Samantha chuckled, her mood lightening. “True.”
Camila looked toward the door that led into the shop. “It sounds like things are getting busy. I’d best go help Gina before the morning rush overwhelms her.”
“Do you need me to do anything?”
“Heavens, no.” Camila waved a hand dismissively as she stood. “You concentrate on your grandmother, and I’ll make sure Sips and Scentimentals is taken care of.”
“Okay.”
“If you’ve forgotten where anything is, give a holler.”
“I will. Thanks, Camila.”
The woman disappeared through the doorway.
Samantha closed her eyes and took another sip of coffee. Ahhh. There was something rather amazing about a Monday without commutes into and out of the city, without eight hours of staring at a computer screen or studying numbers on a printout or sitting around a conference room table. She could almost feel her heart rate slow down a good ten beats a minute.
She opened her eyes. It felt wonderful to be in Gran’s home again. She’d come to stay here right after graduating from college while she looked for employment. Those summer months remained among her favorite memories ever. After God made Gran, He’d broken the mold. She was the absolute best. Ask anybody in Thunder Creek.
The telephone rang, and she forced herself up from the chair to go answer it. “Ruth Johnson’s residence.”
“Hey, cuz.” Derek’s voice was full of a smile. “Got here all right, I see.”
“Yes. Yesterday afternoon.”
“I talked to Gran this morning. The doctor was in to see her, and they’re going to keep her in the hospital one more night. So Brooklyn and I want you to come to dinner at our place. No point you eating alone or living on hospital food. Sound good?”
“Sounds great. I haven’t seen the inn since your wedding, and it wasn’t even open for business yet. Can you believe that’ll be two years come September?”
“Yeah. Time flies. As for the inn, Brooklyn’s always full of new ideas. But we aren’t living in it anymore. We built a new home on the property, and that’s where we’ll eat tonight.”
“Wow. Why didn’t anybody tell me?”
“It was a secret.” He laughed. “Come about five and we’ll tell you all about it firsthand.”
“How do I find your new place?”
“As long as you remember the way to the inn, you won’t have any trouble finding us. I promise. See you at five.”
“Okay. I know the way. See you soon.”
Smiling, she put the handset back in its cradle. Although she would never say it out loud, Derek was her favorite cousin. Being around him and getting to know his wife and her daughter better would be an added benefit of staying in Thunder Creek for a few months.
A glance at the clock told her she’d better get a move on. She might not have a job to go to today, but there were things to do. First, pour herself another cup of coffee, followed by breakfast and a shower, then driving back to the hospital in Caldwell to spend time with Gran.
“Boomer, down.” Nick pointed to the ground near the side of his pickup. “Stay.”
The border collie lay down, eyes watchful. Whoever had trained the young dog had done an amazing job. And whenever Nick thought of that, it also made him wonder why Boomer had ended up at the humane society. It didn’t make sense to him, someone giving away such a great animal.
“Whatever the reason, I’m the lucky recipient.” He reached down to stroke Boomer’s head.
With a smile Nick started unloading more pipe. But before he could get much done, he heard his name called and turned around to see Derek Johnson striding toward him.
“How’s it going?” Derek asked when he arrived.
“Good. And how’s your grandmother? I went to see her yesterday, but she was sleeping, so I left.” Not to mention seeing Sam made me want to get out of there.
“She’s doing well, according to her doctor. And thanks to you.”
“I didn’t do anything but call for the ambulance and hold her hand until it got here.”
“Seemed like more than that to all of us.”
Nick shrugged.
“She gets to go home tomorrow.”
“That’s good.”
“My cousin’s staying with her during her recovery.”
“Sam.” The name slipped out before he could stop it.
“Yeah.” Derek’s expression showed his surprise. “How’d you know that?”
“She was at the hospital yesterday when I got there.”
“Oh. So you met her then.” Derek nodded, as if to confirm that it now made sense.
