Love in a Small Town

by Betty Jo Schuler

  "I'll be busy at the house tomorrow," Sam said.

  "Lily says you want to sell it. That's too bad. I knew your grandfather. We used to play pinochle together."

  It took Sam another twenty minutes to get away, after which he hurried home without going by Radiance to say 'hello' to Lily. Brandy, at this moment, might be messing up his house. He didn't know if she was housebroken.

  She was, as far as he could tell, but she had a weak stomach when it came to Elvis Burgers. Sam was cleaning up dog barf and trying to keep from losing his lunch when his cell phone rang.

  "Samuel," Elizabeth purred. He hated to be called Samuel but she hated Sam, so he'd learned to bear it. He also hated it when Elizabeth purred because it meant she wanted something.

  "What's up?" Realizing he sounded abrupt, he rephrased his question. "Is everything all right?"

  "It will be if you come back and fly to Massachusetts with me Sunday. I hate flying, especially alone, and you and I could see the city together. Don't you need a vacation?"

  "I once lived in Boston, and I have work to do here. The house is full of furniture and personal belongings I need to sort before listing with a realtor."

  "So, I'm at the bottom of your priority list?"

  "Elizabeth, I want to finish here as quickly as possible so I can be on campus when Rybolt names the new department chair."

  A long pause filled the air and Sam squirmed. "I thought you knew. He postponed the announcement for another six weeks or so."

  "Why would he do that?" Was Rybolt seeking other candidates or had someone else sought him out? "I'm the only candidate, aren't I?"

  "I haven't heard of any others."

  Sam breathed a sigh of relief. "I don't understand the delay. He as much as told me he was going to tap me."

  "Then, why worry? Samuel? I really want you to come to Boston with me."

  "I told you…" Brandy was lying on Sam's foot, snoring softly, but he heard Lily's bomber hit the driveway next door anyway. He'd have to talk to her about that muffler. If she worked for the mayor, it was a wonder he hadn't mentioned it.

  Elizabeth, ignoring his refusal, talked about the weather and what kind of clothes would be suitable for this time of year in Boston. Sam made appropriate noises until he looked out the kitchen window and spotted Lily standing at the window upstairs. She was stretching, arms raised over her head, back arched—naked.

  He gasped, juggled the phone, catching it just before it hit the floor.

  "What's going on?" Elizabeth demanded.

  "Nothing's on…uh…going on." He licked his dry lips and tried to recapture his line of thought. Lily disappeared from the window and he couldn't help wishing she'd reappear. She'd looked as graceful as a ballerina and perfect as a centerfold.

  "Then why, when I ask you to fly back to Arizona and make the trip to Boston with me, did you start breathing like a telephone stalker?"

  "I'm running out of breath from telling you I can't go."

  "You mean…won't go. Fine. If the only thing you care about is that house and furniture…and the appointment…forget I asked a favor. From now on, you can follow your own agenda, Samuel Champion, and I'll follow mine."

  He winced at the sound of the receiver banging in his ear, but as his eyes sought out the window across the yards where he'd seen Lily, he picked up the smooth stone he'd laid on the windowsill and rubbed it between his thumb and fingers.

  What was his agenda?

  * * *

  Lily leaned her head back, letting the water from the shower stream over her face and hair. She usually brought Brandy in from her pen first thing, but fifteen minutes wouldn't matter to a dog and she needed revived.

  She'd stopped at Brandenburg's for fresh produce and run into two sweet little old ladies who'd heard there was someone new in town. Lily fended questions about Sam until her lettuce and vitality wilted. No, he wasn't planning to live there. Yes, he was handsome. A female clerk overheard and agreed about his looks. He'd stopped in earlier for a few groceries, she announced, and was carrying a people bag from Jodie's. "Handsome was hardly the word for him."

  Lily nodded her agreement, while hoping Jodie stuck to stories about her own life and refrained from sharing tales about the mayor's efforts to save the town.

  After a brief stop downstairs, Lily had shed her clothes on the way up the steps. Feeling delightfully free, she threw open her bedroom window to gaze across at Sam's house. She couldn't see him, but she could imagine him staring at the stove, thinking how tired he was from working around the house, and how hungry. He liked a good meal, and he'd fed her last night. She could return the favor without giving the impression she was chasing him; she hoped, and after dinner, she'd hand him his invitation to the reunion.

