by Leger, Lori
Sam snorted with laughter. “Nothing like the thought of shopping to get a woman excited.”
“You got that right. I need to find something to put in that window.” She stopped suddenly on a page. “Oh, I like that,” she said, pointing to a lamp in the catalog. She turned toward her empty end tables. “I could use a pair of lamps.” She pulled the list out of her pocket and searched for a pen.
Sam grabbed the list from her hands and slapped it on the snack bar. “No more list. You worked hard. It’s time to sit back, relax, and enjoy it for a little while.”
As Sam pulled her into his embrace, she put her arms around his waist and lay her head on his chest. “Everyone worked hard. I owe you for this.”
He smiled and kissed the top of her head. “You don’t owe me a thing. I’m glad to help.” He gazed out into the living area. “You got this place pulled together quick, that’s for damn sure.”
“I never could stand to see a box that needed emptying. I like to get it over with as quickly as possible.” She pulled herself out of his embrace.
Sam’s head dropped to his chest as she pulled away. “Why do you keep doing that?”
She looked around. “Doing what?”
He wrapped her in his arms again. “You keep pulling away from me.” He nuzzled her as she tilted her head to the side in sweet surrender. He moved her hair with one hand and kissed her neck softly. “Damn, you always smell so good. Make sure you never run out of that stuff.”
Carrie’s eyes rolled back in bliss. “It was a gift,” she murmured. “I can’t afford to buy it for myself.”
“Then I’ll buy it for you. Who makes it?”
“Calvin Klein.”
“Mmm, and where do I find it?”
“Any department store,” she managed to add, as he layered gentle kisses and nips on her neck, creating the most tantalizing sensations. “It used to be a little pricey, but not so much anymore.”
Sam smiled in triumph as a strong shiver ran through her upper body. His words came out in a low growl. “I don’t care…totally worth it.”
She let her head fall back and he was quick to take advantage of her moment of weakness. In seconds she felt his hardness pressing against her.
Carrie moaned as he covered her mouth with his own in a heated kiss, all exploring tongue and soft lips. When it ended, she found the strength to push him away. Her voice husky with need, her core moist with wanting him, she barely managed to speak.
“Stop.”
His head fell back against his shoulders. “Why?”
“Why not?” She turned to pick up her list again.
Sam reached out and tugged gently at her wrist. “Talk to me.”
“Saa-aam,” she groaned. “Don’t pretend you don’t know what’s bothering me.”
“I know you feel like it’s happening a little too quickly.”
“A little?” she interjected. “Try a lot. This is happening a lot too fast.” She glared at his smug expression, growing more frustrated. “You only make the situation worse.”
He lifted his chin and stared down his nose at her. “How?”
“You know how, don’t make me say it,” she pleaded.
“I swear I don’t. How?”
Carrie gave him a hard stare that softened at the genuine expression of concern on his face. She answered in a voice, soft and sincere. “You make me want.”
His lip lifted at one edge before he managed to control the smile that lingered there, just out of sight. “Want what?”
“I’ve told you this before,” she whispered. She lifted her hands. “All of this. You—being here with you—all of it. I don’t know if it’s possible yet.”
“But you’re here and that’s half the battle.”
“You think so?” She closed her eyes and turned away from him to gather thoughts that spun around in her mind like a tornado. She’d overheard Lauren’s comment about bringing Toto here. She’d seen the look on her face. “I can’t lose my kids over you, Sam. They have to come first.”
“Lose your kids?” he huffed. “After everything you’ve told me about Dave’s antics, no judge in the world would award custody to him over you.”
She shook her head slowly. “I’m not talking about legally. I’m talking emotionally. I don’t want them to feel betrayed. I don’t want them to feel I’m choosing Kenton over Gardiner, because of you. If they start to feel like that, and I keep seeing you, what kind of message am I sending them? It would be like saying they don’t come first. Don’t you see that?”
