“Yes ma’am. I got done with it while my teacher was still here, but I’m kind of getting tired of being home schooled. I want to go back to regular school. Do you think my daddy will let me?”
Leila knew a little bit about why Leila was being home schooled and it involved how the children in her class constantly picked on her for the way she dressed, but she thought Samantha had changed so much while she had been here. She didn’t see any reason why Samantha couldn’t be back in school with regular children. However, it wasn’t her choice. Clayton would be the only one to make that decision.
“How about you ask your daddy when he comes home? You could bring it up to him over dinner.”
“Do you think he’ll let me?” Samantha asked her. “Will you ask him for me? He likes you. He might do it for you.”
“Why do you think your daddy likes me?” Leila questioned as she fixed the collar on Samantha’s white sundress.
“He’s always smiling and touching you. Daddy doesn’t think I see him but I do,” Samantha grinned. “Are you his new girlfriend?”
Wait a minute!
Samantha was getting a little ahead of the situation. She was pretty sure that Clayton wasn’t thinking about her being his girlfriend in any sense of the word. They were only having a little fun with each other. She knew that Clayton had loved Samantha’s mother way too much to ever think about walking down the aisle again. She wasn’t even going to let the thought enter her mind.
Clayton liked being around her and she felt the same way about him, but that is where it ended. She wasn’t going to be the next Mrs. Clayton Moore. She’d better tell Samantha this before she brought any of this up to her father.
“Samantha, your daddy and I are only friends. There isn’t anything romantic between us.”
Did she want something more to be going on with Clayton? Yes, they had slept together, but could the two of them build a deeper relationship on that one experience?
Tilting her head to the side, the little girl looked at her like she didn’t believe her. “Are you sure that you aren’t in love with my daddy? I see how you smile more when he’s around you. I wouldn’t mind if you were my new mommy. I like you and you’re always so nice to me. Don’t you want to be my mommy?” Samantha asked as her green eyes suddenly filled up with tears.
“Samantha...” Leila reached out to touch Samantha on the shoulder, but she pushed her hand away.
“Go away. I don’t want to talk you anymore.” Getting out of the chair, the little girl ran past Leila and fell down on the bed.
The sound of Samantha’s hurt-filled cries tore at Leila’s heart. She didn’t want to upset Samantha; however, she had to tell the little girl truth. Clayton wasn’t thinking about marrying her. They didn’t even know each other that well but as much as she hated to admit it, she was in love with Clayton.
She wasn’t quite sure when it eased up on her but it was there. She did love when Clayton was around her. Just the sound of his voice added something special to her day. Honestly, she knew she was in love with him even before they made love.
Leila moved towards Samantha on the bed and then changed her mind. She would give her some time alone and then talk to her later. She might even let Clayton deal with this because he had to be better at explaining it then she would be.
Walking over to the bedroom door, she went out and closed it behind her. She was on her way to her bedroom when she noticed Tony coming towards her with a concerned look on his face.
“What’s wrong?” she asked when he stopped directly in front of her.
“Have you seen Clayton?” Tony questioned. “He missed a very important meeting today. He’d been trying to meet with Mr. Cromwell for over six months now, so I know he wouldn’t skip out on this appointment.”
“I talked to him this morning and he told me that he was going into town for a few hours to buy some things, but I haven’t seen him since then.”
“There’s something wrong,” Tony said in a dull and troubled voice. “I know there is.”
Leila didn’t want to jump to conclusions yet. Clayton had been only gone for a couple of hours. Maybe he remembered that he had to get something else in town and was taking care of it before he came back home.
“I’m sure that Clayton’s okay. We shouldn’t think the worst. You know that your mother would tell us that.”
“No, we should worry. You don’t know Clayton as well as I do. If he was going to be late or change what he was doing, he would call and let either one of us know.”
The sudden ringing of Tony’s cell phone stopped Leila from saying anything else. Taking the phone out of his blue jeans pocket, he glanced at the Caller Id and then looked at her before answering it. He leaned down closer to her so she could hear the person on the other end of the phone.
“Hello?”
“Is this Tony Thurston?” a female voice asked.
“Speaking,” he answered.
“I’m Nurse Regina and I’m calling from the Merriam Hospital. We have a Clayton Moore here. Do you know him?” she asked. “We found your phone number in his wallet.”
“Yes. He’s my boss. What’s wrong? Is he hurt?” Tony asked while Leila was trying to process what was going on.
“The paramedics brought him in about an hour ago. He was robbed outside the grocery store. If one of the stock boys hadn’t been throwing away trash and found him, Mr. Moore could still be lying out there for hours because he was hidden on the other side of his truck.”
Oh God! Clayton was hurt!
Leila touched Tony on the arm and he looked down at her. He placed his hand on top of hers and continued on with the conversation.
“Is Clayton going to be okay?”
“He has a concussion and three broken ribs. He’s a little disorientated at the moment, but someone needs to come down here. Is there anyone you can send?” Nurse Regina asked. “We need some extra info about him.”
“Give me about forty-five minutes and I’ll be there,” Tony said as he moved his hand off of Leila’s.