  Lily showered quickly, and after drying herself with a thick, fluffy towel, tied her hair up with a ribbon. The humidity that was making it frizz would make blow-drying an interminable task.

  She buttoned cutoff denim overalls over a strapless halter. She'd sauté the fresh mushrooms and onion she'd bought and top quarter-pound ground beef patties with those and gravy from a jar. When that was in the oven, she'd run over to his house. "Sam," she'd say, "I'm just fixing a simple meal—Salisbury steak, green salad, and fresh straw berries, but I wondered if you'd like to join me."

  Singing an old song her mother used to sing, she sliced the onion. "I'm a lonely little petunia in an onion patch." She could only remember one line, and after repeating it several times, stopped to wipe the tears from her eyes.

  She put a skillet on the stove and dropped in half a stick of butter. Turning on the burner, she took the mushrooms out of the fridge and washed them.

  He'd shopped too and she hoped her menu sounded better so he'd want to come. Sam was attracted to her, she thought, but she'd been sure Nick Noland loved her and he'd found someone else two weeks after he left for college. Lily felt her cheeks heat up remembering her humiliation when she received his letter.

  She turned the butter off while she sliced the mushrooms. After so many years, she looked forward to the reunion dinner-dance. But everyone else would have a spouse or date, and Nick, the turncoat, would be there with his wife, if he was still married. Lily loved dancing and she'd be stuck on the sidelines, unless she and Sam went together.

  Over strawberries, at the end of the meal, she would hand him his invitation. Surely he'd go if he were still in town. She turned the skillet on again. Unless he thought it would be boring, she mused. He wasn't sold on small towns, and school functions were routine for him.

  "Stop it, Lily." She stomped her foot. "You never procrastinate, and Sam Champion isn't going to change that."

  She pushed open the screen door but struck by a sense she'd forgotten something, paused. It was quiet in the house and yard. Too quiet.

  "Of course." She slapped her palm against her forehead. "I forgot to let Brandy in."

  * * *

  Sam had just reached the top of the stairs when he heard Lily banging on his door, shouting. He'd been trying to decide what to say to her ever since he'd seen her stretching. She was a vision in the flesh but shouldn't undress in front of the window. Should he say he'd seen her and thought she should be more careful?

  He ran down the steps and unhooked the screen, still in a daze. How much time had passed since Elizabeth hung up on him? When Brandy padded back upstairs, he'd gone to check on her.

  Lily stood at his back door, dressed, although her clothing was noticeably brief. "Sam." Her chin started quivering when she saw him. She waved her arms, her eyes wild.

  "What's wrong?" He stilled her arms, and feeling firm muscles under velvety skin, the vision of her standing by the window hit him again, full force.

  "Brandy's gone. She broke down the fence. I have to find her. I thought you might have seen which way she went. The dog catcher will pick her up." She pulled away to grasp his arms.

  "Browning has a dog catcher?" He knew when he asked, it was an inane question, and the look she gav
e him, confirmed that. He also should have known what was wrong, but touching her stole all conscious thought.

  "Of course. We have all the necessary officials. It's just…" Lily, her cheeks turning pink, broke off. She was beautiful even when flustered.

  "Just what?"

  Shaking him, she wailed. "The dog catcher doesn't like me and he'll make me pay a big fine to get her back."

  What could Lily have done to make a dogcatcher mad? "I assume you mean he doesn't like your dog."

  "The man doesn't like me. I…uh…isn't important. I don't have time to discuss politics." She dug her fingers into his arms. "My dog is gone."

  "Brandy is fine. She's upstairs. What do you mean… politics?"

  Lily sighed deeply. "I suppose you'll have to know. Wait…my dog is in your house? What's she doing here? Why didn't you say so? Where is she?"

  "Slow down and breathe, and I'll tell you."

  "Smart aleck." She let out a shrill whistle. At least, it was meant to be a whistle. It came out more like a shrill fizzle.

