He looked at Toby, remembering everyone’s surprise when he declared his love for Elizabeth. Even though they shared no common blood, they’d been raised as cousins. Toby must’ve had a hard time letting Elizabeth know his feelings. Fortunately, she seemed to have followed the same path.
He looked at Samantha again. What was she thinking? Did that kiss this morning cross her mind? He’d talk to her this evening. Let her know she had nothing to worry about. He’d keep his hands to himself. Since that seemed to be what she wanted. Damn it!
Mildred and Lavinia stood and started taking down glasses to fix everyone a drink so they could make a toast to the new baby due next October. Samantha got up to help them and bumped into Rich. Shivers rushed through him and he realized not touching Samantha was going to take a lot of control. But he could do it. Of course he could.
Soon, everyone had a glass and Jake lifted his. “To the growth of the Randalls. And to this special child, due in October, the month my first son and I already share.”
It hadn’t occurred to Rich that Toby and Jake shared an October birthday. It would be amazing if the baby was born on their special day. Almost as if Toby becoming a Randall had been preordained. He shivered again, as if someone was walking over his grave. Had the same thing happened to him and Samantha? He just happened to be in the restaurant where she worked. Just happened to have a broken ankle and need help.
And she just happened to need to get away.
His grandmother just happened to need company.
He just happened to kiss her.
Had events already been set in motion? Was he destined to fulfill that picture he’d earlier seen of Samantha?
“No!” he growled in a pause of conversation so that everyone hear his exclamation.
“No, what?” Jake asked. “You don’t want the baby to be born in October?” He seemed highly offended.
“No, of course not, Uncle Jake. I think that would be great. I was thinking about, uh, something else.”
“Well, focus, boy. We’ve got some celebrating to do.”
Chad raised his glass. “Yeah, Jake and I are going to be grandpas!” He suddenly stopped smiling. “Wait a minute. That means people will think I’m old!”
“How do you think I feel?” Red asked. “I’m going to be a great-grandfather!” He raised his glass. “Well, I’ll tell you how I feel. I’m powerful glad to have that title!”
ON THE WAY HOME, Samantha had a lot to think about. It seemed the shopping trip to Denver was still on. Abby convinced Elizabeth to still be her maid of honor, certain they could find a dress that would look just right for her as her pregnancy progressed.
Samantha was more excited than anyone. With the money she’d earned, she could do some shopping, too. It sounded like so much fun, shopping with friends. She’d never done that before. Of course, when she had to leave, she might have to leave some things behind, but she’d enjoy them while she could.
And Elizabeth and Toby’s baby. Oh, how she wanted to stay until the baby was born. She made a silent plea that she’d be able to stay that long. Then she’d leave. But already she was picturing the different stages of growth for the baby and knew she’d want to be here for each one. She’d definitely better plan on leaving before the baby’s birth.
Suddenly the excitement went out of her. She had to leave, and she knew it. Buying clothes would be a waste of time. She was fortunate she’d gotten to stay until her arm and shoulder had recovered. She wouldn’t have been able to get a waitressing job while she was hurt.
But she had to leave, even if she hadn’t been well. Because of Rich. He was a good man. And an incredible kisser. She wouldn’t be able to resist him. Or what he would offer because he had to if they— Yes, she definitely would have to leave.
No future here. Not even for a few months. She’d been fooling herself. The thought of going through the summer, with picnics, rides, sharing their thoughts and feelings with each other… Samantha knew she was too weak to resist Rich’s touch. And the moment she did give in to what she wanted, everything would be ruined.
She already knew him well. He might think he was going to remain single for years, but she figured he’d marry soon. He and Russ had spent too many years sharing life. Now that Russ had Abby, Rich would find someone. Someone he respected and loved, she hoped.
Not someone he’d been forced to marry.
Maybe she should go before next Friday. Before she wasted her money on things she couldn’t take with her. Before she thought too much about leaving. Before she weakened.
Lavinia parked the car in front of her house. “That was fun today, but it’s good to be home.”
“Yeah,” Rich agreed, reaching for his door handle. “Lots of excitement.”
“I reckon Russ and Abby will be next, and I’ll be Great-Grandma. You’d better start looking for your own lady, Rich, or your brother’s going to pass you by.”
“It’s not a race, Grandma,” Rich admonished. “I have to find the right lady. Someone who wants the same things.” Then he opened the door and got out.
Samantha, with her head down, followed him. It occurred to her that Rich had everything any woman could want. So it shouldn’t take much time for him to find his match, if he ever started looking.
Good thing she’d already decided to leave. She was coming to realize how much it would hurt for him to bring his future bride to Lavinia’s. She’d have to leave then, for sure. But she wouldn’t be able to resist temptation that long. She was sure about that.
“Help Samantha with those leftovers, will you, Rich? Red and Mildred sent enough food for supper tonight. No need to do any cooking.”
After they got the food into the house, Sam ran upstairs. When she came down a few minutes later, Rich and his grandmother were quietly talking in the kitchen. He looked up when she entered.
“Sam, I need to check on a mare in the barn. She’s due any time. Could you come with me and hold the flashlight?”
