by Rachel Hanna
“Whose house is that? It looks like something out of ‘Gone With The Wind’…” she asked as she stopped the car to ogle it a bit more.
“That’s home,” he said grinning at her.
“That’s your house?” she asked with an even bigger grin.
“Yes, ma’m.”
Camden could not believe that Sam lived in such a beautiful home. It was more than she would have ever imagined when she heard that Sam owned a “farm”. She expected some chicken coops and the odd cow or two, but she had never even imagined this regal place. It was nicer and larger than her parents’ home.
“It was built in 1836,” he said softly as Camden turned off the car and stared at it. As she gazed at the house, he stared at her. Sam was just as much in awe of Camden as she was of his house.
The home was white with two stories. The porch spanned the entire front and sides of the home with its spindles and amazing brickwork. She could see a small terrace above the front door, and the stark white exterior was accented by jet black shutters on every window. There were steps leading up to the front door and dormers on the roof.
She could see white rocking chairs on the front porch where she imagined Sam would have his morning coffee. The home was surrounded by beautiful pecan and oak trees which gave shade to the property. Camden had never seen a home as stunning, and the fact that Sam lived there alone was astonishing to her.
“I had no idea…” she said softly.
“About what?” Sam asked with a smirk.
“That you would live in a place like this.”
“Where did you think I lived?” he asked, amused at her shock.
“I don’t know. I guess I thought…”
“That it would be some kind of redneck, country bumpkin farm?” he asked.
“Well…”
“It’s okay, Camden. We country folks are used to getting made fun of. But, we like nice stuff up here too,” he said.
“I don’t think you are a redneck or a country bumpkin, Sam. I just didn’t expect you to live here… alone.”
“Ah, I see. You thought I would have a small house or bachelor pad?”
“Yes. Do you live there all alone?”
“I do now. My Dad lived there until he passed. It was unexpected, so at least he got to pass away in the home that he loved. He was born here, and so was his father.”
“That is so cool. Do you rent it out for events or anything? Weddings?” As soon as she said it, she wanted to reel the words back in.
“No. It is my home, not a tourist spot. The only wedding that I want here is my own one day,” he said, shooting a knowing glance at Camden.
“Are you ready to show me the inside?” she said changing the subject.
“Absolutely.”
Chapter 19
As Camden walked into the beautiful Antebellum home, she was astonished by the design. She had never been inside of a home so old before, and her eyes were overwhelmed by the sights. The curved staircase wound down into the foyer and met the period hardwood floors. She coughed, and it echoed for what seemed like thirty seconds.
Sam was behind her, walking with his new cane. Her eyes were drawn to the rooms on both sides of the foyer. One was the large formal dining room with its floor to ceiling windows, thick crown molding and pumpkin orange walls. The draperies alone were a sight to behold. Crystal dishes were on the table, and it was made of heavy, dark mahogany. Camden imagined that only royalty would sit at a table like this one. She didn’t speak as she continued to walk slowly around the home. Sam followed without saying a word, allowing her to absorb it all.
The room on the other side of the foyer was a formal living room. It had rich leather chairs on each side of the fireplace, facing it. The walls were a deep blue, and there were floor to ceiling book cases built into the walls. A chaise lounge was in the right corner with a beautiful throw blanket covering the back of it.
Camden didn’t know what to say. Looking up and down, left and right, she could not imagine Sam living in a place like this. With his well worn baseball caps and cowboy hats, his boots, his tight and faded jeans… how did he live HERE?
“I’ve never seen anything like this, Sam,” she said.
“Would you like to see your room? I had Drake and Rebecca set it up for you,” he said.
“You did? That was very sweet of you.” Camden smiled at him. She was glad to see him out of that wheelchair, but she also knew there was a long way to go from here. He needed to regain his strength on the left side. Therapists would start coming tomorrow to work with him, and she would start helping out at the store to keep things running. They had a lot to talk about.
“Your room is up there, on the second floor. We call it the Rose Room.”
“Why?”
Well, two reasons. For one, my grandmother Rose used it as her reading room for over fifty years until she got sick. Secondly, it has rose wallpaper. Hope you like flowers or else it can get pretty nauseating.”
“I love roses. My favorite flower, actually,” she said.
“Great. I don’t think I can do those stairs. Let’s take the elevator,” he said.
“Elevator? In this home?”
“Yes. My grandfather had it put in when my grandmother became sick with cancer. She couldn’t walk those stairs. It’s not a big elevator by any means, so we will have the squish in there,” he said winking.