  Brandy came trotting down the steps and lay at her feet.

  "You naughty dog." Lily sagged to the floor where she simultaneously scolded and hugged the golden retriever.

  Sam sank down on a kitchen chair and watched. The flowered halter-top worn under brief overalls made an interesting outfit. A sprinkling of freckles danced their way lightly across Lily's shoulders. It was surprising for a redhead those were all the freckles she seemed to have. Her copper hair, damp from a shower, hung in ringlets that sparkled in the late afternoon sunlight coming through the window. A ribbon she'd tied around it trailed down her back.

  "You could have told me sooner," she said, glaring up at him.

  "I'm sorry. I saw you looking out the window… undressed…and I was still dazed."

  "That was half an hour ago. You couldn't still be thinking about that."

  "Want to bet I couldn't?" he asked.

  Ducking her head to hide her face, she murmured, "Do you have anything cold to drink?"

  He turned toward the refrigerator. "You shouldn't…" He didn't finish.

  "I wasn't expecting a peeping Tom." Rising with as much dignity as he'd guess she could muster, she smoothed her overalls. Brandy, obviously content, left the room again. Lily looked after her like she'd lost her best friend.

  "She found a cool spot upstairs." Sam opened the refrigerator. "Cold beer or orange juice?"

  "I love cold beer on a hot day, and it is hot. I was on my way to the shower when you saw me."

  She was beginning to sound like herself, loving everything. Popping the cap on a bottle, he handed it to her along with a glass. "I'm sorry you were alarmed. I took her in so she wouldn't run away."

  "Thanks." She tipped the bottle and took a long draught. He watched with amusement. She obviously thought she could handle beer better than wine.

  "Ready to tell me yet?" he asked.

  "I hoped you'd forgotten." She took a seat across from him at the table. "Earl Sparks, the animal warden, wanted to be mayor."

  "And he doesn't like you because you work at the mayor's office?"

  Lily set her beer on the table with a resounding clank. "Wha-at?

  He smiled knowingly. "I ate lunch at The Chrome Grill."

  She lifted the cold bottle and held it against her forehead. "I forgot. Then you know…everything."

  Sam wondered how she knew to forget and what 'everything' was. He was pretty sure, at this point, it was more than he knew. "I'd like to hear it from you."

  Lily took a slug from her beer bottle and raised it to her forehead again. "Sparks is also trash collector but wanted to be utilities commissioner and mayor. We double up a lot in Browning."

  We? Sam was getting more confused by the minute. "And his reason for being mad at you would be?"

  "I got the positions he wanted. I'm mayor and utilities commissioner."

  "You're what?"

  "You didn't know." She rolled her eyes back in her head. "You…tricked me."

  "I knew you worked at the mayor's office but thought you were a secretary."

  "Why would you think that? Can't a woman hold public office?"

  "It isn't that. It's just…. let me get this straight. You are mayor of Browning? You left…I mean…took the key to Radiance with you when you left the mayor's office?"

  Lily's face grew redder with each word he uttered.

  Sam shook his head. If it wasn't all so ridiculous, he might have laughed, but it was beyond laughable. Or was it? "Were both positions up for grabs? Did you just toss your name in a hat?"

  She stood up, hands on hips, and glared at him. "We vote, just like people in larger towns, and I was running for mayor, not animal warden. I wouldn't have the heart to pick up pets that strayed. Nor was I running for trash collector. We were both campaigning to be mayor, and utilities commissioner is thrown into the job description. The other two offices are appointed, and when he lost the election to me, I thought I'd do him a favor."

  Sam chuckled. "He took the favor but didn't appreciate it?"

  "Exact-- Oh my hell! There's smoke coming out my back door and kitchen window and . . . "

  Lily ran out the door and across the lawn. Sam called 911, fast, before following. By the time he reached her house, she'd gone around to the front door and was going in. "Lily, wait! I called the fire department."

  He grabbed her in the living room, as she tried to fight her way through the smoke to the kitchen. She fought him and he wrestled her into his arms and carried her out. Standing on the front lawn, she continued to struggle, but he hung on.

  "It's not my house, dammit. I have to put out the fire."

