Babs thought about what Cecily had said while she dawdled over the peas. Be patient, give him time. Patience had never been her strong suit but she wouldn't have minded if she was sure that there was something to be patient for. Did Sam feel something for her? She knew what she wanted from him. She wanted his love. She wanted him to love her as much as she loved him. Wholly and unequivocally.
She stared out at the late afternoon sunshine, her eyes thoughtful. Was his mother right? Did he care for her or did he just feel guilty because she'd been shot? She wanted more than guilt from him. Lying in the hospital, she'd had nothing to do but think. She'd thought about her life, the death of her parents, her family. And she'd thought about Sam. He'd dominated her thinking, pushing his way into her mind. She wasn't sure she'd dealt with the issue of her family, and there was still an ache inside when she thought about her parents, but she'd come to several conclusions about Sam Delanian. He was stubborn, bossy and annoyingly male—but she couldn't imagine life without him.
The question was—did he feel the same way about her?
Babs had no idea how long she sat there, staring out at nothing in particular, the basket of pods sitting un-shelled in her lap. The click of the screen door opening brought her out of her thoughts and she looked over her shoulder, feeling her heart skip when she saw Sam.
"Hi."
"Hi." She had to clear her throat before she could get any sound out. She resisted the urge to smooth her hair or tug at the sleeves of her shirt.
"How are you feeling?"
"Fine. You know, you don't have to keep asking that. The doctors said I was going to be fine."
He shrugged, coming out onto the porch to lean against the railing.
"Habit. I guess I've gotten used to worrying about you."
"Well, you don't have to worry about me anymore." She busied herself with the neglected peas.
"I guess not." He didn't sound all that happy with the idea and Babs risked a glance up at him. He was staring out at the stripped hillside, his expression brooding. The sun was just starting to go down, throwing long shadows across the yard, leaving his face in shadow.
Babs felt a surge of irritation. Be patient, Cecily had said, but Babs didn't feel patient. She felt anything but.
She wanted to know one way or the other. If Sam didn't care for her, she had to know. Maybe a little judicious prodding was in order.
"Your mother told me she and Emmet are going to be married."
"Yeah, I know."
"I guess she'll be doing a lot of traveling with him."
"I guess."
She snapped a pod in half and dropped it into the bowl, oblivious of the fact that she had taken the peas out of it. She could have gotten more conversation out of one of the fence posts.
"You know, I've been thinking about it and I think it's time I moved back home." Sam's head jerked toward her. "I mean, my shoulder is basically healed and your mother is going to have enough to do around here without worrying about a guest."
"I wouldn't think you'd want to live in the same house with the rest of your family. Not after what they did."
"Oh, it's only temporary. I think it's time I got a place of my own. Don't you?" She snapped peas in half, tossing them back into the bowl or into the pile for compost without paying any attention to where they were going. She didn't lift her head to look at Sam. Was he relieved at the idea of her leaving? She couldn't bear to see it if he was. The silence stretched until she was sure she could count her every heartbeat.
"You know, I've been doing some thinking about it too." There was an odd note in Sam's voice and she didn't dare look up. "It seems to me that you're not really fit to be on your own."
Her heart sank. All he cared about was her shoulder. How could she explain to him that it wasn't her shoulder she was worried about, it was her heart? Maybe he didn't want to know.
"My shoulder is fine." She leaned forward to set the basket of peas on the floor, blinking to hold back the tears that threatened to flood her eyes. If he didn't love her, he didn't love her. There was nothing she could do about it. "I think I'll go up and wash my hair before dinner."
It was the first excuse that came to mind. Something to get her away from him before he could see her hurt. She stood up but Sam's hand caught her wrist as she turned away.
"Your hair looks fine and I wasn't talking about your shoulder." She stopped, not lifting her eyes from the floor, not breathing, not daring to hope.
"You weren't?"
"No."
"Then what were you talking about?" She looked up at him, wondering if what she felt was showing in her eyes, not even caring if it did.
"It seems to me that you need a full-time keeper. I don't think you're safe to be let out on your own."
His smile was gentle, his eyes bright with an emotion she was afraid to put a name to.
"Are you...are you applying for the job?" She could barely get the words out past the tightness in her throat.
"I might consider it but I've got some pretty tough requirements."
Her smile shook around the edges. "I could probably meet just about any requirements you might have."
"You probably could." He caught her other hand, drawing her forward until she stood between his outspread legs as he leaned against the railing. He set her hands on his chest and Babs thought she'd never felt anything more wonderful than the steady beat of his heart under her palms.
"I love you, Ms. Malone." His hand came up to cup the back of her neck and Babs closed her eyes.
"I love you, Mr. Delanian." She opened her eyes and smiled at him, her face alight with happiness. "I thought you were sick of me."
"Never. I've been trying to convince myself that this wasn't crazy." His thumb brushed across the dampness on her lashes and his expression grew more serious. "I could be a fortune hunter, you know."
Her smile told him how ridiculous that idea was. "If you're a fortune hunter, then I'm glad I've got a fortune to hunt."
His mouth caught her smile, tasting her happiness. Her arms slid around his neck and she leaned into the strength of him, letting him support her.
Sam dragged his mouth away, dropping kisses across her face. "You know I'm only doing this to keep you out of trouble. If I didn't look out for you, who knows what might happen."
"I know." His tongue traced the curves of her ear and Babs felt her knees melt.
"It has nothing to do with the fact that I can't bear to let you go."
"I know." His hands tightened on her back, pulling her closer as if trying to absorb her into himself.
"It's just that it would drive me crazy to think of you going around getting kidnapped and starting fights and some other poor sucker having to rescue you. That's all it is."
"I know." His mouth caught hers in a long drugging kiss. He drew back and looked at her, his eyes full of so much love that Babs thought she would surely die of happiness.
"I love you."
Her smile trembled. She reached up to cup his face in her hands, her eyes dark with emotion.
"I know."
And she did know. He loved her, forever and always. It was all she wanted.
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