Coming Home: (Contemporary Christian Romance Boxed Set): Three Stories of Love, Faith, Struggle & Hope

by Debra Ullrick

  “Uh, Sami, that’s the other thing. I don’t think she’s going anywhere.” Miles shoved his hands into the pocket of his jeans. “Dad was taking her suitcases out of the trunk of her car when I was leaving out.”

  For several seconds she stared at her brother as numbness overtook her. She plopped down before her wet noodle knees dropped her to the ground in a heap. “This can’t be happening.” She weaved her head back and forth. “This is a nightmare.” She settled her hands over her ears. “After everything that woman has put this family through, I can’t believe he’s even entertaining the idea of letting her stay.”

  Chase came over and knelt down beside her. “What can I do?”

  She pulled up a weed and began to break it into pieces. “Just sit with me for a while.”

  “I can do that.” And just like that, he spun his legs and sat down next to her.

  Her eyes came up to her brother’s. “I’ll be home soon, Miles. I just can’t go right now. I may say or do something I know I’ll regret later. Or then again, maybe I should go. She needs to hear just how I feel about her.” She clenched her mouth so hard she tasted blood.

  All the hurt, anger, and bitterness from the past, came flooding back over her like an uncontrollable raging river, pulling her down into the muck.

  Miles nodded. “Maybe you should calm down first and gather your thoughts. I don’t think Dad would be too happy with you if you come in blazing like a mad woman. Why don’t you sit out here with Chase for a while to calm down? I’ll tell them you needed a little time before coming in.” Miles slid his foot in the stirrup and mounted his horse. “I’ll see you back at the house, but I wouldn’t be too long or Dad might just come looking for you himself. He was pretty persistent about you coming back to the house.”

  “Right now, Miles. I couldn’t care less what Dad thinks.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Chase had no idea how to help Sami. What would his reaction be if his father came back after all these years? He wanted to pull her into his arms and tell her everything was going to be all right. But was it? He couldn’t make a promise like that to her. Maggie Lawson had left her family broken and wounded, and now she was back.

  “Do you know I was ten years old when she left?” Sami said, breaking the silence. She didn’t look at him, only kept her focus on the ground.

  “Yes. I’ve heard.”

  “I remember that night just like it was yesterday. I heard my parents arguing, as usual. But, it was different that night, strange even. I slipped downstairs to see what was going on. I saw my dad, and he was crying. I’d never seen him cry before. It scared me. I thought my father was the strongest man in the world and that he wasn’t afraid of anything. But, I found out that night, he was afraid of something, he was afraid of the pain she was about to cause him.”

  She slowly twisted around and gazed into Chase’s face. His breath caught in his throat when he saw tears glistening in her eyes. She blinked, and then he saw anger starting to form on her face. Her features hardened like stone.

  “The last words I heard my mother say before she stormed out of the door that night was, she hated the ranch, she hated her life, and she hated my father. Her life? Wasn’t Miles, Brent, and me her life? If she hated her life, did that mean she hated us?”

  He had no answer for that. “I don’t know why people say and do the things they do. Sometimes it’s out of anger, sometimes it’s out of pain, and sometimes, it’s even out of fear. I’m sure she didn’t mean it.”

  “Then why didn’t she come back if she didn’t mean it? For months I waited for her to come back home. She never did. Now, she shows up here years later, and my father thinks I’m going to welcome her home with open arms. Uh, I don’t think so.”

  “Would it help if I went with you? I could be your support system. You know you’ve got to face all of this sooner or later.”

  “Couldn’t I just go home with you?”

  Was she serious? He searched her face to see, but nothing there gave her away. “I’d love for you to. But you know that wouldn’t fix anything. Besides, the Sami Lawson I know would never run from her problems. She’d face them head on.”

  “You don’t know me as well as you think you do,” she said with an exasperated sigh.

  “Oh, I think I do.”

  Her shoulders slumped forward. “I wish I could find that Sami now. I don’t know if I can do this, Chase. I don’t know if I can face the woman who destroyed my family.”

