When he paused again Janie entered the conversation. “Sam, I’m so worried about her. Sometimes she gets a little forgetful about turning off the stove and things. I’m her only child. But I don’t want to live apart from Pete.”
“Grandma is getting that bad?” Rich asked, studying his parents.
“She’s seventy-five, Rich. You forget that because you don’t see her that often,” Janie assured him.
“Look,” Pete began, looking at Samantha. “I know you said you needed a job. This is a perfect job. You could live there with room and board paid for five hundred dollars a week. And it would mean so much to Janie.”
“But—but,” Sam began, “you said she wouldn’t let a stranger move in. I’ve never met her.”
“No,” Janie agreed, “but she thinks she knows you. I talked to her about you when we were trying to adopt you. And I lied to her. I told her you were overwhelmed by the size of the Randall crew. I told her she could take care of you.” She held up her hand as Samantha started to protest. “I know you don’t need anyone to take care of you, but Mom’s very sensitive about her age. She has her pride, you know.”
“I’d be glad to help you out, but I couldn’t take money just for staying with her. And I need to be in town for a job.”
“That’s the beauty of this plan, Sam,” Pete said. “Your job is right there. Will you try it for a week? You might not think we’d be paying you enough at the end of the week. Rich said you don’t really have a job picked out yet. Couldn’t you try it out for just a week?”
“Pete, I don’t think—” She stared into their anxious gazes. Finally she said, “Okay, just for a week.”
“Samantha, you’re an angel. If, after a week, you think Lavinia is too difficult, we’ll take you to town,” Pete said with a warm smile.
Janie was ecstatic. “I can’t tell you how much this means to me, Samantha. It’s just like you really are my daughter!”
Pete was afraid his darling wife had gotten too carried away. Samantha seemed embarrassed by Janie’s enthusiasm, so he added, “If you don’t mind, we’ll take you over when we finish eating, and introduce you to Lavinia.”
Rich had watched the entire scheme play out, a strange expression on his face. Now he said, “I’ll go with you so I can see Grandma. I should have called her last night.”
“Good, dear,” Janie said and took another bite of her sandwich.
RICH WASN’T SURE what was going on. He hadn’t realized his grandmother was losing her sharpness. This was something he’d like to discuss with Russ, but his twin was in Rawhide working in the accounting office, and Rich would rather go with his parents and Samantha than into town.
His father was driving his truck with the double cab to accommodate all of them. Janie insisted on joining Samantha in the back seat since Rich needed to stretch out his leg.
“How are you feeling, son?” Pete asked as he got behind the wheel. “Have you taken a pain pill today?”
“Nope. If I did, I’d be sleeping right now. Those things are potent!”
“Yeah, I was worried when Sam said you had three the first day.”
Rich cast a look over his shoulder at Sam before he answered his father. “I think Sam gave them to me so I wouldn’t expect her to make conversation.”
“I gave them to you because you were in pain,” she said calmly, not getting upset about his taunt.
“But you liked not having to talk to me.”
“Lose all your charm while you were in the rodeo?” Pete teased his son.
“Well, those bulls of yours weren’t too impressed. It was Dynamite that caused all my problems.”
“But you stayed on him, didn’t you?” Pete asked, pride in his voice.
Janie, from the back seat, said, “That’s disgusting, Pete. You’re proud of him for breaking his ankle.”
“Nope. But I’m proud of him for going the distance. He came in second.”
Janie rolled her eyes at Sam. “Men!”
Samantha chuckled, and Rich stared at her. He hadn’t seen such a pretty smile from her before.
She looked at him. “What?”
“You look pretty when you smile.”
She immediately froze. “I’ve smiled before.”
Rich nodded, but he added, “Not nearly enough.”
She stared out the side window, her features frozen, and Rich realized he’d embarrassed her. In an effort to put her at ease, he said, “If you want to get on Grandma’s good side, get her to teach you how to knit. She tried to teach me and Russ when we were little.”
