ve never met him that I can recall.”
    “Hmm… maybe he was having a bad day, then.”
    As Sarah finished her duties that day, her mind kept going back to Owen’s face. She’d never considered herself to be superficial, but she had to admit that she would be more than happy just to sit and look at the man. His features weren’t delicate, but they weren’t painted with a broad, blunt brush, either. Sarah could see why the women in town adored him. His eyes, a golden brown that reminded her of dark amber, were framed by impossibly long, lush eyelashes as dark as his hair. His jaw had been shadowed, the hint of a beard showing even though it was only early afternoon. His skin had a honey tone that was surprising, given that it was still winter.
    All in all, she was looking forward to the next time he came into the library. However, she was disappointed by Owen’s reaction to her. She wondered if he knew she’d been sneaking onto his land and didn’t approve.
    That night, she tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. Adding to her restlessness was the fact that she’d not been able to go to the pool recently. The cold and nasty weather had kept her indoors.
    “I’ll ask him what his problem is next week when he comes in,” she promised herself with a yawn. “It doesn’t make any sense. He doesn’t know me.”

    Sarah didn’t get to speak to Owen at all the next week, or the week after that. He seemed to have an instinct for knowing when she was working or too busy to talk to him, coming in only when she was otherwise occupied. If he did happen to come across her, he’d frown and nod, then scurry away.
    “I swear, it’s almost like he’s afraid of you,” Shirley commented.
    Sarah was relieved that the other woman verified her own impression of his behavior. “Well, if he is, I don’t know why. I’m not the least bit threatening. I wish there were some way to pin him down. Have you asked him about it?”
    “I tried,” Shirley confessed. “But he turned tail and ran. Shut down just like he did that first day he saw you.” She turned and studied Sarah. “All the time I’ve known him, Owen’s been completely oblivious to all the girls I’ve seen him around. I think he might be sweet on you. Nothing else makes sense.”
    Sarah blushed. “No, I don’t think so. Surely that isn’t it.”
    With an affectionate pat on the shoulder, Shirley headed past her to lock the door. “Oh, I don’t know. That could be exactly it. As a matter of fact, the more I think about it, the more sense that makes. Anyhow, let’s finish up here and try to go enjoy this weather.”
    A warm front had come through, the first real warm spell of spring. Snow still lay on the ground in