Libby was so startled that she couldn’t speak for a moment. “Okay,” she said slowly. “And why are you telling me that? Is he going to do something special? Whip out a guitar and sing a few tunes?”
“I just thought you’d want to know,” Madeline said with a shrug. “I thought you were friends.” She looked pointedly at Libby.
“Maddie,” Luke said, tangling his fingers with Madeline’s. “Leave her alone.”
“Okay,” Madeline said. “But will you come, Libby?”
There was hardly anything Libby wanted to do less, but she knew if she declined, Madeline and Luke would stop everything, sit on the step with her, and look at her gravely while they asked if she was really okay. “Yes,” Libby said. “Wouldn’t miss it. Is there anything I can bring?”
“No,” Luke said. “Dad’s going to grill, I think. Aunt Patti has the rest of it covered.”
“I can make a cake,” Libby offered. “Leo loves cake.”
“For Leo, cake batter is better,” Luke said. “The swallowing thing isn’t going so well,” he said, gesturing to his throat as he cast his eyes to the ground. “I’m sure Leo would love to drink cake batter through a straw, but I don’t think Marisol will allow it.”
Luke rarely talked about Leo’s condition, but everyone in Pine River knew that Leo was a ticking clock, every second counting down on what was left of his young life.
The sound of a vehicle on the road caused them all to look up. Sam’s patrol truck appeared and barreled up the dirt road.
“Oh no,” Madeline said, and looked back at Libby. “Did something happen?”
“God, Madeline. One minute you’re trying to hook us up, and the next you’re worried he’s coming to arrest me. Nothing happened,” Libby said, and stood up. “He found a guy to work on my car, that’s all.”
“Oh yeah?” Luke said, sounding interested. “Nothing like getting under a hood on a day like this.” He walked down to the drive as Sam’s patrol truck rolled to a stop.
But Madeline was still looking at Libby with very intent dark-blue eyes. Dad’s eyes, Libby thought, although she would never say that to Madeline. Madeline had never known their dad, and what she did know, she didn’t like. “That was nice of Sam,” she said. “So . . . you guys are kind of chummy, huh?”
“Because he is helping me out?”
“Well? Luke knows everyone in town. He could have found someone to work on your car a month ago. How does Sam even know your car needs work?”
Libby looked at Sam, who was shaking Luke’s hand at that moment. She stepped past her sister. “There is nothing going on between us, Madeline, trust me. He knows a guy who is a vet and who needs some work. And he knows my car is crap because I told him. Nothing more to it than that.”
Madeline nodded, but she was still studying Libby. She had a bad habit of doing that, of looking Libby up and down as if she was scoping for clues to some big mystery. “Good, then. I am glad you’re getting your car fixed. By the way, Gary’s mother called. She and the happy couple are coming early next week to check out the barn.”
“Great!” Libby said. “We’ll be ready.” She had learned in the last few weeks that if she just kept smiling, and smiled long and hard enough, everyone calmed down and didn’t stand around, waiting for her to break down again.
“Will we?” Madeline asked, wincing a little. “Because it really stinks in there.”
“It does now, but we’ll move the horses out of there. Not to worry.”
“I hope not, because we have no backup plan,” Madeline said, as if Libby needed reminding.
“You worry too much, Madeline,” Libby said.
Madeline sighed. “I know I do. I try not to, but old habits die hard.”
“Don’t worry about this. We’re in good shape,” Libby said. “I better go see about my car.” She continued down the steps before Madeline could voice any other concerns about the wedding, walking onto the drive where Luke, Sam, and Tony were standing.
“Hi,” she said.
“Hey,” Tony said when he saw her. “Where’s the clunker?”
“It’s in the garage with the other clunker,” she responded, referring to Luke’s late mother’s Buick. She glanced at Sam, but he was squatting down, his attention on the dogs.
“I’ll show you where it is,” she said.
“Yep. Got some tools in the back of the truck,” Tony said, and walked lopsidedly to the back of Sam’s truck.
Sam stood up, his gaze barely meeting Libby’s. “Hello, Libby,” he said, and then he shifted his gaze to the back of the truck and called out, “Okay, Tony, I’ll pick you up in a couple of hours!”
Libby waited for him to say more than hi. But he turned to Luke and said, “What kind of engine do you have in the Bronco?”
“Hemi,” Luke said proudly. “Come take a look.” The two of them walked away from her.