by Unknown
#
Darla called as Annie was getting ready for bed. “Just checking to see how you’re doing, kiddo,” her friend said.
Annie was about to tell her how much better her ankle was, then remembered she was supposed to call Darla the next day and pretend she was having problems. “I think I may have overdone it today,” she said.
“I thought you were trying to stay off of it.”
“I had to do some things around here.”
“Annie, why didn’t you call me? I would have come over and helped you before work this morning.”
“I’m going to take it easy tomorrow,” she promised.
“Well, let’s hope so. The carnival people arrived this afternoon; I’m not sure how long it will take them to set up, but every kid in town will be there when the tickets go on sale. Also, there is a lot of construction work going on around the courthouse to accommodate the crafters. They rent a cubicle to show off their wares. Every motel and bed and breakfast within a twenty-five mile radius will be packed. Same goes for all the camp grounds.”
“How are wedding plans coming along?”
“There’s not much to do. Sam called me last night and offered to give a small reception at his place; he even found a last minute caterer. I thought that was very nice of him. And the gown is being altered a bit. And guess what?” Darla said, changing the subject. “Bo has already found a job working for a builder.”
“That’s good news,” Annie said.
“He’s always been ambitious, and you can’t find a harder worker.”
“It looks like everything is falling into place,” Annie said.
“So you’re going to stay off that ankle?” Darla asked. “Don’t make me come over there and smack you.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Annie said. She paused. “Darla?”
“Yeah?”
“You’re going to make a beautiful bride.”
#
Sam picked up Annie shortly after two p.m. and drove her out to his place. “So what did you do all day yesterday?” he asked, helping her out of his Jeep.
“Studied. Did laundry.”
“Well, now that you kept your nose to the grindstone yesterday, you can play today.”
“I intend to.” Annie’s ankle was no longer sore, and she drew great pleasure walking about without crutches or a cumbersome Ace bandage, although she wore the sock Sam had purchased for her. The night had brought with it an early cold snap, and Annie was glad she’d worn a sweater. She thought Sam looked sexy in an off-white sweater and jeans.
She stood on a bolder and watched the sunlight shimmer on the narrow river that ran behind Sam’s house. He slid his arms around her waist and nipped the back of her neck playfully. Annie shivered.
“Watch it, Ballard,” she said. “That kind of stuff drives me wild.”
“Really?” he said. “What else drives you wild?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, I would. What does it take to find out?”
She faced him. “No way,” she said. “A girl has to have a few secrets.”
“I like mysterious women.”
Annie gazed into his eyes. They seemed even more brilliant in the afternoon sunshine. He smelled of soap and aftershave. He smiled. “What’s the smile for?” she asked.
“You want me to kiss you, don’t you?”
“What makes you say that?”
“You have that look,” he said. “You want me.”
She laughed. “Is that so?”
“It’s written all over your pretty face,” he said. “Admit it, Hartford. You want my body. You’ve wanted it since you first laid eyes on me. Well, guess what?”
Annie arched one brow in question.
He grinned. “I’m yours, baby.”
Her stomach fluttered with a typical case of butterflies. She smiled to hide her uneasiness. “I don’t want to rush you, Sam.”
Amusement lurked in his eyes. “Rush me, Annie. Please.”
“I’ll only end up hurting you. I’m far too sophisticated for you. Remember, I’m a big city girl, and you’re just a country bumpkin.”
“Oh, Annie, you are really asking for it. I will show you no mercy when the time comes.”
“When the time comes? You’re mighty sure of yourself, aren’t you?”
“Oh, it’s going to happen,” he said, his gaze caressing her face before traveling the length of her body. “The only question in my mind is when.”
Annie’s body responded. There was no way to ignore the spark of excitement she felt at the prospect of making love with Sam. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her, parting her lips with his tongue, hungry to taste all of her. He pulled her closer so that her body was pressed against his. Annie wrapped her arms around his neck and gave in to the pleasure of his mouth on hers.
When Sam raised his head, they were both breathless. He led her to a group of Adirondack chairs. “Give your ankle a rest, Babe. I’m going inside to grab our picnic lunch. I’ll be right back.”
Annie watched him walk away, his stance tall and straight. He was certain they were going to be lovers, and Annie had to admit the thought was more than appealing. What woman wouldn’t welcome him to her bed?
But then what? Where would they go from there?
Annie was still thinking about it when Sam returned with a large picnic basket and blanket. “Let’s walk closer to the river,” he said. “There’s sort of a beach down there.”
Some minutes later they were sitting on the blanket. Sam had brought an extra in case Annie got cold. He pulled numerous plastic containers from the picnic basket—first a plate of various cheeses, added to it large ripe strawberries, and crusty French bread. It was followed by fried chicken, potato salad, and baked beans. Sam pulled out two bottles of root beer and opened them.
“Goodness,” Annie said. “I was expecting a ham and cheese sandwich. I’ll have to thank Martha for going to so much trouble.”
“I helped,” Sam said. “I sliced all the cheese.”
“Oh, my,” she said. “A man who cooks.”
“Hey, I almost cut my finger on the cheese slicer,” he said.
