Free Dream Chaser by Kate Vale Page B

the street was a wall with high windows and a window seat , its cover cracked and faded. As Suzanna wandered around, she imagined children gathered on the seat f or story time. She returned to the front of the library and approached the woman who had seated herself at a desk near the front door.
    “I’m Emma Golden, the librarian. Are you lookin’ for somethin’ special?” Her bright blue eyes sparkled behind her half-glasses and contrasted with the high color in her cheeks .
    “I was wondering if you had any information about this valley. I might want to do some hiking.” It was time to stop driving, to stay in one place through the weekend at least, maybe even call Jonathan Kingsley and thank his son for his help that awful afternoon at the beach .
    “Well, let’s see,” Emma got up and limped over to a corner area. “Here’s some pieces on the hiking trails in the nearby Gallatin Range, and here’s another on the Madisons to the west.” She passed two dog-eared brochures over to Suzanna. “And here’s one on Yellowsto ne—in case you want to go there, though it gets awfully crowded with tourists for my taste. Mebbe not so many yet, what with the bad winter weather. Lots of slides up in the hills. I hear they still haven’t opened the south or west entrances. And a little book about the ranches around here, too, in case you’re interested in cows and such . ” She cocked her head at Suzanna. “Naw, you don’t mu ch look like the rancher type,” she chuckled.
    “Actually, that might be interesting, too. When I came into town, I saw some cattle near the river.” She smiled.
    “ They’re part of the Bar Z spread. He’s always puttin’ his cows out there sooner than most. What about this stuff on Yellowstone? You want that, too?”
    Fighting crowds to look at a geyser seemed less attractive than when she’d been home, planning her trip. Suzanna shook her head. “Maybe later. I’d rather concentrate on the hiking brochures for now .”
    “Sure thing. Here’s a couple more.” Emma pushed two more trail pamphlets toward Suzanna. “That oughta hold you for a while . How long are you gonna to be here?”
    “I’m not sure , but I’m tired of driving. Being in one place for a few days is what I need right now . I just checked in to a motel not too far from here .”
    “Would that be t he Bide-a-Wee?”
    She nodded.
    “H m m, I hear tell they don’t change the sheets as often as they should. If you’re going to stay longer than a couple of days , you might want to look into one of the places around here that takes in long-term guests . We’ve got a few of them guest ranches, you know, for dudes. E ven if they still run cows and such.”
    Suzanna laughed. “I guess I could qualify. Have you a book with a list of them? Or are they in the phone book?”
    “Some ’em, meb be. But your best bet is to go to the post office and ask Abby for a list. She knows everybody’s business for miles around.”
    Suzanna smiled. “I guessed that. She told Sharon at the diner about my dog, and when I went in to eat lunch, there was a bag of bones waiting for me.”
    “Your dog’s welcome here, too, anytime.” Emma looked around. “We’re a pretty casual place, in case you hadn’t figured that out already. Comes with being in a small town, you know.”
    “Thanks for the suggesti on about other places to stay.” Suzanna approached the door, then back-tracked to the desk. “ Could I ask you a question?”
    “Shoot.”
    “Would you happen to know Jonathan Kingsley?”
    “’Course. He’s a rancher here, one of the biggest. You lookin’ for him, got business to do with him?” She cocked her head to one side and her mass of silver curls bounced.
    “Not business, just a social call.”
    Emma laughed. “Well, good luck with that. Jonathan—he’s been runnin’ away from women for years now.”
    Suzanna’s cheeks warmed. “I just wanted to know if I had the right Willow Grove. He gave me his card