  “You’re a strong woman, and I believe in you. I know you can do this, and I’ll hold your hand the entire time if you need me to.” As if to prove his point, he intertwined her fingers with his.

  “Do you promise?”

  “Cross my heart. Are you ready?”

  She exhaled sharply. “I guess I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”

  He stood and pulled her to her feet. “Let’s go.”

  Sami didn’t speak a word as they rode back to the ranch. He watched her out of the corner of his eye. The closer they got to the ranch the more fidgety she became in the saddle. Chase closed his eyes and whispered a prayer of strength for her.

  When they arrived at the ranch and reined their horses to a stop in front of the porch, Sami didn’t budge. She just sat there, staring at the front door. “What am I suppose to say to her? Do I have to do this?”

  Chase walked around to the left side of Old Fred and placed his hand on Sami’s knee. “I think you do, but I’ll be right there beside you.”

  She gnawed on her bottom lip. “You won’t leave me alone with them?”

  “Trust me, Sami. I’ll never leave you. You’re going to have to put up with me for a long, long time.”

  ♥♥♥♥

  As they walked into the living room, Sami saw Maggie Lawson sitting on the sofa between her father and Brent. Brent’s face beamed with joy.

  Chase squeezed Sami’s arm and gave her an "it’ll be okay" smile.

  “Well, it’s about time. I thought I was going to have to come after you myself.” Her father stood, crunched his brows together, and gave Sami a stern look.

  What did he expect after what her mother had done? For her to come running home and pretend as if nothing had happened? Anger brushed through her, and she barely caught hold of it before it came lashing out.

  “William, now don’t be angry with her,” the woman who gave her birth said.

  Sami’s gaze shot to the woman’s, her eyes narrowed, and her lips slammed together so tight that the circulation drained right out of them.

  “She’s here now, and that’s all that matters. We both knew this would be somewhat of a shock on the children.”

  Ya think?

  “We need to give Sami some time to adjust to all of this.” Maggie stood up beside him, looped her arms around one of his, but never took her eyes off Sami.

  Her dad smiled down at her and patted her hand. “I just wanted your homecoming to be perfect.”

  “It already is.” The woman smiled sweetly up at him.

  Sami wanted to barf.

  Maggie’s gaze touched her husband’s. “Just to see my family again, that makes it perfect.”

  Sami resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

  Then Maggie turned and looked at her. “Sami, you’ve turned out to be a beautiful young woman.”

  What? Was she the only one struggling with this whole nicey-nicey, everything’s hunky-dory thing? Sami mentally shook her head. If she hadn’t heard all of this with her own ears, she would never have believed it. Increasing rage and shock numbed her body, but not her mind. “Dad, have you lost your mind?” Sami ground out. “Are you going to let this woman come back into our lives as if nothing happened?” Sami jerked her face toward Maggie and glared at the woman. “And, we’re not your family anymore, remember? You made that choice on your own when you decided to walk out on us years ago. Don’t you think you’ve done enough damage already?”

  “Sami, stop it!” Brent’s voice stopped Sami’s tirade.
“You should be glad Mom came back home.” Defending the woman he called their mother, he pushed himself up from the sofa and put his arm around Maggie’s shoulder.

  Sami couldn’t believe what she was seeing or hearing. “Glad?” she said through gritted teeth. “Okay, maybe you weren’t old enough to remember what she did to this family, but I was.” And oh, did she remember!

  “That’s enough!” Anger flashed across her father’s face as he took a step toward Sami. “Not one more word from you.”

  Chase tugged on her arm. “Sami, come on. Why don’t we go for a walk? You need to calm down.”

  At that moment, Miles and Aunt Edna hurried into the room.

  Sami jerked her arm away from Chase’s grasp and whirled around to face him. “Calm down? Oh no, I’m just getting started.” She whipped back around and glared at her father. “Why are you doing this? What is wrong with you? I don’t want her here, and you shouldn’t either. I want her to leave, now!”

