by Leger, Lori
Her outrage turned to amusement at his ludicrous proposition. The initial on-set of low chuckles increased in volume, turning into uncontrollable guffaws.
Dave pushed away from her, his foul curses reverberating across the small yard into the quiet neighborhood.
Carrie turned to face him, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes. “Come on, Dave, we’re divorced. It’s over. Neither of us has wanted the other in years, and we’ve never been good together. Can’t you be honest with yourself?”
He stepped closer and raised his volume a notch. “I’ve always wanted you.”
“Along with any other woman you could get.”
“I still want you.”
“Uh huh—along with any other woman you can get.” She tightened her grip on her car keys and stared him down. “But I don’t want you anymore.” She got in her car and closed the door. Hoping for the end of the drama, she pressed the automatic lock button.
“Carrie, you have to come home now.” His voice was slightly muffled through the closed window.
“Just stop creating a spectacle of yourself and go home to our kids.”
“Screw you!” He reared back, and threw the vase of roses into the windshield.
Carrie jumped at the resounding crack of glass against glass. The thick vase bounced off and landed with a thud in the grass that lined the driveway. She stared at the fracture line travelling across the upper part of the windshield until it encompassed its entire length. Red and white rose petals littered the glass, along with one snapped bud that settled at the base, jammed inside a wiper blade.
Her heart pounded with a rush of adrenaline as she tried to steady her breathing. She squeezed her eyes shut and took two calming breaths. By the time she opened them, Dave had leaned over to investigate the damage.
“Great. Just great, asshole.”
Dave gave her his typical “Yeah, I screwed up, but it’s too late to take it back” look, which was about the closest he ever came to a sincere apology. She glared at him through the fractured glass, the jagged lines further proof that divorcing him had been the right thing to do.
Two minutes later, Carrie walked into the police station, shaken, but determined to show Dave she was as strong, if not stronger, than him.
Chief Rob Ledoux glanced at her from his desk, his phone to his ear. He nodded at her while speaking to the person on the phone. “She just walked in, Mom, it’s alright. I know, Mom. Yes, ma’am. I’ll take care of it right away.” Rob hung up the phone and stood to place a comforting hand on her shoulder. “My mother saw the whole thing from her front door. Are you hurt?”
“Damn, I keep forgetting Ms. Kathleen lives next door. I wondered if he’d disturbed any of the neighbors.”
“That neighbor is quite disturbed and good and pissed at your ex.” Rob led Carrie out the door of his office, then told the dispatcher to have someone find Dave and bring him in for questioning. He turned back to Carrie. “Mom told me to ‘put that crazy S-O-B in jail and throw away the key. ’”
He followed her outside and shook his head as he checked out her windshield. “I’m glad you came by to report this. I’ve seen too many women ignore situations, when all they had to do was make a report to raise a warning flag. This is the second one, in his case. One more and he’ll get jail time.” He picked up the red rose bud that had jammed behind the wiper blade. “Didn’t like the color?”
Carrie released a disgusted sniff. “Son of a bitch never once gave me roses when we were married.”
Rob chuckled at her answer. “I’ll talk to him about having this repaired. You shouldn’t have to file it with your insurance.”
“Thanks. Is it safe to drive until then?”
He examined the break again. “I think so. I hope that we can avoid any further confrontations between you two, but just in case, I want you to be careful, okay? Whatever you do, don’t take any threats lightly.”
His words reminded Carrie how convenient life in a small town could be when everyone knows everyone else. “Thanks, but it happened just in time. I was really starting to worry about those phone calls. Now that I know it’s him, I’m not worried.”
“Wait, he confessed to making the calls?”
“No, I know he couldn’t have made them, but I also know he put someone up to it.”
“How do you know?”
“The timing is too perfect, Rob. He waited until he knew I was good and scared to ask me to move back home with him. He really expected me to say yes.”