“Come to the sixth floor and stop at the nurse’s station. You can finish filling out the paperwork when you get here.” The call ended with a click. Tony pushed end on his cell phone and shoved it back into his pocket.
“I knew something was wrong when Clayton didn’t come back here for that meeting,” Tony complained running his fingers through his hair. “God, I need to get to the hospital.”
Leila slowly came out of her state of shock and swiftly got her mind wrapped around the situation in front of her. Clayton was injured and her first priority was taking care of Samantha.
“What should I tell Samantha? She’s already been asking me about when her daddy will be home.”
“You can’t lie to her. Sam’s a very smart little girl. She’ll figure it out very quickly that you aren’t being honest with her. Tell her that Clayton had an accident and he’s in the hospital.”
Everyone thought Samantha was so mature but she still was an eight-year-old little girl. Leila was worried that Samantha might not take the news too well. Leila was about to tell Tony what she was thinking when she heard a noise behind her. She and Tony spun around at the same time and found Samantha with tears pouring down her young stricken face.
“My daddy is in the hospital. He’s going to die just like my mommy did,” she cried and then ran back into her bedroom.
“SHIT!” Tony shouted. “Let me go and talk to her. She needs to understand that Clayton is going to be okay.”
Leila stepped in front of Tony and placed her hand in the middle of his chest. “No,” she said shaking her head. “You go to the hospital and make sure the Clayton is okay. I’ll talk to Samantha. She needs me to make her understand what is going on.”
“Okay, but I’ll call you once I get there.” Tony stepped back from her and then hurried down the hallway towards the stairs.
Standing in the hallway for a few extra minutes, Leila tried to get her own body and mind calmed down eno
ugh to be able to explain things to Samantha. When she overheard the nurse telling Tony that Clayton was hurt, it felt like her whole entire world had crumbled around her feet leaving her numb, but he was okay.
She wasn’t going to let her mind think about the possibilities of what could have happened if that stock boy hadn’t come outside and found Clayton. She was scared to admit that she was in love with him before, but she was more than ready to tell him now.
It was like everything had moved in rapid pace for them, but she didn’t care. Clayton was the man she wanted to be with and she would find a way to make it occur. However, the first thing she had to do was comfort his little girl.
Going down the hallway, Leila peeked into Samantha’s bedroom and saw her face down crying into her Hello Kitty pillow. Easing into the room, she sat down on the bed and rubbed Samantha’s back.
“Samantha, will you stop crying for a minute and look at me?” she asked, softly.
Samantha’s hard cries slowly turned to snuffles before she finally raised her head and looked at Leila. Her heart broke at the sight of Samantha’s tear stained face. She really had to make her understand that her daddy was going to be okay.
“Samantha, your daddy is going to be fine. He isn’t going to die like your mommy did,” Leila told the little girl as she sat up on the bed and hugged the pillow to her chest. “Tony is going to the hospital to check on him now.”
“How can you be sure daddy isn’t going to die?” Samantha asked.
“I’m just sure. He loves you so much and he wouldn’t think about leaving you.”
Tossing the pillow down on the bed, Samantha slid closer to her. “Can I go and see him at the hospital?”
“Sweetheart, I think your daddy needs some rest. How about we go and see him tomorrow if the doctor will let you?” Leila wasn’t sure if Samantha’s visit would take place or not, but she couldn’t resist giving her something to look forward to.
“Do you think if we made him some of his favorite cookies that might help my daddy get better?”
“I’m sure he’d love that,” Leila said getting up from the bed. “How about you go and wash your face while I head downstairs to the kitchen. I’ll get everything out we need to make the Double Chocolate Chip and Pecan Cookies.”
Jumping off the bed, Samantha wrapped her arms around her waist. “I love you so much Leila. I’m going to keep hoping that you will marry my daddy.” Ending the embrace, Samantha smiled up at her and ran into her bathroom shutting the door behind her.
I wish that I could marry your Daddy too, Leila thought to herself before she left the room.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“Have you lost your fucking mind?” Matt hollered as he jumped up from the chair knocking it down on the floor. He couldn’t believe what his brother had just told him. There was no way in hell that Jeff did something so stupid. He knew his brother wasn’t screwed too tight sometimes, but he had better sense than jump someone outside the grocery store.
“Can you please repeat what you just told me?” he asked with deceptive calm.
“I know you heard me the first time, but I can’t resist telling you again,” Jeff grinned. “I saw Clayton at the grocery store buying food. So I followed him out to his truck, hit him on the top of his head with a metal pipe and stole the money out of his wallet.”
“Look at this shit!” Reaching into his pocket, Jeff pulled out a handful of money and tossed it on the table. “There has to be at least over a thousand dollars here. We have it made for a while. This will give you more time to think about how you’re going to get that chick.”
“We don’t have anything you idiot!” Matt yelled. “Clayton Moore is the wealthiest man in this damn town. Don’t you think him getting attacked will make the nightly news? I pray that no one saw you or we are both going to jail for a very long time. I can’t believe this shit!”
Matt snatched his jacket off the floor by the fallen chair and shoved his arms through it. “I need some fresh air. You stay in this room. I can’t be worried about what you’re up to while I’m gone.”