“You should have seen the miserable pieces of wool they turned out. Both of them had what was supposed to be a square, but I’ve never seen a square with five sides,” Janie said with a grin.
Samantha chuckled again.
Rich, becoming addicted to that rich sound, added, “Grandma said we were clumsy and unmotivated. So we moved on to cooking. With the reward of eating the cookies we made, we became expert bakers,” he bragged.
“Mom’s a great cook,” Janie agreed.
Samantha frowned, staring at Janie. “Still? I mean she still cooks well?”
“Oh, yes. When we go over for Sunday dinner, she’s always cooked enough for a month. She misses cooking for Daddy. She’ll enjoy having you there to cook for.”
“But I thought she needed someone to take care of her.”
Pete hurriedly said, “She needs company more than anything. Someone to talk to. It’s only occasionally that she forgets things.” He cast a warning look over his shoulder to his wife.
“Here we are,” Rich added. “Mom’s parents have always been our closest neighbors. Russ and I would ride over on our ponies to visit.”
SAMANTHA WAS BEGINNING to wonder if she’d been set up. However, she did believe the part about Lavinia being lonely was most likely true. When a person got used to having someone around, it would be hard when their companion died. She decided to go ahead and stay out the week. For Pete and Janie’s sakes.
By the time Pete had stopped the truck, an older woman was out on the porch. She looked a lot like Janie, and not nearly old enough to be seventy-five.
Rich hobbled out of the truck. “Grandma!” he called, so Samantha had no doubt who she was. She watched Rich hug his grandmother, pleasure all over him. How nice to have generations of your family to enjoy.
Pete helped her out of the back and escorted her to the older woman. “Lavinia, this is Samantha.”
Lavinia left Rich’s hug to stare at her guest.
Samantha had butterflies in her stomach. The woman didn’t know her. She might refuse to let Sam stay. It worried Samantha that it mattered so much to her.
A smile broke across Lavinia’s face. “Welcome, my almost-granddaughter. I’m glad you’ve come.”
Samantha blinked her tears away and stepped forward to shake hands. Instead, Lavinia swept her into her arms.
Samantha was overwhelmed by the woman’s gesture of warmth.
“Come on in,” Lavinia said, and hurried her into the house. “I made chocolate pie when I heard you were coming. Rich, honey, can you get the plates and forks? Oh, I shouldn’t have asked you with your hurt ankle.”
“No problem, Grandma. I can do it.”
Samantha watched Rich obey his grandmother, a funny smile on her lips. The autocratic man she’d met in Flagstaff was completely different around his mother and grandmother.
Once they were all seated and eating the delicious pie, Lavinia plied Samantha with questions.
“Why did you decide to leave Flagstaff?”
Sam chewed on her bottom lip, undecided about how much to tell them. But Rich left her no choice.
“Tell them about Brad.”
“Who’s Brad?” Pete asked.
“Her boss.” Rich stared at her, waiting.
“He wasn’t a nice man. I thought I’d be better off getting away from him,” Sam said, keeping her voice even.
Again Rich pushed her. “His wife died sus
piciously a month ago. He wanted Sam to be his fifth.”
“Is that true, Sam?” Pete asked sharply. “Did he hurt you?”
“No, of course not. He’s back in Flagstaff and I can tell you that’s a long drive away.” She smiled, then turned to Rich. “How’s Bella? Did she stand the trip okay?”
“Sure. She’s used to moving around.”
Lavinia jumped in with another question about Sam’s father and mother. Those were easier questions to answer. It had been a long time since her father died and she didn’t have any fond remembrances of him. She couldn’t remember her mother at all since she’d died in childbirth.
When there was a break in the conversation, Samantha stood up and began carrying their dishes to the sink. She noticed the kitchen was sparkling clean. There weren’t even any dirty dishes from baking the pie.
“Here, child,” Lavinia protested, “I can clean up.”
“No need. If you’re willing to take me in, I’ll do the cleanup.”
Rich got to his feet. “I can help, Grandma.”
