"You know Sam is on probation for stealing, don't you?" Wendy asked, picking up a piece of straw and putting it between her teeth.
"Yeah, he told me, straight out. I figured if he could talk about it, he was probably an okay person. I can usually size a man up by the way he acts. Jamison don't seem to be hiding anything. Just because he got into a little trouble, that don't make him a bad person. Just made a mistake is my way of thinkin' on it. Unless he killed someone…"
"Well…I like Sam. He's fun to be with," Wendy admitted. "He's close to my age, and he saved my butt the other day in front of Wade."
"So…what's the problem?" Caleb waited for an answer.
"Wade doesn't want me hanging out with him."
"What's Wade got to do with that?" Caleb asked.
"Not one thing," she said and wiped her eyes. "I guess you know I was sweet on Wade for a while…" She glanced at the old man.
"Oh yeah. Everybody knew that but Wade."
"Well, that's over."
Caleb nodded. "Probably best. I didn't figure that it would amount to much since you are growing up now. All girls have crushes. It's perfectly normal."
"It is?"
"Why, sure it is."
"That's reassuring. It was just a crush. And now I want to move on, date people. Wade doesn't want me around Sam at all, and I like Sam. Like you said he doesn't seem to be hiding anything."
"Don't see that this is Wade's concern. He's the ranch foreman, not your daddy."
"Exactly. So how do I get around this?" Wendy asked as Caleb went back to brushing the horse down. "With the least amount of trouble."
"You don't. You just go about your business and do as you please. I'll keep an eye on Wade and Sam, make sure there is no ruckus," Caleb advised.
Wendy smiled. "I feel better talking to you about it. I don't know why, but you always make me feel better about things, Caleb. I don't know what I'd do without you." And with that, she went up to him and kissed him on the cheek. His face was so weathered it felt like rubber. She shrugged she guessed all old people felt like that.
Caleb fussed at her and smiled. "Don't you fret, everything is gonna be fine."
Wendy felt relieved and went back to the house. She had chores to do and she wanted to stay as far away from Wade as she could. She couldn't tell anyone else about how he acted. He hadn't hurt her, just shocked her.
For the next two weeks she tried her best to stay far and away from Wade. Especially since she was dating Sam. She had fun with Sam, he took her places, they did things together that she had never enjoyed before. They went swimming, and water skiing then they went fishing. Most of their dates weren't expensive, but every now and then he would take her some place very nice, and he spared no expense.
They sat by the creek that ran through the property and talked for what seemed like hours. They had a little picnic lunch, and Wendy felt she was getting to know Sam better. They talked about everything, and nothing. Wendy enjoyed his company. She could talk about anything with Sam. He didn't laugh at her or make her feel like the baby.
However, they had no fish to show for their day. Only crawdads were about and they kept catching them, laughing and throwing them back in.
When he brought her home, he walked her to the door, and told her he'd see her the next day. But all the while, Wendy felt as though someone were watching. It had to be Wade. She could almost feel his eyes on her.
A cold chill ran up her arm when she realized that he was almost to the point of stalking her.
Why didn't he confront her? That would have been better. Or would it?
And who could she talk to in the family about it? Everyone would think she was paranoid. Trouble was, she was becoming paranoid.
That problem solved itself when Letty came over. They were going riding and Wendy was happy to have someone to ride with. Caleb readied their horses and they rode off to the meadow.
As they had prepared a picnic lunch, Wendy spread the blanket while Letty got the food out of the saddle bags.
Left over barbecue, potato salad made fresh that morning, and baked beans, still warm from the oven made Wendy's mouth water. She wasn't the best of cooks. But now that her sisters were married, she figured she better learn a few things.
"Okay, what gives?" Letty finally asked her.
"What do you mean?" Wendy asked, a little startled at her question.
"I mean, you've hardly said a word this morning, and that's not like the Wendy I know. What's on your mind?"
"Nothing…" she began, but Letty was skeptical and raised an arrogant brow at her.
