The Barn was quickly becoming a hot spot for country music artists to record. Snow Valley was far enough off the GPS that the press didn’t pay it any attention, and Clay had installed the latest in sound equipment. “That’s great. Congratulations on the engagement, Paisley—Clay, too.”
“I’m sure people around here thought Clay and I eloped a long time ago, but with the Iron Stix on tour and setting up the new studio, we just haven’t had time.”
Another couple succumbs to wedding fever. Sam brushed his hand over his mouth to hide his smile.
“Anyway, I’m kind of swamped with the new album right now, and poor Nellie doesn’t know a soul in Snow Valley …”
A silence, not unlike the one he’d faced with Roxy, smothered them. Sam’s natural desire to ask Nellie out rose to the tip of his tongue. Not that there was much to show her this time of year, but he’d gotten pretty creative when it came to planning dates. A winter picnic or horse-drawn sleigh ride, not to mention the upcoming sledding party, would be fun with a beautiful girl like Nellie. But that was all it would be—one date.
Remembering the rule of three, he tamped down on his instincts.
He wasn’t dating for fun anymore; he was dating for keeps, and he wouldn’t play the fool any longer.
Cat and her grandpa moved passed them in the aisle. Sam’s attention was drawn to the lacy skirt that swished as Cat walked. She looked good all the time—like she rolled out of bed and into a magazine. Sam nodded a greeting. Cat bit her lip and gave him a half-hearted smile. Her eyes were full of disappointment. He wanted to ask her about it, but was still held by the uncomfortable situation with Paisley and the new girl.
Seeing Cat gave him a brilliant idea. “Hey, Paisley, have you checked out Cat’s books?”
“Cat’s books?” Paisley furrowed her brow.
“She writes Christian romances. I’ve never read one, but my mom loves them. Do you read much?” Sam rubbed his hands together. He could offer Nellie a great way to kill some time and promote Cat’s novels all in one.
“Yeah—I love to read.” Nellie shrugged a shoulder.
“Catrina O’Shae is her name,” Sam supplied.
“That was Catrina O’Shae?” Nellie craned her neck to look around Pastor John standing at the door and shaking hands as parishioners left.
“Yep.” Sam rocked back on his heels, as proud as puddin’ of Cat’s success. She’d really made something of herself and her dream. “You should check them out. She’s really talented.” Excusing himself, he said, “It was great to meet you. Welcome to Snow Valley.”
“Thanks,” Nellie replied. She smacked Paisley’s arm. “You didn’t tell me …”
Whatever she was upset about faded away as Sam hurried out to the parking lot, wondering if he’d entered the Twilight Dating Zone.
The moment he resolved not to ask a girl out, he had two planted in his path. He considered the possibility that the Lord was testing his commitment to this plan—seeing if he was willing to let go of what he wanted now for what he wanted in the future. For Sam, a home and family were the ultimate blessing, and he was more than willing to forego a few bad first dates to create something that would last. Maybe after he ran into Nellie a few more times, he’d ask her out, but right now, he wanted to know what put the disappointment in Cat’s eyes.
He spent all morning picturing her surprise when she saw the chickens were already fed. His daydream had kept him warm while doing chores in the gray light of dawn.
Hurrying to the parking lot, he slipped and caught himself before landing on his back. Edward’s tail lights blinked once, and the truck pulled out of the parking lot. Sam smacked his fist against his leg, angry that the opportunity had slipped by.
Chapter 5
Cat lifted the lid off the rice maker and let the steam escape. She’d tucked her phone between her shoulder and cheek so she could talk while she cut up a pineapple.
Pastor John’s sermon about starting anew had really hit home. For a moment, Cat entertained the idea that she and Sam could start anew and throw out the friends only rule. But, after seeing him swarmed by females after church, she managed to talk herself out of that idea.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Dad.” Cat smiled at the idea that she would see him soon.
“To what do I owe the pleasure?”
