The sound dragged her back to hard reality, to the knowledge that she was kissing a man she barely knew with an eager hunger that belied everything she had told him about looking for something deeper in a man than physical attraction.
What was she doing? She knew better. This had been a grave mistake, one she feared she would pay for eventually.
She slid her mouth from his and edged away on the bench, her heart pounding.
“I need to, um, go.”
He gazed at her, those blue eyes glittering in the moonlight. Why did he have to be all kinds of gorgeous?
“Do you?”
That voice. That accent, the low timbre. He hit every single one of her buttons, including several she hadn’t known existed until this moment.
She inhaled sharply, ignoring every instinct that urged her to simply slide back into his arms.
“Yes. Betsey and I have been gone too long. The puppies will be anxious.”
“Right.” He stood up abruptly and she shivered as cool air blew off the lake.
She couldn’t read his features clearly in the darkness. Was that regret she saw in his eyes? Was it because they had kissed? Or because they had to stop?
“Good night.”
She scooped up her dog, grateful for the buffer Betsey provided, and headed for the house. She had only made it a few steps before she realized Ian was following closely behind. They were in her own backyard. Did he really think he had to escort her to the door?
She wanted to tell him he didn’t need to bother, but by then they had reached her back step and she couldn’t see the point.
“Good night,” he said, some of his earlier stiffness returning to his voice.
She wanted to kiss him again, to wrap her arms around his neck and return to that magical place they had found by the water’s edge. Instead, she nodded, then let herself into the house, feeling as if something fundamental had changed inside her, something she didn’t want to examine too closely.
As soon as she closed the door, Betsey rushed to her water bowl and took a healthy drink. Sam followed her example, turning on the tap and filling a large glass with cold water.
Instead of drinking it, she pressed it to first one flaming cheek and then the other.
Holy moly. The man could kiss.
She didn’t know when she had ever completely lost her head over a kiss.
Starry-eyed Sam. That’s what her mother used to call her, in a mocking voice Samantha had hated, because of what Linda perceived as her daughter’s tendency to fall in love at the drop of a hat.
That was her past, one she wasn’t particularly proud of.
This wasn’t her first time letting her emotions get carried away.
Even with the other men she had kissed, she didn’t remember an embrace ever leaving her so breathless.
Contrary to popular belief, she was not really an expert when it came to men. At least when it came to sex. She had gone all the way with only two guys. One was her high school boyfriend, who was married now and living in Shelter Springs with his wife and their three kids. He worked at a home improvement store in the larger town. Yeah, that had led to a few uncomfortable conversations when she had to go in asking about garden hoses and pipe fittings.
Another had been a guy she dated while finishing her degree in business in Boise.
She had lived at home to help her mother with the store after class and on the weekends so she hadn’t had much of a social life. She did manage to date occasionally and had gone out for about six months with an economics major who was a few years ahead of her in school, Craig Bothwell.
She told herself she was in love and thought he felt the same. She spent those six months dreaming about the adventures they would have and how she was going to tell her mother she was leaving the boutique to go with him when he graduated.
He had taken a job in Dallas a month before graduation. As he prepared to pack up his belongings and move, she waited for him to talk to her about going with him. He didn’t. Finally, a week before graduation, she had gathered her courage and brought it up.
She could still remember the devastation scorching through her when he had told her that while he’d had fun these past few months with her, he didn’t see a future for them and he certainly didn’t want her to go to Dallas with him.
Brokenhearted, she hadn’t dated anyone else seriously in college, too busy licking her wounds. Only after graduation, when she turned her full attention to the boutique, did she begin to realize how limited the dating options were here in Haven Point. She lived at home with her mother in a town where everybody always seemed to be watching her. She couldn’t just sleep with any random tourist without word trickling back to her mother.
She went on dates here and there and seemed to convince herself this was it...she was in love. This one would last forever.
They never did, though, and finally she’d gotten tired of trying.
She closed her eyes, reliving the kiss with Ian. Nothing in her past had prepared her for that kind of fast and furious response to a man. She still couldn’t quite catch her breath.
How ridiculous. She didn’t even know him. Not really. Yes, he seemed to be a good father. Yes, she was attracted to him. But the only thing she really knew for certain was that he would be leaving in a few weeks’ time. Even if he were interested in a fling, which he clearly wasn’t, she couldn’t do it. She wanted more. She wanted the kind of life Katrina had with Bowie, and Wyn had with Cade Emmett.
They each had found deep and lasting love. Bowie and Cade would both give everything they had for their wives. Being around the couples was both inspiring and depressing, reinforcing just how shallow her previous relationships with men had been.
No one she had ever dated had once looked at her with even a small portion of the tenderness she saw her friends receive from their husbands.
She wanted that. Not right now, maybe, but someday.
If she gave in to her attraction, something told her Ian Summerhill would leave her far more devastated than Craig ever had.