The walked down the foyer entryway into a small corridor where there was a tiny elevator.
“You weren’t kidding. This thing is only big enough for a wheelchair, it seems,” she said.
“Told you,” he said as they squeezed inside. Face to face, he pushed the button for the second floor. She could feel her heart rate quickening as she realized that she was pressed against Sam for the first time face to face.
“Hi,” she whispered.
“Welcome home, Camden,” he whispered back as she gently kissed her cheek.
***
Rebecca’s bags were packed and sitting by the front door as the cab drove up to take her to the airport. Sam, Camden and Drake hugged her goodbye as tears streamed down her face.
“Brother, get better, okay? I know Camden will take great care of you,” she said hugging him.
“Thanks for everything, sis. Please come see me again soon. Bring the kids, and I will take them horseback riding,” he said.
“You’d better start walking a little better before you go ride, Sam. Don’t be a hero, okay?” Rebecca said with her finger pointed at his face.
Rebecca walked over to Camden and gave her a big hug. “Take care of him, okay?” she whispered into Camden’s ear.
“You know I will. Safe travels,” she said.
Rebecca got into her cab, and they all waved goodbye. It was already dinner time, so Camden asked Sam if he was getting hungry.
“I am hungry for a home cooked meal after all of that nasty hospital food,” he said.
“Well, I will see what I can do. I am not a great cook, by any means…”
“You don’t need to cook, Camden. Irene will do that,” he said. Drake looked at her and winked as he walked back to the guest house where he lived across the field.
“Irene?”
“My housekeeper. She lives in the other guest house, but she cooks and takes care of the cleaning in the house. She’s been here for over twenty five years now,” he said.
Camden was shocked yet again. Could this man be as rich as her own family? How was that possible?
“Sam, wait.” Camden grabbed his arm before he could start walking back into the house.
“What?” he asked.
“I don’t know how to ask this…”
“You mean whether or not I am rich?” he said smiling.
“Well, yes…”
“Camden, let me tell you some things about me, okay? Can we sit down?” he asked pointing to the rocking chairs. They walked across the porch and sat down. “My family is the wealthiest in this area of North Georgia. My father and grandfather were
very notable businessmen in the Southeast. I was blessed to be the one who inherited this farm, this house and the store.”
“Wow, that’s great, Sam…”
“The reason I didn’t say anything to you is plain and simple. See, I haven’t had the best luck with women, Camden. Everyone up here knows who we are. They know we have money. They know about this house, and they are impressed with it. Being with me means instant riches to girls up here. It’s been a lonely life because I never know if a woman cares about me or about my money,” he said with a true look of sadness in his eyes.
“I can understand that, believe me…” she said returning the same look of sadness.
“We’re very much the same, Camden. That’s why Jenny was itching to get a date with me. I didn’t tell you because I needed to make sure that you liked me for me and not what I could give you,” he said.
“Having all of this also brings a lot of stress,” she said nodding her head, finally understanding how stressed he must have been carrying the weight of this huge place on his shoulders.
“It does. It’s a blessing and a curse. By this age, I really thought I would have a woman to share this with… and kids. You know?” She could tell that he was opening up to her, but not necessarily suggesting that she was this woman.
“I understand. So, is Irene a good cook?” she asked with a laugh.
“The best… Her pot roast is out of this world, and her fried chicken will make you want to slap your momma,” he said closing his eyes.
“Slap your momma?”
“That’s an old Southern term. We have got to get you up to date, Miss Camden!” he said laughing that big belly laugh that she loved to hear.
With that, he reached for her hand and led her back into the house toward the kitchen to meet Irene. As he did, she couldn’t help but wonder if she might be that partner he needed to really live in this amazing world of Steele Farms.
Chapter 20
As the days passed, Camden got used to the world of Steele Farms. Sam started having intensive rehab sessions with his therapists who set up a makeshift gym right there in the house. Camden learned how to run the store, selling more peaches and collard greens than she ever expected to sell. It was now into early November, and the farm was hopping with visitors.
With the success of the yearly corn maze, they had hundreds of people coming from several counties each week. Drake taught her how to work the register, take tickets for the maze and even how to tutor visitors on picking the best pumpkin.
Thanksgiving was coming up soon, as was her birthday, and she couldn’t imagine spending it in a more heavenly place. Sam was doing very well with his rehab, but he had started to get frustrated with not having full strength on his left side, especially in his hand. He would routinely drop things or feel like he couldn’t lift things, and it hurt his pride a lot. He was, after all, a man’s man. A cowboy at heart.