“You are a very brave man, Sam. Very brave indeed,” she added.
“I’m glad you noticed,” he said, piling food on a plate and passing it to her, “because there is nothing I wouldn’t do to protect you.” He sighed. “Damn, I’m getting so goofy over you, there’s not much I wouldn’t do to impress you.”
Annie looked at the amount of food he had put on her plate. There was no way she could eat it all. She decided to play a game. “Would you take your clothes off and dive in that cold river?”
He arched one brow. “You can’t stop thinking about getting me out of my clothes, can you?” He saw the pink on her cheeks and laughed. “Yes, I would swim that raging river in my birthday suit, just for you, Annie Hartford. And when they pull my frozen body from it, everyone will say I died for a good cause. Anything else?” he asked.
She laughed. “Would you purposely hit your thumb with a hammer as hard as you could?”
“I would consider it an honor, Darlin’.”
She loved being referred to as Babe and Darlin’. “Step in front of an eighteen-wheeler traveling seventy miles per hour?”
“For you? In a heartbeat.”
“Purposely give yourself a paper cut?” she asked.
He frowned. “Hold it right there, Annie. You’ve gone way too far.” He cocked his head to the side. “What would you do for me?”
She pondered it. “I would eat canned spinach for you, and I can’t even smell it without getting nauseous.” She shuddered at the thought. “The whole can if I had to.”
“Would you eat a whole can of sardines?”
This time Annie paused. “She thought of the hairy, minnow-sized fish covered with oil. She almost shuddered. “If you really cared you wouldn’t ask that of me.”
He grinned. “And you wouldn’t ask
me to hit my thumb as hard as I could with a hammer.”
“True,” she said. “Let’s agree that there is almost anything we would do for each other.”
Once they finished lunch, Annie closed the containers and wrapped their used plates and flatware in a large dish towel. Sam lay down on the blanket, pulling Annie against his chest, and covered her with the extra blanket. They stared at the cloudless blue sky.
“What was it like growing up in a small town?” Annie asked.
“It was no different than it is today,” he said. “People, for the most part, are kind, law-abiding citizens. Of course, we have our share of gossips, often it seems like everybody knows each other’s business. If I got into trouble at school or did something I wasn’t supposed to, my parents knew it before I got home. When I turned fourteen or fifteen I couldn’t wait to grow up and get out of this town. I actually ended up in Atlanta after law school.”
“Really?”
He smiled and nodded. “Went to work for a big firm. I hated every minute of it. Decided I was a small town kind’a guy. I opened my practice in the building I still use. Bought the Dixieland Café so they wouldn’t tear it down. Sold a few used cars here and there. Sold off a lot of livestock. It paid the bills until I got my law practice going.”
Annie snuggled against Sam as he went on with his stories of life in Pinckney, Georgia. She snuggled against him, craving the warmth of his body, and the sound of his voice lulled her into a sense of well-being that she hadn’t felt in many months, if ever. She closed her eyes.
Sometime later Sam nudged her. “Annie, wake up. You’re trembling.”
She opened her eyes, blinking as she tried to remember where she was. She was cold. She sat up and pushed her hair from her face. “I must’ve dozed off.”
“We both fell asleep.”
“What time is it?”
“Six o’clock.”
“What!” She almost shrieked the word and pushed herself into a standing position. “I have to go home,” she said.
He looked surprised. “Now?”
“Right this minute!”
“What’s the hurry?”
“I have to clean my apartment. I haven’t had time to dust.”
“Is that bad?”
“I’m allergic to dust.”
“You are?”
“Oh, yes, I have terrible allergies.”
“Do you at least have time for a cup of coffee?” he asked.
“Look, Sam, I had a wonderful afternoon, but I told you in advance that I had plans later so I need to go.” She picked up the blanket she’d used and folded it quickly. “We can do this again when I’m not rushed.”
Sam stood, grabbed both blankets and the basket, and the two of them headed toward the house. “Do I have time to drop off the basket?”
“Sure. I’ll wait for you in the Jeep.”
Annie was already settled in the passenger’s seat with her seat belt on when Sam climbed in. He looked at her. “Did I do or say something to offend you?”
“Of course not. I just have things to do.” It would have been easier telling him the truth; that she was hosting Darla’s bachelorette party, but she had promised to keep quiet.
“Anything I can help you with?”
“No.”
They made the drive in silence. Annie figured she’d have little more than an hour to dust and vacuum the place, tidy up, and change clothes. She unbuckled her seat belt and had her hand on the door handle as Sam pulled into the driveway. She wasted no time climbing out. “Thanks, Sam, I had a great time.”
He reached for his own door. “Wait a minute, I’ll walk you up.”
“No!” She tried to calm herself. “Don’t bother,” she said. “I can manage perfectly.”
He shrugged, but his jaw was tense. “Fine.”
Annie hurried up the stairs without a backward glance. She would explain it to Sam later. She unlocked the door and stepped inside. She headed for the kitchen, opened the refrigerator door, and chuckled when she found several large bottles of wine. Lillian had also dropped off several platters of hors d’oeuvres as well as nice serving dishes.
