“Wonderful—how about you?”
I pretended to be interested, but deep down, I was curious about Sam. Especially after what Summer had said about him. Had he finally met his match?
“Oh, pretty good. I’m starting on both the offense as a receiver and defense as a linebacker.” He shrugged.
“Really—you’re playing both?” I was slightly shocked. Sam had always played defense because of his hulking size, but he could run fast, and I knew he wanted to catch the ball. Where would he find the stamina to play most of the game?
“It’s a small school. They needed another receiver after two of the first-string guys got mono.” He was talking to me but staring at Noah, who was all but ignoring him. I would have bet Noah was listening to every word, though.
“Is mono going around?” The longer I kept up the casual conversation, the less likely he’d ask about the legalities of my Amish existence.
“Hah. Not to me. I’m being extra careful, but I know four kids with it right now.”
“How’s Amber?” I stalled some more.
He laughed. “I broke up with her last Friday.” He brought his eyes back to me, suddenly very focused. “You see, I met this other girl I like. Only the chick won’t give me the time of day.”
Since Noah had taken the horse into the barn, Sam and I were alone. Glancing toward the dark opening of the barn’s doorway, happiness spread through me. Noah must have been planning to stay awhile—I only wished that my dumb brother wasn’t here.
Taking my cap off, I leaned against the buggy. Maybe if I wasn’t freaking Sam out with my outfit, he’d stop looking as if he was going to choke on his own laughter.
“She hasn’t succumbed to your prowess yet, huh?” I couldn’t help but snicker. It really was funny how baffled he seemed.
“I thought you might be able to help me with that.” He smiled brilliantly, forgetting that I was immune to his charms.
“What can I do?” I asked.
“It’s that redhead that you hang with—Summer Sage.” He said it as if that bit of information filled me in on the big picture.
“Soooo—” Maybe I was being childish, but I wanted to see how far he was willing to go to get with Summer. That girl had proven to be an A-lister and I wasn’t going to allow Sam to bring her down.
“Look, I haven’t asked you for a favor in a long time....”
Before he could go on, I cut him off. “Yeah, I think the last time you asked me for one, I introduced you to Madison, and you dated her for two weeks and then dumped her after you had her convinced that you loved her.” I spit out the words, hands on my hips.
“Hey, that’s not the way it happened at all. And besides, I’ve already met Summer—and talked to her a little bit. What harm could it do if you just put in a nice word for me?” Sam had left his reclining position and was getting in my face.
“It could do a lot of harm if you treat her the way you treat all the other girls unfortunate enough to become your victims.”
Sam got his pleading voice going, and I started to think that what Summer had said about Sam being the one to get hurt might be prophetic. I hadn’t seen my brother this worked up over a girl since—never.
“It’s not like that this time. I think Summer’s really interesting. She’s different than all the other girls—it’s as if she doesn’t give a shit about what anyone thinks. And, for the first time in my life, the girl isn’t chasing after me. I’d like to get to know her, that’s all.” He put on a puppy dog look, and I caved when he actually said, “Please.”
“Oh, okay, I’ll see what I can do, but I’m not making any promises—Summer has a mind all her own.”
His smile reminded me of a self-satisfied cat, and I instantly regretted helping him out. Ugh, Sam was as bad as me in terms of always getting his way.
Swiftly changing the subject, he said, “So, have you been enjoying all this...stuff?” He spread his arms out and looked seriously at me.
“Yes, I have. If I do you a good turn, then you owe me one.”
Now he looked concerned. “What do you mean?”
“Just leave me be and let me live my new life. That’s all I ask.” I lowered my volume, hoping Noah wouldn’t hear. He might not like what came out of Sam’s mouth, and I figured Sam was more likely to talk quietly if I did.
The wind had settled, and the sun was close to disappearing. I figured it was around seven o’clock, and I was anxious to spend some time with Noah before he had to turn around and leave. I looked pleadingly at Sam, betting he wouldn’t want to risk me taking back my promise. Or better yet, pushing Summer to leave Sam, as I already had.
“You’re nuts. And I’m not the only one who thinks so.”
“Really?” It wasn’t surprising. If I wasn’t living my life, I’d think I was crazy, too.
“Dad is just biding his time regarding this whole thing. If he weren’t so busy at the hospital and with Tina, you’d be home already.”
My hackles went up. “He promised to let me decide,” I seethed.
He leaned back again on the buggy, all relaxed now that he thought he’d gotten his way.
But that could change in a heartbeat.
“Yeah, and he’ll keep his promise, but he’s upset that you don’t ever come over to the house even though he’s invited you several times. Hell, if he didn’t come here to get your schoolwork and bring Justin with him, you’d never see either one of them.” He caught my gaze and held it. “Is that what you want—never to see Dad and your brothers again?”
Maybe I could do without you, but then softening, thought, but Dad and Justin were another story altogether.
“Sam, try to understand this. It’s hard for me to be around you guys right now. I’m still getting used to my new life, and you all make me feel...well...”
Sam finished for me with his own words. “Out of place, homesick, guilty.”
I stood up straighter. “Hey, you asked me to help you out. Getting on my nerves is not going to serve you well, Sam.”