He reached out and took her hand in his own. “I do see how that could be a possibility, but I don’t think it’ll happen that way. I believe God led us together at this point in our lives for a reason.”
She turned her tear-filled eyes up. “How do you know that?”
He smiled and pulled her into his arms. “I have faith, hon.” He hugged her then pushed her gently away from him. “But I do understand your fear, and I’ll try to be more understanding and less—what’s that word you used at your mom’s today? Oh, yeah—” He grinned. “Irresistible.”
She wiped at her eyes. “You’re such a smart ass.”
Laughter rumbled deep in his chest. “Get used to it, babe. I come from a long line of smart asses.”
“Really? I come from a long line of bitchy women,” she volunteered.
“No, you don’t,” he insisted. “Your mom seems sweet as she can be, and so do you and your sisters.”
One brow arched devilishly. “As long as you don’t cross us.”
He stood in the shadow of the plate glass window and watched through the sliver of space between the sheet and the window jamb. All he needed was a pinhole to see into the entire length of the room, as long as they stayed in the living area. He cursed in a low growl as she moved out his sight and into the kitchen, while the big guy stayed behind to set up her television. At least they weren’t hanging all over each other. That had nearly driven him over the edge.
What the hell did she see in that guy? She needed someone younger, in better shape. His jealousy boiled into the danger zone, as Sam stood to ask her something. He emitted a low guttural sound as Carrie walked over to the television set to meet him.
I know what I want. His smiled stretched over his face. And if that big old boy knows what’s good for him, he’ll stay the hell out of my way when I’m ready to go after it.
Sam stood and stretched his back. “Okay, you’ve got a signal,” he said. “You can thank your landlord for leaving this antenna up. You can catch all the locals—Lake Coburn, Lafayette, Alexandria, and three different PBS channels. It’s not cable, but it’s better than nothing.”
Carrie stopped rearranging the lower cabinet and sent him a smile. “Thanks, it’s good enough for me.”
“I wonder how long it takes to get a phone. You sure you won’t consider a mobile? You get immediate service.”
“I can’t be bogged down with a contract. Land line with dial up internet is all I can handle, and that’s only because my mom insists on paying for half until I get a few promotions under my belt.”
“I hate that you’ll be cut off from anyone until it’s installed.”
“As long as I can open a window and scream, I won’t be cut off.” She watched as Sam’s mouth tightened in a grim line. “We’ll be fine.”
“Wait a minute. I have a set of wireless radios and I can give you one for tonight.” A relieved smile erased the lines of worry.
“You mean, like the walkie-talkies we use surveying at work?”
“Yep,” he nodded. “And they’ll communicate just fine from this distance.”
Carrie called to him when he got to the door. “You’re spoiling me, you know.”
He shrugged. “Just doing what your family asked me to do. I promised them I’d take care of you.”
“Did you? So tell me, what else did you people talk about behind my back?”
“Most of it you’ve already told me yourself. I got a few death
threats and a couple ‘I know people’ speeches if I break your heart. The usual, when I meet a new woman.”
“Smart ass!” she called out as he left to get the radios.
She walked out to the back porch, looking out over a nice covered area. It faced the spacious backyard containing at least two huge oaks. The trees would provide abundant escape from summer heat a few months down the road. Heat wasn’t an issue tonight, as the temperature had steadily dropped since their arrival. It would be in the lower twenties by midnight, hard freeze weather.
Her breath vaporized into white puffs as it met with the already freezing air temperature. It was dark, but not so dark that she couldn’t see. There were no clouds to block the moon, nearly full in its stage of growth. The crystal clear sky glittered with pinpricks of dazzling light from visible stars. She could see all the way back to the west end of the yard, where the hurricane fence separated her lot from the neighboring lot. My yard. “Toto’s going to love this place,” she whispered.
A loud “SNAP” to the left drew her attention. She whipped her head in that direction and caught sight of a dark object disappearing around the corner of the house. A sudden chill swept up the back of her neck, causing her hair to stand on end. Her heart pounded with adrenaline, producing terror as the feeling of being watched increased.
