by Arlene James
“That’s great, but it doesn’t really change anything.”
“It does! I’m so sure of it that I’ll gladly give away every penny of the inheritance if it’s that big of a problem for you.”
He seized her by the shoulders, needing to know that she heard this, that she believed it. “Listen to me. There is no partnership if you sacrifice your security. Do you hear me? I’m warning you now, Sierra. I’ll walk away without a single look back—the farm, the partnership, everything—if I so much as suspect you’re even thinking about doing something as stupid as giving your money away. Are you getting this? Are you?”
Slowly, she nodded, tears filling her eyes. “You’re a good man, Sam.”
“Don’t say that.” Good men didn’t use women for sex, good men didn’t let even good sex become the driving force in their lives, but that’s what he was doing. Wasn’t it? He didn’t even know anymore.
“You’re a better person than I am,” she insisted. “In every way that really counts, I’m the one who doesn’t measure up.”
“That’s nonsense. Your thinking’s screwed up if you believe that.”
She smiled so sadly that it hurt to see it. “Then I’m not so different from you, after all.”
“Different enough,” he muttered, frowning. His thinking wasn’t screwed up about this. Was it?
She narrowed her eyes, and something within him, something base and primal, literally rejoiced. He’d seen that look before. He knew what it meant. Every part of his body knew what it meant.
“Some differences are good,” she purred, skimming her hands up his chest to his shoulder. “In fact, they’re very desirable.”
The next thing he knew, she was pulling off her sweater and letting it fall away. Once more, no bra, and once more, he was hard enough in a heartbeat to do himself bodily harm. He gulped and grabbed on to the remaining shreds of his gallantry.
“We shouldn’t be doing this, Sierra.”
“Why not? Who are we hurting?”
“Each other.”
“That’s not how I see it. That’s certainly not what it feels like when you’re making love to me.”
He closed his eyes, but her hands were on him again, gliding over his chest, heating his chilled flesh. He told himself that wanting her this much was downright unnatural. Even a stupid polecat in heat would skedaddle when the headlights of an oncoming car picked him up, but here he stood just watching those headlights speed on, the scent and heat and feel of her stronger than even the instinct for survival.
He just wasn’t man enough to walk away from this. That was the painful truth. But when her hands slid down to his belt and tugged, he knew that he was going to let her soothe that pain and every other he had, beginning with the one in his pants. He didn’t doubt that he’d pay a price for it later. Still, when she whispered, “Get in the truck, Sam,” he did.
And he kept getting in. Deeper and deeper.
Chapter Ten
Mrs. Bailey down at the nursing home died. The poor old thing had been ill for months, so the passing wasn’t exactly unexpected, and the family wanted the funeral to take place the very next day. The shop, therefore, was in chaos when Sierra returned that afternoon later than intended.
She didn’t get into the actual preparation and arrangement of floral design much these days, choosing instead to concentrate on the bookkeeping and her other business interests. She missed the creative outlet, though, so she didn’t hesitate to pitch in. Unfortunately, the time constraints and emotional pressure under which she’d placed herself that day ate up any pleasure she might have taken in the work.
By three-thirty, when she hurried out to pick up Tyree at school, she had a pounding headache, and naturally Tyree didn’t want to go back to the shop and quietly do her homework there. Instead, she begged Sierra to let her go to Lana’s with the twins. Lana graciously insisted that she wouldn’t mind having Tyree over for the afternoon, but Sierra feared what Sam might think about that, so she refused. Tyree sulked, and the two of them argued. That ended with Sierra sending Tyree upstairs to the office alone while she swallowed analgesics and tried to help Bette.
Sierra never had partaken of the lunch she’d had Gwyn pack for her and Sam. Instead, she’d left it with him and hurried back to the shop, having stayed away longer than she’d intended, so when they finally closed up shop that evening, she was starved and her headache was worse. On the way home she decided to swing by the drive-in and pick up a fast-food meal, something she rarely did. Any other time, Tyree would have been thrilled, but not this night. Irritated and impatient, Sierra snapped at the child, so by the time they got home, wagging a sackful of hamburgers and fries, both were in a foul mood.
It was the worst possible time to find a special delivery on their doorstep. After dragging the big box inside, she opened the top and went through the contents, finding toys, clothing and compact discs.
“I cannot believe you’ve done this,” Sierra scolded, holding her head. “We discussed this, Tyree.”
“It’s my birthday stuff!” Tyree exclaimed, as if that explained everything.
“I didn’t give you permission to order these things.”
“But Daddy did! These are from him, my birthday gifts from him.”
Sierra rolled her eyes, her head pounding like someone was using a sledgehammer on her skull. “Your father has no right to give you permission to spend money that isn’t his!”
“He promised to pay you back as soon as he can afford it.”
“Oh, for pity’s sake, Tyree!” Sierra exploded. “Your father will never be able to afford these things, and he never intends to pay back the money! This is his way of punishing me for being more fortunate than he is!”
“That’s not so!” Tyree bawled. “Daddy loves me! He wants me to have this stuff for my birthday.”
