Along Came Love

by Hestand, Rita

  Jake watched Samantha move around the desk, he wondered about her now like he did when he was a young teenager with hormones out of control. What would it be like to touch those lips of ice? Could he melt them?

  "Mr. Travers are you listening?" Samantha inquired.

  Jake jumped back to reality, "Yes, yes, I heard every word. But I thought Sammie Jo was having a math problem."

  Samantha picked up the file on her desk and handed it to him, "She has the ability to learn anything, judging from her past grades, but she isn't paying attention. Problems start when they don't pay attention."

  Jake nodded and took the file, scanning quickly her A-B average in every subject.

  "Sammie Jo is a very bright young lady. She has the capacity to do very well in school. However, she isn't concentrating on her work any longer. And instead of turning her attention to boys her own age, she has unfortunately turned to playing cupid for the world."

  Finally she was saying something that made complete sense to Jake. Although he loved Sammie Jo dearly, he above everyone in the family knew how she loved to play cupid. Only this time she had taken it outside the family and gotten herself in a little hot water, according to the prim and proper Ms. Courtland.

  "I'll speak to her, of course."

  "Please," Samantha put her hand on top of his and pleaded, "Please, be gentle."

  It was the first sign Jake had glimpsed of a soft hearted woman. Maybe the little counselor wasn't such an ice-maiden after all. Jake glanced at the hand, then cleared his throat, "Yeah…"

  The woman was a mixture of cold and hot mixed. He was getting so many mixed signals, he wasn't sure what to do. Most women didn't puzzle him, he could see right through them, but this one operated a little differently, putting Jake in a puzzling state. Why had she kept her identity a secret? He liked her, he had always liked her. Heck, she was the only woman that seemed to ring his bell. He reacted to her in every way, always had. Why didn't she understand that?

  "She's very vulnerable at this age. She's not quite a woman yet, but she is on the brink of it. You mentioned her parents are on vacation?"

  Jake nodded, "Yeah, it's like a long overdue honeymoon."

  "That explains some of it." Samantha quickly nodded.

  "You know of course, that Sammie Jo was adopted, don't you?"

  "No," the counselor looked a little rattled. Checking her file, she looked up at him in surprise. "We didn't know that. It isn't mentioned in her records."

  "Yeah, well, she was still a baby. My brother and his wife never took a real honeymoon because she was so little at the time, they didn't want to be away from her. Now that she's growing up they thought it would be alright to take one. This could be what prompted her to do this, don't you agree?"

  Samantha smiled, charmed by his caring, "Perhaps you're right. Let's give her the benefit of the doubt. And if she really is having math problems, I suggest you have her stay late for tutoring."

  "Sounds reasonable," he agreed with a sigh of relief, and took Samantha's hand in his. He shook it lightly, squeezed it and smiled, tipping his hat to her.

  "Thank you for your co-operation." She said a slight smile to her lips.

  Jake looked deep into those green eyes and smiled, "I never thought you were chubby. I just thought you were a snob."

  With that, her eyes turned even greener, "I never meant to….give off that impression."

  His look seem to galvanize her, "Yeah…I seemed to give off a few wrong signals myself…"

  Chapter Two

  The next day, Jake picked Sammie Jo up after tutoring and he saw Samantha again. She was standing at the front door of the school with Sammie Jo and smiling. The transformation that smile made had Jake reacting physically. Why did looking at Samantha now give him such a kick in the gut? He was happy with his life, except for a few small details he had to work out.

  Samantha had walked Sammie Jo to the front door, but the minute she saw Jake she had turned away. Maybe it wasn't him she was avoiding. Maybe it was men in general. But why? She was beautiful, healthy, and for some reason he wanted to know more about her. And now that he knew who she was, she was more elusive than ever.

  "She's very pretty isn't she, Uncle Jake?" Sammie Jo asked as she climbed into the truck and distracted him from staring.

  "Who?" Jake asked trying to forget how Samantha deliberately shunned him years ago, and was still doing it.

  "Ms. Courtland" Sammie Jo giggled.

  "Yes, she's a very nice looking woman. Do you like her?" Jake asked trying to concentrate on something other than Samantha.

