Friday afternoons were normally Gertrude’s favorite part of the week. The children would get out of school early, come to the library, and gather around her. She was reading to them week by week out of a long book about fairy tales and adventures. The kids loved it. They would act out parts of the book and beg Gertrude to do the same.

At noon, Gertrude was puzzled when she realized that there were almost no children inside the library. They were normally released from school and gathered around in a circle, waiting for Gertrude to begin. She frowned and looked out the window.

A crowd of people of all ages had encircled Jed…and he was reading a book out loud to the group! Infuriated, Gertrude went outside and marched right up to Jed. A few of the children jumped out of the way. They could tell that she was not in the mood for fun and games.

“What are you doing?” Gertrude asked.

“Hi, Gertrude. Can we all say, ‘Hi, Miss Sanders!’?”

“Hi, Miss Sanders!” The children in the audience cried out in a sing-song voice.

Gertrude couldn’t believe what was happening. She’d thought that after their strange talk the evening before, Jed would understand what it meant to her that order and structure be maintained in the library at all times. Yet here he was deliberately breaking every rule in the book.

“I cannot believe you!” Gertrude shouted with a flash of irritation. She ran back into the library, which was completely deserted. She would think of a way to get back at Jed Thorn. There had to be a way.

Only three patrons visited the library for the rest of the afternoon, and Gertrude felt like crying. On the one hand, it was quiet, and she was able to brainstorm what rights she had to get Jed to move his wagon. On the other hand, she found herself missing the steady chatter and giggles of the schoolchildren. Even though she constantly found herself reprimanding them, she found that she missed having them there.

By the end of the day, Gertrude knew what she needed to do. She stayed later than usual to make signs that she hung all over the library. The signs read: “Anyone who visits the book wagon may not check out books from the Nowhere Library.”

Gertrude knew her actions were extreme, but she felt it was necessary given how disruptive Jed and his wagon were to her library. She worried that the children would fall behind in their schoolwork if they continued to play and sing with Jed instead of studying.

When she had finished posting the signs, she looked out the window to see if Jed was outside. Fortunately, he was not. She tidied her desk and gathered her things, then went outside and locked up for the evening. She glanced at the wagon a few more times to make sure Jed wasn’t nearby, then walked back to the Sanders house. She hoped that tomorrow would be a better day at the library.

She still had no idea how to respond to Jed’s proposal, either. Although she was curious about what it would be like to be someone’s wife, to be Jed’s wife, she was also scared by it. She had been single her entire life, and she had assumed she would remain single. The idea that her life could be intertwined with someone else’s was rather terrifying.

Though she knew that her sisters who had married were very happy with their lives, she just didn’t see herself in the same way. She had never considered the possibility of children. Though she enjoyed her work helping children, and despite the occasional complaint, she also liked spending time with her nieces and nephews. She had never really thought of herself as the mothering type.

Gertrude looked at the clock. If she hurried, she could make a trip to see one of her favorite sisters, Penny, at the farm between Nowhere and Bagley and be back before bedtime. She felt like she needed Penny’s advice. She needed to tell someone what was going on or she might explode with frustration.

Gertrude rushed down the stairs and nearly ran into Theresa.

“Where are you going?” The younger girl’s eyes were inquisitive.

Gertrude thought quickly. “I need to take something to Penny.”

“But you’re not carrying anything.” Theresa’s brow furrowed.

Gertrude smiled at Theresa. She was the most observant of the Sanders sisters. “You’re right. I’m going to pick something up from Penny. She’s making me some clothes.”

Theresa’s face brightened. “Ooh, can I come with you?”

“I’m sorry, Theresa. I’m going to miss dinner this evening, and I don’t want you to miss it, too. You can come with me next time, all right?” Gertrude continued to walk down the stairs, hoping Theresa would be accept this.

“Well, at least tell Penny I said hello!” Theresa called after Gertrude.

“I will,” Gertrude promised as she opened the front door to the house.

She was glad that Theresa understood. With so many women living together in the same house, sometimes it was necessary to get away.

Gertrude walked as quickly as she could to the ranch property Penny and her husband, Tom McClain, owned in the next town over. Tom was the seventh son of a seventh son, and he and Penny already had three sons of their own. They’d also taken in orphan boys and let them live in cabins on their sprawling property. Penny, Tom, and their boys lived in a huge, beautiful house on the property.

When Gertrude arrived at the McClain ranch, several of the orphaned boys were outside working. Some rode horses, others cleaned the stables, and others tended to the crops and cattle. She walked straight up to the main house and knocked sharply on the door.

Penny answered, a smile growing on her face as she saw who it was at the door. “Gertie! What a surprise! Come in.”

Gertrude was nervous. What had she been thinking, coming all this way to bare her soul to her sister? She walked inside hesitantly. Penny was holding her youngest child, Elijah, who seemed to be sleeping. She led Gertrude into the formal parlor. Penny and Tom had a beautiful house, but they lived simply. Most of the furnishings had been passed down from Tom’s family members, and Penny liked that each of their belongings had meaning.

