Sam was beginning to understand, little by little, exactly what had happened. After Alicia had told him about her abortion, he’d turned off all of his emotions. He’d closed down his heart. When Corrie had asked him to be a sperm donor, a small spark had flickered again. He hadn’t even known why at first. Now he did. It wasn’t only the idea of having a baby that had given him a renewed outlook, it was Corrie herself.
The nights he’d made love to her he’d assured himself they were both satisfying a physical need. He was living in the moment, grabbing pleasure where he could, giving it to Corrie. But deep down, underneath that pleasure, there had been a hell of a lot more.
He’d used what had happened with Alicia as a barrier to keep Corrie at a nice safe distance. But now?
I thought our child would be raised around two people who love and trust each other.
She had been willing to trust him. She had been willing to do more than trust him.
Do you think I made love with you without being in love with you?
She was going to stay in Rapid Creek. She’d said she had begun dreaming again. Of happily ever after? With him? Had he been so dense he couldn’t see what was happening to her as well as to him?
Because now he knew what those custody papers were all about. Oh, sure, they were about rights to a baby. But they were more about keeping Corrie in his life. They were more about having ties to her that couldn’t be broken. He’d thought a legal agreement could do that? It wouldn’t. Only he could do that.
He didn’t want to be with Corrie because of the baby. He liked being around her. He liked talking to her. He more than liked holding her. And kissing her. And making love to her. She fired him up in a way no woman ever had. He loved her—deep-down, genuine, until-death-do-us-part love.
He swore, his throat burning from the Scotch, the country tune on the jukebox twanging in his ears.
He slid off the barstool and zipped up his jacket.
“Where are you going?” Eric asked.
“Where I should have gone in the first place. Wish me luck, because I’m going to need a boatload of it.”
“Luck for what?”
“I’m going to propose to Corrie.”
Sam ignored Eric’s startled expression and headed for the door. He’d have the drive to Corrie’s to think of everything right to say…to come up with the perfect words to ask her to forgive him.
Corrie set a cup of tea in front of Sara. Jasper had settled under the table beside her friend’s foot.
“I shouldn’t have called you. You didn’t have to drive in here.” Corrie had been devastated when she’d arrived home, and she’d picked up the phone and called Sara on impulse to tell her what had happened.
“You sounded miserable. If I can help in any way—”
“No one can help. I never should have been so stupid as to start all of this. What was I thinking?”
“You already had feelings for Sam before you asked him, didn’t you?”
Corrie squeezed lemon into her tea and sat across from Sara. “Yes, I did.”
“So I imagine you were thinking you’d become closer if you became pregnant.”
“I thought we had become closer. I thought I meant more to him than a night of…of fun and games.” She took a sip of her tea and carefully set her cup back on the saucer. “In a way this is all my fault. I never should have let him believe I was serious about moving to Minneapolis.”
“Why did you?”
“I was still trying to hide from my feelings. I was afraid to trust him. I thought if I moved away that might be sort of what he wanted. You know, no strings. I wanted to find out for sure. But I underestimated how much he wants to be an every-day father. I think I was also hoping he’d protest because he’d miss me.”
Sara bent to Jasper and slid a hand over his fur. “You should never have signed those papers without having a lawyer look at them.”
“You’re the only lawyer in town now, and I couldn’t ask you.”
“Because I’m Sam’s sister-in-law? Since he didn’t come to me, my guess is he got a name from Ben of a specialist in custody law in Minneapolis. I’d certainly be glad to look over the papers for you. And I have a friend I can call if we both have any questions.”
“I left the papers with Sam. I was so upset I just had to get out of there.”
“I understand. Before Nathan and I really opened our hearts to each other, I left in the middle of the night without talking to him. After I said goodbye to Kyle, I just wanted to be somewhere Nathan wasn’t so I wouldn’t hurt so much.”
Corrie’s doorbell rang and her gaze met Sara’s.
“Corrie?” Sam called through the door. “Corrie, answer the door. I need to talk to you.”
“Do you want me to get it?” Sara asked.
All Corrie could do was nod. She wasn’t ready to face Sam yet. She wasn’t. He wanted to talk about their baby and custody. She was wrestling with the problem of how to stop loving him.
When Sara answered the door, Jasper ran to Sam as he always did.
“I didn’t expect to see you here,” he said gruffly to Sara as he gave Jasper an absent pat.
Sara didn’t reply, but rather just picked up her coat and purse.
Knowing she probably still looked pale and red-eyed, Corrie came into the living room. She gave Sara a hug. “Thanks.”
