“We’re going to do great!”
Dallas turned to Sammy. “Who’s going to assist you, though? Doesn’t Tabby usually assist you, and you usually assist her?”
“Yeah, that’s how it’s done. I don’t know. Do you want to help?” Sammy grinned. She knew she could do it on her own, but it was fun watching other women get flustered.
“I would love to!” Dallas said, looking excited.
Sammy was surprised, but when she looked at Tabby, her sister nodded. “You’re in, apparently!”
“I love that sort of thing! I almost went into medicine, but teaching is what drew my heart.”
“Well, we’ll be thrilled for the help,” Tabby said. “She thinks she can do it alone, but I know we will need another pair of hands.”
Sammy rolled her eyes. She’d delivered babies alone before, and she would again. It would be nice not to have to, though. “Sounds good to me. I’ll be glad to have an assistant.”
Patricia Ross walked over then, kissing each of her girls on the cheek. “I don’t see a ring on your finger, Sammy. If you change your mind, let me know.”
“Thanks, Mom. I will.”
Patricia hurried out the door then, and Tabby turned on Sammy. “Ring on your finger?”
“Mom’s trying to set me up with her new boyfriend’s son. I told her I’m seeing someone, and she still wanted to set me up. That’s all.”
“You’re seeing someone?” Tabby asked. “Seriously seeing someone?”
Sammy shrugged. “I’m not sure how serious we are yet, but I like him a lot.”
Dallas stepped closer. “They were adorable together at the Watering Hole the other night. They danced and danced.”
“Sounds like there might be something serious going on. Is it time for me to trick the two of you into getting married?” Tabby asked. She’d held that same threat over Sammy for over two years.
“You’re happy, sis. Let me find my own happiness.” Sammy picked up an armful of baby gifts. “Want me to take these out to your amazing new mommyvan?”
“Oh, hush. You know you have minivan envy! And yes, please!”
Everyone who was still there picked up an armload of gifts and took them to the car, each of them hugging Tabby.
“You’re going to be an amazing mother,” Felicity said. “I’m so excited for you!” Their bellies bumped as they hugged. Felicity’s was bigger than Tabby’s, though Tabby was much closer to her due date.
Tabby looked at Felicity. “I know Sammy is delivering the twins, but I’d like to do one more sonogram before my baby is born, if you don’t mind. There are more likely to be complications with twins, and I want to make sure everything is all right.”
Felicity nodded. “Sure. I love peeking at the little monsters.”
Sammy grinned. “You should name them Bert and Ernie.”
“Don’t think I haven’t thought about it!” Felicity winked at Sammy before hurrying away. “See you in church tomorrow! And I’ll make an appointment first thing Monday morning, Tabby!”
When it was just the two sisters left, Tabby hurried back inside, and Sammy followed. “I want to know everything about the guy you’re dating.”
Sammy shrugged. “He is the owner of the new bookstore in town, next to Bob’s Burger Barn. I told you I was going out with him.”
“You told me you were going to go on one date with him. You’re ‘seeing each other’ now?”
“It seems to be moving along pretty fast. He brought pizza last night, and he stayed and helped me decorate. He plowed the parking lot on Thursday night when he thought I wasn’t watching.” Sammy frowned. “I don’t know where we’re going if we’re going anywhere, but I think a lot of him, and he gets my motor running, if you know what I mean.”
Tabby laughed. “I know exactly what you mean. Well, I want to be kept in the loop. Don’t run off and get married without me.”
“I won’t. How could I? You’re my favorite sister.”
“Wasn’t I your least favorite sister the other day?”
“Both. You are definitely both.”
“Well, I’m leaving you, then. Is everything cleaned up enough?” Tabby looked around her, making sure all the trash was thrown away and they weren’t leaving Sammy with a huge mess to clean up.
“Definitely. I’m good from here. And I need to get to bed, because church is tomorrow.”
“Are you seeing Barry tomorrow?”
Sammy blushed. “He’s going to sit with me at church—”
“That’s huge!”
“And then we’re going to see a movie. Probably get lunch. I’m not sure what all we’ll do, but whatever it is, we’ll be doing it together.”
“I can’t wait to meet the man that makes my sister blush like she’s sixteen again. That’s so awesome!”
Sammy smiled and watched her sister hurry out to her mommyvan. “Be careful on the ice! I don’t want to deliver that baby tonight!”
“You won’t! I’m careful!”
As Tabby drove away, Sammy thought about how very happy she was for her sister and the love she’d found with Arch. Hopefully, that love was just around the corner for her.
Sammy had just about decided that Barry wasn’t going to come to church when he slid into the pew beside her. “Morning,” he whispered softly. His jeans had been traded in for a pair of slacks, and he wore a cowboy tie. He looked good to Sammy.
“G’morning. I figured you weren’t coming,” she whispered back.
“Nah. I just had to find my dress boots. They were in a box in the top of my closet. How did they get there?”
Sammy shrugged, turning to the front as Pastor Ben walked up to the pulpit. She wasn’t sure if she should be happy or disappointed that Barry wasn’t going to be treated to the full Brother Anthony special service.