"Something's wrong?" Letty frowned.
"No…not really."
"Come on, honey, spit it out. I can tell you got something on your mind." Letty watched her closely. "You can't fool me, and you ought to know it by now. You are the most bubbly person on this ranch, and today you aren't bubbling."
"It's probably nothing…" Wendy began.
"Good, then tell me…"
Wendy sighed, pulled a piece of weed up with her hand.
"It's Wade," Wendy finally admitted. She couldn't hold it inside her any longer.
"What about him?" Letty sat up and put some of the dishes in the bag.
"The other day, Julie came by, and as she was leaving, Wade came up to the house," Wendy explained.
How did she tell her that she was feeling creepy about how Wade acted? Who would believe her?
"Okay, so what happened?"
"He told me not to date Sam."
Letty's brows knitted. "Go on…"
"Well…that's it…isn't that enough?"
"Yeah, but I can tell there is more to this than him warning you off Sam."
"You're as nosey as a detective, I'll swear," Wendy began.
"Is that all he did? Besides, you should be used to that by now. Now tell me…"
Wendy turned away. She didn't know how to talk about this. She didn't want to talk about it. She wanted to forget it, but she couldn't.
When she turned around, tears were streaming down her face.
Letty grabbed her. "Oh honey…what has happened? Come on, out with it, you can talk to me…you know you can."
"We were just talking and I told him that if he had a good enough reason for me to quit seeing Sam, I would listen. But otherwise I liked Sam and was going to date him as long as Sam wanted."
"And…"
"And that's when he grabbed me…"
"Grabbed you?" Letty nearly screamed aloud. "What do you mean grabbed you, honey? Tell me exactly."
Wendy noticed the tension in Letty. She didn't want to blow it up any bigger than it was, but it had scared her.
"He took me by the arms and shook me. I guess I shouldn't make such a big deal out of it, but he'd never done anything like that before. He's never so much as touched me before."
"My God…all over Sam?"
"Yes. And he warned me not to date him."
"Well…if he had an interest in you himself, I could see it. But…"
"No…that wasn't the case. It was the way he said things, the look in his eyes. I felt creepy. And for the last few nights, when I come home from a date, I feel like someone is watching us."
Letty's eyes rounded. "Oh now, this has got to stop. Who does he think he is? He's in charge of the ranch, not us!"
"Exactly! But he's never had much respect for me because of my age. He doesn't take me too seriously. But now…he's creeping me out, Letty. I mean, I've worked with him for years and he's never done anything like that before. Why now?"
"Well, there's only one person we can talk to about this….Cade."
"Oh…do you think it would do any good? I mean, they are brothers." Wendy looked at Letty as she tried to wipe her tears away.
"Cade has noticed the change in him too. He's mentioned it to me a couple of times. I thought Wade was just having a bad day. But this could be serious. He'll talk to him." Letty seemed so sure.
"Maybe he didn't mean anything by it…Maybe I'
m making it more than it was."
"The look on your face today, tells me you aren't." Letty looked at her, and pulled her chin up so she could look into her eyes. "No one, absolutely no one is going to creep you out while I'm around. Has he said anything else to you?"
"No, I've been avoiding him. I do my basic chores and come in the house. But he has a run of the house too, and that kind of bothers me," Wendy admitted. "It never did before, but it does now. With everyone gone, I just don't feel comfortable."
"You've got a point there. We'll have the locks changed and then he can't just walk in on you. Do you want to come stay with me a while?"
"No, I can't run away. I can't let him know he scared me. I won't be bullied."
Letty nodded. "This is so unlike Wade."
"I know. That's what scared me…" Wendy admitted.
"I'll talk to Julie and Cade about this. Don't you worry. This will be settled one way or another. I'm not going to let him bully you or anyone else around here."
"Maybe I’m being too emotional." Wendy tried to excuse his behavior.
"No, you aren't. He had no right to do that, or to even suggest who you date."