“Yeah, I know.” He pulled away from the buggy and gave me a quick hug, totally surprising me. “Just don’t forget about us, okay?”
He turned to leave and paused, saying, “You can back out of this nonsense anytime. Nothing is set in stone.”
His eyes swept over me once more, and this time he didn’t control his laughter. His loud chuckles floated back to me as he climbed into his truck and left without another glance at me.
Watching him go, I felt a swirl of conflicting emotions. Sam hadn’t pissed me off as much as he usually did. In fact, he acted fairly amicable, but having him around was like seeing Dad or Justin. It was too upsetting; it stirred up my inner doubt.
That was the thing I hated the most—not being sure whether I was doing the right thing.
“Don’t listen to him.” Noah was behind me, so close I could feel his body heat.
I turned and quickly placed the cap back onto my head. When my hands were free he grasped them. “You were spying.”
I already knew he was, so it didn’t really matter.
“You’re everything to me, and we’ve finally reached the point where we can be together. I’m not going to let your damn brother mess things up for us.” He didn’t cuss very often, so I knew he was feeling insecure.
I reached up and brought his face down to mine and kissed him softly, carefully. His lips worked on mine more tenderly then they ever had, and I guessed that maybe because we were finally kissing as a real Amish couple he didn’t feel the nervousness as he had before. His tongue slipped into my mouth. At the same time his mouth was busy exploring, his hand moved up and down my back, rhythmically, wonderfully.
Noah’s mouth opened wider, and his tongue became hungrier. I pressed into him, pushing my breasts against him.
About the time my mind was thinking some very X-rated things, Noah pulled back and wiped his mouth.
“Shoot, stop that. James and Ruth could be watching from the window.” He was out of
breath and breathing too fast at the same time. Maybe his body was more of a wreck than mine, after all.
I didn’t like that he was blaming me for the inferno blazing between us. I looked at the darkened house and saw only two rooms with dim light showing through the windows. One was the kitchen and the other the Hershbergers’ bedroom. They usually went to sleep around dark, so it wouldn’t be a stretch to believe that they were already in bed reading their Bibles.
I took a step back and said, “Gee, maybe you should head on home before I tempt you into doing something you’ll regret later.”
Before I got away, his hand locked on my arm, and he breathed out. “Don’t be difficult, Rose.” He stepped in closer, “It’s just that you drive me crazy when you’re in my arms. It’s as if all my brain activity stops and all I want to do is...”
“What?” I whispered to him.
“More than anything I want to make love to you.”
His words didn’t shock me, but the turmoil he clearly felt about his perfectly normal longings did. Noah really wanted to be good—and if he had his way, I might actually be a virgin on my wedding night.
“I want you to make love to me.”
“That’s the problem. Neither one of us has the sense to hold back. But we have to. We can’t lose what we’ve won. We have to control ourselves.”
Again, his doom-and-gloom attitude amused me, and I giggled a little, causing him to frown deeply. The darkness was complete, and I was chilly now that he wasn’t crushing me against his body. “So what do you want to do now?”
“Let’s go to the house and hang out on the couch.” He took my hand and pulled me along. His voice became loose again, and I snuggled under his arm. “It’s been so long since we talked, really talked. I have so many things to tell you—”
Noah rambled on, and I only half listened to him. I was obsessing about how long the whole courtship thing would be. And...I was wondering if Noah was becoming so addicted to me that he might change his mind about becoming English someday.
The secret wish that I’d had for so long came to life in my mind...and for the first time I thought it might be a real possibility.
16
Sam
“Hey, Hunter, why don’t you ride home with Shaun?” I suggested, but at that moment I wouldn’t have taken no for an answer.
“Sure, what’s up?” Hunter asked, hesitating on the sidewalk beside the parking lot.
“Nothing,” I mumbled. “See you tomorrow.” I split away from him and the other guys, speeding to a slow jog back up the sidewalk.
Damn it, I was feeling nervous, and I didn’t enjoy the strange sensation at all.
The cloudy day had fit my mood, until the moment when I’d spotted her sitting under the tree in front of the school where kids usually got picked up. The sun wasn’t shining now, but the day sure did seem brighter.
The cool breeze tugged at my hair, still wet from the after-practice shower, but I felt warm with anticipation. I slowed, crossing over the grass, watching her reddish-blond hair flutter around her shoulders. She was alone, and considering school had been let out two hours ago, I felt sure that something was up.
I thought I’d have a few more steps to collect myself and decide what to say when she turned and looked straight at me. Seeing the roll of her eyes and the way she dropped her head to her phone after seeing me approach did not help my confidence level.
She was wearing a red-and-brown plaid jacket that had a line of fake fur around the hood. I focused on the way her hair mixed in and contrasted with the tannish fluff as I cleared my throat.
“Ah, miss your ride?” I asked in a friendly way.
“Why do you care?” she snapped, not looking at me.
Okay, I’d had about enough of her ruthless meanness toward me. I’d never done a thing to the girl.
“What is up your butt?” I lost all sense of nicety, letting her have it.
Then she did look up, and her green eyes glinted like emeralds. I decided in that second that I had to make her my girl. And once I made up my mind about something, I always followed through.