“You should rest your ankle,” Samantha protested.
“I’ve been resting it all morning. You wash, I’ll dry.”
“Dictatorial as usual,” she muttered, hoping the others couldn’t hear.
“Okay, I’ll wash and you dry.”
“How about I wash and dry and you rest your ankle?”
Samantha heard a laugh and she looked at the three at the table.
Lavinia asked, “Do you two always argue? It reminds me of Janie and Pete.”
Rich protested. “Mom and Dad? They don’t argue much.”
“Maybe not now, but they argued up a storm before they got married. Had the men in both families upset because the women wouldn’t speak to them, made them sleep on the sofas.”
“Why?” Rich asked.
“Because I said she should marry me since she was pregnant. And I was right.” Pete smiled triumphantly at his wife.
“I think I won, Pete,” Janie said. “I didn’t want to unless you loved me. And you do.”
“With all my heart, honey. But that wasn’t ever in question.”
Both Lavinia and Janie laughed. “But you wouldn’t tell me,” Janie pointed out.
Pete was beginning to look a little uncomfortable. “No need to discuss it further. Since we’ve been married more than twenty-five years and had three kids, I think everyone knows we’re a great match.”
Though Janie chuckled, she stood and held out her hand. “Let’s take Sam’s bag upstairs. Is everything ready, Mom?”
“Sure.” Lavinia looked at Rich and Sam at the sink. “You two come up when you’re finished.”
When they were alone in the kitchen, Samantha said, “Do you think your grandmother needs someone to take care of her?”
Rich gave her a sharp look, then concentrated on the saucer he was drying. “I think she gets very lonely with Granddad gone. He was a crusty old guy. But she adored him.”
“Yes.”
“I’m glad you’re staying. I want Grandma to be happy.”
“I’ve only promised to stay a week.”
“You might like it. I don’t think you’ll be too lonely with Grandma here. And the ranch hands will probably be happy to spend time with you.” By the time he finished speaking, he was frowning deeply.
“Is there something wrong with that?”
“No, but, well, cowboys talk a lot but they don’t always keep their promises. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I told you I could take care of myself, Rich.”
“Yeah, but I don’t want that, either. I want you to be happy, too.”
She put the last clean saucer in the dish rack and let the water drain from the sink. “Your grandmother doesn’t have a dishwasher?”
“Didn’t want one. Dad tried to talk her into a kitchen renovation with all the latest gadgets ten years ago. She refused.”
“Are you coming up?” Lavinia’s voice floated down the stairs.
“On our way!” Rich sang out.
He took Sam’s hand and led her up the stairs. She tried to pull away when they reached the top of the stairs, but he held on. “Are you in Mom’s room?” he called.
“Yes,” Lavinia answered. “But now it will be Samantha’s room.”
Samantha stepped into the room where Janie, Lavinia and Pete were waiting. She stared at the beautiful room and fought back the tears.
Chapter Seven
Three days with Lavinia and Samantha knew she was in trouble. Her self-discipline had eroded to the point that she knew she’d never want to voluntarily leave. Lavinia treated her like a favorite child. She was cheerful and loving. Sam had never experienced such an environment.
She rose when the alarm went off. She’d always been an early riser, though she didn’t normally rise at six-thirty. But Lavinia did. She insisted on cooking breakfast each morning, but Sam set the table and cleaned up afterward.
She’d persuaded Lavinia to let her do the vacuuming and clean the bathrooms, too, but it had taken a determined argument. Those chores took at most an hour or two each day. Sam fixed lunch and the two of them made dinner together, but Sam enjoyed those tasks, especially since there was an abundance of food and only the two of them to eat.
Sam figured she was going to gain weight if she wasn’t careful.
She came downstairs this morning, a smile on her lips. She had nothing to frown about. “Morning, Lavinia,” she called as she entered the kitchen.
“Good morning, dear. I do enjoy having you here. I really was feeling lonely.”