“That all sounds good, and I hope that’s exactly the way it happened. But we don’t have any proof, and Dave would be a fool to admit to it. To be safe, I want you to be careful.”
“I will, but I’m telling you, it’s not necessary.”
“Yeah, well, humor me, okay? I’ll have someone park at Christie’s tonight, just in case.”
“I’m about to leave town, and probably won’t be back until late. Christie and Max won’t be back until tomorrow.”
“Well, then, stop at the station on your way home and have the patrolman follow you there.”
“All right, if you insist.”
They walked back into his office and he pulled out a form. “Now, the fact that he did it while you were sitting behind the window indicates a threat to your person.” He handed her the form and a pen. “Here, fill this out, please.”
Carrie spent the next few minutes filling out a complaint and pushed the paper at him. Once Rob took pictures of the damage, she was free to go. Just as she opened her car door to leave, Dave drove up in his truck, escorted by a police cruiser. He stepped out of the vehicle, his face a depiction of angry resistance.
Rob pointed at Dave and spoke in a voice booming with authority. “You! Stay put until I tell you otherwise.” He turned back to Carrie and spoke in a calm manner. “You call if anything else happens.”
She nodded. “Thanks, Rob.” Determined not to show Dave any fear, she turned to him and pointed to her car window. “And thanks for the early Christmas gift, Dave. This one has you written all over it. I know the kids will appreciate it.”
Dave leveled an icy glare in her direction but kept his silence.
As soon as she drove off, Carrie’s calm façade fragmented dangerously fast. A strong mixture of waning adrenaline and righteous fury had her struggling to hold back tears. She snapped up a tissue from the box on her console and dabbed at her eyes. If she cried, there went the make-up. “Oh, come on,” she spoke to her reflection. “Get pissed if you have to, but do not cry. Don’t you dare cry.”
As a distraction, she turned the car radio to a station playing continuous Christmas music. For the entire hour drive to Kenton, Carrie sang along as loud as she could. When she got to Kenton, she pulled out Sam’s directions. By the time she saw the big, blue cross in his front yard, she nearly cried out with relief.
Carrie rolled to a stop next to Sam’s truck and turned off the ignition. She stepped out of the car and stared at the doorway just opening to reveal his bulk. The crisp, cool air of the December evening restored her, and she managed to get to the porch without falling apart. However, the glare he aimed at the window of her car deflated her reserve as quickly as a ten-penny nail in a bicycle tire. By the time she reached him, she wanted nothing more than to bury her sobs in his embrace.
Sam was so glad to see her he nearly missed the broken window. Once he saw it, a cold fury for the man he knew had to be responsible flooded through his system. He riveted his gaze back to the only important factor. Carrie looked like a lady whose tenuous hold on a wildcat had about broken loose. He brushed his fury aside long enough to open his arms.
They stood on his front porch just outside the doorway of his home, for God and everyone to see, for a full five minutes. He rubbed shoulders that practically vibrated with nervous tension, praying the bastard hadn’t touched her. They stood, Carrie’s face buried in his chest, her arms wrapped tightly around his waist. He rocked from side to side, keeping his silence until she push
ed away with a renewed grip on her emotions.
“You okay?” He didn’t trust himself to ask more than that.
She nodded and wiped at the corner of her eye. “I am now, but it was a long drive. Can you show me where your restroom is, please?”
Once she’d stepped into his bathroom, he walked out to get a closer look at her car. His jaw clenched furiously as he examined the jagged crack in the windshield. God, he hoped she wasn’t in the driver’s seat when that happened.
He walked back into the house to pace impatiently until she rejoined him.
By the time Carrie emerged, looking relatively unscathed, Sam was the one tied in knots.
She approached slowly and lifted her gaze to his. “Hey.”
Once more, he reined in his anger for her. “Hey, pretty girl. You ready to talk about it yet?”
She released a trembling breath. “Dave showed up at my door just as I was leaving. If I’d left one minute earlier, I’d have missed him.” She lifted one finger. “There is a bright side to this.”