“What brings you here at this time of night? Will you stay for dinner?” Penny asked. Gertrude didn’t know how Penny managed it all. She had three boys under the age of three and more orphaned boys that lived in the cabins on the property than Gertrude could keep track of. Yet somehow, she managed to keep her home looking beautiful and her stable of children healthy and happy, as well as her husband.

Tom came in and gave Gertrude a kiss on the cheek. “Great to see you, Gertie!”

“Hi there, Tom!” Gertrude relaxed a bit. Tom and Penny were two of her favorite people. “This will be a quick visit.”

Tom seemed to sense that Gertrude needed to speak to Penny alone. “I’ll wash up for dinner.”

Once he had left the room, Penny shifted the sleeping baby to her other shoulder. “Okay, Gertie, now I’m curious! What’s going on?”

Gertrude didn’t know where to start. “There’s this man—this impossible, frustrating man—who’s set up a book wagon outside the library!”

“Yes, I’ve heard about him. A few of the boys mentioned that they saw his cart when they went into town. It sounds like he lives in it?” Penny shook her head at the notion.

“Yes! The man is mad, I’m telling you.”

“Does he come into the library and disturb your books? What’s making you so upset?” Penny’s voice was full of concern.

“He plays music all day long, and he’s got all the children in town chasing after him for hours on end. It’s very disruptive, especially because you know how hard I’ve worked to keep everyone in order.”

Penny nodded sympathetically. “I can only imagine how difficult that must be. Have you tried talking to him?”

“I have tried, but it didn’t make a bit of difference.” Gertrude wanted to tell Penny about the other subject on her mind, but she didn’t know the right way to bring it up.

“I’m sorry. Is there anything I can do to help?” Penny knew that Gertrude thrived on rules and organizations. The new man in town had to be driving her sister wild.

“I don’t think so.” Gertrude felt silly for coming all this way and bothering Penny with her troubles. Penny had her hands full, and she had mouths to feed. “I should be going so you can get back to preparing dinner.”

“It’s no trouble at all, Gertie. You know that. Are you sure there’s nothing else on your mind?” Penny sensed that there was something Gertrude wasn’t telling her.

Gertrude sighed. “It’s nothing. I don’t want to burden you with it.”

Penny smiled. “Gertrude, I promise you that you are not burdening me. Come on. You can tell me anything.”

Gertrude considered it. She and Penny had always been very close to one another, and they were used to sharing everything. She knew Penny wouldn’t judge her for the feelings she was experiencing. “Well, Jed Thorn said that he intends to marry me. And he walked me home. And he kissed me. Right on the cheek!”

Penny’s jaw dropped. She lowered the baby and began rocking him side to side as he stirred. “Oh my goodness! And how did you feel about it?”

“Penny, I just don’t know!” Gertrude exclaimed. “How did you know that Tom was the one for you?”

Penny chuckled. “Well, that’s a difficult question. The answer might take longer than you or I have to talk tonight. But I’ll tell you this—I wasn’t sure right away. I had my doubts, but Tom seemed sure we were meant to be.”

“Yes, Jed seems certain that I’m the woman for him.” Gertrude stared at her hands. She felt helpless.

“What do Edna Petunia and Cletus have to say?” Penny wondered.

“I’m not sure. I know they went to visit him the other day, but all they said was that he seemed like a fine young man.” Gertrude shook her head. Her adoptive parents could be so unpredictable.

“It’s not like Edna Petunia to keep her opinion to herself.” Penny’s brow furrowed. “I wonder what they talked about.”

“I don’t know. Penny, what should I do?” Gertrude felt like she was on the verge of tears. She rarely cried, and never in the company of another person. Jedediah Thorn was making her miserable.

Penny clucked soothingly. “There, there, Gertie. It’ll all turn out okay in the end, I’m sure of it. I can’t tell you what to do. You have to make the decision that’s right for you. But if I were you, I’d think long and hard about this man and if he’s the kind of person you can truly envision building a life with.”

Gertrude nodded slowly. “Thank you, Penny. I appreciate your advice.”

“Of course. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got dinner to finish getting ready.” Penny stood up and carried the baby into the entryway. Gertrude followed her.

“I’ll see you in church on Sunday. Thanks again, Penny. Tell Tom I said goodbye.” Gertrude let herself out and closed the door behind her. She waved to the boys working outside as she set off for the long walk back to the Sanders’ house. She felt better after talking to Penny, but she still had no idea what she was going to do about Jedediah Thorn.

* * *

The weekend passed quickly for Gertrude, full of family activities, church services, and playing with her nieces and nephews. She was glad to have a short break from all the troubles at the library.

Gertrude found herself complaining about Jed Thorn more than once to her family, but Edna Petunia and Cletus were both acting mysterious.

“Time will tell, Gertie. Only time will tell,” Edna Petunia kept repeating.

All Cletus did was shake his head and chuckle. Gertrude had no idea what type of conversation they’d had, but she didn’t like the way they were acting. It was as if they were all in on a secret that no one had bothered to tell her.