“There are lights in the barn,” she said in surprise. “Why do you need—”
“The overheads are dim. I’m going to need more light to examine her.”
“Will B.J. be coming over?” Since his aunt was an experienced vet, it seemed Rich should call her.
“Maybe, once I check the mare out. I don’t want to make B.J. drive out if it isn’t necessary.”
“Go help him, please, dear. He’s promised to be good.” Lavinia added a smile to her request.
Samantha’s cheeks flushed and she abruptly agreed. “Sure. Where’s the flashlight?” She would do almost anything Lavinia asked of her.
“You’d better get your jacket,” Rich told her. “It still gets cold at night.”
She got her jean jacket and returned to the kitchen. Grandmother and grandson were talking quietly again, as if they were sharing a secret.
After watching in suspicion, she cleared her throat. “I’m ready.”
“Good,” Lavinia said, smiling again. “I’ll take a little nap while you two work.”
Rich said nothing, just led the way out of the kitchen.
When she stepped out onto the porch, she realized the sun had disappeared behind the mountains since they’d gotten home. The stars filled the night sky, and a full moon offered enough light to find their way to the barn.
“What do you do in the winter? If it snows, how do you get to the barns?” she asked, looking for a distraction. She was getting very nervous about their trip to the barn.
“We use the rope system. It’s easy to get lost in a blizzard. So we connect ropes between the barns and the house and bunkhouse.”
“Oh.”
“Don’t worry, we won’t let you get lost,” he said with a laugh.
She said nothing, knowing she wouldn’t be there for the July wedding, much less the winter storms. She blinked her eyes, to dismiss the tears. She couldn’t understand why she was having trouble with tears. She seldom cried. She’d learned the hard way that tears helped nothing. In fact, i
t made men think she was weak, easy prey.
She mustn’t let Rich think she was weak.
There was no more conversation until Rich shoved back the big door of the barn. He flicked on a light and Samantha didn’t think it was too weak. But she’d admit she hadn’t examined a pregnant horse before.
“I’ll get the flashlight,” Rich said and strode down the row of stalls toward the tack room.
Her tension lessened somewhat. He hadn’t jumped her, tried to resume what they’d started in the kitchen that morning, so maybe his request was legitimate. She hoped so. She wouldn’t be able to resist that pleasure, she feared.
Rich came out of the tack room and motioned her forward to a stall halfway down the barn. The mare in that stall was standing, looking miserable with her head down, her stomach large. Even Samantha knew she was near her time.
“Is she all right?”
“That’s what we’re going to find out,” Rich assured her. “Dixie, here, is a first-time mom.”
“Oh, poor baby.” She patted the horse’s nose and neck.
“She’s an Appaloosa. I’m hoping her baby has the markings, too.” He began examining the horse.
Samantha stepped forward and pointed the light in the proper direction.
When Rich finished, he patted the horse on her rump and stepped back. Samantha turned off the flashlight and handed it to him as she asked, “Is Dixie all right?”
“Yeah. I think maybe we’ve got a couple of more days, yet.”
A couple of days. She might not be able to stay until Elizabeth’s baby was born, but maybe she could see Dixie’s baby into the world.
Pleasure poured through her.
But Rich’s next words immediately wiped the pleasure away.
“Sam, I lied to you.”
Chapter Fifteen
When Samantha began backing away, Rich figured he’d blown it already. “Whoa, Sam! Let me explain.”
She stopped, and he figured it was the first time she’d done as he asked. “I didn’t lie about anything so bad. I just didn’t need you to come out to the barn with the flashlight.”
She stared at him. Then she asked, “Is that it?”
“Yeah.”
“Why did you ask me out here, then?”
“Because I wanted to apologize to you without Grandma hearing us.” He ducked his head in embarrassment.
“Apologize for what?”
He snapped his head up and stared at her. “This morning.”
She didn’t say anything. But she didn’t look at him either.
“Sam, I know kissing you was— I should’ve asked you—” He cleared his throat. “Uh, I’m really attracted to you. If you were someone I’d known for a while, we could, you know, take it easy. But I don’t want to stop when we—you know. So it’s best if we don’t start.”
“I—I didn’t exactly push you away.”
“Yeah,” he said. What she said was true, but that didn’t take away his blame. “It’s still my fault. I just wanted to tell you I’m going to try real hard not to touch you anymore. I think it’s some kind of chemical reaction. Nothing to be done but avoid each other.”
“Yes, there’s something to do. I need to leave.”
She turned to walk out of the barn, but Rich couldn’t let her leave. He hurried around her to lean against the closed barn door.
“Now, Sam, you can’t do that.”
“Why not? I only promised to be here a week.”
“You can’t do that because Grandma loves you. I don’t want her hurt.”
“She’ll forget me in a while. Abby’s going to arrange some things for Lavinia that will help.” She edged to his side, but he put out an arm to stop her.
“What things?”
“We’re— I mean, Abby is going to get Lavinia to teach a class at night to young ladies. How to knit and crochet. Maybe even demonstrate quilting. As long as she’s needed and has lots to do, she’ll be all right.”
“That’s a good plan, Sam. Thanks.”
