Read Town in a Blueberrry Jam for Free Online Page B

wrong now?” she asked crossly.
    Ray pointed. “M-myy . . . m-myy . . . my hammer.”
    Not understanding, Candy looked down at the tool she held in her hand. “Yeah, what about it?”
    It took Ray a moment to speak. “It’s . . . it’s brand new.”
    He was right about that. He must have just bought it at Gumm’s Hardware Store in town. It had a red fiberglass handle with a black cushion grip and a polished claw head that looked as if it had never been used—except by her just now. She noticed that she had scarred the head in a few places and nicked the handle.
    “Oh,” she said as understanding dawned on her. “Guess I am being a little rough with it, huh?” She rose, crossed to Ray, and held it out to him. “Here.”
    He took the hammer gingerly in his fingers, practically cradling it, as if he were afraid it would snap in half if he held it too tightly.
    Candy looked around the barn. “I think Doc’s got an old hammer around here I can use.” It took her a few moments to find it, but soon she was back at work. As she nailed on the last few brackets, she looked up to see that Ray had wrapped the red-handled hammer in a white cloth, placed it back in his toolbox, and had taken out another one, older and well used. He apparently had no intention of using his shiny new hammer any more that day.
    In another twenty minutes or so they were done. Candy stepped back to admire their handiwork. “Thanks, Ray,” she said, hands on her hips. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”
    After that, things got really awkward. With the booth done, Candy tried to shoo Ray on his way so she could finish up the banner and the other things that needed to be done. But he seemed reluctant to leave.
    It took him a full ten minutes to pack up his tools while Candy paced about impatiently. After that he hemmed and hawed in the driveway, talking about the weather, about the folks in town, about fishing, about anything he could think of to delay the inevitable.
    Candy couldn’t help glancing at her watch, feeling the press of time. Finally, as gently as she could, she said, “Ray, I’ve got a lot to finish up to get ready for the festival tomorrow. Thanks again for helping with the booth.”
    “Um, sure thing, Miss Candy.” He paused a moment, his gray eyes shifting. “Can I help you with anything else? I got some spare time today.”
    “Today’s not a good day. Maybe next week when things calm down, okay?”
    “Doc said something this morning about fixing the banister. He said some of the spindles were loose.”
    “I’ll have him give you a call and we’ll set something up. You’ll send us the bill for today, right? And, um, I’ll buy you a new hammer if you want. I didn’t mean to nick up that one with the red handle.”
    He nodded absently but still he hesitated, looking down at his steel-toed boots, kicking at a stone. Finally he set his jaw firm, as if he had made up his mind about something. He looked up at her.
    “Miss Candy,” he said with great seriousness, “would you go out with me some day?”
    “What?” The word came out as sort of a bark, surprising even Candy. She was a little embarrassed by her outburst, but the look on Ray’s face never wavered. He had put the question out there. Now she had to answer it.
    “Ray,” she began softly, “you’re a wonderful person and all, and one of these days you’re going to meet some lucky woman . . .”
    She came to an abrupt stop when she saw the look in his eyes change. The sense of hopefulness that had been there a moment before turned wary, protective, as if he were bracing for the rejection he knew was to come.
    Candy hesitated. What could she say to him without hurting his feelings? Her body relaxed a little as the tension seemed to leak out of her. She hadn’t realized she had been holding herself so stiffly.
    “Oh, Ray . . .” Finally, impulsively, she took a step toward him and kissed him lightly on the cheek. “I’ll think about it,