by Gold, Kristi
She muttered something under her breath that Sam didn’t understand, but he doubted it was flattering. “You don’t drink beer but you like your glass of wine on occasion,” he continued. “You own about a dozen pair of panties in different shades of pink even though you won’t admit it because it makes you seem too girly.”
She sent him a glare that could stop a schoolyard bully’s reign of terror. “Are you done yet?”
“Not until you admit I’m right.”
She shrugged. “Okay, you’re right. You know my habits. Again, that doesn’t mean you know me.”
She was dead wrong on that count, too. “I still know which of your buttons to push.”
She rubbed her temples as if she had one heck of a headache. “Let’s just leave my buttons out of this, okay?”
He ignored her acid tone and said, “I also know if you’re having fun or not. And lady, a little while ago, you were having a damn good time.”
“I don’t know that I’d qualify what we did as a good time.”
A surge of anger hit him full force. “I’d say by the way you were moaning, you enjoyed yourself just fine. Or maybe you just didn’t get enough of what you needed from me.”
She fumbled with the seat belt for a second before finally releasing it. “I’m too tired to listen to this.”
Savannah’s sudden exit from the truck told Sam he’d hit a nerve, but that didn’t mean he was done with her yet. For some reason, he wanted her to confess that her life wasn’t all that great. That maybe she hadn’t found what she’d been searching for after all.
Sam slid out of the driver’s seat and followed her onto the porch, where he caught her arm, forcing her to look at him. “You can talk until dawn about how much you love going to work every day to your fancy job and coming home to your fancy condo,” he said. “But you sure as hell won’t convince me that you’re all that satisfied with your life. Otherwise, I don’t believe you’d be here with me.”
She yanked her arm out of his grasp. “You have no idea what my life is like. Yes, I spend a lot of time at work and yes, I go home at night alone. But what about you? You work like a dog from sunup to sundown to save a way of life that—by your own admission—is dying. And for what? To prove you’re a sucker for a lost cause?”
Obviously he was a sucker since he was still trying to sell her on small-town living. “Farming isn’t a lost cause, Savannah, and neither is Placid. It’s all about community. At least people around here have your back when you need them.”
“You mean they know your business.”
He couldn’t exactly argue with that. “Maybe so, but I know I can count on them, and they can count on me if the need arises. This place also taught me to shoot straight and when I make a promise, my word is as good as gold. Can you say the same for your Chicago buddies?”
Her laugh sounded skeptical. “Your word is as good as gold? That’s rich, Sam. I’ve seen you break a promise without batting an eye.”
He sensed they were about to enter some fairly tough emotional terrain. “I’m sorry about the damn prom.”
“I’m not referring to the prom. You promised me you were going to apply to Northwestern so we could go to college together.”
“I did.” The words tumbled out of his mouth before he could take hold of them.
Savannah stared at him blankly before the comprehension light turned on. “When did you do that?”
He had no good reason to continue this conversation, but he’d already backed himself into the confession corner. Might as well lay it all on the line. “I applied about the same time you did, and I got rejected two days before you got accepted.”
“Rejected?” She sounded as stunned as she looked.
“Don’t act so surprised, Savannah. Unlike you, I only had average grades and I sure as hell didn’t have the means to buy my way in. But they were kind enough to invite me to reapply in the spring.”
Her face softened with sympathy and Sam hated that more than her anger. “Why didn’t you say something?”
He’d considered it before he’d come to his senses. “I didn’t see any point in telling you because it wasn’t going to make you any less gone. You already had your head set on getting out of town as fast as that old Mustang would let you, with or without me.”
“But you could have come later,” she said. “You could have been the first in your family with a degree. You said that’s what you always wanted.”
“And that’s exactly what I got—a four-year degree in agribusiness with a minor in marketing right here in the fine state of Mississippi.”
Her voice dripped with sarcasm when she said, “Good for you. I’m so glad you had the decency to finally tell me.”
He’d failed to tell her a lot of things. “I just figured you didn’t care one way or the other, Savannah. You went on with your life and I went on with mine.” And that’s exactly how it would be when she packed up and left again in a few days.
“You’re right, it doesn’t matter now,” she said. “But it did that day in the diner when you went on your verbal attack as if I’d done something wrong by trying to better myself.”
And he’d been forced to live with his sorry actions for years. “I was a kid with too much pride, and you were a girl who thought her dreams were a whole lot more important than mine.” Just like it had been between his own mother and father. “You always thought you were too good for Placid and me.”
“If that’s what you believe, then I don’t see any reason to continue this conversation, even if you are wrong.” She whipped around and grabbed the door handle while Sam began the countdown.
Three…two…one.
As predicted, she spun around to get in the last word. “And for the record, I firmly believe all your talk about friendship is a ruse. You want more from me than that, but you don’t have the guts to follow through because you’re afraid it’s more than you can handle.”
He was on her in a flash, bracing both hands above her head, trapping her against the door with his body. “Lady, I’ve got twenty bucks in my pocket and some hard proof down south that says you’re dead wrong.” He pressed against her, driving home his point.