Cat hacked the top off the pineapple and flipped it upside down on the breadboard to let the juices spread from the bottom of the fruit all the way through before cutting it up to serve. “I’d like to accept the job.”
“Wonderful!”
Cat chewed her lip. “I’ll look at flights tomorrow.” Her car was buried under three feet of snow and wasn’t going anywhere until spring. But she could take the subway to campus or borrow her mom’s car. Things would work out.
“Of course. Of course. We’ll pick you up. Just text me the flight information.”
“I will.”
“Catrina, I’m so proud of you.”
Cat smiled. For the past year, she’d made a decent paycheck as an author. She’d lived her dream, waking up each morning feeling blessed to be able to share stories with her readers. Somehow, she’d known it couldn’t last forever. Eventually the alarm buzzes, and dreams come to an end.
A heaviness settled into her chest. I’m not losing a dream; I’m simply replacing it with another. The time had come to put away childish things and move into the world of adults who contribute to society, raise families, and move out of their grandpa’s house.
They said goodbye and hung up. Cat stared at the pineapple. “You have it easy. You were born a pineapple. People are born blank. We have to make it up as we go.”
The oven timer went off, and Grandpa wandered into the kitchen. Cat smiled. “Your timing is impeccable.”
“You can call me many names, but don’t ever call me late for dinner,” he replied with a grin.
Cat set a plate of teriyaki chicken and rice in front of Grandpa, the bowl of pineapple chunks in the middle of the table, and two small bowls of spinach salad by their cups. She took a seat across from Grandpa and bowed her head while he blessed the food.
After saying amen, Grandpa stared at the empty placemat on his right. “What happened? I thought you were going to ask Sam for dinner?”
“I’m sure he has plenty of options.” Cat speared a piece of chicken and chomped down on it, chewing thoroughly. The image of Sam at church—looking mighty fine in his gray suit—surrounded by every available woman in Snow Valley popped in her head, making her want to go all Chicken Bessie right there. Well, maybe not every woman.
Grandpa chuckled. “Scared off by a gaggle of females, eh?”
“The only female that scares me off is Bessie, Satan’s favorite chicken.” Cat used her knife enthusiastically. “I don’t believe in falling in line for a guy. I’m not a groupie.”
Grandpa ate for a moment in silence. “I wouldn’t ever want you to settle for someone who doesn’t think the world of you.”
Cat sighed, the fight leaking out of her. “I know. Sam’s a good friend.”
“Sure, sure.” Grandpa tucked into his rice.
Cat narrowed her eyes. “You’re not hiding anything, old man. You might as well tell me what you’re thinking.”
Grandpa’s gaze drifted to the triple-layer cake on the breadboard.
Cat grinned. She knew the way to get information out of Grandpa. “Do I have to bribe you?”
“I’m just weighing my desire to speak against my desire for dessert.”
“Is it bad enough I’ll have to send you to bed without dessert?” Cat joked. She’d never treat her Grandpa like that, but she desperately needed to lighten the mood.
Grandpa smiled kindly and placed his weathered hand over hers. “Men should be standing in line for you.”
“But?”
“But … you’re not the best at sending signals.”
“What?”
“It took until you were three before I thought you liked
me.”
Cat scowled. “That’s because you had that awful toupee. I thought for sure the thing would bite me.”
It was Grandpa’s turn to laugh. “You little scamp!”
Cat grinned. “I haven’t flirted in ages. I think I forgot how.”
Grandpa considered the cake. “That’s why I think Sam would be a good match for you. He doesn’t play games.”
Cat turned to pick up the breadboard and set the cake between them. Her pumpkin bread was good, but her Chocolate Devil’s Cake was the stuff dreams were made of. It was the kind of dessert she’d serve a date. A cute date. The kind of date you wanted to kiss goodnight … and hello … and hey, it’s Tuesday.
She wiped her fork off on her napkin and took a big chunk without bothering to cut a slice. Grandpa followed suit. They carved their way into chocolate heaven while Cat mulled over the situation with Sam and the phone call she’d had with Dad.