Nick hesitated a short while before correcting him. “Actually, Sam and I knew each other in Oregon. A couple of years ago.”
“You’re kidding?” Derek’s eyes widened, inviting Nick to say more.
“Some coincidence, huh?” He looked down at the ground. What else could he say? He hadn’t told anyone in Idaho about the accident that had changed his life. No one in the area knew he held a PhD in Fisheries and Wildlife. Everyone thought he was an ordinary laborer, the lead foreman for an irrigation company, and that’s where he wanted to leave it. He didn’t want anybody feeling sorry for him or asking questions that he found hard to answer.
“Some coincidence,” Derek echoed. He waited a few heartbeats, as if tempted to ask some of those unwanted questions. Finally, he added, “It’s a small world for sure.”
“Small world.” Nick hoped that would put an end to the subject. Luckily, it did.
Derek motioned to the pipe and equipment on the ground. “I’d better let you get to work, and I need to get to my own.” He turned and took a few strides away before stopping and facing Nick again. “Hey, would you like to have dinner with us tonight? My wife’s a great cook. I promise you’ll like it.”
“That’s good of you, but I wouldn’t want to—”
“Come on. You told me yourself you know hardly anybody in the area.”
That was true. Nick had told Derek the first day on the job that he was new to Caldwell. He usually didn’t admit such things to any of the company’s clients. It led to invitations like this one. And if he accepted, then there would be questions around the dinner table—the getting-to-know-you kind that made him uncomfortable. Not only because he preferred to keep his former life to himself, but because there were too many facts, dates, and memories that remained fuzzy or had disappeared altogether.
On the other hand, he had a feeling Derek was the kind of guy he would like to call a friend, and it was time Nick made a few of those in Idaho. Unless he royally screwed up as the foreman for Masters & Sons Irrigation Systems, Caldwell was going to be his home for the foreseeable future. Maybe for good.
“All right,” Nick said at last. “I’ll be glad to come. What time? I’ll have to drive home to clean up and put Boomer in his kennel.”
“Bring the dog. Miss Trouble will love having some canine company.”
“Miss Trouble?”
Humor filled Derek’s voice. “Our dog. We can tell you that story tonight. Come at five or five thirty. We’ll plan to eat at six.”
“Okay. I’ll be there.”
“Great.” Derek turned and began walking away. “Sam’s coming, too, so you won’t be completely among strangers.”
Samantha? Nick’s heart thudded. Had she known Derek planned to invite him? He’d bet money she hadn’t. He’d also bet she wasn’t going to like it. Not after the way she’d looked at him yesterday.
He inhaled slowly and let it out. Was this God’s way of getting him to ask Samantha to forgive him for the way he’d ended things with her? It was something that had nagged at him, off and on, after memories had begun to return. Sure, he could have picked up the phone and called her, but he’d never been able to make himself do it. Pride, he supposed. He hadn’t wanted her to know what happened to him.
He faced his truck. Boomer lay in the exact same spot, watching his master, waiting for a command. A walk would do
them both good. “Come on, boy. Let’s have a look at where we are.”
Derek and Brooklyn Johnson owned about thirteen acres of prime farming land. A couple of acres were in pasture, and another half acre or so hosted a small, mostly immature, fruit orchard. A bed-and-breakfast, the Inn at Thunder Creek, along with its expansive event gardens and enormous shade trees, took up close to an acre as well. Then there was the main house, smaller outbuildings, greenhouse, and barn. That left just shy of nine acres for growing fruits and vegetables.
Inspired by an organic farmer in northern California where the owners grew more produce with less water, no tilling, and no pesticides of any kind, Derek planned to use the same methods on his farm, including swapping out above-ground irrigation methods for a drip system using thin plastic tubes. Starting tomorrow, Nick would be joined by a larger crew to begin installing the system. Today he continued to map things out.