Then the tears came down and Letty held her for a long time, talking softly to her, reassuring her that things would be alright again, soon. Wendy recognized that protective face that Letty had when someone in her family was in any danger. She felt safe when she was with her.
That was it! She was scared. Scared of Wade. How could that have happened?
Chapter Four
Sam had the same feeling as Wendy about someone looking over his shoulder, and he could just imagine who that was. He didn't know Wade Weston well; and he didn't want to judge him. He of all people knew that jumping to conclusions about a man was not a good thing. However, he sensed in Wendy a strange tension that could only mean one thing. For some reason, the cowboy she had always loved was scaring her. Sam didn't like that. Women were a commodity that he respected, enjoyed and admired. To scare one was unthinkable in his eyes.
Maybe his brother had taught him that, by running off on Melody. Maybe his parents had instilled that in him long ago. His father had set a great example of how to treat a woman and Sam agreed.
Killed in a car accident before their time, Sam's folks died instantly, the Sheriff had told Sam and his brother. Sam was twelve. His brother had raised him and not without a lot of trouble between them, as Sam was unlike him in every way.
When his brother stole some hubcaps, Sam took the blame and was given some civil duties to perform for six weeks; at sixteen, he felt like he had a record. On and on it went, his brother in trouble, Sam taking the blame. But when he got Melody pregnant and run off on her it was the last straw for Sam. For this, he would not take the blame. Melody's father had thought all along that Sam was the bad guy and he certainly didn't want his daughter hanging around him. So when he took Melody to the hospital in the old man's truck, Mr. Sims saw his opportunity to put Sam away.
Sam explained what had happened, but the old man preferred charges against him just to get him out of the way of his daughter. Sam sighed, he secretly hated the fact that he had a record and that everyone would always know it, and distrust him. But for some strange reason, Wendy did trust him; it gave him hope.
The past was behind him. And he hoped for a better future. Even though he'd done his share of mischief, none of it against the law, everything had worked out. Melody had her baby, a boy, his nephew.
Sam didn't regret taking the blame for everything in his brother's life. What he regretted was that there was no justice for the truth. And deep down, Sam had missed his brother.
So Sam had a record for getting into trouble, and he'd have to be careful or he'd be in prison, a place he never wanted to be. He'd have to handle himself correctly with Wade or the man could cause him all kinds of trouble.
Now thinking of Wendy, he felt immediately protective of her. He knew it could mean trouble; after all, he had taken blame for a lot that wasn't his doing. Wade Weston was a respected foreman for one of the biggest ranches in Texas. If anything went wrong, it would be Sam who would go to jail. He knew that, so he wouldn't make any first moves, but he wasn't going to let Wade scare Wendy either.
The big difference between now and when he tried to protect his brother was that Wade now had it in for him, and one wrong move and Sam would go to jail.
He'd keep his eyes open and his mouth shut for a while, but no one was going to harm Wendy, as long as he was around. Right or wrong, good or bad, trouble or no trouble, Sam was born the protector and he'd die that way, he silently vowed.
~*~
Sam showed up at seven on Wendy's doorstep, this time packing a fistful of wild flowers he'd picked for her. When Wendy opened the door, he presented them to her as though they were gold.
Wendy looked at them in surprise, and almost burst into a giggle, but seeing his sincere face, she didn't. She reached out to take them, covering his hand with her own. "They are beautiful…"
His eyes met hers. She blushed.
"Glad you like them." Sam smiled. "Some girls don't like wild flowers, but to me, their God's flowers, he planted them for us to enjoy."
Wendy smiled. "I love them. So many pretty colors too. And what a beautiful way of putting it."
Sam glanced around the house, all was quiet.
"Are we still going riding?" Wendy asked, putting the flowers in a vase from the kitchen and adding some water. She took her time arranging them and then she put them on the table. "That's just the perfect thing for the table…" She smiled.
"It does add some color, doesn't it?" Sam agreed. "Yeah, I thought a nice ride would be fun, we can sit out on a blanket somewhere and watch the stars."