  “That’s not your decision, girl, it’s mine,” her father shot back. “I want her here, and she’s staying.” The vein in his neck throbbed as his Adam’s apple jerked up and down.

  “I want her here, too, Sami.” Brent narrowed his eyes at her as he thrust out his chin.

  “Sami, I…” Maggie took a step toward Sami, holding out her hand.

  “Oh, no. Don’t you dare.” Sami took a step backward and lifted her hand to stop Maggie. “Don’t you ever come near me, or I promise you, you’ll regret it.”

  “I said that’s enough,” her father shouted.

  “Okay, everyone, let’s all just calm down before someone says or does something they’ll regret.” Edna held her hands up and stepped in the midst of the living room. “Sami, why don’t you take Chase up on his offer and go for a walk with him? You need some time to walk this out.”

  Chase took hold of her elbow. “Come on, Sami. Let’s get some fresh air.”

  “Fine. I don’t think I can stomach this anymore anyway.” Sami turned and stormed out of the house not even bothering to wait for Chase.

  She stomped around in the yard as she fumed. Then she stopped in front of Chase and flung her arms across her chest. “Chase, can you answer something for me?”

  “I will if I can.”

  “Are we still on planet earth? I feel like I’ve been sucked into another dimension.”

  Chase reached for her, but she flinched and backed away.

  “Excuse me. It’s Chase, isn’t it?”

  Sami and Chase both turned to see Maggie standing behind them. Sami glanced toward the house and saw her dad standing on the front porch. His brows were furrowed and his lips pressed tight.

  “Yes, Ma’am, I’m Chase Townsend.” He pulled off his hat and gave her a nod.

  “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Chase. I guess you already know I’m Maggie Lawson.”

  Sami huffed. “I left the house to get away from you. What do you want, Maggie?”

  “I’d like to speak to you alone if Chase doesn’t mind.”

  Chase glanced at Sami, and then back to Maggie. “Ma’am, I mean you no disrespect, but I don’t know if that’s such a good idea at the moment.”

  “Chase is right. I don’t have anything to say to you, and I don’t want to hear anything you have to say to me. None of us has even seen you in years, and you just show up here, unexpectedly and think everything is going to be okay. I don’t think so.” She tightened her arms across her chest. “Whatever you’ve got to say, I don’t want to hear it.”

  “Sami, your father, and I have been seeing each other for almost a year now. We finally decided it was time for me to come home and for us to try to mend our family.”

  “What?” Sami blinked, dropping her arms to her side and clenching and unclenching her fists. “A year?”

  “I didn’t want you to find out this way.” Maggie’s blue eyes seemed to plead for forgiveness as a visible tremor shook her body. “I wanted to speak to you the night you answered your father’s cell phone, but I just couldn’t find my nerve.”

  It was only at that moment that Sami remembered all the secret phone calls. “All this time, all those calls were from you?” Her stomach twisted in knots.

  “Yes. I’m so sorry. I know I’ve hurt you, all of you. But, I’m going to do everything I can to make up for what I’ve done if you’ll just give me the chance. I need your forgiveness, Sami. God has forgiven me for what I’ve done, and now I need you to forgive me. I know it will take time, and I’m willing to wait.”

  “Well, you’re going to be waiting for a long time because I’ll never forgive you. You don’t deserve another chance. We’re finished here.” Sami whirled around and stormed off.

  “Samantha, wait!”

  Sami spun back around, and in three quick strides, she was standing inches from Maggie’s face. “Don’t you ever, ever call me that again. You have no right.” Before Sami even realized what she was doing, she reached out and shoved Maggie.

  In horror, Sami watched a shocked expression sweep over Maggie’s face as she stumbled backward and fell to the ground.

  “Sami, what are you doing?” Surprise filled Chase’s eyes as he bent down beside Maggie already helping her to her feet. “Mrs. Lawson, are you okay?”

  Instantly, regret sank deep into Sami’s heart. She never meant to push Maggie.