Her brown eyes reflected the heat that had been brewing between them since that day in the workshop. “Then prove it.”
Sam had learned a long time ago that anger was one hell of an aphrodisiac. It made a man do crazy things, even knowing he ran a huge risk on several levels. He had more than a few reasons why he should quit while he was ahead, but the way he felt right now, he probably couldn’t stop short of the roof caving in.
When they made it into the house, Savannah didn’t bother to turn off the light and Sam didn’t bother taking her to the bedroom. He did take off his shirt while she took off hers, and then shoved his jeans down while she did the same with her shorts. After that, he backed her up against the paneled wall with no regard for propriety, like the horny teenage kid he used to be.
Without formality, he lifted Savannah up, wrapped her legs around his waist and sealed the deal.
This wasn’t a rosy reunion or at all what he’d imagined when he’d fantasized about making love to her again—taking her up against a wall, his pants around his ankles and his boots still on his feet, for a fast round of raw, mind-blowing sex. Normally, this whole scene would be fine with him—hurried and hot. But with Savannah, he’d wanted to take it slow, show her what he’d learned in her absence. Take her places she’d never been before, at least not with him. But their verbal foreplay and her challenge didn’t allow for a lot of leisure.
Sam wasn’t all that surprised when Savannah climaxed almost immediately since she’d always been fairly quick to fire. He just hoped the same didn’t hold true for him. But when she raked her nails down his back and made a noise that sounded a lot like a muffled scream, she didn’t afford him the luxury of taking his good, sweet time.
Sam closed his eyes, gritted his teeth and muttered a one-word curse when the force of the clim
ax roared through him like a freight train. He fought for air, fought to recover, fought to remember the last time he’d felt this damn good. Probably back in their youth, when they’d been so wrapped up in each other that every moment they spent together was an adventure. When he’d convinced himself that he would never find another girl like her. That he would never feel that deeply for another girl. He hadn’t and most likely never would, something he’d take out and examine later.
After he slowly lowered Savannah to her feet, they just stood there for a few moments, the sound of their ragged breathing bouncing off the walls of the empty house. If he knew what was good for him, he’d put on his pants and head hell-bound for safety before he asked to stay the night. But where she was concerned, he’d forgotten all the lessons he’d learned about the difference between wisdom and wanting. Speaking of a lack of wisdom…
“We forgot the damn condom,” he managed to grate out.
“I’m on the Pill,” she said.
“You would’ve saved me a whole lot of grief if you’d mentioned that sooner.”
“And you’ll save me a whole lot of worry if you assure me safety isn’t an issue.”
“Trust me, it’s not.” He hadn’t bypassed the condom route since his marriage ended.
When Savannah ducked under his arm, Sam yanked up his jeans and turned around in time to see her pulling her shorts back into place.
“I need to shower,” she said as she snatched the T-shirt from the floor and slid it over her head, much to Sam’s disappointment.
“I could use one, too.” And he wouldn’t mind compounding his mistakes tonight by joining her.
She put an end to that wish when she said, “I’ll use the bath upstairs and you can use the guest bath down here.”
So much for the afterglow of lovemaking. “Fine.” He picked his shirt up but didn’t bother to put it on. “I’ll meet you in your bedroom.”
“We both need some sleep, so you may let yourself out.” Then she rushed up the stairs like a house afire.
Savannah had gone from willing woman to ice princess in about ten seconds, and that really ticked him off. Normally he’d welcome an excuse for a quick exit, at least with most women. But she wasn’t most women. She never had been.
For that reason, he opted to spend very little time in the shower in order to cut her off at the pass. After he was done, he scaled the stairs and entered her bedroom to await her return, probably at his own peril. He found it ironic that she was the one shutting down, which was usually his trick. But he also knew how to draw her out. At least he used to know.
For the next twenty minutes, Sam walked around the room and surveyed all the trinkets that had been there since the first time she’d allowed him inside. He made his way to the bed and picked up a pink teddy bear positioned on the pillow. The same bear he’d won at a midway booth at the festival—not long before everything had come apart.
When he heard approaching footsteps, Sam tossed the bear back on the bed and turned toward the door.
Savannah strode into the room while towel-drying her hair and stopped short when she spotted him, looking mighty unhappy that he hadn’t left. “Do you not remember how to find the front door?”
He didn’t like her attitude any more than she liked finding him still hanging around. “I’m not leaving until we discuss what just happened.”
She crossed the room, draped the towel on the footboard, stood before the dresser mirror and started brushing her damp hair with a vengeance. “I don’t want to have a discussion. I want to go to bed. Alone.”
He didn’t intend to give up that easily. “Maybe I need to talk about it.”
She faced him while sporting a fairly harsh glare and a tight grip on the brush. “Go home, Sam.”
“Not until you say what’s on your mind, Savannah.”
“I don’t have anything else to say.”
He took a seat on the padded cedar chest. “Maybe not, but I’m bettin’ you’re having a nice little battle with some hefty guilt.”