  "She's cool. I thought she was mad because I wasn't catching on, but she is really very sweet. It's just such a shame."

  Jake barely heard his niece, but his head jerked around to stare at her, "What's a shame?"

  "I overheard some of the other teachers say she was taking care of her sick Mother. That she has no one…no husband, no children. Just like you…Uncle Jake."

  Wanting to change the subject, Jake took the conversation in a different direction. "Not exactly, Pumpkin. Well, I guess your folks will be home in a few days."

  "Do you think they will be sore?" Sammie Jo asked, turning all her attention on Jake.

  "I think I can manage to smooth it over, especially since you are taking the tutoring. But there are a few other things we need to talk about before they get back."

  Sammie Jo reached to give him a quick kiss on the cheek, "You are just the coolest, sweetest Uncle a girl could have, Uncle Jake. So why doesn't Laurie Beth marry you."

  "Could be because I haven't asked her," Jake answered quickly. Was marriage and kids all Sammie Jo ever thought about these days. He really needed to talk to her about this, but then again, he had to figure out how to go about it too.

  Sammie Jo reminding him about Laurie Beth had him rattled again. He hadn't so much as given her a thought since he left on vacation. Somehow a regular Saturday night with a lady had gotten to be more of a habit, than a thrill. He certainly hadn't considered it dating. Just having dinner with a friend, but deep down, he knew Laurie Beth wasn't thinking along those lines.

  Jake considered marriage, but he honestly couldn't commit himself to Laurie Beth. He wasn't in love with her and he knew it. Coming home reinforced that fact.

  Had he led Laurie Beth on all this time? Was he among those callus brutes that took women for granted? Maybe he should change a few things. He hadn't meant to. Just like Samantha said she hadn't meant to snub him.

  Laurie Beth was just so sweet and willing to keep things simple that he had grown into a platonic relationship. It was comfortable.

  "Don't you want to get married and have kids, Uncle Jake?" Sammie Jo asked.

  "No!" Jake answered too quickly. When Sammie Jo completely shut up, he realized he'd been too harsh with an answer. "Look pumpkin, I've been married, and it's not for me."

  "You were married before?" Sammie Jo asked, her hands gripping his waist.

  Jake honestly thought Sammie Jo knew.

  "It was a long time ago and best left in the past."

  "But who was she?" Sammie Jo prodded, turning her full attention to Jake.

  "Pumpkin, you ask too many questions." Jake tried not to show his frustration.

  "Did she hurt you terribly?" Sammie Jo's voice clouded with emotion, her feelings spilling over.

  "Terribly," he admitted in a comical way, not realizing until that moment that he spoke the truth.

  "You need a good woman, someone who will stand beside you through thick and thin. I'm going to start working on finding you a good woman, Uncle Jake. You deserve it. I don’t' want you to be lonely in your old age."

  Old age? Did Sammie Jo see him as old? He glanced in the rearview mirror and frowned, yep, he had a few gray hairs. He'd never paid much attention.

  Okay, so it was too late to have the house full of kids he had wanted so badly years ago. He still had plenty of time to settle down, if he wanted. Only he didn't. He didn't need a wife. Did he
?

  Sammie Jo was so serious, so touched by his admission that she hugged her Uncle as he drove.

  "Look, pumpkin, this role you've taken on to pair every single person in the universe together, it won't work, honey."

  "You're right. I've got to start at home first, then work my way into the rest of the world."

  "No pumpkin. Sometimes playing cupid gets you into trouble. Ms. Courtland pointed that out the other day. It wasn't the math she was concerned about, although you will have to take tutoring for that. No, it was this note passing cupid you and Clay have cooked up at school. It's got to stop. You see, grownups have a way of handling things their own way. You embarrassed that Ms. Douglas, she had just lost her husband, and well, you don't go pairing off someone like that."

  "But Uncle Jake, you are so wrong. When she is so alone, and so lonely, and needs someone. We all love Ms. Douglas, and we know she likes Mr. Abernathy."

  "How do you know that?"

  "A woman can tell these things," Sammie Jo sighed heavily and leaned on her Uncle's back.

