“Yeah, I have balloons, a helium tank, and streamers. It’s going to be all decked out in blue because she’s having a boy. I want to make her favorite office chair her throne and have streamers floating to the floor. Should be fun.”
“Sounds good to me. As soon as we’re done eating, we’re going to conquer it.”
Four
Working with Barry that night, Sammy realized just how well they fit together. It took them two hours to completely transform the waiting room of the clinic into a balloon and streamer-ridden party room.
“Once the cake is in place, it’s going to look perfect!” Sammy said, standing back and looking at everything.
“You think?” he asked.
She nodded. “Yeah, it looks just like a baby shower should.” She plopped down in one of the chairs in the waiting room. “What do you think?”
He shrugged. “I don’t think I’m allowed to have an opinion. I’ve never been to a baby shower!”
Sammy laughed. “I go to almost every baby shower in town because they’re all either for my patients or Tabby’s, and a lot of times, they’re both.”
“Well, if you think it looks good, it must be perfect, then.”
“Yes, definitely perfect.” She sighed happily. “Our mom is coming here from Cheyenne tomorrow. Not sure if I’m ready.”
“Why’s that?” he asked, frowning at her.
“Well, she called today during my lunch and wanted to bring with her the son of the man she’s dating. She is always trying to set me up with someone. I told her I was dating and made it seem a whole lot more serious than it really is, just to get her out of my hair.”
“How serious did you make it seem?” Barry asked. He would happily make anything she’d said a reality.
“More serious than one date, for sure. I didn’t really give any details, though, so she can infer what she will.”
Barry turned to her. “I’m pretty serious. I mean, I know we’ve only gone out once, but . . . I’m developing feelings for you pretty darn quick.”
Sammy felt her heart beat faster at his words. “Really?”
He nodded. “Really. I’ve never dated anyone like you.” He gave a short laugh. “I don’t know if I’ve ever dated much, to be honest. Most of the girls I went out with were rodeo groupies, if that makes sense. They’d follow the rodeo from one place to the next, hoping to get them a roper.”
“Why?” Sammy asked. She’d never understood that kind of lifestyle.
“Because we’re all sexy and seven feet tall, of course,” he replied.
“How did I not know that?” she asked.
“No clue.”
She grinned, walking back toward her place from the clinic. “I’m going to have another piece of pizza. My way of celebrating the decorating being done.”
“Are you just serving cake tomorrow? Are there other goodies we can get into?”
She laughed. “Well, I’m doing punch and chips and dip and a few other snacky things. People will eat before they come, though, so no meals or anything.”
“Do you cook?” he asked.
“Are you asking me to cook for you at ten at night? ’Cuz I’m not doing it.”
He laughed. “No, I was just curious if you cook at all. I wouldn’t ask anyone to cook for me at this hour of the night. Not even my mother. Of course, she never could cook anyway, so I can’t imagine asking her to cook anything.”
“Huh. My mom cooked a lot, but then the parents divorced. I think she still cooks. I haven’t stayed with her in a long time.”
“Well, you do kind of have your own life to live.”
“I do! I’m so glad you can see that!” She put the pizza back onto the counter from the fridge. “Want it cold, or should I heat it in the oven?”
“Why not nuke it?”
“Dries it out too much. If I’m going to reheat pizza, I’ll always do it in the oven.”
He shrugged, bowing to her superior experience in pizza reheating. “Let’s eat it cold.” He grabbed a piece and put it on the plate she had set out. Why did women feel the need to eat pizza on a plate? “You never did answer my question. Do you cook?”
She nodded. “I’m actually a really good cook. I prefer not to cook, but I can do it and do it well when the situation calls for it.”
He eyed her suspiciously. “So you don’t cook daily?”
She shrugged. “I heat stuff up daily. I tend to make a big pot of soup on Sundays and munch on it all week. If I crave something, I’ll make it during the week, but for the most part, I only really cook on the weekends. I eat out for lunch every day because Bob cooks for me.”
“You seem to think a lot of Bob. Do I have reason to be jealous there?”
She laughed. “Megan would kill me if I tried something with Bob. She’s tiny but fierce!”
He grinned. “I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Megan yet.”
“She’s a real estate agent here in town, and she and Bob are a perfect fit. She’s pregnant with their second child, and I’m going to deliver it. I delivered their first, too.”
“Sounds like Megan is someone I want to meet, then. I think a lot of Bob. He’s sent lots of customers my way.”
“Sounds like Bob. He’s a good guy, even though he tries to come across as grumpy all the time. I think he has in his head that good chefs have to be grumpy.”
“They don’t?”
She shook her head. “They really don’t. Not at all.” She shrugged, thinking about what she needed to do next. “I’m making four different kinds of dips for the party tomorrow. Some are cooked, and some aren’t. And I’m making cookies, though they won’t hold a candle to Patience Jenner’s cookies. She’s amazing!”
“I’ve heard interesting things about Patience, I’m afraid. She sounds like a real character.”
“Oh, she is. Don’t doubt that, but she’s fun and hilarious. I really like her.” Sammy shrugged. “And she’s a good customer. I’ve delivered one baby, and now she’s pregnant with twins!”