  Sami stepped in closer to where Chase was kneeling next to Maggie. “I─”

  “What have you done?” William grabbed Sami’s arm and jerked her out of the way. He gave Chase a hand in helping Maggie to her feet. “Maggie, are you all right? Are you hurt?”

  “I’m okay, William. I’m tougher than I look.”

  Her dad lifted his head and glared at Sami with a rage in his eyes she’d never seen before.

  She knew he was angry. Well, Sami was angry too. Didn’t her dad understand how all of this was affecting her? Of all people, Sami would have thought he would understand how this whole thing would be for her, and yet it was as if he’d never even considered her feelings at all. He’d had time to adjust. A year to be exact. She didn’t. And she didn’t like that woman calling her Samantha. Nobody called her that. “She called me Samantha. No one’s called me that since—”

  “How could you do such a terrible thing?” her father asked. “Right now I’m even ashamed to call you my daughter.” His words sliced through her heart like a knife.

  Was all of this really happening? Or was it all just some horrendous nightmare?

  “William, I’m fine. Don’t be so hard on Sami. I don’t think she meant to hurt me. She’s just having a hard time with this. We knew this wouldn’t be easy. I shouldn’t have followed her out here. This is my fault.” Maggie dusted off her jeans and gave Sami a weak smile.

  “I don’t care. That’s no excuse for putting her hands on you.” William wrapped an arm around Maggie’s shoulder. “Come on, let’s go back into the house. I want to check on you and make sure you’re okay,”

  “Dad, I—” Sami started to speak, but her father cut her off with a jerk of his head.

  “I don’t want to hear anything you have to say. Until you apologize to your mother, I don’t even want to look at you.”

  Sami stared after her father as he led Maggie toward the house. She knew she shouldn’t have shoved Maggie. Even so, didn’t anyone understand or care about how this felt? It was like an earthquake and a volcano all rolled into one so that her world was both ripping apart and exploding at the same time. That woman left not only her, but her brothers and her father as well. And now here she was waltzing back into their lives after all these years as if everything was peachy, and they were supposed to pretend everything was okay? She was supposed to pretend like everything was okay? Like none of that ever happened?

  “Let’s go for that walk now.” When Chase reached for her, she dodged his hand.

  “No, I’ve got to get out of here.” She sprinted across the yard and headed toward her pickup.

  Chase fell in behind h
er and snagged her arm just as she reached the truck. “Sami, your father was just upset. He’ll cool down.” He twisted her around to see her face. “Where do you think you’re going?”

  “I don’t know, just away from here.”

  “Okay. Then I’m coming with you.”

  “No. I need some time to myself. I’ll be back later.”

  “Sami, you don’t need to be alone. Let me come with you, just in case you need a shoulder.”

  She wiggled out of his grip. “No, I don’t need a shoulder. What I need is some time to myself. So, please just leave me alone.”

  When Sami turned and opened the door of the truck, Chase raced around to the passenger side door. Sami leaped in behind the steering wheel and slammed her door shut. “I don’t want you to come with me. Do you not understand that?” Anger spewed from her mouth as frustration mounted inside of her when he yanked the passenger door open.

  “Let me help you, Sami. I know you’re hurting. I hate to see you like this.”

  “Look, you can’t run to my rescue every time something bad happens, Chase, and you can’t protect me. Like I told you before, I’m a big girl, and I can take care of myself.”

  Chase was still holding the passenger door open when Sami snapped at him, “Close the door, Chase.” She turned the key and the engine roared to life. “I said close it.”

  “Okay. But if you need me, I’m just a phone call away, and I’ll be there.” He pushed the door closed, pulled his cell phone from its case on his side, and waved it.

  Sami sat motionlessly for a moment, and then slowly turned her head and met Chase’s gaze.

  “Will you really?” Her question came out in a snort. “I always thought my dad would never turn his back on me and look where that got me.” Before Chase had a chance to respond, Sami yanked the truck into gear and spun away.

  ♥♥♥♥

  Chase felt a stab to the heart as he watched her drive away. He knew she was slipping back into her self-made prison. God, please show me how to help her. I can’t lose her, not now.