Out of all the men she’d met in Snow Valley—and there had been a surprising number of great guys—Sam was the one she could picture herself with. They got along great as friends, and after the Bessie incident, she was pretty sure they’d get along in a lot of other ways, too. Shoving her feelings aside, she reasoned that Sam had plenty of options, and she needed to increase hers.
“Dad offered me a job at the university,” she finally said.
Grandpa’s fork didn’t break stride. “Are you going to take it?”
“Yes,” she said quietly, her eyes filling with tears.
Grandpa patted her hand again. “You don’t seem very excited.”
“I’m going to miss you.” Cat leaned over the table and threw her arms around his neck. He returned the hug, the peppermint smell from his joint cream filling her senses.
“I’m going to miss you too, pumpkin.” Grandpa’s voice caught.
Cat finally pulled back and plopped into her chair, wiping the moisture from her eyes with her fingertips. Grandpa handed her a napkin. “Thanks.”
“That’s not for your eyes.”
“What?” Cat looked down and found a chocolate smear across her belly. When she’d leaned over to hug Grandpa, she’d flattened the cake. Throwing the napkin on the table, she stood up. “I’m going to change.”
“I hope not.” Grandpa winked. “I think you’re great just the way you are.”
Cat smiled. “That’s why grandparents are the best.”
“Cat?”
She paused at the doorway. “Yeah?”
“I was planning on your help with this remodeling job I took on this morning. It won’t take more than a week …” He let the question hang there. Cat was sure he didn’t want to ask her to change her plans, but he would need an extra set of hands or two.
“I won’t leave until after it’s done—promise.”
“Thanks, pumpkin.”
As she made her way up the stairs, a big ball of worry settled into her gut. Well, maybe it was a quarter of a triple-layer chocolate cake that made her cramp, but her worries had her mind competing with her stomach. Mulling it over, she realized that she’d never prayed about the decision to leave, and that was probably what created the dissonance in her thoughts. Stripping off her shirt, she tossed it into the garbage in the corner—that stain was never coming out.
With a heavy heart, she told herself the decision had been made. Her parents were expecting her. She hoped the Lord was on board, put on another T-shirt, and headed back downstairs to start on the dishes.
Chapter 6
Sam took care of as much as he could around his cabin Monday morning, sweeping, mopping, and dusting the place. Now that Chet and Mercedes were back in town, he didn’t have to hurry out to the ranch, nor did he have to face Bessie. A part of him wondered how long the Rhode Island Red would last. Chet was pretty smitten with Mercedes. Satan’s spawn or not, if his wife loved that bird, there’d be no fresh chicken for dinner.
Not that Sam blamed Chet. He’d feed a crazy chicken every day for the woman he loved. Before he thought too far into the fact that he’d fed Bessie for Cat and what that might mean, he turned his attention to the long list of chores in the orchard.
True to his word, Eli came out to inspect the conveyor belt and gave Sam a fair bid for the welding work. Not one to put off a decision, Sam took Eli’s first open day at the end of the next week.
Edward O’Shae was the next to arrive at the orchard and followed Sam out to the bunkhouses in his truck. Sam had spent yesterday afternoon clearing the path through the snow with the tractor. They started in the east building and worked their way down the line.
“I’d like to add a closet to each bedroom. Most of the men have young families, and they could use the storage space.”
Edward nodded, jotting down notes on a legal pad with a carpenter’s pencil. “Cat’s great at closets. She can work on those.”
“Cat’s good at everything,” Sam agreed. He liked the way she was willing to throw herself into a new situation, be it moving to Montana, writing books, or building a closet.
Edward glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. “You ever think of leaving Snow Valley?”
Sam scoffed. “And go where?”
“I don’t know, back east, maybe?”
Sam shook his head. “I wouldn’t mind visiting, but this is home.” He clapped Edward on the back. “You know that as much as anyone.” Edward had left at eighteen and come back at sixty-five.
