She looked triumphant, as if she'd already saved Browning. Sam didn't want to take away from her plan, but he felt compelled to mention something. "Isn't that putting the band at the wrong end of the parade? Shouldn't you bring new businesses and residents to town first?"
Lily shook her head. "If we have a place for parents to leave their children, we'll be able to bring in more business, and area builders will take an interest in putting up an apartment complex. The apartments where you lived when we graduated are the only ones in town. They're old, with no place to park except on the street, and no laundry facilities. We need a new complex, but I'm convinced a community building is the first thing Browning needs.
"Our class reunion will be held at a rented hall in Richdale. We could keep that money in our own community if we had a building that could be used evenings and weekends for meetings, reunions, and wedding receptions."
The word wedding rang in his ears. A vision of Lily dressed in white, her glorious red-gold hair cascading beneath a wisp of lace fastened by a band of flowers, formed in Sam's mind.
Lily planted her hands on her hips. "Why are you looking at me that way?"
He must be losing his mind. Maybe the scent she wore was intoxicating. He shook his head, trying to clear it. He should have followed his earlier instincts and stayed away from whatever spells she might weave.
"Are you trying to say I can't accomplish my goals?"
Sam recaptured her hands and folding them inside his, held them close to his chest. "I was shaking my head in wonderment. You are so vivacious, so determined, so damned beautiful--not that beauty is pertinent to your goals—I'm positive you can do anything you set your mind to, or your heart on."
And that scares the hell out of me.
Chapter Seven
Lily let Brandy off her leash and she trotted away, following the track as if she were used to it. Sam rested on the bleachers watching Lily catch up.
"If you wanted me to change shoes so I could run, I'm glad I didn't," he called after her.
She made running look easy. She seemed so lighthearted and free, her goals for the town surprised him. She wasn't the airhead he'd first thought, but she was an enigma. A community center for a town this size didn't make a whole lot of sense, and yet . . .
Brandy, after running half the second lap, loped back to lie at Sam's feet. "I knew you were a smart dog," he said, petting her head.
She yawned and tucked her head between her paws. Sam leaned against the warm wood of the bleacher behind him. A pleasant breeze moved across the field, drying his perspiration and making him cool. He enjoyed watching Lily's long legs move rhythmically and marveled when she pulled her hair up and secured it in a ponytail without breaking stride.
He'd never taken an interest in Browning school activities because time seemed so short. One semester. His time here was short now.
Sam spotted a teenage couple kissing behind the bleachers. An elderly couple, holding hands, walked along an inner, smaller track at a slow but steady pace. It might be a grade and middle school now, but the track was a great place to come with your girl, at any age.
Couples fell in love and got married, and some of them stayed around. How many preschool children were there in Browning? How many latchkey kids needed a place to go after school? Had Lily looked at the figures? The university offered its staff a facility of that sort. He'd gone to the ribbon cutting and looked around. It was laid out nicely and he'd since heard their program was a good one. Several of his colleagues left their kids there and were quite happy with it.
Next time around, Lily stopped in front of him, running in place. Then she began her cooling-down exercises. Perspiration ran down her face and her ponytail hung askew. Her feet and ankles were dusty. Indiana needed rain badly.
"You look much too fresh," she said, still breathing hard.
"Watching you run is relaxing."
"Next time, you run with me." She tapped him on the nose.
"I didn't bring running shoes." He grabbed her finger and sucked the tip gently.
Her smile faded and he felt her shock. They barely knew one another, and he was acting like they were old friends, or lovers. "I'm sorry. You're just so easy to be with. I feel like we--"
"Know each other well? Me too." She wiped her face on her tank top and undoing her hair, shook it loose. Then, slithering out of the top, she used it to wipe the dust from her legs. The midriff length tee shirt fit closely and she stretched it, to let air in. Looking almost fresh, she rolled the oversized tank up and tied it around her waist. After finger-combing her hair, she started walking. He was so caught up in watching her, he had to hurry to catch up, again.
"Do you have brothers and sisters?" she asked, out of the blue, and he shook his head. "I'm one of six kids and money was tight. That's why I didn't get braces until I was out on my own." Lily smiled faintly.
He squeezed her hand. "An only child, I envied guys with big families."
"I loved growing up with two sisters and three brothers. The greatest sorrow of my life was losing Cindy." Lily took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Nursing is a tradition in our family. My mother and other sister are nurses. So was my aunt…Mom's sister. I'm not cut out for it, and that bothered me, especially after Cindy became ill. I felt so helpless. When she was moved to a hospice, I quit my job in Peoria and took a furnished apartment nearby, so I could see her every day. The hospice was where I met Jenny and where I learned a lot about treating the body and healing the spirit."
"And that's why you said doctors can't cure everything."
Lily nodded.
Sam hugged her to his side. Whatever she learned, she'd learned it well. She was so upbeat most of the time. "You said you quit your job. What were you doing?"