Earlier in the day, she had peeked in for a bit on Sam's therapy session. He didn't know she was standing there, and things were not going well. She could tell that he was becomgin frustrated at his slow progress when it came to being able to do certain tasks around the farm. For days, he had been pushing her away and acting aloof which made her worry.
“Hi, Sam. How was therapy today?” Camden asked as he walked into the store.
“Same old, same old,” he muttered. She could see that he was frustrated, so she asked him to take a walk with her.
As they made their way down to the corn maze, she grabbed his right hand and stopped.
“Sam?” she said.
“Yes?” he said.
“Will you go in the corn maze with me?”
“Why?” she asked.
“Because I’ve never been in one, and I am terrified of getting lost,” she said. The real reason was that she hadn’t spent any real time alone with him since she moved in. She was missing his touch and worried that he may have lost interest in her.
“Alright,” he said half heartedly.
They walked into the maze, and no words were exchanged for a few minutes. It was a very large corn maze, and people enjoyed getting lost in it. Luckily, it was closed to the public today as the farm took one working day each week.
“Are you okay, Sam?” she asked.
“No. I’m not,” he said.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“I don’t know how to say this…”
Camden’s stomach churned. She had heard words like these before, and they did not lead to anything good.
“Camden, I think you should move back to the city,” he said without looking at her.
“What?” she asked in shock.
“This just isn’t going to work out…” he said as he started to walk again.
“Sam… I don’t understand… I was there for you for so long…” Tears streamed down her face, and she made no effort to hide them. Sam continued to walk. Before long, he was out of sight. She had stopped for too long and tears blurred her eyes. She called out to him, but he didn’t answer. She was lost in the maze.
Camden started to run through the maze, searching for Sam and yelling his name. Suddenly, she could hear what sounded like sniffs. Was that Sam? She ran into dead end after dead end, but finally found Sam sitting on the ground in one of the dead ends. His knees to his chest, he had his head buried. She had never seen anything as pitiful as this grown, strong, proud man sitting in the middle of a corn maze crying. He certainly wasn't the type of man to cry. She knew this couldn't be easy for him.
“Camden, please go. I don’t want you to see me like this…” he said waving his right hand at her.
“I will not go. I haven’t left you yet, and I don’t plan to leave you now,” she said sitting down beside him. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close to her. They sat silently for a few moments before she spoke again. “Sam, what is this about? Do you not care for me anymore?”
He sat up and looked at her, searching her soul. His blue eyes were filled with tears, and it broke her heart.
“How could you ever think I don’t care about you? It’s because I care about you that I think you should leave, Camden. I don't know that I will ever be the man I was again.”
“What?”
“I am not enough of a man for you like this. You deserve so much better…”
“What I deserve is a good, decent man who has a heart of gold, and that is you, Sam. I wouldn’t have stayed with you at the hospital otherwise,” she said wiping a tear from his cheek.
“I feel like a big, bumbling idiot since I came home. I can’t train my horses or run my store or cut the shrubs… I am useless.”
“That isn’t true. Let me tell you something, Sam Steele. Lying in a hospital bed, I could tell that you were more of a man than Preston ever was. My connection to you started the moment you told me good morning, and that connection is stronger right now than it was then.”
“What if I can’t be the man you need me to be, Camden? What if I can never carry you across the house? What if I can never put up the Christmas tree or carve the Thanksgiving turkey? I don’t want you to miss out…”
“The only way I would ever miss out is if you left me. I cannot lose you, Sam. I won’t do it,” she said leaning in and kissing him tenderly. His right hand reached for her head and pulled her in closer. His warm, waiting lips sent chills up and down her spine. There was more love in his kiss than a thousand Valentine’s Days could ever have.
“Camden, I need you right now…” he said.
“I need you too,” she said with her breath flitting across his lips.
“No, I mean I want to make love to you… right here, right now…” he said breathlessly.
“In the corn maze?” she asked in amazement.
“Is that not okay?” he asked smiling.
“Oh, that is more than okay…” she said pushing him back against the wall of the maze.
Sam took off his button up shirt and laid it down as a blanket. Camden was tha
nking her lucky stars that this November day wasn’t too cold, but she didn’t really care anyway.
“Camden?”
“Yes?”
“I don’t know what I am able to do yet…” he said worried that he would not be able to perform up to her standards since his stroke.
“Sam, I just want to be with you. Whatever we need to do, we will do together, okay?” she said as she put her hands on each of his cheeks. “I just want you.”