  Thankfully, a siren sounded just then. Lily's halter-top slipped lower, giving him a glimpse of pale skin. Her squirming began to excite him now that help had come. She didn't seem to notice aid was coming.

  "Put me down or I'm going to sock you." She doubled up a fist and waved it threateningly under his chin.

  A small tanker truck drove up followed by half a dozen cars and pickups. Volunteer firemen; he should have expected that.

  He dropped her on her feet, and she glared at him. "You just ruined my life. Thanks a million."

  "I thought I saved it." Sam stalked off.

  Chapter Five

  Lily sank down on the front step of Jenny Oates' home and buried her face in her hands. She'd watched the last fireman climb in his pickup and drive off after promising to send an insurance adjuster to assess the damage.

  The stove was ruined and the kitchen wall burned through. The firemen covered the hole with plastic to keep out rain, if it ever came. The kitchen floor was ruined by water from the fire hoses and the rest of the house sooty and smoke damaged. The house reeked and so did she.

  Sam, who'd left when she'd spouted off to him, returned to sink down on the step beside her. He laid an arm awkwardly across her shoulders, Brandy licked her wet cheek, and the tears began to fall. It wasn't just guilt she felt at messing up Jenny's house, or the discomfort of temporary homelessness, but a delayed panic reaction that made her cry. She'd seen people hideously burned when her sister worked at Shriners' Burn Institute, and the folly of running in there struck full blast now. He had saved her life and she'd acted terrible. "I'm sorry. I was just so upset. What I did was dumb. I shouldn't have gone in. I know better. Th…thank you, Sam."

  "It's okay," he said softly.

  "My sister Cindy was a nurse in pediatrics at Shriners Burn Institute in Cincinnati and just seeing those children tore me up inside. She was great with them." Lily sobbed harder and he drew her closer. Brandy whined pitifully. "Cindy died of cancer nine years ago."

  "That's why you identified so quickly when I told you about Mom."

  She nodded against his chest and tried to stop crying. After several long minutes, she succeeded and settling into the comforting arms that held her, hung onto Sam with one hand and stroked Brandy's back with the other. "A friend in a care center lets me stay here. She trus
ted me." Limp from an assault of emotions, she burrowed her head into his shoulder.

  "Insurance will likely pay for the damage." He gently pushed her away and holding onto her shoulders, looked into her eyes. "You have your dog and a place to stay. I have extra bedrooms."

  "I couldn't." She hesitated, but feeling harbored in his arms, changed her mind. "Maybe I could. For just one night."

  * * *

  Sam put Lily up in the room where he'd been sleeping. She didn't want to take his bed, but he persuaded her. It looked more feminine with its flowered wallpaper, but he'd chosen it because the shower worked better. He told her the other bedroom had its own bath as well, and this one had a place where she could set up her computer. He gave her one of his tee shirts to sleep in and carried over a few things she wanted from the other house—a toothbrush, personal CD player with some CD's, and her purse—all easily located.

  She sank down in a faded satin chair clutching his Cranston tee shirt, and watched while he stripped the sheets. Looking dazed, she watched him put on clean bedding he found in the hall linen closet. It smelled faintly of lavender, and she picked up a pillowcase to press it to her face. A tiny smile curved her lips. "Nice."

  "I like it." His grandmother's sachets had lasted over the years.

  After he'd gotten Lily's room ready for later, he fixed her a cheese sandwich and a bowl of chicken noodle soup while she showered. He'd heard chicken soup was good for what ails a person and hoped it worked for depression.

  "I was going to invite you to eat with me," she said, when she came downstairs. His tee shirt was an oversized one he'd bought for working out, and covered more than her previous outfit. "I was melting butter, and when I found Brandy gone, forgot."

  No wonder she'd started a fire. "I'll take a rain check on dinner."

  "It may never rain again."

  "It will, someday."

  "I may never cook again."

  "Everything will be okay. I'll do the cooking for now. Smile."

  She grinned weakly, and setting her dishes in the sink, he handed her a beer. Grabbing one for himself, he led her to the front porch. He preferred the one in back, but she could see her house from there and the smell of smoke was more likely to drift their way.