On Monday morning, Gertrude rose with the sun and prepared for work. She arrived at the library two hours before opening and spent the extra time scrubbing and dusting every inch of the place. She loved the way everything looked when it was really clean, before the children with sticky hands got their fingerprints all over the place.

Just before eight, she opened the front door as usual, and saw Jed’s wagon parked in its usual spot. He was leaning against it, admiring the morning sky.

“Good morning, Gertrude! You look beautiful!” Jed tipped his hat and combed a hand through his hair.

Gertrude blushed and slammed the door shut. She hadn’t decided what to do about Jed’s advances, and she certainly wasn’t ready to face him so early on a Monday morning. Plus, it was the first day of her new rule about the book wagon. She had to focus.

The first patron of the library that morning was Mrs. Thomas, a widowed woman who cared for her ailing mother. Mrs. Thomas and her mother lived with her sister, and Mrs. Thomas often borrowed books for her sister’s children as well as her mother. Gertrude loved picking out the latest books she thought Mrs. Thomas’s mother would enjoy.

Mrs. Thomas took three books out of her satchel and gave them to Gertrude.

Gertrude accepted them and made a note in her ledger. “How did your mother like the one about the ship?”

Mrs. Thomas grinned. “She absolutely loved it. She told me to pass along her thanks to you for helping to select it.”

“That’s wonderful to hear. I’m glad.” Gertrude loved when she was able to help the members of the community.

“What’s that, dear?” Mrs. Thomas was staring at Gertrude’s new sign about the book wagon.

Gertrude took a deep breath. “As you may know, a Mr. Jedediah Thorn has come to town and parked his book wagon outside the library. This is quite disruptive to the work we do here, and he needs to leave. Until then, I can’t loan books to people who will visit the book wagon.”

Mrs. Thomas wore a concerned look on her face. “But Mr. Thorn has been so wonderful. Just last week, I got a book for my mother that she’d once read as a child! I actually was planning to buy another book from him today after I found another book for my nephews to borrow from the library.”

Gertrude frowned. Mrs. Thomas was one of her most loyal patrons. “If you are going to buy books from Mr. Thorn, I can’t allow you to borrow anything else from the library. I’m sorry, Mrs. Thomas, but it’s our policy now.” Gertrude had no problem enforcing rules. Sometimes her sisters complained about it, but she simply had a firm grasp on her moral compass and wasn’t afraid to use it.

Mrs. Thomas looked torn. She glanced out the window at Jed, then back toward Gertrude. “Isn’t there any way the two of you can resolve your conflict?”

Gertrude nearly snorted. “Mr. Thorn is impossible to reason with. Trust me, I’ve tried. Let me help you find a book for your nephews.”

“Thank you, Gertrude. I think I’ll just be on my way today.” Mrs. Thomas walked toward the door, turning back to Gertrude guiltily before she slipped out the door.

Gertrude hurried to the window and watched as Mrs. Thomas approached the book wagon. Jed greeted her with a friendly smile, and they began chatting. Gertrude could see Jed making big gestures with his hands, and Mrs. Thomas laughing. She shook her head. If Mrs. Thomas could abandon the library, would everyone else do the same?

Gertrude didn’t have to wait long to find the answer. The morning had been one of the slowest on record, and the afternoon was even worse. As soon as the schoolchildren saw the sign, they’d run out of the library squealing and gone straight to the book wagon. Gertrude could hear them singing along with Jed’s banjo. She ate lunch in the closet again to escape the sound.

At the end of the day, Gertrude marched in a straight line toward the Sanders’ house, but Jed chased after her.

“Gertie—wait up! Please!” Jed called as he ran toward her.

Gertrude didn’t stop walking, but Jed began walking by her side.

“Please, give me a chance. What can I do?” Jed’s arm was so close to Gertrude’s that she could feel a tingling sensation where they were practically touching. She longed to feel his hands on her body again, but she knew she needed to focus.

“I told you what you could do. You can leave Nowhere and the library alone.” Gertrude spoke firmly. She did not want Jed to think there was any room for negotiation, because there wasn’t.

“It’s the best place in town for my wagon, though. If I didn’t set up here, I’d have to go to the outskirts of town, and then no one would visit,” Jed tried to explain.

“And if that happened, would you leave me alone?” Gertrude asked, sounding harsher than she had intended.

Jed stopped walking. “I didn’t know you felt that way, ma’am.” His tone became more formal. “Have a good night, now.”

Gertrude paused and watched Jed walk back to his book wagon. He climbed into his wagon and drew the doors shut. Gertrude fought the impulse to go after him. It wasn’t appropriate. She turned around and set off again on her walk home.

As she wound through the streets of Nowhere, she worried about the low attendance at the library that day. She hoped it was not a trend that would continue. She didn’t understand how Mr. Thorn was already so popular among the town’s library patrons. It was really infuriating when she thought about it. Gertrude had been running the library for years with little acknowledgment or thanks. She didn’t need praise or accolades, but a little appreciation wouldn’t hurt. Jed had breezed into town on a wagon playing a banjo, and he was suddenly the most popular man in town? Gertrude wasn’t sure what she was going to do, but she had to do something. She was pretty sure the town wasn’t big enough for the both of them.