Free Behind Closed Doors by Debbi Rawlins Page A

lips parted, but for a moment she was speechless. “Um, yeah, well, that doesn’t always have to be a bad thing.” She gave into a grin. “Some people consider persistence a strength.”
    “Thanks for the warning.”
    Her good humor faded. “Did Liberty mouth off to you? Or get nasty?”
    He shrugged. “She acted like a typical kid caught in the act...defensive, smug.” A couple of times she’d been belligerent, but he didn’t have the heart to tell Beth. She looked as if she and her dog had both been kicked. “Woody threatened to put her over his knee. Naturally he’d never touch her but she had him riled.”
    “Maybe a spanking is exactly what she needs,” Bethany muttered. “Okay, I didn’t just say that. I really don’t believe in hitting a child.” She let her head drop back against the headrest, then turned her face to look at him. “Dare I ask what specifically made Woody so mad?”
    “She refused to give us her parents’ number, made a couple smart-aleck cracks. That’s about it. Finally I gave her a choice between going to the sheriff’s office or giving me directions here.” He paused. “I was shocked to see you walk out.”
    “Oh, jeez...I about fell over when I saw you. And for a very hairy moment, I wanted to strangle her. Seriously.” Bethany sighed. “Her father hasn’t been in her life much. And my sister isn’t known for dating fine upstanding men. Liberty hasn’t had it easy. Basically, though, she’s a good kid.”
    “Thanks to you, I imagine.”
    “No,” she said. “I wish I could say that was true. Until three months ago, I hadn’t seen her in quite a while.” Her voice had dropped until it was barely a whisper. “Long story.”
    “Maybe you can tell me about it sometime.”
    “I don’t know about that,” she said, her light laugh unable to hide her unease. “It isn’t pretty.”
    “Life seldom sticks to the plan.”
    “No, it doesn’t,” she said softly. “I guess you understand that better than most people. I know about you losing your wife, and I’m sorry.”
    “Thanks.” He didn’t like talking about Anne. Yes, he missed her and wished things could’ve been different. She’d died young, and her passing was sad. But for him, the greater tragedy was that so much of her life had been wasted. “So back to Liberty...the offer is still on the table. Use her at the boardinghouse if you want.”
    “Honestly, I don’t have enough for her to do. Not at this stage anyway. Sometimes I pay her to clean the house, which goes against my grain. I think cleaning up after herself should be a given.”
    He glanced at the small semidark house, wondering if it belonged to Bethany or her sister. Somehow that wasn’t where he’d pictured her living. “All right, then, we’ll put her to work. I might even throw in mucking stalls.”
    “Do it.” Beth nodded. “Lib had forty hours of community service at Safe Haven. Are you familiar with them?”
    “Sure. Good organization. I donate hay every year.”
    “The two women who run it told me they’ve seen an improvement in Liberty’s attitude, but she hates mucking stalls. It’s the chore she dreads the most.”
    “Everyone does.”
    “Then, that’s exactly what you should have her do. So tomorrow?”
    Nathan smiled. “Whatever works best for you.”
    “She’s lucky you’re so understanding. Anyone else would’ve called the sheriff.” Beth sighed and tapped her head back against the headrest. “I hope I’m doing the right thing. Maybe circumventing the court is letting her off too easy.”
    “You care enough to be involved and make tough decisions. That has to matter, especially with only one parent in the picture. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”
    “Oh, I’m not the selfless, loving aunt you might imagine. Another week in that house with those two and I’ll be the one the sheriff picks up.”
    “That bad, huh?”
    She let out a heartfelt sigh. “I love them. But living with them, I can do