Edward made a mark on the floor with his pencil. “The country is in my bones, that’s for sure.” He turned his tape measure and made another mark. “I’ll make a quick list of supplies and then head out to Billings. We can start first thing in the morning.”
Sam caught the we in that statement and his heart pounded. We would most likely mean Cat. Anticipation coursed through him. Cat had never set foot on his property—this felt…big. “Sounds great. I’ll stop by and check in on ya.”
“You do that.” Edward’s voice held a note of demand that caught Sam off guard.
“Okay, I will,” he reassured Edward. “I’m headed into town. Do you need anything?”
“I should be good.” Edward bent his head over his list and scrawled away.
Sam nodded once before climbing into his truck. He waved at his parents, who were repairing the fence line as he drove by.
William Buck owned the pastures that lined three sides of Miller Orchards. His cattle had gotten through the barbed-wire fence yesterday. Thankfully, they left the trees alone this time, but keeping them away from apples and peaches was a constant battle in the summer.
About five years ago, Sam had bought a small section of his dad’s orchard—twenty acres. Enough to give him a start in the business and a place to build his cabin. The purchase was a good beginning—especially since he and his dad shared machinery and split costs.
For a while now, Sam had eyed up the forty acres owned by William Buck that butted up against his peach trees. He’d made the last payment on his loan a few weeks ago and was ready to make William an offer. William was getting on in years, and his kids wanted nothing to do with their dad or his cattle business. A sad story there. Sam wasn’t looking to capitalize on the man’s misfortune, but William had approached him about buying the property, and he couldn’t let the opportunity pass him by. They were meeting at the local bank this morning to discuss the deal.
Just as Sam was about to open the door, a man shoved it open. “Sorry,” he muttered.
Sam did a double take. “Aren’t you the new dentist?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Welcome to Snow Valley Dr. …”
“Wilson. McCoy Wilson.”
They shook hands. “It’s nice to meet you. My mama’s been complaining about a tooth ache; I’m sure she’ll be in to see you soon.”
“I look forward to it.”
Dr. Wilson said goodbye and Sam hurried into the small, red brick building.
William was waiting for him in the lobby, wearing overalls and a scowl. Sam shook his han
d. “It’s good to see you again, Mr. Buck.”
“You too, Sam.”
“If you gentlemen will follow me into the conference room, we can get started,” said Timothy Snow, the branch manager.
Sam motioned for William to go first. They settled around the table. Timothy took the lead, laying out property values and loan terms and asking about a down payment. Things probably weren’t done like this in the bigger cities, with the buyer and seller at the same table, but in Snow Valley, neighbors were good to each other—for the most part.
The meeting went well, and Sam was able to leverage the land he already owned to secure the loan. He shook hands with the bank manager and William before leaving the conference room. William wanted to stay behind and discuss the trust he’d set up for his kids. Sam left him to his personal business and made his way to the lobby, where he spied Cat talking to the teller.
“Thanks so much. I thought the charge wasn’t right. I’m glad I asked.” Cat tucked her driver’s license back into her purse.
“I’ve never seen fraud this sophisticated. They even used a correct phone number for the company they impersonated.”
“That’s what threw me. But then, I knew I hadn’t purchased a tanning lamp.” Cat laughed.
Sam smiled. She had a great laugh. It wasn’t high-pitched and annoying, nor was it low and masculine. It was in the alto range and floated over notes, much like her singing voice. He waited so they could walk out together. He wanted to share his good news—with her especially. Somehow, he knew she’d be all the right kinds of happy for him.
“Right,” agreed the teller. “Here’s your new card, and the credit card company will refund your money. They’ll investigate this and get back to you if they need any further information.”
“Thanks, I appreciate that.” Cat clipped her wallet shut and stuffed it into her leather fringe purse. Seeing Sam, she smiled wide. “Hi there.”
“Hi, yourself.” Sam held the door open for her. As she came close, he could smell her peach scent. She brushed lightly against him. Man, she smelled good.
Winter in Snow Valley (Snow Valley Romance) Page 4