She continued to clutch the brush so hard he thought it might break. “Okay, maybe I’m feeling a little guilty. I’m also embarrassed over my actions, which have been less than stellar all night. I think it’s best if we forget this ever happened.”
Like he could really do that. He also couldn’t get a solid hold on his resentment. “Okay. If that’s the way you want it to be, no problem. But the next time you need a little comfort, find someone else.”
Sam made it to the door when she called his name. And like the fool he’d always been, he turned around. “What?”
“It’s not only about the sex,” she said as she studied the braided rug beneath her bare feet.
He leaned a shoulder against the door frame. “Then explain it to me because I sure as hell don’t have a clue.”
“It involves what you told me earlier. If you’d been honest with me about the rejection, then I might have…” Her words trailed off along with her gaze.
Sam didn’t care to explore what might have been. He only knew that he felt as if someone had just delivered a solid punch to his gut. To actually think she would have stayed had he handled everything differently was like believing his mother would’ve eventually returned for him. And even if Savannah had entertained that notion, he wouldn’t have wanted to shoulder the blame when she realized she’d made a huge mistake. “What’s done is done, and speculating won’t give you anything but a headache.”
Savannah raised her eyes to him and started to smile but it faded fast. “My dad used to say that.”
“Your dad was a wise man. And if he were here, he’d tell you to enjoy your time on earth while you still have the chance.”
“Yes, he would have said that. He also would’ve told me to be cautious when it comes to making snap decisions. Obviously I forgot that advice tonight.”
As much as he wanted to ask her if he could crawl under that handmade quilt covering her bed and spend the night, he didn’t see any reason to do it. Their previous connection had been severed by mistakes he couldn’t rectify. “I better go. Jamie’s going to want to leave for the festival bright and early in the morning. I’ll hold her off until nine so you can get an extra hour of sleep before we pick you up.”
She shook her head. “You two go without me.”
He figured she’d try to back out if he let her. He wasn’t going to let her. “I’ll be back in the morning because I promised my kid you’d go with us. And regardless of what you believe, these days I do keep my promises.”
Except for a promise he’d made himself the minute she’d walked back into his life—not to let her get to him. As sure as sunrise, she was getting to him.
After he left Savannah before she could refuse the festival offer again, he pulled out of the drive for home, and became all too aware that the woman was tracking through his veins like hundred-proof whiskey.
He’d learned long ago how to raise an emotional barrier if he needed to protect himself, and that’s what he had to do with Savannah. He just hoped that when she left again, he didn’t find himself buried beneath another pile of bitter regrets.
SHE COULDN’T BELIEVE she’d agreed to come. Not that Sam had given her much choice. As promised, he’d arrived at the door at 9:00 a.m. sharp with his daughter in tow and a look that said he wouldn’t take no for an answer. And though she’d been reluctant to enjoy herself, once she got past the initial uncomfortable moments with Sam, Savannah had honestly had a good time.
Seeing the festival through the eyes of a child—from the carnival rides to corn dogs—made her appreciate the sheer simplicity of country living and community. Having Jamie present also served as a welcome distraction, a means to avoid thinking about Sam and their wild, wicked lovemaking, as well as the fact that he seemed bent on giving her the cold shoulder. But now that she’d claimed a shaded park bench in the town square’s center, leaving father and daughter to tackle the midway games, Sam was all she could think about. Images of his powerfu
l body in motion kept rolling through her mind like thunder. Her face and a few unseen places began to heat up when she considered how undeniably sexy the whole encounter had been. How much she wanted a repeat performance, as if she’d completely lost every last bit of pride and wisdom. Then again, he’d all but said he wanted nothing more to do with her, and that was unarguably for the best.
Greatly needing a diversion, Savannah proceeded to people-watch as the festival patrons looking for a bargain swarmed the various merchant booths. During the course of the day, she’d recognized quite a few folks, and many had recognized her. Fortunately, she’d managed to dodge Pearl Allworth. After she’d relaxed enough to realize the remainder of the town didn’t seem to know about the pond debacle, she’d exchanged pleasant greetings with former teachers and classmates and family friends, some of whom had extended their sympathies. A few even expressed their wishes she’d return home for good to assume the role of the town’s only lawyer.
But this wasn’t home anymore, and in a matter of days, she’d be turning over her childhood house to a man she held in low esteem. If she stopped to consider that now, her good mood would be completely ruined.
Savannah scanned the area to find Jamie standing several feet away at a ring-toss booth while her dad valiantly attempted to win her more stuffed animals to add to the pile in her arms. She remembered how he’d done the same for her years before and how she hadn’t been able to part with most of the prizes he’d worked so hard to give her. She also recalled what he’d told her last night about the college application, yet the revelation still didn’t excuse the cruel way he’d treated her during that final confrontation. And it didn’t discount the promise he’d made one night on the bridge—they’d be together forever. A promise he’d noticeably forgotten, and readily broken.
“Lordy, Miss Savannah, you sure are a sight for this old man’s eyes.”
Somewhat startled, Savannah looked up to find a tall, lanky African-American man dressed in washed-out denim overalls standing above her, straw hat on his head and a wide smile on his careworn face.