Silver Creek Fire (Silver Creek #1) - Lindsay McKenna Page 0,1
his sixty-five-year-old gnarled hands. “And you’ve always wanted to go to Wyoming. It’s a good thing to bring a lifelong dream to reality,” he assured her.
Lea took another cloth, a clean, dry one, and began to wipe down her whale one last time. “Isn’t it funny, Dad? How after I was beaten up by those boys as a girl, that I found Mary O’Hara’s books? They were like an anchor to me, a homing beacon to overcome my shock and trauma, and focus on something good, beautiful. That was the beginning of my dream to go live in Wyoming.”
“Your mother found them for you at the library,” Paddy agreed, frowning.
Laughing softly, Lea continued to wipe the four-foot-high whale until the molten gold color of the driftwood gleamed. “I guess I didn’t realize at that time how traumatized I was by that one incident.”
“Hmph, it was more than an incident, Lea. Those boys broke your nose and fractured your left cheek. They meant to hurt you bad.” He looked away, swallowing hard, then raised his chin and held her gaze. “It changed your life, colleen. Before? You’d been a loving, outgoing, carefree wild child. Afterward? And no one can blame you, you crawled deep inside yourself. Those boys couldn’t take that you were blossoming into a young woman who was wild, carefree, and so full of life and hope.”
“Some days, Dad? It seems like it was yesterday.” Gently moving the cloth across the head of the whale, she added, “And other days? The incident doesn’t bother me at all.”
“Unless you run into strange men at the grocery store or any other public place,” Paddy said, sadness in his tone. “And then it all comes back and you react.”
“I can’t help my reaction, Dad. I wish I could. And two or more strange men nearby will send me into a panic that I can’t control, either.”
“Your brain sees these situations as a danger because of what happened to you,” he agreed sadly.
Lea put the cloth down on the table. “I have to get on with my life. You and Mom have taken care of me long enough. Time for this baby bird to leave the nest.”
“We’ll miss you, but it’s good that you’re going,” he agreed. “That letter from that rancher in Wyoming, Mr. Logan Anderson, wanting to hire you to come and do woodwork for him in the kitchen and living room, was your ticket to the life you’ve been dreaming about, Lea. It’s a new door opening up for you. I’m glad you took the challenge and agreed to meet with him and look at the year-long project he has laid out for you.”
Nodding, Lea pulled up a second wooden stool and sat down across from her father. “He’d wanted you, Dad. But you handed over the assignment to me. When I saw it was Wyoming, I wanted to go despite my issues with feeling unsafe out in the world. I’m glad you gave it to me. It’s time for me to get on with my life and stop hiding from it.”
“And when you talked to the rancher, you seemed settled.”
“I asked him a lot of questions,” she said, smiling a little. “He was patient. He seemed . . . well, nice . . .”
“But not a threat to you?” Paddy asked, prying.
“No.” Lea shrugged. “For whatever reason, he didn’t scare me like most male strangers do. I can’t explain why not.”
“Maybe the lure of Wyoming has dissolved some of this fear within you?” he asked her.
“I’m not sure, Dad. All I know is that while I’m battling a fear of leaving the place I’ve lived my whole life, the yearning to go to Wyoming just got stronger because we talked to one another.”
“Your mother and I think you should give Wyoming a try. It’s a long-term project and it sounds like he’s got the money to support your efforts. He’s seen your work on our website, and he likes it. The unfamiliar is always scary for all of us.” He gave her a soft smile, holding her unsure gaze.
“If he hires me, that will be the best, but if not, I can always get another job. Time to go,” she agreed. “As I get older, I’m not as afraid as I used to be, and that’s a good sign that the past isn’t controlling me.”
“You’ve made a lot of progress, Lea. Always pat yourself on the back for that. It takes courage to live, not just survive and breathe.”