“Don’t hesitate to call me if you need anything,” her friend offered as Corrie released her.
Sara squeezed Sam’s arm and met his gaze. Then she closed the door behind her.
Suspecting Sam was here because he’d brought her a copy of the custody papers, Corrie attempted to turn off all the feelings she’d ever had for him. Her pride was all she had left and she used it now to keep her from looking foolish. “You were right to want everything spelled out in black and white. We should have done it from the beginning. Sara’s going to look over the agreement for me, if you have my copy.”
After a long look at her, Sam pulled a wad of paper out of his jacket pocket. He straightened out the papers the best he could and then he took them by the top and ripped them into strips.
“What are you doing?”
“I never should have had the papers drawn up. I should have trusted you. I should have trusted you to let me be a dad no matter what job you took or where you lived. I’m sorry, Corrie, that I didn’t.”
She couldn’t speak. Her emotions were keeping words from finding their way into the air.
“I have so much to say to you that I don’t know where to start. I want to say it all right, and if I say it wrong I’m afraid I’m going to lose you.”
“Lose me?” She couldn’t put the bits and pieces together—the expression on Sam’s face, the torn strips of paper that were littering the floor, the near desperation in his voice.
“I’d never keep your baby from you, Sam.” Her words wobbled and it was the most she could speak. After all, that’s what he was concerned about, wasn’t it? His baby?
He took her by the shoulders then. “This isn’t about the baby anymore, or about me being the sperm donor. It’s about you and me. Before you came to the cabin, I thought I was moving on, getting my life back together again. Your plan seemed the perfect way to do it. But then—but then I wanted to be with you more. I wanted to kiss you again. I wanted to make love to you. I didn’t call it that in my head. I called it attraction. I called it chemistry. I called it everything but what it was. Love. I’ve fallen in love with you, Corrie. I love you.”
“Sam, if you’re saying this because of the baby, because you want to make sure—”
“If you weren’t pregnant I would still be saying what I’m saying. I didn’t even want to consider the possibility of love because I thought I couldn’t trust another woman. That’s what those papers were about, a remnant of what I left behind. But when I looked in your eyes earlier, when I saw your hurt and I knew I had done that, I understood you’re not selfish like my mother…like Alicia. You’re a giving, lovi
ng woman who needs someone to give to you. I want to be that someone. I want to be committed to you for the rest of our lives. I want a future with you.”
“Oh, Sam.”
He wrapped her into his arms close to his chest. His kiss was hot and possessive and all-consuming. Corrie didn’t hesitate to give him what he asked for—her desire, her trust, her love.
He broke the kiss but only to take her face into his hands, to look into her eyes, to smile and ask, “Will you marry me?”
For years Corrie had told herself she’d never get married. She’d never be able to trust a man. She’d never believe he could be faithful. But this was Sam. He understood what family was all about. He was loyal and honest, and he knew how to love. She could feel his love now. She could see it in his eyes. And she wanted it, and him, in her life forever. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
Sam laughed, swung her off the floor and laughed some more, as Jasper barked his excitement and approval.
Then he kissed her again, swung her up into his arms and carried her to her bedroom. “We’re going to remember tonight even after we’ve been married fifty years,” he promised.
She believed him.
Epilogue
Corrie drove Sam’s van down a secondary road toward the site of their new house.
“I’m so glad Ben could fly in this weekend to help the guys lay the floors,” Sara said from the passenger seat. “When Galen insisted on helping, too, I know Sam was worried. But I think giving him the job of overseer will make everything run more smoothly. He can help where he’s needed but not exert himself too much. They’re going to be grateful for the lemonade and iced tea we have in the jugs. I think they picked the hottest weekend in August to do this.”
“Our house will be even more special knowing they all worked on it together,” Corrie assured her sister-in-law who became more like a real sister every day.
Corrie was almost six months pregnant now. Since Sara couldn’t have children, Corrie hadn’t known how her sister-in-law would feel about being around her. But Sara was excited about Corrie’s pregnancy, helped her shop for the baby and always had time to talk about what mattered to them both as newlyweds and mothers. Sara had confided that she and Nathan had applied to adopt.
“How soon do you think you’ll be able to move in?” Sara asked.
“A few weeks. Most of my things are in storage since I’ve been living with Sam. The dogs will be thrilled when they have a yard to run in.”
“When will the shelter officially open?”
“We’re aiming for October first.”
“How’s Sam’s new vet assistant working out?”
