maybe they can find a new way to love.”
Lily looked into Jack’s clear blue eyes and wondered if it was really pets they were talking about.
“So,” she said, opting to change the subject as soon as possible, “do I get a tour of the farm before I go?”
“Sure.” Jack’s tone lightened. “I tell you what. Let me take your tray. You get yourself cleaned up,and just knock on the door of my room when you’re ready. There’s clean towels in the bathroom and anew toothbrush.”
After Lily made herself presentable, she entered Jack’s room to find her working on a computer,which looked incongruous with the rustic farmhouse surroundings: IBM meets American Gothic. “Hey,”Jack said, looking up at Lily. “Even horse doctors keep their records on computer, these days. Speaking ofhorses, I’ve gotta vaccinate a couple mares on Wednesday. You wanna come?”
“Sure. I’ve not gotten to sketch any horses yet.”
Jack turned off the computer and stood. “Okay, well, let’s start the tour. This is my room.”
Lily looked at the overflowing bookshelves that lined the walls. “Quite a book collection you’vegot here.”
“One of my city girlfriends used to tease me ’cause I talk like a hick. She said as many books as Iread, I oughta know better.”
“I like your accent.”
Jack looked down. Was she blushing? “I think the way you talk oughta tell people somethin’ aboutyou. I don’t like the idea that everybody oughta sound like they’re reading the nightly news.”
“Me neither.” Lily scanned the volumes in the nearest bookcase—they were all veterinarymedicine books, with polysyllabic titles. “Not exactly light reading here.”
“Nope, that bookcase is just professional stuff—boring to everybody but me.” She glanced at thecase across the room. “What you want’s probably over there.”
Lily’s jaw dropped when she saw the other book-case— six wide shelves stuffed with lesbianfiction. The books were paperbacks mostly: classics like We Too Are Drifting, Beebo Brinker, Desert ofthe Heart, and Curious Wine. But there were also several recent titles Lily hadn’t read. “It’s amazing tosee so many books like this in a place ... like this.”
“Yeah. Versailles doesn’t even have a bookstore, let alone a place where you can buy lesbianbooks. Let’s just say I’m on a first-name basis with all the gals who take mail-order calls for Naiad Press.
I call this bookcase the Faulkner County Lesbian Lending Library. If you wanna borrow somethin’, goahead. I don’t even charge overdue fines.”
“Thanks.” Lily pulled a couple of mysteries off the shelves. “Charlotte used to tease me about how