He knew a few people back in Oregon who believed the knock he’d taken on his head had made him lose his mind along with many memories. Why would a man with his education and experience leave behind the academia he loved to do this kind of labor—setting up, repairing, or replacing irrigation systems on farms both large and small? Of course, he didn’t have a lot of choice. Even with improvements in his health, he couldn’t go back to his former life. He didn’t have the required mental agility for the classroom any longer, and he wasn’t physically able for the thing he’d loved most: taking those high-risk excursions with students. Countless doctors had made it clear what another accident could mean to him.
Nick had always loved the outdoors. He’d also been eager for new adventures. Big adventures. Scary adventures. The accident may have put an end to his thrill-seeking ways for good, but the outdoors could still be his. There was something rejuvenating about working out in the sun and the rain, the heat and the cold, the wind and the calm. Thanks to Brett Masters, he had a job that gave him all of that. It had been good for him. It was still good for him.
In fact, Nick liked to think he was a better man today than he’d been two years ago. He liked to think he put others first more often than he used to. He liked to think he listened better than he used to.
Would Samantha see the differences in him, given a chance?
He closed his eyes, remembering the first time he’d seen her. Some memories hadn’t returned to him, but this one— from two years and eight months ago, almost to the day—was as clear as if it had happened yesterday.
How in the blue blazes had Nick let himself be talked into coming to this stupid thing? A tax seminar. In August!
The meeting room in the hotel was windowless, but Nick knew an incredible summer evening lay beyond those paneled walls. He could be riding his bike or rollerblading or even rock climbing at the gym. Instead, he was stuck here because he’d made a promise to John Moss, his accountant.
“You’re brilliant in a lot of ways, Nick,” John had said after informing him about the seminar, “but you’re going to find yourself with a stiff fine one of these days if you don’t pay attention to a few more bookkeeping details. I’m good, but I’m not a miracle worker.”
The lecturer droned on. It seemed like hours already. In reality, maybe fifteen minutes had passed.
Nick happened to look to one side in time to see a woman enter through the door. Moving quickly and hoping not to be noticed, judging by her expression, she took a seat in the row in front of him, to the far right of where he sat next to the center aisle. It afforded him a nice view of her profile.
Man, she was gorgeous. The beautiful shade of her red hair. The pale, clear complexion. The perfect arch of her long neck. And although he couldn’t see her eyes, he’d bet money they were green. Her attire said “business professional,” but at the same time it said “Feminine” with a capital F.
Nick checked his watch. The program called for a ten-minute break on the next hour. Whatever else happened during those ten minutes, Nick would make certain he met that young woman, learned her name, and, most important, made arrangements for when they would see each other again.
Chapter 3
It’s fabulous,” Samantha said as Brooklyn led the way to the family room. “The whole house is beautiful. You have a real flare for decorating. A gene I’m sorely lacking.”
Brooklyn laughed. “I decorate on a shoestring, I assure you. I’ve become an expert at shopping garage sales and repurposing items others throw away. The B&B taught me how to do that.”
“I’d love to see what you’ve done over there since the wedding.”
“I’ll be glad to show you.”
Derek stood as the two women reentered the room. His gaze went straight to Brooklyn, and Samantha felt her breath catch at the look in his eyes. The love her cousin felt for his wife was palpable, and a sting of envy shot through her. With it came the image of a man she’d once thought, once hoped—
She forced the unwelcome memories away.
“Honey,” Brooklyn said, “is your guest coming?”
He glanced at his watch. “Far as I know.”
Another guest? Samantha had thought this was a night for family. She’d wanted to catch up and reminisce. It wouldn’t be the same with an outsider present.
As if on cue, the doorbell rang.
“There he is.” Derek headed for the front door.
He? Samantha looked toward Brooklyn, but she had already walked out of the family room on her way to the kitchen.
“Come on in,” she heard Derek say. “Brooklyn’s about ready to put dinner on the table.”
Samantha turned in the direction of Derek’s voice in time to see him enter the family room. A few steps behind him came his guest.
Nick Chastain.
The very man she didn’t want to think about.