Wendy glanced at him. She hadn't realized just how romantic Sam's nature was until now. She had never had anyone treat her so well in her life. He didn't take advantage; he didn't come on too strong. And as she stared at him from the table, she soaked up the sweetness in Sam silently.
They walked down to the barn, and Caleb had their horses saddled and waiting for them. Wendy glanced at Caleb skeptically. "You knew we were going riding?"
"Yep, Sam stopped by earlier and said he wanted to take you for a ride. So I got 'em ready for you. You two have a nice time." Caleb walked away.
The silent way Caleb accepted Sam for who he was and what he was, told Wendy there was nothing to fear from Sam.
"Thanks, Caleb," Sam called, taking the reins so she could mount.
Caleb smiled and waved at them.
It was getting cooler, and they had dressed for the occasion.
"How long you been riding?" Sam asked as she waited for him to mount.
"Since I was about four. I was the oldest to get on a horse for the first time. Most of my sisters were practically born on a horse. But once I did ride, Dad couldn't keep me off," Wendy admitted as they rode out on the path.
"Where's a good place for looking at the stars, do you think?" Sam asked.
"The meadow. Come on, I'll show you." Wendy kicked her horse into a light run.
Sam followed.
When they reached the meadow, she turned to look at him. "You're pretty good in the saddle too."
Sam grinned. "I have been riding since I was a tyke too. I never had one of my own though. Not after my folks died, too expensive to feed. But horses kind of take to me for some reason."
"How did they die, Sam?" Wendy asked as they dismounted and Sam spread the blanket out on the ground.
He gathered wood for a small fire, and before long they were warming up and relaxing beside each other.
"They were headed for El Paso, to see some relatives, when a carload of teenagers who'd been drinking too much, lost control of their car and hit them broadside."
"Oh my God. What an awful thing."
Sam nodded. "They died instantly. The car had turned over and rolled a couple of times. Mom was thrown from the car, Dad was still buckled into his seat belt, but his head went thro
ugh the dash. No airbags in that car; it was too old."
"How old were you?"
"Twelve."
"Did you go into a foster care or something?" she asked, staring at him as he stretched out so he could look at her.
"No, my brother and I managed on our own."
"But…didn't the authorities see to you?"
"Nope, we sort of escaped their capture after that. We'd hide out the minute we saw a car coming up the road. They knew we were there, and that we didn't want to go into some government plan thing. Finally, they got tired of trying to catch us and left us alone."
"It must have been hard on you."
"Sometimes. We were good at hunting; we had rabbit, squirrel, and deer when we could get it. I picked a lot of berries back then. We made it work out; sometimes a neighbor lady would come by with a dish for us. She was a sweet old lady, Mrs. Posey. She worried over us all the time. I guess God sent her to watch over us. She's gone now, and I miss her."
"You believe in God?" Wendy asked.
Sam smiled. "Look up there…." He pointed to the sky.
The stars were out and they looked like diamonds glittering in the sky. "Nobody can look up there and not believe. Look at yourself. Look at the size of your finger."
"My finger?"
"Yeah," he laughed. "It's the perfect size to clean your ears out, or your nose if you have a mind to do so. God made them that size, just right. It's like a car…everything on a car is made for a purpose, so is our body. Look at your lips, at first glance they are just lips, but when you smile…it's like heaven." His eyes glistened into hers.
Wendy was mesmerized. How could such a simple cowboy have so much insight? How could a man who'd spent a lot of time dodging trouble know so much about life? And how could a man be so…sweet as to appreciate a smile?
"Now," he looked at her again. "Lay your head down and watch the stars. Every now and then you see a falling star; that means you get a wish."
She giggled. "You believe that?"
His voice went throaty. "You gotta believe."
Just then, a star did soar across the sky.
"Close your eyes and make a wish," he said huskily.
Stand By Me (Book 4 of the McKay's) Page 4