The talk that week was on forgiveness, something everyone needed, in Sammy’s opinion. It was hard not to hold a grudge against people who had done her wrong, and she was sure others were the same.
After the service, several different couples surrounded them. Sammy met Dallas’s eyes across the room, and she hoped that the other woman would see her silent plea.
Felicity was there, introducing Barry to Allen. “Barry owns the bookstore here in town.”
Allen nodded. “I did most of the renovations on the building. We’ve been working together for months. Hi, Barry.”
Barry grinned. “Hey.”
Finally, Dallas came over and smiled at Sammy. “Barry, you remember Austin, and this is our daughter, Odessa.”
Barry nodded. “It’s good to see you.” It was obvious the other couple was rescuing them from the swarm of people around them.
Austin asked, “Are you still planning to have lunch with us?” He held little Odessa in his arms. Since both of them were named after Texas cities, they had to follow the tradition with their daughter.
“Yes!” Sammy answered for both of them. She was thrilled with the excuse to get away from prying eyes.
As they left the church, she breathed a sigh of relief. “I didn’t think we’d ever get out of there.”
Barry laughed. “They were definitely interested in who I was.”
“I told you sitting next to me would be almost like announcing our engagement.” Sammy shook her head. “Small towns are notorious for situations like that.”
“I see,” he said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. “What would happen if I kissed you in the church parking lot? Would you then be pregnant with my child?”
Dallas laughed. “She would!”
“Oh no!” Barry said, grinning at Sammy.
Sammy sighed. “You joke about it, but it’s my reputation on the line here.”
“Yeah, you’d be a slut, but I’d just be a ladies’ man.”
The five of them headed to the diner to eat and sat down in a booth off to one side of the room. Odessa sat in a high chair, eating crackers. While they ate, Sammy asked Dallas about the type of romance she liked, and they
talked a lot. Austin talked animatedly with Barry about the rodeo, and it became a men’s discussion and a women’s discussion.
After they’d eaten, Barry took Sammy’s hand. “We’re going to head to the movies.”
“What’s playing?” Austin asked.
Barry shrugged. “Who cares as long as we can sit in the back row and make out?”
“Not in front of my baby!” Dallas said with a laugh.
“She’s a cutie.” Barry reached out and toyed with her fingers.
Odessa pulled away and buried her face in her mother’s shoulder.
“I delivered her,” Sammy said softly.
“You did?” Barry looked at Sammy, connecting what she did now. “I guess I knew you delivered babies, but until I saw one you’d brought into the world, it didn’t really hit home.”
“I can believe that.” Sammy grinned at him, so glad he was there with her.
“We need to get this one home for a nap,” Dallas said with a yawn. “And maybe her mama, too.”
“Definitely her mama, too! All mothers need naps.”
Dallas laughed. “Did you hear that, Austin? I need a nap.”
Austin reached over and took Odessa. “Let’s get home. Enjoy your movie, if you ever figure out what it is.”
“Oh, trust me. We will!”
Sammy shook her head as they walked away. “I can’t believe you told them we were going to sit in the back row and make out. What were you thinking?”
Barry shrugged. “I figured they’d understand completely.” He led her to his truck, and they drove the short distance to the movie theater. “Is this one of the businesses that Sly owns?”
“I have no idea. I cannot keep up with everything that man is buying in this town. He’s crazy!”
He bought two tickets for “anything but a kid movie.” Sammy couldn’t believe he’d actually put it that way.
“People are really going to think we’re here to sit in the back and make out!”
“Well, I got the impression you weren’t ready for things to go to the next level, and if we spend too much time alone, I’m sure they will. So we’ll sit at the back of the movie theater and make out there instead of at your place or mine. Much less dangerous.”
She couldn’t believe him, but she couldn’t think of a good response either. “I don’t even know what to say to that!”
“Thank me for sparing your morals,” he said, leading her into the theater, where he handed her a bucket of popcorn and her drink.
“Are we going to be able to eat popcorn and drink pop if we’re too busy making out?” she asked.
A woman two rows ahead of them turned around and glared at her. Sammy was mortified. “I’m kidding!” she called out.
“No she’s not!” Barry said.
“You’re making me crazy, Barry!”
“That’s okay. You make me crazy, too.” He put his arm around her and dug a hand into the popcorn tub she was holding. “Did you catch the name of the movie we’re seeing?”
The woman turned and glared at them again. Sammy knew her because she was one of the checkers at the grocery store.
“Stop that!” Sammy hissed at Barry.
He shrugged. “We’ll figure it out. Maybe.”
She shook her head. “I’m not sure I’m going to agree to be seen in public with you after today.”
“All right. I’ll be alone with you all you want . . .”
“That wasn’t what I meant and you know it.”
“I’ll take it how I want to take it. And I like my way an awful lot.”
“Of course you do . . .”
After the movie—Sammy still had no idea what she’d seen, but she knew she’d annoyed the blond checker from the supermarket—they went to his truck. “I can’t believe you embarrassed me like that!”
“I can’t believe you spent the entire movie with your lips glued to mine,” Barry said, shaking his head. “I thought better of you than that.”
“What movie did we see anyway?”
“Does it really matter?”
