Free Miss Lizzy's Legacy by Peggy Moreland Page B

him, Callie had picked up the key he’d left with Frank. Shoving, dragging, scraping. Tall ceilings and hardwood floors magnified all the sounds and grated on the only good nerve he had left. He shoved back the chair, raking his fingers through his hair. “Jesus! What is she doing up there?”
    From his post behind the bar, Hank shrugged and continued to polish glasses. “Don’t know, boss. Sounds like she’s destroying the place. Want me to see what she’s up to?”
    â€œNo, I sure as hell don’t.” Judd dropped back down in his chair and began furiously shuffling the scattered pages back into a semblance of order.
    Hank bit back a grin as he went back to his polishing. He hadn’t seen his boss this worked up over a woman in longer than he cared to remember.
    A loud thump shook the ceiling above them and both Judd and Hank tipped their chins upward, half expecting the ceiling to come crashing down on their heads. Judd stole a glance at the stairway that led to the second floor, thinking maybe he ought to go up and check on her. Growling under his breath, he hitched his chair beneath his rear end and scooted around the table until his back faced the staircase. No, he wasn’t going upstairs. She could damn well fall through the ceiling and break her neck before he climbed those stairs.
    He plopped his elbows on the table, clamped his hands over his ears and tried hard to block out the sounds coming from above as he squinted at the inventory in front of him. He’d done a pretty decent job of accomplishing just that when a huge crash sent debris crumbling from the ceiling and spattering his work. He would have ignored that as well, but unfortunately a blood-curdling scream followed it.
    Judd and Hank both bolted for the stairway. Judd beat the other man by a good two strides. At the top of the stairs, Judd stopped, his gaze slicing across the room, searching for a sign of her. He saw her crouched against the far corner, hugging her arms to her breasts. Alligator-size tears streamed down her face.
    â€œCallie!” He charged toward her, shoving boxes out of the way. He dropped to one knee in front of her. “Are you all right?”
    She hurled herself into his arms, her fingernails digging into his biceps as she tried to climb up his body. Bracing himself to remain erect, Judd stood, bringing her up with him.
    â€œOh, God, it was awful,” she cried, burying her face against his shoulder.
    Shocked by the raw fear in her voice, Judd slowly eased an arm around her and awkwardly patted a hand to her back. “What was awful?”
    â€œI was moving a box over there,” she said, releasing her grip on him only long enough to point. “And this huge rat leapt out at me.” A fresh wave of shudders shook her from head to toe, and she buried her face against Judd’s chest.
    â€œA rat?” he repeated, cutting a glance at Hank over the top of her head.
    â€œYes,” she sobbed. “He was huge and ugly and had beady eyes and yellow teeth.”
    Hank turned his back to smother a laugh. “I’ll go downstairs, boss, and find some mousetraps.”
    â€œGood idea,” Judd murmured, wishing he’d thought of it first; then he wouldn’t be cornered here with Callie in his arms. He continued to pat her on the back with one hand, while he dug the other into his back pocket. He pulled out his handkerchief and stepped back, dipping his knees to look at her face. “Better now?” he asked.
    Her head bobbed slowly. He dabbed at the tears wetting her cheeks. “We’ll set some traps and put out some poison tonight.”
    Her head bobbed again, her eyes riveted on his as she murmured a barely audible, “Thank you.”
    He took another step away, stuffing the wet handkerchief back in his pocket. “Well, I guess I’d better be getting back down to the bar.”
    Callie laid a hand on his arm to stop him.