Quickly, Annie went to work, first cleaning the half bath in the hall, then dusting the place. She wiped down the kitchen counter, ran a wet mop over the floor, and vacuumed the large rug in the living room and the matching runners in the hall. She showered and changed into the nice slacks and sweater Lillian had purchased and tried to do something with her hair.
She was touching up her makeup when the guests arrived. “We all rode together and hid the car,” Kazue said.
Another knock and Lillian walked in. “Is everybody here?” she asked Annie.
“Not quite,” she said, winking at Lillian to let her know the stripper hadn’t yet arrived. “Should I go ahead and call Darla?”
“Let’s wait for the entertainment to arrive. I just drove by the restaurant, and there was not a customer in sight. I figure Darla is getting ready to close.”
#
Sam had driven all over town, just trying to gather his thoughts. He was one confused man. One minute Annie acted as if she was having the time of her life. The next thing he knew, she couldn’t wait to be rid of him. If he lived to be one hundred years old, he would never understand women. Perhaps he was rushing her; after all, they’d known each other less than a week, and much of that time had been spent locking horns. But he, a man who’d never believed in love at first sight, had known from the minute he’d looked into those emerald eyes that he wanted her. He supposed that’s why he’d fought the attraction so hard. And he still wanted her. He didn’t care that her life was a mess right now, he would gladly help her any way he could.
The thought that Annie might not feel the same about him was crushing. She’d told him he had a chance with her, and she’d responded when he’d kissed her. But if she wanted more time, he had no choice but to oblige her. He would take her to school and pick her up. He’d wine and dine her and send fresh flowers, and he would become more tolerant of her as a waitress. What did it matter if he lost a few plates now and then? He’d just buy more.
Having come to a decision about his relationship with Annie, Sam wanted to run it by her and hopefully try to find out what had happened to sour the afternoon. But as he started to turn in to the driveway leading to her apartment, he saw a young man park in front of Lillian’s house and make his way up the driveway carrying one red rose.
Sam recognized him immediately, even though he was dressed differently than before. He wore a tux that was so tight, it was indecent. The shirt was open to his navel, and he was he carrying a boom box.
Sam felt his gut clench as he watched the man climb the stairs to Annie’s apartment. No wonder she’d been in such a hurry to leave. She had out-and-out lied to him by saying she needed to clean her apartment. What a crock. A man didn’t go to a woman’s apartment wearing a tux like that unless he had something on his mind. Sam gritted his teeth as he considered what Annie might wear to complement the man’s outfit.
His cell phone rang. It was Darla.
“I’m ready to blow this joint,” she said. “I haven’t had a customer in an hour. Flo and Patricia are already gone.”
“Okay,” he said. “I’ll be there in five minutes.”
#
When Annie answered the door, her jaw dropped open at the sight of the man on the other side. “Nelson, is that you?”
He grinned. “Hi, Annie.”
“Do you two know each other?” Lillian asked.
“Annie and I have a couple of classes together.”
“That’s nice,” Lillian said. She turned to Annie. “Nelson’s father passed two years ago. Nelson had to drop out of school and go to work making minimum wage. Then, someone told him he could make better money, um, dancing.
Nelson nodded. “My mother almost fainted when she found out, but I was able to get back in school. I’m socking away money as fast as I can because I plan to transfer to Duke once I earn
my associate’s degree here.”
Lillian gave Nelson a stern look. “Now, our bride-to-be is probably going to tell you to take everything off, but I’m warning you right now, I’ll call your mama if you do.”
“Don’t worry,” he said, grinning. “I do have some modesty left in me.”
Lillian looked at Annie. “You can call Darla now.”
“Do you have everything you need?” Annie asked Nelson.
“I need to plug in my boom box,” he said. “How strong is your coffee table?”
Annie’s look went blank. “I beg your pardon?”
“Oops, I forgot you needed it for your act,” Lillian said. “It’s plenty strong enough. I need to move the hors d’oeuvres. I’ll just put everything on the dining table.”
Annie hurried toward the bedroom and placed her call to Darla who was getting in her car. “I need your help,” Annie said. “I tripped and fell on my bad ankle. I think I may have broken it this time. I need you to drive me to the emergency room.”
Darla was clearly upset. “Annie Hartford, I told you and told you to stay off that ankle. I don’t know how you think you’re going to work the Okra Festival with a broken ankle. And how I’m supposed to get you down that flight of stairs by myself? Should I call Bo?”
“No, don’t bother him. I’ll toss my crutches to the bottom of the stairs and scoot down on my behind. Please hurry. And don’t say anything to Sam.”
“I’ll be there in a few minutes,” Darla said and hung up.
Annie made her way back to the living room, where she discovered everyone except Nelson held a glass of white wine. “Okay, Darla is on her way,” she said.
“Good.” Lillian handed Annie a glass of white wine. “Let’s party.”
Five minutes later, Darla burst through the front door and froze in shock when everyone shouted surprise.
“Welcome to your bachelorette party!” Kazue said, taking Darla’s purse and handing her a glass of wine. Nelson, who’d placed the rose between his front teeth and turned on a slow song, pulled Darla into his arms for an X-rated slow dance. Darla tossed back the glass of wine and handed it to Annie.