Sam shifted uneasily and clasped his hands behind his head, squeezing his elbows together. “I’d love to hear it right about now.”
She placed her hand gently on his chest to calm him.
“Go on, tell me the rest.”
“I’m sure he’s behind the phone calls, Sam. I think you and my mom were both right.”
Once he heard everything she and Rob had discussed, he grunted his approval. “It sounds like the Chief’s on the ball.”
“He is. Now, can we please drop the subject for the rest of the night?”
Sam smiled and stepped back to drink in her appearance. “You always look good, but—wow. Is all this for me?”
She made a show of looking around the room. “Actually, it’s for that other guy I saw lounging around here—”
He pulled her close. “Always the smart ass.”
“Would you want me any other way?” One delicate brow arched in question.
“Absolutely not.”
He locked his arms around her, luxuriating in her warmth, her soft curves, and her smell, spicy and sensual. He felt the rightness of her being here, like some missing piece of his life had fallen neatly into place.
She buried her nose in the front of his shirt and groaned, low and inviting. “God, you smell good.”
He rested his chin on the top of her head. “It feels good having you here, Carrie.”
“It feels good being here. It’s easier than I thought it’d be.”
He grinned at the strangeness of her thoughts mirroring his. “Is it?”
She nodded and pulled away from him. “It’s too easy.”
She looked around, seeming to appraise his home, and he wished again he had more to offer.
“So, I’ve already seen the bathroom. Want to show me around the rest of your place?”
“It’s nothing fancy. I’m a simple man, I guess, but it’s been my home-sweet-home for twenty years.” He grimaced at painful memories. “Sometimes it was sweet, anyway—other times, not so much.” He showed her the living room, kitchen, and small dining area in the back.
“This place has good bones, but it does seem a little bare.”
“Linda took a few things with her when she left initially, then a few more things over the last year or so.”
She bobbed her head in agreement. “Two bachelors living alone—yeah, it looks a little like a man cave.”
“I guess I got used to it. Would you like a beer or something? I’ve got your favorite.”
“Just in case you thought you could get me drunk and have your way with me?” she teased.
“You know I wouldn’t do that, don’t you?”
Carrie gave him a playful shove on his arm. “I know that. I’ll take that beer, thanks.” She accepted the long neck bottle from him. “How’d you know this was my favorite beer?”
“I heard you tell J.C. a couple of months ago,” he answered.
“You paid attention that long ago?”
He opened a door and nodded. “Here’s the spare room … and here’s my room.” He reached out to push open the partially closed door to reveal his California-king-size bed.
Her eyes widened noticeably. “That’s a big ole bed.”
“Too big, lately,” he murmured.
“What?”
“Uh, I’m tall, so I need a big bed.” He led her to the back end of the house, where the dining room and second bath were located.
After Carrie admired his various pieces of woodworking, which included the dining room table, she pointed to a doorway at the end of the back hall. “What’s through there?”
“Nick’s room, and it’s not fit for human eyes.”
Carrie raised her hand. “Say no more. I don’t go into Grant’s room unless my tetanus shot is up to date. You keep a neat house, Sam.”
He burst into nervous laughter. “It wasn’t quite this neat when you called. I mopped and did some laundry.”
“Just for me?”
Sam beamed at her and nodded. “You impressed?”
“I am.”
He turned, remembering the gift he’d bought her. “Hold on a sec, I got a little something for you.” He walked into his bedroom to retrieve the gift. By the time he got back to her, she held a wrapped gift in her hands. “Great minds think alike, I guess.” He held a gift bag up to her. “Merry Christmas, Carrie.”
She opened the card first and smiled at the Christmas Village scene. She remained silent as she read what he’d written on the blank surface:
Carrie,
Thank you for taking a chance on me. I plan to make sure you don’t regret it.
Merry Christmas,
Sam
He watched her blink rapidly, as though to keep tears back.