“Then let him buy it,” Sierra said, closing up the box again, “because this is going back first thing in the morning.”
“No!”
“Yes! First thing. I’m sorry, Tyree, but I just can’t allow this to go on. Dennis should never have encouraged you to spend money like this, and since it’s not fair to expect you to be more responsible than he is, I’m also canceling our Internet account and every credit card you may have the number of.”
Tyree reeled back, tears streaming down her face. “No, Mommy! Please!”
“I have no choice,” Sierra said flatly. “I should have done it sooner.”
“But they’re Daddy’s birthday gifts to me! Why are you being so mean?”
Sierra had had enough. “Go to your room,” she instructed sternly. “I’ll bring your dinner up once you’ve calmed down. Now march!”
Tyree ran for the stairs, sobbing. Sierra bowed her head, which felt as if it was splitting in two. She hoped she wasn’t coming down with something, because she just didn’t think she could deal with an illness right now. She had her hands full with Tyree and Dennis. And Sam.
She wanted nothing so much as she wanted Sam then. What she wouldn’t give just to feel his arms around her! She needed his steadying influence, his calm good sense. She should’ve listened to him when he’d first suggested that she cancel the Internet account, but she’d been too stubborn and foolish then to appreciate his obvious wisdom. Now Sam was being the stubborn, foolish one. Would the day come when they could be wise together?
“You girls okay in there?” Sam asked through the bathroom door.
He hadn’t had to worry about leaving them alone in the bath for a long time now, but some habits died hard.
“We’re okay, Sam,” the girls shouted in unison, followed by lots of giggling and some splashes.
“Just holler if you need anything.”
He headed back to the kitchen to finish putting away the dinner dishes. As he worked, he wondered what Sierra was doing. The girls had wanted to go over to Tyree’s this evening, and he’d almost given in. It had been a while since they’d had one of Sierra’s good home-cooked meals, an
d he missed the laughs they’d all shared, but since things had heated up between him and Sierra, he hadn’t been comfortable hanging around her house with the girls. It was too hard to keep his hands off her. Still, he couldn’t help wondering what she and Tyree were up to.
A bang on the door interrupted his thoughts, and he closed the cabinet, curiosity propelling him past the small dining table and across the neat but threadbare living room to the front door. He opened it and nearly fell over when Tyree burst into the room and threw her arms around his waist.
“Tyree? What’re you doing here?” He looked out the door, dread filling him, but it was not Sierra’s automobile that sat running in the road in front of his house. It was a familiar battered truck. “Is that Terry Zimmerman?” The Zimmerman kid lived with his parents a few miles up the road.
Instead of answering him, Tyree waved to the teenager. He waved back and took off. Sam turned Tyree to face him and saw the dirty tear tracks on her face.
“What’s going on? Did Terry bring you here?”
She nodded sullenly. “I’m not going back. It’s awful there. She’s mad at me again.” She pushed hair out of her face and sniffed.
“Have you run away?” he asked her, already knowing the answer.
Her bottom lip quivered. “Can I stay here?”
“No,” he told her flatly.
“Then take me to my daddy!”
Sam put a hand between her shoulder blades and ushered her, none too gently, into the house, closing the door behind her. “I’m not taking you anywhere until I find out what’s going on.” He took her coat off her, tossed it over a chair and marched her to the couch, where he sat her down, saying sternly, “Don’t you move a muscle until I get back.”
He went into the kitchen to telephone Sierra, who wasn’t at home. No doubt she was out looking for her daughter, so he left a message on the machine and called her cell phone. She answered on the second ring with Tyree’s name. Calmly, he let her know that the child was safe with him. He didn’t argue when she said that she was on her way, just told her to drive safely and got off the line. Maybe it was better if she saw just how differently they lived. Walking down the hall, he tapped on the bathroom door, then stuck his head inside, finding the twins all wrapped up in towels and brushing their teeth.
“When you two are through in here, I want you to go to your room and get dressed for bed, then wait there for me. We’ve got a situation going out here. Tyree’s in the living room.”
“Tyree?” Kim piped up eagerly, but Sam shook his head.
“She’s run away from home and turned up here. I’m going to have to pin her ears back, so you two keep shy of the situation until I tell you otherwise. Okay?”
They exchanged a wide-eyed look, then both nodded.
“I’ll fill you in later,” he promised with a wink before closing the door.
He stepped across the hall and into the living room. Tyree sat on the edge of the couch right where he’d left her. She was frowning and swinging her feet nervously. He pulled a footstool over in front of her and sat down.
“Let’s have it, and be quick about it.”
Tyree’s chin trembled. “She’s making me send my birthday presents back and closing off the computer account.”
“You bought something else when you knew you weren’t supposed to, didn’t you?”
She folded her arms mulishly and slumped back onto the couch. “Daddy said I could. For my birthday.”
“Did you use your daddy’s credit card this time?”
Her eyes filled up. “He doesn’t have any.”
“Then he’s got no business giving you permission to shop on the Internet.”
She rubbed tears from her cheeks and said, “But if I don’t, he’ll go away again.” The words came out strangled and whiny.