With a sigh, she returned Betsey to her puppies, then headed to her own bedroom, the one she had slept in since birth, feeling more alone than ever.
CHAPTER SEVEN
APPARENTLY SHE WAS a genius all these years and had no idea.
Genius might be too strong of a word. She couldn’t use it toward herself without feeling uncomfortable. Then again, maybe she had spent too much time listening to certain negative voices and struggled to give herself enough credit.
There was no maybe about it, she acknowledged. Samantha didn’t trust her own instincts, always questioning and second-guessing every decision, from the kind of toothpaste to buy to the best way to pick out ripe watermelons at the grocery store.
In the months since her mother died, she had tried to break herself of the habit but it was proving harder than she expected. She wanted to think she was getting better at figuring things out on her own.
In this case, she had made an impulsive decision and it had paid off better than she could have dreamed. The plan to have Ian’s children watch the dogs seemed to be working like a charm. This week had been a dream. Since the previous Monday when Amelia and Thomas had started checking on them and playing with them a little during the day, Betsey and the puppies seemed so tired by the time Samantha returned home from work that they only needed a little love and cuddles and then they were asleep for the night.
She was utterly thrilled with the results. Not having to entertain a dog and three pups left her with more time to work on dress designs and at her sewing machine.
She was so thrilled, in fact, that on Friday she made a stop at her favorite bakery in town after a long day at the shop to pick up some of their huge fresh chocolate chip cookies for the children to thank them.
Bag in hand, she rang the bell at the house next door
. Perhaps her luck would hold and Ian wouldn’t be there. She could hand the cookies to Mrs. Gilbert or the children and be on her merry way without having to face that particular temptation.
Alas, when the door swung open a moment later, Ian Summerhill stood on the other side, his collar askew and his hair messed in that gorgeous way, as if he had just raked a hand through it. She fought the urge to straighten the collar and smooth down his hair.
She thought she saw something hot leap into his expression for an instant before he blinked it away. “Oh. Hi.”
Nerves jittered through her. She hadn’t seen him since the night they had kissed beside the lake earlier that week. That didn’t mean she hadn’t done her share of obsessing about the heat of his mouth on hers, the delicious taste of him, the hard muscles beneath her hands.
She drew in a shaky breath and held up the bag full of cookies. “Hi. I’m sorry to bother you. Don’t mind me, I’m only the neighbor who shows up with sugary treats for your children.”
“Is that right?”
She found some small satisfaction that he looked as uncomfortable to see her as she felt to face him again.
“There’s this fabulous bakery in town that makes gigantic cookies as big as your hand. I hope you don’t mind but I picked up a couple each for your amazing children, along with their paycheck.”
“They are quite amazing. I must say, it’s nice to see someone else recognize it.”
She smiled. “I included a few for you and Mrs. Gilbert, with my grateful thanks.”
“I’m afraid she and the children are not here right now. She took them to the cinema in Shelter Springs so I could catch up on some work and make some uninterrupted phone calls.”
“And then your neighbor stopped by to interrupt you with sugary treats. Sorry.”
“No bother. I finished earlier than I expected and was only reading on the back deck.”
Her friends at her book group might have said there was no such thing as only reading but she didn’t want to correct him. “Well, I’m sorry to interrupt that.”
“You didn’t. Really. Come in, won’t you?”
She hesitated, remembering what had happened the previous time they had been alone together. She had lost sleep she could ill afford, haunted by memories of their kiss. She ought to just toss the bag of cookies at him, trot back down the steps and return to her own house, where she was safe.
She was being ridiculous. He wouldn’t kiss her again. Even if he did, surely she could summon the fortitude to withstand this attraction. She was a grown woman and could have an adult conversation with a man without wanting to fall into his arms.
She stepped inside, noting as she did that the house seemed to feel more as if a family lived in it than it had the last time she had been inside, when the previous owner still lived there.
Ian and the children had left an indelible mark—a red ball in one corner, a pair of children’s rain boots by the door, a stack of what looked like scholarly manuals on the end table.
It was a warm, comfortable house. She had always thought so. Somehow having Ian and his children here made the house feel perfect.
“I’m sorry I missed Amelia and Thomas,” she said, handing the cookie bag to him along with an envelope that contained cash for their labors.
He set them on a table piled with books inside the entryway. “They’ll be happy for the biscuits, trust me. And for the spending money.”
“It’s the least I can do for all their work with the puppies this week. I meant what I said earlier. Your children have been absolutely terrific. I don’t know exactly what they’re doing, but this has been the best week since the puppies were born. Seriously. All three puppies and Betsey seemed happier and more tired than I’ve ever seen them at the end of each day.”
He gave a soft laugh that sent sparks shivering through her. “The experience has been mutual, then. Amelia and Thomas have been utterly thrilled at the chance. I feel like I’m the one who should be delivering treats to you. Babysitting for those puppies has been a wonderful distraction for them. They look forward to it all morning and talk about it all afternoon. They’ve loved it. I’m not sure they would have enjoyed their time here in Haven Point half as much without having cute puppies to entertain.”