“I’m lucky to be here. But I don’t feel I’m earning my keep.”
“Nonsense. I’m making pancakes this morning.”
“I’m going to have to watch my weight. You’re such a good cook, Lavinia.”
“You’re not bad yourself, Samantha. You’ll make some man a fine wife.”
Sam stopped in her tracks. “I don’t think so. I’m not interested in marrying.”
Lavinia turned around. “Why’s that?”
“Men like me, but not for the role of wife. I have no family, nothing of value. They see me as just a short-term fling, but I’m not interested in that role.”
“I should think not! And if Rich, or any of the boys, act like that, you let me know. I won’t put up with that kind of behavior.”
Sam smiled. “Don’t worry, Lavinia. I can take care of myself.”
After breakfast, Lavinia offered to show Samantha how to knit. Sam had told her last night that she’d like to learn how. They settled in the comfy den and Lavinia pulled out several skeins of green wool. Sam learned quickly. Lavinia watched her, a smile on her lips.
A knock at the door surprised both ladies. “I’ll get it,” Lavinia said, “so you won’t drop any stitches.”
Sam figured it would be someone for Lavinia anyway, since she didn’t know anyone but the Randalls. She didn’t figure Rich, Janie or Pete would knock on the back door.
Lavinia came back into the room, a worried look on her face. Samantha was worried, too, when she saw who followed Lavinia.
“Brad! What are you doing here?”
“Like I told Mrs. Dawson, I’m here to take you home. You shouldn’t have run so far just because we had a little argument.”
“How did you find me?”
“One of your boyfriend’s friends came back in. He told me Randall’s name and I checked the rodeo files for his address. Once I got to Rawhide, it only took one visit to a café to find out where you were. People like to talk.”
Sam kept her gaze on Brad. She knew he was mean, and had a bad temper. She was worried about Lavinia standing so close to him. All she wanted to do was make sure he left. Quickly. “I think you misunderstood, Brad. I was tired of Flagstaff. I didn’t want to stay there.”
“You’ll change your mind,” he said in an arrogant tone.
Sam turned to Lavinia, and said “I’d better step out on the porch and talk to Brad.”
&nb
sp; “Of course, dear. I’m sure your young man would like to visit alone. You’ve certainly come a long way, haven’t you?” she asked Brad.
“She’s worth it,” Brad said. As if he were a gentleman, he stepped back and waved Samantha in front of him.
Once they stepped outside, she turned to face him. “I don’t know why you’re here, but I want nothing to do with you.”
“Yes, you do,” he said, confidence in his voice. “I know you’re all alone. No one will care if I take you back to Arizona.” He flashed her an evil grin.
He grabbed her arm and started pulling her toward his truck.
“I object, even if no one else will,” she said. This wasn’t the first time Sam had faced a bully, planning on using his strength to take what he wanted. She’d actually taken a self-defense course for just such occasions.
He had her off the porch, dragging her to the truck. She still thought maybe she could convince him to leave her alone, until he drew a big knife as he grew more irritated with her resistance. She knew she had to do something now.
Suddenly, she dropped as if she’d fainted.
Brad growled and yanked on her arm, causing her a lot of pain, but she didn’t give in. He leaned over to force her to her feet. Samantha raised a leg and kicked him in the groin as hard as she could. He folded over in pain and she kicked him in the face. He released her as he screamed in rage. She rolled to the side so he wouldn’t fall on her.
Then she grabbed the rocking chair on the porch and slammed the hard wood down on his head and he slumped flat on the ground.
“Good girl,” Lavinia said, stepping out of the house with a rifle in her hands. “You did that slick as a whistle. But you’re bleeding. What happened?”
Sam looked down at her arm, shocked to discover he’d cut her arm as he fell. She grabbed the wound, knowing she had to stop the bleeding.
“We’d better get out of here. He’s going to be furious when he comes to. I’ll drive you to Janie’s place and we can call the sheriff to pick him up. Then I’ll be on my way.” She hated the fact that her voice trembled.
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