“Matt, I’m sorry,” Jeff apologized. “I got so caught up in the moment that I didn’t think about the punishment. I’m sure that no one saw me.”
“You better hope that no one did.” Matt shot his brother a withering glance and then stormed from the hotel room.
****
“You scared the hell out of everyone at the ranch,” Tony told Clayton as he sat down in the seat next to the hospital bed. “When I left, Samantha was in tears and Leila was trying to tell her everything was going to be okay. How are you feeling?”
Clayton raised his hand and touched the bandage on the back of his head. “I’m pissed that I allowed some punk to do this to me. I’m usually more observant when I’m out. Do you think Leila will be able to calm Sam down? I know how she can get when she’s upset about something.”
“I think Leila has the situation under control. She just wants you to get better for Samantha and come back to the ranch,” Tony answered as he leaned back in the chair and crossed his legs. “Now back to my question. Do you have any idea who might want to do this to you?”
“God, you sound just like those cops who were here about twenty minutes ago. I’ll tell you the same thing I told them. I don’t know who would try to attack me. I think it was a robbery and nothing else. The only thing the person took was the money out of my wallet.”
Tony could tell from the sharp tone of Clayton’s voice that he was done talking about getting attacked. So he decided to move on to a different topic...something he was very curious about.
“What’s going on between you and Leila?”
Holding his left side, Clayton winced when a sudden pain shot through his side as he slid further up in the bed. “Why are you asking me that?”
“I saw her face when she heard Nurse Regina telling me about your accident. Her terrified expression was that of a woman worried about the man she was in love with. Are you involved with Leila?” The unexpected question hung in the air between them.
Dark blue eyes narrowed and hardened as Clayton glared at his best friend from his hospital bed. “Would you care if I was?” He didn’t care if Tony did have a problem. He wasn’t about to break up with Leila.
Laughing, Tony held up his hand. “Hey. Calm down, buddy. I think it’s great. I think Leila is just the female you need to break through that hard shell you have built up around you over the years, but are you in love with her.”
Hot and vivid images of Leila’s stunning face flashed before his eyes and his thoughts filtered back to the day he’d met her outside in the front of his house. He knew then there had been something special about her, but he didn’t know what it was until now.
He had made himself become a cold and distant man after his wife’s death, but with Leila’s big heart and gentle personality he’d been more of a mellow and loving man.
“Yes, I’m in love with Leila,” Clayton answered without a single doubt in his mind. “She’s the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with. However, I can’t do anything about it now until I get over being attacked.”
Tony leaned forward in the chair as he stared at his boss. “Are you going to ask Leila to marry you?”
“Yes,” Clayton answered positive where his future was headed. One thing was clear: he was going to make Leila his wife.
“Damn man, you seem really serious about this. Are you sure it isn’t the concussion talking? The nurse did tell me over the phone that you might be a little confused.”
“I know good and well what I’m talking about. A stupid blow to the head hasn’t made me feel this away. I’ve had these thoughts for a while. Can you keep quiet until I get everything together for her surprise?”
“You’ve my word that I won’t mention any of this to Leila,” Tony swore. “I’ll let you surprise her. Do you know when you’ll be able to leave or are you going to be spending the night?”
“The hell I’m spending
the night in the hospital. I’m getting out of here as quickly as possible.” Tossing the covers back, Clayton tried to get out of the bed but Tony jumped out of his seat and pushed him back down.
“You can’t get up yet.”
“I can and I will,” Clayton growled shoving Tony away from him. “You better find a nurse or doctor to give me my discharge papers or I’ll leave without signing them.”
“I think this might be a mistake.”
“I don’t care what you think. I want to leave so go and find someone who will let me out of here.”
Stepping back, Tony held up his hands in surrender. “Okay. I’ll go out to the nurses’ station and see what I can do, but don’t be surprised if you don’t get the answer you want to hear.” Turning on his heel, Tony left the room leaving a complaining Clayton in the bed behind him.
Chapter Thirty
“Are you sure that it’s okay for you to be home?” Leila asked Clayton as she helped him into bed while Tony was downstairs with Samantha taking the last batch of cookies out of the oven. “You did just get hit over the head and robbed today.”
Resting his back against the two pillows on the head board, Clayton slid his fingers through Leila’s silky hair and brought her face down to his for a quick, wet kiss. “I’m fine, baby,” he whispered against her lips. “All I wanted to do was get home to you and Samantha.” He let go of her hair and pulled the black sheet further up his waist.
“The doctor in the emergency room told me I was fine to go home as long as I got some rest for the next couple of days. So, how about we play patient and nurse later on tonight?” he suggested with a wink.
“Clayton, stop flirting with me.” Leila laughed as she sat down on the bed next to him. “I was really worried about you. Samantha thought you were going to die like her mother did in the hospital. I had a hard time calming her down. I don’t think she really believed you were coming back until she saw you walk through that front door.”
“Samantha told you about her mother?” he asked clearly stunned. “She never brings her mother up to me. Of course, when she has questions I answer them and that’s about it. She must really trust you to talk to you about her mother.”
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