  A woman? Good grief, he was in way over his head, this time.

  Then it hit Jake out of the blue, in his desperation to explain something to Sammie Jo. She needed a woman to explain it to her. Not a man, and certainly not him. He was no love expert. And he knew just the woman.

  She'd started this, she could finish it.

  *****

  That same evening Ms. Hughes called.

  "Mr. Travers, I wonder if I might impose upon you to help out at the school dance this Friday?" she asked tentatively.

  Jake felt at a complete loss as to how to answer. School dance?

  "Well, I really don't know how long I'm going to be here, Ms. Hughes." Jake tried to be tactful.

  "Oh, is Mr and Mrs. Travers back then?" she asked.

  "No, no, they won't be back till Saturday." Jake admitted before thinking of another out.

  "I see. Well, I normally wouldn't ask, but we are so shorthanded. One of the teachers in student council had to quit and it has left us extremely short handed. We have no one to decorate the gym for the dance, and this is the first dance this year."

  The frustration in her voice had Jake reconsidering. "I suppose I could help out. What exactly did you have in mind?"

  "Well, we need someone to volunteer to string lights across the gym, and maybe, well, I hate to impose, but we need a chaperone. Two of the mothers that normally do it are sick, one expecting a baby, the other with the flu. I have one teacher volunteering, but only one. I so need people and it seems as though I can't get anyone with spare time. It's so important to the children to learn social graces, and yet no one has the time to stay and help."

  Jake had experienced the same thing in his own little town of Peaceful. Getting anyone to volunteer to do anything was like pulling teeth and usually he ended up doing it himself. Now he was being called upon and he knew he really should do it willingly. After all, if he had children of his own he wouldn't hesitate to be there every time.

  If he had children? Where had that thought come from. It was too late to be thinking along those lines..

  He sighed heavily, and then nodded as though Ms. Hughes could see him. "Okay, you can count on me, anything for my niece."

  "Oh…thank you, so much," Ms Hughes gushed. "Honestly, you should be a father yourself. You'd make a fine one."

  "Yeah, well, I think I'll just stick with being an Uncle."

  "Thank you again, so much, Mr. Travers. Then we'll see you Thursday evening in the gym to hang the lights?"

  "Sure…I'll be there." He affirmed.

  *****

  "How come you didn't tell me there was a dance this Friday night, pumpkin?" Jake asked at the supper table.

  Sammie Jo shrugged but didn't look at her Uncle. "I don't know. I'm not going so what does it matter."

  Jake looked at her, then reached across the table to lift her chin, "And why not?"

  "I don't have a date."

  "A date? Of course you don't. You're too young for a date…but you can go stag."

  "Stag?"

  "Without a date," Cal interrupted for her, as he watched the interplay between Jake and Sammie Jo with quiet amusement.

  "Oh, well Jennifer has a date. I thought I had to have one too," she countered, still not looking directly at him.

  "Don't you like any of the boys?" Jake asked curiously.

  "Sorta."

  "Then you'll go, and I'll escort you, myself." Jake said staring into her beautiful young eyes.

  "You will?" Sammie Jo looked up at him with surprise. "But don't you have to babysit, Little Clint, and Tammie?"

  "I'll take care of them, you just go and have a good time." Cal chuckled.

  Little Clint frowned over at his big sister, "Can I go?'

  "No," Jake and Sammie Jo choired.

  "What's a dance, Uncle Jake?" Tammie asked licking her fingers where she'd spilled gravy.

  "It's where boys and girls go and dance together and have fun." Cal answered. "And don't forget to wash those fingers, young lady."

  "I'm eleven now, I'm big enough. Why can't I go?" Little Clint asked innocently.

  Jake patted him on the head, "Your time will come partner."

  Little Clint frowned, "Ah…I don’t' wanna go. Dancin' is for losers."

  "Losers? Where did that word come from?" Cal asked.

  "Gosh grandpa, don't you know what a loser is?"

  "I take it a loser is what we used to call a weirdo, creep, or sissy?" Cal countered.

  Little Clint and Tammie shook their heads and looked at each other strangely.

