Letters From Al by Pieper, Kathleen (i am reading a book txt) 📗

child, Frank, died in a farm accident in l969. That was the last of my family, too. Made us kindred spirits you might say. Madeline was a fine lady and a good friend. I don't need anything else to remember her by."

"I wish I could have known her like that." Maddy said softly, "You're lucky."

Aunt Polly sighed and wiped her glasses. "No. The town and I were the lucky ones to have known her."

Putting the fragile spectacles back on, she slapped her knee and leaned forward. "Yes, she always was the first one to help. Now maybe I can repay her kindness. So, I'll help you. As for a remembrance, well, I got a heart full of memories. That's enough for me, that, and now you." Sipping her tea, she shook her head and chuckled. "I'm talking your ear off aren't I? So windy I could dry a load of laundry in front of me. Just one more thing, you're a good person. Your aunt knew that or she wouldn't have kept track of you. She liked Alec, thought he was a fine judge of character." Her voice was full of pride when she mentioned the cocky young deputy.

Maddy didn't say much but recognized what might be an effort at matchmaking in progress. If anything, her new friend appeared honest and straightforward. It was apparent she adored Alec, too.

"Yep, he's so much like my own boy, I often overlook his shortcomings. He's got them you know. But he's a good man. Can't understand why that gal would leave him, how anyone could hurt him. Oh well, water under the bridge.”

Absently, Aunt Polly nodded and sat back in the rocking chair, hands clasped over her stomach.

While cleaning up the dishes, Maddy thought about what Aunt Polly meant when she talked of someone hurting Alec. It had to be about his divorce. Debating whether to mention it or not, she decided to wait a while. They all had things in their past they didn't like to talk about.

Chapter 6

In Chicago Maddy jogged with at least one friend or a group of her apartment neighbors would invite her to join them. There was always a safety issue and running in numbers was best living in the big city.

It paid to be careful. She was in rush hour crowds at lunch and an unseen hand jerked her shoulder bag off and disappeared. That time she was angry rather than scared because she couldn't do anything. It was all very frustrating and expensive. Her I.D. had been in it and she had to have all her locks and phone number changed. It was a big, time-consuming hassle.

The day after she officially became owner of her aunt's property, she rose early and decided to jog around Nielsen. Since she didn't know anyone who jogged, she looked around tentatively and stepped out on the porch stretching to prepare to run. Luckily she had remembered her gym bag with black running shorts, a light tee shirt and her favorite running shoes in it.

Maddy started out easily down the street past Aunt Polly's, waving when she saw her peek out the door. She headed towards the town square and luxuriated at the freedom from worry about traffic or being mugged. The stores were just coming alive for the day. She recognized many of the merchants and waved as she jogged past them, heading for a country road that led out of town.

Maddy found herself becoming addicted to everything about the country life. She almost hated to turn back for the day, but she did. Just by coincidence she passed the small sheriff's office and quickly backpedaled to stand, jogging in place, in front of the plate glass window.

It didn't take long for Alec to notice and come out.

"Hey, you're up and out early this morning." He looked enviously at her. "Wish I could join you."

"Join me? Hey, I just went two miles out and two miles back. I'm on my way home. How about you? You look a tad out of shape there deputy." She teased and poked a finger at his stomach.

"Hey, I'm a busy man."

"Well, crime rate so high you can't jog sometime?" She panted, bending at the waist to catch her breath.

He scratched his jaw and smiled, "I'm off duty tomorrow. You want to put your money where your mouth is?"

She shrugged and started out past him. "I'll be by here at seven sharp, then breakfast at my place, if you can keep up."

"I can keep up. That's a challenge if I ever heard one. I'll be here, waiting." He called out after her then looked at his reflection in the window and rubbed his stomach. "I'm not out of shape either!"

It was the first of many mornings they shared jogging and then home to bran muffins and orange juice in Maddy's sunny kitchen. The routine became comfortable and she liked how it made her feel, like a part of something. When Alec couldn't make it, she really missed those ragged police academy sweat clothes and that insufferable grin as he tried to run her into the ground. But on his busy days she used the time to go through her aunt's things with Aunt Polly.

"I sure understand all the wonderful books I got over the years now. Aunt Madeline was quite the connoisseur when it came to reading." Her hand passed over the richly bound books lining the walls.

"It's probably why you became a librarian, too." Aunt Polly winked at her as she dusted the volumes. "You know she used to have a whole set of expensively bound books, right here by the door. I don't see them anywhere now."

"Are you sure, about the books? They might be in the attic. Maybe she put them away or sold them."

"No. No, them was the first books she bought years ago, classics, she called them. Real expensive and she treated them like they was made out of gold. Your aunt said