“Thank you, Sam.” She put the card gently aside and turned her attention to the package. She pulled out the sheets of tissue to reveal a stuffed alligator with a wreath around its neck and carrying a sign in its mouth that boasted Cajun Christmas Greetings. The bag also contained a package of Magnolia scented potpourri.
A wide smile spread across her face as she looked at the stuffed gator. “How adorable. Thank you, Sam. I love it.” She turned around and gave him a hug. “Now, it’s your turn.” She handed him the box and card.
He read the card first and thanked her, then opened the boxed ‘Facts for Fun’ note block, each sheet bordered with interesting facts and statements.
“May you never run out of useless information, Sam.”
“Man, I love reading stuff like this. Thank You, Carrie.”
He leaned toward her, and brushed her lips lightly with a kiss, then backed away. His gaze locked onto hers like a beacon, and within moments he’d pulled Carrie into his arms for another kiss; this one deep, penetrating, and perfect. Sam knew he got it right when she shivered and arched her back like a cat. Tongues softly explored, lips molded, heads tilted ever so slightly to achieve just the right angle for optimum contact. Her arms looped around his neck to cling as tightly as he did. He hadn’t experienced a kiss like that in too damn long.
He ended it slowly, pulling away, going back for just one more, then another, then one last taste of softness. Finally, backing off, separating himself from her, denying the contact his body longed for.
A single sigh escaped her lips as she stepped away, squeezing her eyes closed for a moment longer. When she finally met his gaze, he saw his own feelings of need reflecting back. He knew she also felt unsure of him, terrified to take another chance. He stared down at her, feeling lucky, and curious. He couldn’t help but wonder what life had in store for them.
She backed away from him and cleared her throat. “So, what’s the plan for this evening?” Her voice wavered, revealing her jitters. She walked slowly to the tree, her booted footsteps echoing on the bare wooden floor.
“I thought I’d take you to a restaurant first, then a movie.”
“I haven’t been to dinner and a movie since the twins were in
first grade. Is there a theater around here?”
“No, but I’m only thirty minutes to Lake Coburn. Do you mind getting back on the road?”
“Not if I’m just the passenger. Do you have the internet to check the schedule?”
Sam pulled out the weekly paper and turned to the movie schedule. They bent their heads to study it.
Carrie tapped the paper with her forefinger. “I heard the one with George Clooney was really good.”
Sam pointed to the comedy. “I heard the same thing about this one.” He laughed at the face she made. “We can see something else.”
“How about this one?” she asked, pointing to the last on the list.
Sam sucked in his stomach and puffed out his chest. “You’re not going to compare me to Val Kilmer all night, are you?”
“Relax, Big Boy, Val doesn’t look like he did in Top Gun anymore.”
Sam gave her a twisted smile. “Thanks, I feel loads better now.”
“Besides, I’m not on a date with Val, am I?” She looked down at the paper again. “There’s a feature at eight o’clock and it’s a quarter to six. I don’t have a problem with fast food for supper.”
Sam pushed away from the counter and shook his head. “My mama would slap me good if I took my first date in over twenty years to a burger joint. You want steak or seafood?”
She closed her eyes and sighed. “Mmm, steak. Definitely.”
“Beef –it’s what’s fer supper,” he drawled, putting his own twist on Sam Elliot’s advertisement. He placed a light kiss on her fingers. “Let’s go.”
Less than five minutes later, Carrie stepped down from Sam’s truck and gave him a tentative smile. “You know, if we were in Gardiner, tongues would be wagging already. You sure you want to do this?”
“I doubt anyone expects me to live the rest of my life like a monk. Besides, I don’t mind showing you off.” Sam paused at the door of the restaurant, his hand on the knob as he stared down at her.
“What’s wrong?” She gave her reflection a self-conscious go-over in the windowpane.
“Not a thing. Have I told you how happy I am you’re here with me tonight?”
She lifted a hand to his face for a gentle caress. “I think you just did.”