“Kids and puppies just go together, don’t they?”
“Yes. Like bangers and mash.”
“Or spaghetti and meatballs.”
“Or salmon and bears.”
They shared a smile and Samantha was suddenly breathless again. Oh, for heaven’s sake. She had to cut this out.
“How’s the research coming?” It was a logical question, especially since he had been the one to bring up salmon.
“Good. I’ve managed to hike to the redd—that’s the breeding spot—nearly every day this week. It’s been fascinating to watch them.”
“I will have to take your word for it.”
“You’ve never hiked up the Chalk Creek?”
“I’m afraid not.”
“It’s beautiful, though fairly rugged. The children are asking me to take them but it’s not a maintained trail, more like a deer path, and there are several rock screes you have to cross.” He suddenly gave her a considering look. “I’m glad you stopped by actually. I could use some advice from a local.”
“What sort of advice?” she asked warily.
“I don’t want to take the children to Chalk Creek as I am afraid that’s a bit too intense for them. They have been after me to take them hiking, however. When I had breakfast at the café in town today, the server mentioned Bridal Veil Falls as a good hike for children. Do you know it?”
“Sure. The falls are beautiful and the trail isn’t difficult. It’s fairly level for most of it, only a few small hills.”
“Would you happen to know where we can find the trailhead for that? The server tried to explain it but I’m afraid the directions weren’t terribly clear.”
“You can reach it from a couple of different spots around town. That might be why you were confused. The best access is not far from here actually. In fact, you can even walk there from your house. It’s about three blocks down the road. You turn left past Sugar Pine Trail and walk along the creek there about a mile or so. It’s a beautiful trail, especially this time of year. I haven’t done it since high school but I remember it being very family-friendly. I’m sure the children will have fun.”
“Amelia enjoys hiking but Thomas isn’t much for it, though I hope that will change as he gets older. He comes along with us simply because he hates to be left out.”
She smiled, wondering if she should tell him that both of his children had captured her heart. She had talked to them a few times about the puppies since they started coming over. Amelia was solemn, mature for her age, taking her responsibility to care for the animals so seriously. She had even done research about puppies apparently, because she had talked to Sam about some of the ways to wean puppies from their mothers.
“One name for a mother dog is a dam,” she had informed her the other day. “Did you know that?”
“I did not,” Sam had answered, grateful Amelia hadn’t called Betsey a bitch.
Thomas did his part to care for the puppies, as well, though she could tell he mostly just loved dogs. Something told her the boy had a mischievous streak just waiting to come out.
She wanted children of her own.
The desire wasn’t new, but as she headed toward thirty, the yearning seemed to have increased. It would hit her when she saw one of her friends holding their new babies or when she would spot a toddler at the park while she was walking Betsey. She would even feel it when mothers would come with their teenage daughters to the store, whether the girls were sweetly enthusiastic and happy to be there or sullen and reluctant to be seen shopping with their mothers.
What sort of mother would Samantha be? It w
as a question that sometimes kept her up at night. Had her own mother’s negative influence scarred her forever?
She would hate, more than anything, if she turned into Linda, letting her unhappiness with life’s inevitable disappointments sour everything around her.
She didn’t have to become her mother. She was a seamstress who knew that simply because you might have been given a pattern, you didn’t have to follow it.
People broke free of the bad examples from their childhood all the time. If others could do it, she could, too.
She could be a good and loving parent, like Ian appeared to be toward Amelia and Thomas. She turned her attention back to him, embarrassed that she had let her thoughts wander.
“If you have trouble finding the trailhead, just ask anyone. Someone nearby can show you. I’m sure you will have a wonderful time. They’ll both enjoy it. You have a very pretty view over the lake from there. Waterfall on one side, a spectacular view on the other. It makes for a great combination.”
“Like bangers and mash,” he said with a smile.
“And salmon and bears.”
His smile deepened and she couldn’t help returning it. For an instant, his gaze flickered to her mouth ever so briefly and then quickly away.
She felt her cheeks heat. Was he remembering that kiss as she was?
“I’ve just had a brilliant idea,” he said suddenly. “Would you like to go with us?”
She stared, taken completely by surprise at the idea. “You...want me to go hiking with you?”
“And the children,” he hurried to answer. “It wouldn’t be a date or anything, I assure you.”
As he said the words, she thought she saw color rise on his rugged features.
“I never thought otherwise,” she said just as quickly. They were quite the pair, the two of them, both dancing around this attraction neither seemed willing to acknowledge.
“I simply thought it would be nice to have someone local along, someone knowledgeable about the trail system, so we don’t wander off into the wilderness somewhere.”
Summer at Lake Haven Page 10