All that brave talk this morning of taking care of Dave herself came to mind. Here, alone in the dark, in a house with no means of communication? Just talk. She felt foolish for being out here alone—and worst of all—she was too terrified to move.
She swallowed, forced herself to speak. “Dave? Is that you?” Of course it was, she thought, trying to work up a healthy dose of anger, which beat the hell out of being scared to death. She forced herself to remain there and breathe deeply. Cigarettes. She smelled cigarettes, but not just any kind. Marlboro—the Reds—the kind her dad had smoked for as long as she could remember. Dave, like her, had never smoked a day in his life. If it wasn’t Dave out there, then who the hell was it?
She took another deep breath, wishing like hell she’d thought to have the kids bring Toto here tonight. She controlled her fear enough to call out. “Who’s there?”
Another rustle and snap to the left had her stifling a scream. She forced herself to back slowly into the house to shut and lock the back door. She tiptoed toward the front door, searching every nook and cranny of the kitchen and living room on her way there. A loud rattle in the kitchen had her whipping around, fully prepared to see someone trying to get in through the back door. By the time she realized the culprit was the fridge’s icemaker, she was on the verge of an ear-splitting scream. Carrie spun toward the front door, then recoiled in terror as footsteps pounded up the porch. Her heart nearly exploded with the rush of adrenaline as the door swung wide.
Sam took one look at her face and rushed to her. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
Her shaking knees nearly gave out as she reached for him. “Please tell me that was you out by the back porch,” she gasped.
He shook his head.
“Did you see anyone?”
“Not a soul. What happened?”
“I was standing out on the back porch and I heard a noise, like someone stepped on a twig or something. It was a loud snap.”
Sam’s jaw clenched visibly.
“I saw a blur of something dark going around the corner of the house. Maybe the phone calls have me paranoid, but I smelled cigarettes—Reds—Marlboro Reds.”
“What brand does Dave smoke?”
“He’s not a smoker—never has been. Sam, I know you’ll think I’m crazy, but it just didn’t feel like it was Dave out there.”
A frisson of pent-up fear worked its way up her neck. She rubbed the goose bumps that appeared on her bare arms, even though the house was warm and toasty.
“Hey, come here.” Sam pulled her to him and rubbed his hands up and down her arms and her back. “Those aren’t from the cold that’s for damn sure. It must be near eighty degrees in here.” He craned his head to search the area near the back door. “Okay, babe, I want to go check around the house, and I want you to stay in here.”
“Didn’t I tell you I wasn’t that type of girl?” She threw on her coat and latched onto his arm with both hands.
The two of them walked outside arm-in-arm, circling the house, and found nothing suspicious.
“I’m going to call Len tomorrow and see about a security light.” He put his arm around her shoulders. “Come on. Let’s go back to my place. When you’re ready to come back with the kids, I’ll come with you to check it out.”
She nodded, got her keys and locked up. During the walk to Sam’s, she stopped to look back at her house. “I don’t want to say anything to the kids about this, but I’ll sure feel better when Toto’s here. I’ll be fine once he’s out there. He’s a good watch dog. He’ll set off an alarm if anyone’s snooping around.”
Sam opened his front door. “You must be exhausted. Go stretch out on the sofa until the kids get back.”
“I’m too pumped up to sleep. Is there anything good on TV tonight?”
“Let’s check it out,” he said, sitting down with the remote. Opening credits of The Christmas Story flashed on one of the cable networks.
“Ooh, leave it there, please!”
Sam grabbed a knitted afghan and a pillow from a chair, before seating himself on one end of the sofa and propping his feet on an ottoman.
Carrie had nearly dozed off with her head tucked snugly in the crook of Sam’s arm, when their four teenagers drove up in Grant’s truck. She groaned, giving Sam a look of apology, and moved to the opposite end of the sofa before the kids came bursting through the front door.