  When the two younger ones seemed dissatisfied Jake glanced at his father. "I thought we were gonna play monopoly?"

  "That's right. Now, Little Clint go get the game out. I'm gonna show you what a real tycoon is." Cal chuckled, wiping his mouth and setting his dishes in the sink.

  Little Clint got up from the table but turned and frowned, "Okay, but I'll just be glad when everyone around here quits calling me Little Clint. I'm not a baby and I don’t' need to be babysat."

  Cal looked at him and smiled, "Someday when you are as big as your Uncles, you'll have earned the name and we'll gladly drop the Little."

  "Everything is always someday! How long I gotta wait?"

  "A while, get used to it, son." Cal chuckled. "Now go get that game so I can show you some real tricks."

  "Okay grandpa, but I'll bet I can beat you."

  "You just might at that." Cal said smiling.

  After a couple of hours of monopoly, nearly everyone was out of the game, but Little Clint had held out well, and Cal shook his head, "You gotta get all the hotels and railroads to win, son."

  "At least Little Clint gave you a run for your money, dad." Jake laughed.

  "I'll say. He's learning fast."

  Jake laughed as he followed his dad into the living room.

  "I'm real proud of you passing the bar, son." Cal said softly.

  "Yeah…." Jake didn't want to expand on this subject. He wasn't ready.

  "Have you talked to the people at the firm yet, I know they want to offer you a position there. Joe's been talking about it for years now."

  "No, not yet…. Dad."

  All the kids came into the living room and broke up the conversation.

  Jake wrestled around the living room floor with Little Clint, and Tammie who was all tomboys, while Sammie Joe watched and shook her head.

  "Better not let Mom catch you wrestling in the house," Sammie Jo said lifting her chin arrogantly.

  "You gonna tell?" Tammie cried out as Jake pinned both kids to the floor and had Tammie laughing so hard her face turned a bright red.

  "I might," Sammie Jo returned. "It's so adolescent."

  "Adolescent, huh?" Jake laughed, "Well, in that case, we better get her down here so she can't tell on us."

  Just then he grabbed her and pulled her on top of him so that they were all a big huddle on the floor.

  "Get him,
Sammie Jo," Little Clint hollered.

  "I can't he's got me…" Sammie Jo cried out in laughter.

  Cal shook his head as he passed them going into the hall, "Kids, you should have had a passel of them yourself, Jake."

  "Nope, that's why I come home for vacation…I can love 'em and leave 'em," Jake called after him with laughter.

  Chapter Three

  Friday night came way too soon for Jake. If it hadn't been for Sammie Jo he'd have copped out. Besides, maybe it would be fun.

  Donning a dark grey shirt, and slacks, Jake threw on his black leather jacket and waited in the living room for his niece. Sammie Jo came out in a plain black velvet dress, and instead of her boots, she was wearing black patent leather shoes. She looked terribly nervous and Jake couldn't help but feel just a tad sorry for her. He remembered his first dance, he was all feet.

  "You look beautiful pumpkin." Jake smiled.

  "Thanks, so do you Uncle Jake. I’m so glad you are going to be there. I'm so nervous." Sammie Jo admitted as Cal and her siblings came into the room.

  "Wow, she's wearing a dress!" Little Clint snickered.

  "Well, she's a girl, silly," Tammie defended. "Don't pay any attention to him, you look like Mama."

  Sammie Jo smiled and grabbed her sister's hand. "Come on; help me get my necklace on."

  "Okay…I can't wait till I’m old enough…."

  "Yes, you can, "Cal hollered behind them. "Kids, they grow up too fast."

  "I know. I can remember when we were carrying Sammie Jo to the hospital for that Grannies Elbow thing, seems like yesterday."

  "Well, you look nice too. But aren't you going a little early?" Cal asked checking the clock and realizing it was only four thirty in the afternoon.

  "Uh…yeah, but I volunteered to help decorate the gym. Actually I was supposed to do it yesterday, but I got tied up. I called the school and told them I'd come early tonight and do it. Besides, I figured Sammie Jo might be a big help." Jake replied.

  "They rooked you into it this year, did they?" Cal chuckled.