Page 79 of The Moment He Saw Her

“Snow fell last night, so you’ll need to take care walking, Libby,” he said.

Tall, with broad shoulders slightly stooping from age, the man had not a stitch of hair on his head.

“Morning, and I will.” Libby slid onto the stool under the breakfast bar.

“Ryder just called to ask if I would man the coffee machine this afternoon, as it’s Ally’s birthday, and the cafe will be open downstairs,” Klaus said.

“You sound excited about that,” Libby said, taking the mug of steaming coffee he offered her.

Klaus’s shoulders rose and fell as he looked out the window. “I miss people. Miss hearing what is going on in their lives and making their favorite coffees.”

“That rat Fletcher has gone away, but when he returns, it’s fair to say he’s in a whole lot of trouble from the people in this town. The Dukes have already gone to the authorities to appeal,” Libby said.

He smiled. “Those Dukes are good folks, Libby.”

“They are.”

“I love all of them, but it’s Ryder who has always tugged at my heartstrings.”

“Why?” Libby asked. She wanted to know more about the man who had looked out for her since the first day she’d arrived in this town.

“He stayed here with his mother, you know, when they all left. I always thought he kept a lot of what he was feeling inside to himself. That he wanted more but never found a way to get it until he purchased the cafe. To me, an old German fool, he looks like a man that’s found nearly everything he wants in life now.”

Libby wasn’t sure why he was telling her that, but she was sure she didn’t want to know the reason, considering this town had too much to say about her and Ryder already.

“You eat all this up now,” Lea said, placing a bowl of porridge before her. “It will give you the energy for your day.”

“It looks delicious.” Libby looked at the bowl full of oats, cinnamon, and stewed apples. It would taste delicious too. She’d never eaten porridge until she came to Lyntacky.

“It won’t be long before you’re back out there making coffee,” Libby said when she caught Lea this time looking out the window.

“I know, but we miss it.”

Anger that someone would have taken this away from these two lovely people had her vowing to speak to Ryder about what more could be done.

When she was finished, and they wouldn’t let her wash up, Libby pulled on her coat and gloves. The walk wasn’t long, but it would need to be fast in this weather.

“I could drive you?”

“No, thanks, Klaus. The walk is good for me.”

“Well then, you wear these,” Lea said. She then went to the chair she sat in every evening and picked up something. Returning, she handed them to Libby.

The hat was soft pale gray flecked wool, and there was a long thick scarf to match. Libby swallowed down the tears at the gift.

“You’ve already done so much for me,” she whispered, taking them.

“Because we want to, and you have given us something to focus on other than what we are missing,” Klaus said, patting her shoulder.

Pulling on the hat, she then wound the scarf around her neck several times.

“Wonderful, and I knew that color would be perfect on you,” Lea said.

It was impulse that had her hugging them both. Libby wasn’t a hugger normally, so this was just something else that was changing in her.

Letting herself outside, she hurried down the path to the street and then headed toward the cafe.

How was it this life that was so simple seemed to heal something inside her, even considering what was between her and Ryder, which she now acknowledged but would never act on?

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