He laughed. “I guess you’re not a fan of birth control.”
“Well, on some levels I am . . .” She grinned at him. “So how’s the book business? Are you doing well?”
He shrugged. “I’ve only been open for a week, but I was hoping for better from my first week. I sure hope everyone is right and sales will pick up during the summer months. I’m not sure I’ll be able to keep it going otherwise.”
She frowned. “Well, I think we desperately need a bookstore here in town, so I will do my best to support you. If you want to print up flyers or coupons of some sort, I’ll put them in the waiting room.”
“That’s not a bad idea. I wonder if Bob would do the same.”
“I think half the businesses in town would. Want me to talk to Grace about it tomorrow? She and her cousins own the bakery, and they’ll be here.”
“That would be wonderful, if you don’t mind. I hope you know I’m not dating you for your local business connections.”
She laughed. “If you were, you’d be silly. Everyone in town has the same connections.”
“I guess that’s true.” He finished his pizza and wiped his mouth. “So tomorrow night you have the shower, right?”
“I do. My whole day will be wrapped up in shower activities, like cooking and getting the games set up.”
“What about Sunday?”
She shrugged. “I usually do my laundry after church, but I could probably work that fascinating activity into my cooking day tomorrow.” She shook her head. “This was a bad week for us to start dating with Tabby’s shower tomorrow.”
“Well, how would you feel about going sledding after church? Or snowmobiling? Or we could hang out in my bookstore. Or I could take you to a movie? I guess I’m trying to say that I want to spend the day with you.”
“I’d like to spend the day with you, too!” Sammy shrugged. “Any of those activities would be good, as far as I’m concerned.”
“I think it’s supposed to be
a little cold for outdoor stuff. Why don’t we see a movie?”
“What’s playing?” she asked.
“I really don’t care,” Barry said with a grin. “I just want to spend the day with you.”
She laughed. “Well, then let’s go see whatever’s playing and have a good day.” She loved that he didn’t care what movie it was. It made her feel like she was the main attraction, and every woman should feel that way.
“All right! I haven’t been to church yet since moving here, and I think I’m going to go on Sunday. May I sit with you?”
She blinked a couple of times. “You know that in a town like this, sitting with me at church is like announcing we’re not only dating, we’re engaged, I’m pregnant, and the marriage will be taking place within the next few days, right?”
He laughed. “I don’t care. Do you?”
“Well, I don’t necessarily want to be pregnant with your child after only knowing you a couple of days. . . . Let me think on it!”
He shook his head. “I think we should go sit together on the couch.”
“Why? Because you want me closer so you can grope me? I’m not sure my daddy would approve.”
He grinned. “Your daddy isn’t here, little girl.”
She threw back her head and laughed. “You sounded so lecherous for a moment there!”
He stood up and took her hand, pulling her with him to her couch. “There, now we’re right where we should be.” His arm went around her shoulders, and he just held her close. She had a fire going in the fireplace in front of them. “I like your little place.”
“Me too. Tabby and I designed it together when we built the clinic. It feels like home for sure. I do like the extra space now that she’s gone.”
“Isn’t she married to one of the O’Donnells?”
“She is. To Arch. He’s the architect of the family.”
“What does Arch stand for?”
She giggled. “Archibald. Tabby likes to torment him with his full name on occasion. It makes her happy.”
He shook his head. “Well, you can never torment me with my full name, all right?”
“What’s your full name?” She turned toward him, only then realizing just how close they were sitting.
“Bartholomew. And that will not be repeated. You hear me?”
She giggled. “I hear you. I really do. I like it, though. And I’m really Samantha. My parents were really into the old TV show Bewitched, so they named my sister and me Samantha and Tabitha. I think it’s silly, but no one really makes the connection.”
“Hmm . . . Samantha. That sounds so much more girly than Sammy does.”
She grinned. “I’ve always been Sammy. From the time I was able to walk, they’d already shortened it. And Tabby has always been Tabby.”
“Well, I like Sammy. It suits you.” He leaned down and quickly brushed his lips across hers. “I like kissing Sammy, too.”
“I approve of your choice of activities.” She wiggled her eyebrows at him even as she leaned in for another longer, deeper kiss. She’d never imagined she’d be still single in her thirties, having make out sessions on her couch. What was wrong with her?
His hands gripped her waist and pulled her in closer to him. “You are absolutely intoxicating, Sammy Jo.”
She pulled away. “How did you know that my middle name is Jo?”
He shrugged. “Just seems to fit you!”
“Hmmm . . . have you been checking up on me, Bartholomew James?”
“My middle name is not James.”
“Then what is it? You already know my middle name is Jo.”
He wrinkled his nose. “I’d rather not say.”
“That bad, huh? Is it Melvin?”
He laughed. “I’m not telling, so you can quit trying to force it out of me. Bartholomew is bad enough without the middle name added in.”
“Well, I hardly think you should be ashamed of your name. What happened to your father?” She knew the change in subject must seem abrupt, but he’d mentioned his mother after the divorce, but never his father.