Looking me straight in the eye, Summer said, “My mom was supposed to pick me up hours ago, but she got called on an Amish run and now she expects me to wait around here until six.”
It was turning into a brilliant day.
“So you need a ride?”
“You offering?” she said, subtle hostility still in the air.
I couldn’t help but smile. It was so perfect. “Yeah, I’ll take you wherever you want to go.”
“Anywhere at all—like a beach in Florida, or maybe New York City?” Now she was flirting. I could tell for sure with her softer voice and tilted head.
I didn’t even have to think about it. “Anywhere.”
She jumped up and brushed the leaves from her butt before she began walking toward the parking lot. I caught her in two strides, falling in beside her.
“You get off easy because I only want to go home today.” She glanced up at me, and hotness spread through my veins. I’d experienced the sensation before, but not from just a second of eye contact.
We walked in silence to my truck, which she must have remembered since she walked right to it. I jumped in front of her, and after unlocking the passenger side door, I held it open for her.
“Hah, are you playing some game at being a gentleman?”
“No, actually, I am a gentleman,” I said, shutting the door quickly behind her before she had a chance to change her mind.
Climbing in, I decided to go out on a limb since she was behaving a little more civilly. I turned my gaze to her and asked, “Want to get something to eat?”
“Don’t have any money,” she said, staring right back at me.
“Hey, that’s no problem at all. I’ll treat.” I wanted her to say yes so bad it was making my chest ache.
Summer narrowed her eyes at me and said, “Why would you do that?”
Was she that bleak-minded? It wasn’t difficult to figure out my intentions. Hell, I liked the girl—she should know that.
I decided to take an honest approach, and I shrugged, saying, “I’m hungry. I always get a bite to eat after practice, and I wouldn’t feel right eating in front of you.”
“It won’t bother me in the least,” she said, still keeping my eyes captive.
If I read Summer right, she wanted me to chase her down like a wolf on his prey. She wanted me to work for her attentions. And for the first time in my life, I was willing to do just that.
Starting up the engine I flicked on the music and said, “I’ll get you some food—you can eat it or leave it. It’s up to you.”
Pulling onto the roadway, I felt better than I had in days. My last conversation with Rose had been on my mind, and seeing Summer daily in the hallways at school but having her avoid me as if I was the plague had put me in a stormy mood. Now, she was sitting beside me in my truck, the scent of vanilla coming off her.
Damn, she smelled good.
She reached over and began skimming through the radio’s channels. She settled on a song that was not the sort of stuf I thought she’d listen to. “You like that Mumford and Sons?” I asked, nodding to the radio.
“Sure do.”
I was going to have to work a lot harder to get this girl to talk. Something I was definitely not used to. Girls were usually talking machines, and the fact that this one wasn’t vocalizing much intrigued me all the more.
Strategizing, I decided on Sonic. We could eat some decent food and still be in the privacy of the truck. And I could keep on smelling her.
“This okay?”
“Yep.”
“You don’t talk much, do you?” I parked, turning all my attention to the lovely girl beside me.
“I do when I got something to say.”
Guessing that Summer wasn’t going to be too forthcoming on what she wanted to eat, I asked for two orders of cheeseburgers, fries and chocolate milk shakes.
Settling
back in the seat, I leaned toward Summer a bit. I didn’t want her jumping out of the cab—or worse yet, punching me in the nose.
“I’m a vegetarian,” she said, calmly staring me down again.
My mind hardly had time to digest her words. “Really?”
Then she burst out laughing. Hell, I thought she was beautiful when she looked miserable; now she was irresistible.
“No, silly, I was just kidding you.” She paused and shifted her weight, facing me. “Do you ever see Rose anymore?”
“Not very often—I did get to talk to her for a few minutes on Sunday, though.”
Seeing Summer’s rosy face filled with curiosity, I suddenly felt completely at ease, and I wanted to talk, get things off my chest.
“It’s crazy, this whole thing with her joining the Amish. I don’t know what Dad or she was thinking,” I said.
“Why did your Dad let her do it?” She was resting her chin on her hand, which was relaxed on the back of the seat. She looked warm and inviting, and I kind of lost track of the conversation.
“Huh?”
“Your Dad, why did he let Rose join up with them?” she said with an amused tilt to her voice.
“Did you know that our mom died a couple of years ago?”
When she nodded her head and her face went all sad on me, I had to turn away.
“Well, I think Dad is just confused about how to do things now. He’s a doctor, so he’s superbusy, and then there’s his new girlfriend messing with his mind.”
I glanced at Summer, and she waited quietly, expecting more, so I went on. “The relationship between Rose and Noah was very intense right off the bat. Since they couldn’t be together, I think it made matters worse. I don’t understand how Rose can live that backward lifestyle for months—it makes no sense.”
Summer said softly, “Love can make people do all kinds of crazy things.”
I caught her eyes, and some kind of connection sprang to life. It was as if I’d just opened my eyes for the first time.
The knock on the window jolted me back to the world, and I rolled it down, taking the food and paying the woman. I made sure to give her a tip, respecting anyone who would do such a sucky job.
Belonging Page 19