She laughed helplessly. “Until today, I thought you were this really nice guy, and now I realize you’re like all other men.”
“Nah. Don’t say that!” He clutched his chest with one hand, acting as if she’d broken his heart.
“I do like you, Barry Hamilton. You make me see the world in totally new ways.”
“Or not see it at all, because you’re too busy kissing me to care about it as it passes you by?”
“That could be true . . .” She sighed. “So are you dumping me at my truck now?” She wasn’t quite ready for the day to end, but she needed to be mindful of her work the next day.
“I have not yet begun to date you!”
“And that means . . .”
“It means I think we should go back to your place. We can just spend time together. Watch a movie, maybe . . .”
Sammy let out a bark of laughter. “I just tried to watch a movie! I don’t know anything that happened in it!”
“That’s because you weren’t paying attention.” He shook his head. “I can’t take you anywhere . . .”
“Okay, we’ll go back to my place. Take me to my truck, though, so I will have it when I need it.”
“I don’t know if I can be apart from you for that long!” The back of his hand went to his forehead, and he sighed dramatically for effect.
“You’ll have to be, because I’ll need my truck tomorrow.”
“All right. All right. I’ll take you to your truck. Are you going to cook supper for me while we watch our movie?”
“Sure. I have nothing better to do.”
Barry smiled. “I was hoping you’d say that!” He drove her to the church’s parking lot and left her at her truck. “There. Happy now?”
“Sure. Why wouldn’t I be?” Sammy blew a kiss as she got out of his truck and rushed to her own. The snow had finally stopped, but it was bitter cold. “See you at my place!”
She got into her truck and started it, letting it heat up for a few minutes before leaving the parking lot. The whole time, she was very aware that he was right behind her and watching everything she said and did.
She pulled into the small parking lot of the clinic and jumped out, running to the door with her key, so she could get where it was warm. She hadn’t been warm since the theater, since both trucks had been cold. Inside, she hurried to the fireplace and started a fire, hearing him come in and close the door.
“I’ll start the fire while you start supper,” he offered.
“Almost done,” she replied, standing up from the fireplace. “Soup okay? I was thinking of a thick baked potato soup tonight. I have bacon and cheese for it as well.”
He nodded emphatically. “Sounds delicious. I’ll figure out what movie we should watch.”
“Let’s not spend money on a movie you have no intentions of watching,” she said, shaking her head.
“We’ll watch it!” he protested, knowing full well they wouldn’t. There was something about little Samantha Ross that made his blood boil.
“Fine, find a movie, and I will get supper started. I have Netflix, and it’s already signed on. And Amazon Prime. And Hulu.”
“You sure do love your streaming services.”
“I hate trying to watch network television. It’s cheaper to have all of those services and watch whatever I want when I want.” She pulled potatoes out of a container on her counter and ran water over them before peeling them.
“Let me see what you like, and I’ll go from there.” Barry sat down with her remote and started pushing buttons. He wasn’t a huge fan of smart TVs, because they were usually smarter than he was, but he’d give it a try.
Thirty minutes later when she sat beside him while the potatoes boiled, he turned on the show he’d chosen. “You had this on Amazon, so I figured we’d watch it together.”
She laughed. “I have it memorized!”
“Who doesn’t? This way we won’t worry abou
t missing the movie.” The opening credits for The Princess Bride rolled across the screen, and she snuggled into his side contentedly.
“I wanted to marry Westley when I was a little girl.”
“You did? Not Prince Humperdinck?”
“Oh, please. He was the villain of the story. Well, him and Count Rugan. No one wanted either of them. They were evil.”
“Shh . . . this is the part where she calls him farm boy and he goes off to find his fortune.”
“But he’s kidnapped by the Dread Pirate Roberts, and the Dread Pirate Roberts never takes a prisoner!”
He shook his head. “You have seen this show one too many times. I don’t want you to be bored, though . . .”
“You don’t?”
He shook his head and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her close to him. “I’ll distract you.”
And he did. Very well, actually. Within moments, she forgot about the soup, the movie, and everything else around her. She only existed for his touch and his kisses.
Six
Sammy had her arms wrapped around him, and she sat in Barry’s lap. They were kissing one another for all they were worth. As they kissed, she heard an incessant beeping that she ignored—at first. After a bit, she lifted her head. “The soup!” She jumped off his lap and ran into the kitchen. “It’s not burning.”
“I am,” Barry mumbled. He took deep gulping breaths, trying to calm his raging libido.
“I’m sorry!” she said, hating that she’d run from him so quickly, but she hated when something was scorched into a pan. It had happened more than once while she delivered babies, and it was so hard to clean up.
He walked to the other side of the counter where she was cooking, leaning on it. “What would it take to talk you into marrying me?” he asked. He hadn’t quite realized the words were about to pop out of his mouth, but . . . he was glad when they did.
At first, her heart skipped a beat, but then Sammy laughed, stirring the thickening for the soup. “We’ve known one another for what? Five days? Time to marry!”
“I’m serious, Sammy. I’ve never felt this much for anyone, and I don’t know that I can keep seeing you like this. Not without dragging you off to bed, and I don’t think that’s who you are.”
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