Sam kept his reaction minimal. “He tell you that?”
She shook her head, and her face contorted with fresh tears. “But I know it. He didn’t come back ’til we got the money.”
Sobbing, she reached out, and Sam went onto his knees, hugging her close. He’d have gladly put a fist in Dennis Carlton’s face about then, if for no other reason than because he hadn’t made this little girl believe that he loved her.
“Now you listen to me, cupcake. Maybe he didn’t come around so much until your mom inherited all that money, but he loves you. Any daddy would love a little girl like you.”
“Would you, Sam?” she asked, the little hitch in her voice plucking at his heartstrings.
“Yes, ma’am, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t do exactly what your mom did, Tyree, and, girl, if you had run away from me, you’d be grounded until you’re old enough to drive, I swear. Speaking of which, where the heck did you find Terry Zimmerman?”
She hitched a shoulder and sat back glumly. “I was just walking along the road, and he stopped.” Sam felt a chill crawl up his spine, but she went on innocently, “When he asked where I live, I just told him I live here.”
Sam slapped a hand over the gooseflesh prickling the nape of his neck. “You are one lucky kid,” he told her, getting to his feet. “What if the person who had stopped and picked you up was a criminal, Tyree? What if he’d hurt you or just driven away with you in the car? We’d never even know what had happened to you. Can you imagine what that would do to your mom and dad? It would kill your mother, Tyree. Believe me. It would kill her.”
Tyree started to cry again, sobbing against her knees, but Sam didn’t cut her any slack.
“Besides that, girl, you’re just plain wrong. I know you love your dad, and I can’t imagine that he doesn’t love you, but when he gets you to buy stuff for him on your mom’s credit card that’s the next thing to stealing. Your mom has every right to get upset about that.”
“But we’ve got lots of money,” Tyree cried, trying to sound pathetic.
“So what? The store’s got lots of candy. Would it be all right for you to get the little girl of the store’s owner to sneak some out to you without her mom’s permission?”
She looked up at him, and he could tell that she was trying to come up with an answer for that which would help her case, but she couldn’t, so in the end she just put her head down against her knees again.
“I’ll tell you something else while I’m at it,” he went on. “Your mom doesn’t have as much money as you seem to think she does.” Tyree’s head came up at that, so he explained. “She spent a good chunk of her inheritance on that house of yours, and she invested a whole bunch more in the farm. What’s left is generating income so she can keep that house going and provide for you, though if you ask me, she does way too much of that.”
Tyree frowned, not liking that a bit, but that was just too bad. This little gal had a few things to learn, and if her mother couldn’t get through to her, then he’d have to do it.
“See, it’s not good to have everything you want, because then you don’t have anything to look forward to, and that’s bound to make you unhappy. It’s good to have goals, to be working toward something or looking forward to something. If you get it all too quick, then you’re just sitting there wondering what’s next. It’s better to enjoy one thing at a time and look forward to the next. Your mom’s right to cut off your access to those Internet shopping sites because things aren’t going to make you happy, Tyree. You’ve got plenty of things already, but here you sit bawling like a newborn calf that can’t find its mama’s teat.”
She blinked at that, solemn-faced. He rubbed a hand over the top of her dark red head, and that’s when they heard the car pull up into the drive.
“Is that Mom?” she asked warily.
“Most likely. I suggest you get on an apology binge right quick.”
Tyree nodded and Sam stepped outside to greet Sierra, who practically flew across his yard. He had no time to worry about what she’d think of the place. Her haggard, bedraggled appearance prompted him to open his arms. She threw herself into them, trembling so hard from the evening chill and emo
tional shock that her teeth chattered.
“Is she all right?”
“She’s fine.”
Sierra immediately drew back. “When I think what could have happened!”
“I know. Me, too.”
He turned and walked her toward the house, his arm about her. She was still trembling when he let go of her so she could pass through the door.
Tyree had come to her feet and stood uncertainly in front of the couch, hands nervously fiddling with the hem of her sweater. Sierra took one look at her and ran across the room to scoop the girl into her arms.
“You scared me!”
“I’m sorry!”
“You could’ve been lost or killed.”
“I know.”
Sierra stood the girl on her feet again and bent to bring her face on level with Tyree’s. “What were you thinking?”
Tyree shrugged. “I was just mad ’cause you took everything away.”
Sierra bit her lip, and Sam could see her resolve fading, so he quickly stepped in. “Your mom was exactly right in doing that, Tyree,” he said, “and you know why because we’ve already talked about it.”
Tyree bowed her head, and Sierra shot a look over her shoulder at Sam before addressing her daughter once more. “I’m so glad you’re safe. I never want you to take this sort of chance again, but the gifts go back and the Internet account is canceled. For now.”
“And you’re going to spend a week without TV, too,” Sam put in.
Tyree gasped, and Sierra looked over at him in surprise, but at his nod, she took a deep breath and stiffened her spine. “A week,” she confirmed, “because what you did was so very dangerous.”
Tyree hung her head sullenly, tears rolling down her nose. “No gifts, no Internet, no TV. Daddy prob’ly won’t even come to my birthday party, either.”