“Abby’s doing it.”
“Because you thought of it.” She was close enough to touch. He’d really like to hold her in his arms again. To have her hold him. She was right. It was nice to feel needed.
“I need to go in and get some rest.” She avoided his gaze.
“First you need to promise me you won’t run away. Dad and Mom would be upset, too.”
“Rich, you don’t understand. I don’t fit into this family. I never will. I’m a loner. I move around. We scarcely speak the same language. I left school in middle school. All of you have degrees.”
“But you talk like you’re educated,” he pointed out. “Why is that?”
She dropped her head. “I spent a lot of time in libraries when I was younger. I read a lot. The librarians helped me.”
He pictured her sitting in a chair too big for her, reading books because she had nowhere to go. “Good for you. You probably know a lot more than me.”
She shook her head. “I have to go. Lavinia’s probably fixing dinner.”
“She’ll wait on us. She knows I’m apologizing. She said she’d hold me responsible if you went away.” He tried a smile but it didn’t seem to affect her.
“I can’t promise what’s going to happen in the future, Rich.”
“Okay, promise you won’t run away tonight. Can you do that? Can you promise that I’ll see you at breakfast tomorrow?”
She sighed. “Okay, fine, I won’t run away tonight.”
“Whew! Thank you, now we can go to the house. I don’t think Grandma intended to let me eat if I didn’t get your promise.” This time he smiled big, hoping she’d at least smile a little.
But he’d made the mistake of relaxing his arms, and she slipped past him. He caught up with her after turning out the light and closing the door. But she didn’t respond to his teasing.
Lavinia met them at the back door. “Everything okay?”
This time Samantha reached out and kissed Lavinia’s cheek. “Of course. I’m starving.”
“Me, too,” Rich agreed and hugged his grandma.
“Good. We’ll need to heat things up, son, if you have some work to do.”
Ignoring Lavinia’s questioning gaze, Samantha moved to the sink to wash her hands. She didn’t want to answer any questions right now.
SAMANTHA LAY IN BED as late as possible the next morning. It had taken her a long time to get to sleep. She had plans to make. And dilemmas to solve.
She believed what she’d told Rich. She didn’t belong in the Randall family. She had to leave. But she didn’t want to leave without more from Rich. She’d decided that she was going to ask him to make love to her.
Not to trap him into marriage. She would leave immediately afterward. But she’d waited all her life for the feelings she experienced when Rich touched her. She was tired of waiting. It would be a sort of reward. It wouldn’t hurt Rich. Most men didn’t complain about making love. It wouldn’t stop him from waiting until the right woman came along.
But she would have memories, wonderful memories, of sharing such intimacy with the one man she’d found who made her feel special when he touched her. She couldn’t have a future with him, but she could have her memories.
Responsibly, of course. She couldn’t travel pregnant. She couldn’t properly provide for a baby. But she could have memories of making love to a man she respected and…cared about.
So she hoped to stay for Dixie’s big moment…and her own.
Then she’d go back out into the world and look for another job, another temporary place to live. But she’d have her memories to take with her.
She had a lot to do today.
Breakfast with Rich and Lavinia was good. She watched their expressions, listened to their gentle teasing, stored up the scents of breakfast.
“I need to run into town this morning, Lavinia. Is there anything I can do for you?” she asked. It was the first time she’d asked to go somewhere and both Lavinia and Rich looked s
urprised.
“Why, no, dear, but you can take Rich to see Doc. I was going to drive him in, but I’m a little tired from our big day yesterday.”
“Don’t you feel good?” she asked, frowning with concern.
“Sure. I’m just being lazy. When’s your appointment, Rich?”
“At eight. Doc said he’d get to me early so I can get some work done.”
“Well, mercy, you two had better hurry,” Lavinia warned, checking her watch. “It’s seven-thirty now.”
Sam stood and began clearing off the table.
“Oh, leave that to me, child. I don’t have to be anywhere. I’ll do it after you’re gone.”
Sam ignored her and filled one sink with hot, soapy water. Then she filled the water with dirty dishes.
“You stubborn child. You remind me of Janie. And me.”
Lavinia looked at Rich. “Tell your father we’re going to need that highfalutin dishwasher, now. I don’t want that child to get dishpan hands.”
“I’ll tell him, Grandma.”
After they were in the car, Samantha driving, Rich chuckled. “I’m beginning to agree with Mom. You’re a miracle worker.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Dad has tried many a time to get Grandma to update her kitchen. She’s always refused. Now she’s changed her mind because she doesn’t want you to get dishpan hands.”
“I think that’s sweet.”
“Definitely,” Rich agreed.
Nothing more was said until she parked in front of the clinic. “I’ll go run my errands and come back and pick you up,” she said, ignoring his curious gaze.
“Or you could come in with me and then I’d help you run your errands.”
“No, thank you. They’re personal.”
Fortunately, she knew Doc would take at least half an hour to examine Rich and remove the cast. That should give her enough time, because she didn’t trust Rich not to follow her.
The bank was just across the street and the drugstore two doors down. She wouldn’t even have to move the car.
Randall Riches Page 16