Gretchen’s face flushed with excitement as well as the cold. “Mom, we met so many people!”
Grant entered next. “They do the same thing here as we do in Gardiner. Ride around and meet up in a store parking lot to talk.”
Sam grunted. “One small town is pretty much like any other, Grant.”
“There sure are some good looking girls here,” Grant added.
Gretchen grinned at her mother. “I saw a couple of cute prospects, too.”
Lauren plopped herself down between Carrie and Sam. “I love this movie!”
The others planted themselves in various positions on the living room furniture and even on the floor.
Carrie reached out to touch Lauren’s hair. “Did y’all meet any kids your ages?”
“We met our landlord’s son. Nick, what’s his name? Kyle something?”
“Kyle Martin,” Nick told her.
Lauren lifted her face to Carrie’s. “He’s kind of cute.”
Carrie smiled over at her daughter. “I haven’t met him, but his dad seems like a nice man.”
“Kyle’s a good kid, stays out of trouble—” Sam added.
Gretchen laughed. “He must not hang out with you then, huh, Nick?”
Nick gave her a playful shove. “He’s two years younger than me, and besides—Shut up, twerp.”
Gretchen shoved him back. “Make me, punk.”
Sam met Carrie’s gaze across the top of Lauren’s head. “You know, Kyle lost his mom to cancer a few years ago.”
“He did?” Lauren turned to Sam.
Sam nodded. “Yep, it was rough on him—on all of them. She was a real nice lady.”
“That’s so sad. It must be awful to lose your mom like that.” She turned to face the television set, but leaned back to place her head against Carrie’s shoulder.
Carrie cradled her daughter with one arm, and placed a kiss on her crown. Nick pulled out a gift canister full of popcorn, and the six of them settled in to watch the movie.
When Lauren vacated her seat to go to the restroom, Carrie took the opportunity to snuggle close to Sam, covering herself with the afghan. When Lauren came back, Carrie pulled her close to share the afghan with her.
After a while, Sam leaned over and whispered in Carrie’s ear. “This is
nice, isn’t it?”
She nodded without lifting her head from his chest. “It is, but it would also be nice to go home, take a hot bath, and go to bed, too.”
“But this is on cable and you don’t have it,” he reminded her. “You wouldn’t want to deprive our children of a great Christmas tradition?”
“What tradition?”
“Maybe we could make it our new Christmas tradition,” he whispered.
Carrie felt Lauren’s arm curl around hers and felt a moment of doubt wiggle its way into the mix. “We’ll see.”
They watched the rest of the movie, cheering and laughing as they watched Ralphie run from bullies, get caught cussing, decode a message, and finally get his BB gun. They all sang the fa-ra-rah’s at the last restaurant scene and applauded as the credits rolled.
Carrie stood, holding back a yawn. “Okay, kids. We’ve bothered Sam and Nick long enough. It’s time to go home.”
“At least you don’t have far to go,” Nick said.
“Sure don’t.” She slipped on her coat and smiled, as Sam reached for her.
He adjusted her collar. “Y’all are welcome anytime.”
“Thanks, Sam.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he mumbled. “Are you ready to go, pretty girl?”
The twins, who stood off to the side, exchanged tortured looks. “Oh, God, y’all aren’t going to get all mushy on us or anything, are you?” Gretchen rolled her eyes.
Carrie grinned at Sam. “Everybody got their coats? It’s way below freezing out there.” She turned to Nick. “Thanks for showing them around, Nick. See you later.”
Grant and the girls told him goodbye and piled out the door to run on ahead.
“Watch those steps!” Sam called to them just as the twins slipped on the already iced over steps and fell into a giggling heap. They recovered quickly and raced to the house on the corner.
As Sam and Carrie approached, she stopped to make sure she hadn’t left anything in her car. She locked it and turned to Grant as he spoke, his voice tight with concern.