“My dad enlisted in the marines after they divorced. He’s gone on and had a new family entirely. New wife. Four kids. I don’t fit in with them. He always paid child support, but he never had any desire to see me.”
“That’s sad. So you don’t really have a relationship with him?”
He shook his head. “It’s really how my mom wanted it, to be honest. She thought whatever man she was married to at the time should be my father. Period. It was weird.”
“That does sound weird. Did you make any kind of connection with any of the men?”
“Just with Bart’s dad. After him, I didn’t even try. I was tired of having father figures in and out of my life.”
“I can understand that.” Sammy rested her head on his shoulder, wishing there was a way she could heal all of his childhood hurts. “Tell me about the rodeo.”
He shrugged. “I drove from one city to the next to be part of rodeos. I’d be in the heat of Texas in the summer, and the next week in a small town in Idaho. It was ridiculous. I loved it, though. I loved the cheer of the crowd. I loved the feeling of riding that bronco. I probably would still be doing it if I hadn’t injured my leg so badly. It’s full of ugly scars.”
“Chicks dig scars. Didn’t you ever see The Replacements?”
He laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind. Are you a chick?”
“I wouldn’t say that. Other girls are. I don’t think I want to be a chick, though.”
“Yeah, I always thought the term was derogatory.”
“It is. Sort of.” She glanced at the clock, wondering how much longer he’d stay. She needed to be up early if she was going to do everything that needed to be done before the shower.
“Are you ready for me to go?” he asked, noting that she looked at the clock.
“I kind of want you to stay forever, but I have to be up early to get everything done tomorrow.” She shook her head. “So what do I say? Please don’t go, but let me sleep?”
He laughed, kissing her softly. “I’ll go, and I’ll see you Sunday. I may even go to the bar tomorrow night and check out that darts tournament. Could be fun.”
She smiled. “Did I remember to thank you for plowing my parking lot? You made my day yesterday so much easier. I think I really do like you.”
He frowned. “You loved me on Wednesday. How did I get downgraded to really do like on Friday! I need to work on my moves.” He got to his feet and pulled her to hers. “Should I start reading romance novels?”
She laughed. “I loved the store before I loved you. See? Now that I’m getting to know you, I have to start from like.”
“But I want you to go back to love. That was more fun for me.”
Sammy stood on tiptoe and kissed him goodnight after he’d put his coat on. “I’ll see you at church on Sunday. Get ready for a wild ride.” She grinned. “Well, unless Ben is preaching, and he might be. He almost seems sane when he gives the sermon.”
“Almost seems sane? I need to hear Brother Anthony, don’t I?”
“You sure do.” She stood at the door and watched him rush out through the falling snow to his truck.
After closing the door, she sighed. He was growing on her pretty darn fast. Much faster than she’d thought he would. The man was a booklover, and he kissed like a dream. No wonder she was falling for him so fast.
She took a quick shower and brushed her teeth, her mind on nothing but the man who had just left. He was pretty darn special to her, and she didn’t know how to even express it. She’d known him for only three days, and already she was falling for him.
What was the world coming to when boring Sammy Ross was falling in love with a man she’d just met? The news would be earth shattering to anyone who knew her well.
After finishing getting ready for bed, she climbed under the covers and reached for one of the books she’d purchased at his store. She was already making a list of the authors she wanted h
im to carry and how the whole romance section should be set up. With more romance novels, she was certain more women would shop there, and his store would be more successful. He just needed to listen to her.
She read a chapter and then grabbed the pen and paper that were always on her nightstand, quickly making a list of everything she had to do the next day. She’d do laundry all day and make the dips. She had to make the punch. And . . . she was getting tired just thinking about it all. Why had she volunteered to throw this baby shower? Someone else should have done it.
She shut off the light, and her last thought before she fell asleep was about Barry. His brown eyes were sparkling as he kissed her before leaving. She hoped she would always remember him just that way. Her Barry. Whether she’d lost her mind or not, she planned to marry the man. She just hadn’t told him yet.
Across town, Barry climbed into his own bed, his mind entirely consumed by Sammy. She was something special, and he knew he was going to have to keep her. He wondered how long he needed to wait after meeting her before he could propose? Probably more than three days, but did it have to be more than a week? He hoped not. Maybe he’d call his mother for advice.
Shaking his head, he shut off the light. Like his mother gave good advice about anything.
Five
The clinic was hopping the following evening with all of the women the sisters had helped with their babies and so many more. Tabby was overwhelmed by all of the attention and had tears in her eyes more than once.
Sammy played hostess, hurrying back and forth between the clinic and the kitchen, refilling dips and talking to everyone.
When the party was finally over, several of the women stayed behind to help clean up, including all eight of the Quinlans, as well as Dallas. As all of the women worked, they laughed and talked about what it would be like for a midwife to deliver an obstetrician’s baby.
Tabby looked at Sammy. “It’s going to go beautifully, and we do have an obstetrician standing by to do a c-section, just in case.”
Sammy shrugged. “I don’t think it’ll be necessary, but I do like to always have someone standing by. Usually, it’s my sister, but . . .”
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