“Just great. With her kids off to college now, and three cats and two dogs of her own, she’s capable and efficient. I would have snatched her up for the shelter, but Sam interviewed her first.
“Potholes ahead,” Corrie announced, as she turned onto the dirt road that led to the house. She and Sara both braced themselves as she carefully drove the van down the rutted lane that was to be paved next week.
The two-story house was simple in design. The wide front porch and the brick facing kept it from being ordinary.
Before Corrie and Sara could climb out of the van, Sam and Nathan came out the front door and galloped down the porch steps, Jasper and Patches at their heels. The men were shirtless. Both wore jeans and running shoes. Nathan went to Sara and gave her a long kiss. Sam took Corrie into his arms and did the same. She loved the scent of him, the heat of him, the total man that was Sam. She’d never been happier than she had since the night Sam proposed. He made her feel desired and loved and so safe. Whenever they were together they had so much to talk about…when they weren’t making love.
When Sam broke away he informed them, “The living room floor is finished and we’re starting on the bedrooms. We should be able to nail on the baseboards before Ben flies home tomorrow. His experience with Habitat for Humanity when he was in college paid off.”
Sara motioned to the back of the van. “We brought lunch, along with lots of lemonade and iced tea.” She moved to the side door to open it.
“Don’t think you’re going to carry any of it.” Sam waved to the front door of the house. “Go look at the floor.”
Corrie exchanged a knowing glance with Sara. Both of their husbands were protective.
Once inside, they found Galen and Ben putting finishing touches on the living room. With its native-rock fireplace and dark-oak floor it was impressive.
Seeing them, both men came over and gave them hugs. Ben’s T-shirt molded to the muscles of his arms and his flat stomach. Corrie didn’t know Ben very well. When he’d flown in for their wedding in April, he’d seemed a bit aloof. But this trip he’d brought a teddy bear for the baby, and he’d had a couple of long conversations with her, as if he’d wanted to get to know her.
A half hour later they were all finishing sandwiches and sipping lemonade. Lawn chairs had been provided for Sara and Corrie, while the guys sat on the fireplace hearth, Jasper and Patches sleeping close by.
Sam fed Corrie a strawberry, gave her a passionate kiss, then said, “I’ll be right back.” He and Nathan left together.
Beside her, Ben confided, “I think he missed you this morning. He couldn’t stop talking about you. He’s proud of the work you’re doing with the shelter.”
“We’re newlyweds,” she joked. “But I’m hoping we can feel like this for the next fifty years.”
A beeping noise sounded and Corrie realized it was Ben’s cell phone.
He dug it out of his pocket, opened it and checked the number, then stuffed it back again.
“Not important?” she asked.
“I can take care of it later. I don’t want to spoil the moment.”
“It’s work?”
“It’s always work.” He gave her a smile, but this one wasn’t a real smile.
“Sam says you need to get away from it more often.”
“I rarely get a night off, let alone a weekend away.”
Corrie cocked her head and studied him. “So you decided just to drop everything to help Sam lay a floor?”
Ben clasped his hands between his knees, looked down at them and then glanced back at her. “My boss suggested I get out of town for a couple of days so that’s what I did.”
There was definitely something he wasn’t telling her. Or any of them. “Because you needed a break?”
“Just because,” Ben said blandly. “Hey, look. I think Sam has a present for you.”
Sam was carrying in a caned wooden rocker with a big blue bow. Nathan carried another one in behind him. The back on one rocker was a little lower than the back on the other.
Sam set the rocker beside Corrie and then knelt in front of her. “I wanted to buy something special for our new house.”
Corrie looked down at her engagement ring and wedding band. They fitted together intricately. Her diamond was a heart shape because Sam had wanted to give her something special with that, too.
“His and hers rockers?” she guessed.
“They’re supposed to last a lifetime, even if we put them on the porch. We can use them to rock the baby. Do you like them?”
She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I love them. And I love you.”
Every time she said the words she got teary-eyed, and Sam knew that. In spite of the fact his whole family was watching, he kissed her, renewing their vows and renewing their commitment to love each other for a lifetime.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-1807-3
THE DADDY PLAN
Copyright © 2008 by Karen Rose Smith
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˜Logan’s Legacy
**Dads in Progress
†Montana Mavericks: Gold Rush Grooms
*Baby Bonds
*Baby Bonds
*Baby Bonds
††Talk of the Neighborhood
‡‡Logan’s Legacy Revisited
**Dads in Progress
°The Wilder Family
The Daddy Plan Page 17