For the second time in as many days, Samantha felt her world shift beneath her feet. She expected to see a look of surprise in his eyes to match her own. She didn’t find it. Had he known she would be here? Had she been kept in the dark on purpose?
Derek said, “Nick tells me you two knew each other in Oregon, so I invited him to join us. He’s only been in the area a couple of months and doesn’t know many people yet. I thought it would be nice for him to have a friend here.”
A friend. Was that what he’d told her cousin she was to him? A friend?
“Hope you don’t mind,” Nick said softly.
Well, yes. As a matter of fact, she did mind. Whatever they had once been to each other, they weren’t now. Not a couple. Not even friends. In fact, they were little more than strangers as far as she was concerned.
“Of course I don’t mind,” she lied.
Derek was oblivious to the undercurrent in the room, but something flickered in Nick’s eyes, telling Samantha he understood her true feelings.
It shouldn’t matter that he was there or that he knew she wished he wasn’t. It didn’t matter. None of it. Two years was a long time. She had moved through all the appropriate stages of getting over a failed romance. It hadn’t even taken that long. Not when Nick had both ignored her apologies and seemed to have dropped off the face of the earth. That was the real reason for her surprise: she’d never thought to see him again. Anywhere. Least of all here in her grandmother’s hometown.
Brooklyn reappeared from the kitchen. “Hi, Nick. Glad you could join us. You already know Sam, I understand.”
“Yes, we know each other.”
“Well.” Brooklyn motioned them to follow. “Dinner’s ready. Come take a seat at the table.” Her gaze flicked to Derek. “Tell Alycia to join us please.”
“Will do.”
Brooklyn went one way and Derek went another, leaving Samantha in the family room with Nick.
“I’m sorry if you don’t want me here,” he said, voicing her feelings more accurately than she would wish. “I didn’t know you were coming until after I’d accepted the invitation. Then it seemed rude to back out.”
She shook her head. “No. No, it’s all right, Nick. Really
.” She drew in a quick breath and offered him a fleeting smile.
“Hurry up, you two,” Brooklyn called from the other room.
“I should help her.” Samantha hurried to do just that.
Unfortunately, there was nothing left to help with. Brooklyn had everything on the table. All Samantha could do was choose which side to sit on—and hope she’d chosen the right chair. She was grateful when it was Alycia who took the one next to her. Host and hostess sat at either end of the table. Nick paused and then settled onto the remaining chair opposite Alycia. Not quite in Samantha’s direct line of vision, but still closer than she liked.
As the serving dishes made their way around the table, Samantha glanced at Alycia. “How’s school?”
“It’s okay.”
“What grade are you in? I’ve forgotten.”
“Seventh.” Without waiting for the next question, the girl added, “I’m thirteen.”
Thirteen. As Samantha recalled, that could be a tough age. No doubt Alycia wasn’t fond of being grilled by an older cousin, once removed, whom she’d met only one time before. But Samantha persisted. “Any favorite subjects?”
The girl shrugged. “Not really.”
“That’s not true,” Brooklyn interjected, smiling. “Alycia plans to become a veterinarian. Any subject that can help with that is a favorite.”
Alycia seemed to perk up. “Ethan—he’s the vet here in Thunder Creek. He lets me help out at his clinic on Saturdays. I love getting to take care of the animals.”
Nick said, “It’s great to have a goal in mind at your age.”
Samantha’s stomach tightened. For a few brief moments she’d forgotten he was across the table. It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter.
“So, Nick,” Derek said, breaking into her silent mantra, “tell us more about how you know Sam.”
Her gaze darted to Nick, but he was looking at her cousin.
“We met at a lecture.”
“A lecture? On what?”
“Something to do with taxes.” Nick chuckled. “Trust me, I didn’t want to be there. I was forced to attend by my CPA. But then I saw this beautiful redhead sitting one row in front of me, and I decided it wasn’t a bad place to be. I remember that I was determined to make her acquaintance at the first opportunity.”
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