“Maybe. She sure wouldn’t be the first person in Alaska to leave her past behind. Or maybe she’s a woman who likes to switch it up now and then. My ex went through a spate of spelling her name in different ways.” Gabe half-grinned. “Got so I never knew what to use when I left her a note.”

Baumer snickered. “Women. They can’t—”

“What are you doing?” Filled with anger, Julie’s voice echoed off the walls. “Stop!”

What the hell? Gabe stepped around Baumer and headed for the back in time to spot Knox heading toward the exit. “Hold up there, Knox.”

The man realized he was caught and stopped. He spotted Julie, and his shoulders actually slumped.

“You.” Her flushed face held an impressive fury. “What were you thinking? How could you do that to a book?” She sounded like a priest seeing someone spit on the altar.

“What’d he do?” Gabe interposed himself between Knox and the door.

“He was ripping pages out of books. I found two more that he destroyed. Why?” The last word was practically a wail.

Knox stared as if shocked by her anger and distress. He shuffled his feet before throwing his shoulders back. “Don’t want a liberry here. No need for it. It’s a waste of my tax money to buy a bunch of useless stories.”

“A library has more than just stories. The books help you decide where to go on vacation or how to start a business. You can come here to use the internet, read newspapers, and borrow movies and audiobooks. A library serves everyone in the community.” The way her eyes lit with passion, Gabe knew this was her place. Her niche.

“It doesn’t serve me.” Knox’s gaze caught on something behind Gabe, and he flinched. “Nobody asked me if I wanted a liberry.”

Gabe turned to glance over his shoulder. A teen and an older man sat at the computers. Baumer stood behind the teen, looking at the display.

Breaking into Knox’s rant, Gabe said quietly, “You gave me your word.”

The words stopped Knox as thoroughly as if Gabe’d swung a 2x4. The man’s face turned the red of his hair. “I did. I just…just got mad. Payin’ out good money for something I can’t even—”

His abrupt stop left Gabe confused, but Julie’s expression filled with comprehension and, then, sympathy. She stepped closer to Knox, her voice low. “You can’t read.”

“I can, too.” Knox glared…and deflated. “I can’t. Can’t even fake it anymore now my wife’s gone.”

Well, hell. Gabe frowned. Sending the man to prison wouldn’t solve anything. But Knox had broken his word and—”

“I’ll pay for the books I ruined,” Knox said.

“Yes,” Julie said firmly. “And you’ll meet with me here for two hours twice a week.”

Knox gaped. “For how long?”