"I studied business administration in college so I would have a choice of jobs. I was most drawn to social work because I like helping people, but my parents discouraged me, saying there was no money in it. Money wasn't my primary objective, but I wanted to be financially independent, so I listened to them. I was working as assistant administrator of a nursing home when I quit."
"Let me guess. You still felt like you should be in nursing, because of the family tradition."
"Exactly." She gazed up at him, eyes bright. "But I'm basically a happy person and I can't stand the sight of vomit or blood." Lily turned her head, blushing. "I got away from that at Quality Care, since it was an office job. I hate keeping books, in case I haven't mentioned that, but we had accountants. I excel in public relations and fundraising, and as a result, I was able to make a number of improvements.
"Elderly people deserve respect and loving care, and they need a cheery atmosphere. Surroundings affect mood and energy levels, even influencing our health."
"Hence, aromatherapy and Lily's Own Oils."
"I contracted two widowed sisters to do the oils. It brightens their days and brings them a small income."
Sam tipped Lily's chin and looked into her heart-melting eyes. How could he have ever suspected she was shallow? He'd never known anyone with such depths of emotion. How many layers were there to this woman? "Are you happy with your life now?"
"Except for one thing." She laid her cheek against his hand. "I love children, and none of my nieces and nephews live close enough for me to become a busybody aunt. I'd spoil Tiger Lily if I could. She's the only tyke left in the family."
Lily straightened her shoulders and gave him a watery smile. "And even that wouldn't be like having kids of my own. I've always wanted three children, a boy and girl, and another of either gender, but here I am, thirty-eight and still single.
"I was the busiest baby-sitter in town during high school, and I worked at a daycare center summers when I was in college. I've thought about adopting, but I'd have to act fast or be turned down because of my age."
"Old lady, Lily." Smiling, Sam toyed with a lock of her hair. "Thirty-eight isn't old, and you have a lot to offer children. You're gorgeous and smart, and loving. I can't i
magine you'd have any trouble adopting or finding a husband."
"My mother says I'm too picky." She wrinkled her nose.
"Are you?"
"If asking for someone without a criminal record, who's reasonably intelligent with a kind and loving heart is too much to ask, the answer is yes."
"Even I could fill those requirements." He took her hand and held it to his lips, liking the feel of her satiny skin and the hint of fragrance. Was it Romance, or what scent had she used? If he wasn't careful, he'd begin to believe in aromatherapy. "So, choosiness isn't the problem, but I don't suppose there are many single men in a town this size."
"True, but when I lived in Peoria, there were plenty. Cindy used to say I was one of those old-fashioned romantics who are waiting for an inner voice to say, he's the one. She hadn't married either, but was in love with her work and the children she cared for. She'd begun seeing a doctor just before she got sick. When she learned she had cancer, she broke it off because she didn't want to put him through hard times. I don't know if she was in love, but she was selfless. That's why she was such a wonderful nurse."
"I'm sure you helped her through the hard times."
Lily nodded and brushed away a tear. "And she helped me. She took away my last shred of guilt by telling me all people have a gift, and mine was a loving heart and a sense of joy. She said, even when I was a baby, I was always smiling. She made me feel good about who I am and what I can do for people. She said there are some things we can't do, and she meant saving her. But she had a deep faith and a sense of completion with life, and death."
"Is your shop named for you?"
Lily stopped walking and looked up at him. "You're teasing; right?"
Sam laid his hands on her arms and turned her toward him. "Most certainly not. You have an inner radiance. Don't you know that?"
Her cheeks took on a bright splash of pink, but she didn't turn away or duck her head. "Thank you, Sam. That's the nicest thing anyone ever said to me, but the shop was named for Jenny, who cheered so many in the hospice and helped me discover what to do with my life."
Sam dropped a kiss on Lily's head. Her hair was warm and silky and delicious smelling, even after a run in the now-setting sun. Her arms were cool and he rubbed them lightly.
They were close to his house, and holding hands seemed entirely natural as they walked the last block. "I'd like to think I'm as romantic as the next man," Sam said, "but I don't know about that inner voice. I do know, I've never believed in love at first sight."
"I'm not asking the voice to speak the moment I meet someone. I believe love happens as you get to know one another, and one day, you realize, that person is the one."
"I hate to be cynical, but I wonder if a person ever really knows."
"I'm justifying my long wait on the assumption it does." She squeezed his hand. "Why haven't you married, if you're not waiting for a subliminal message?"
He tried to analyze his reasons as he spoke. "I've always put other things first. College. A job as a professor. My parents, after Mom took ill. Now…. "
Seeing a chance to change the subject, he told Lily about the appointment he hoped to receive. "Being named head of my department is important to me."
A long pause followed Sam's remark.
Lily felt as if he'd let all the air out of her, like a balloon that's been deflated and skitters through the air, whirling and whistling until it lands, shriveled and lifeless. She'd known Sam didn't intend to stay in Browning, but she'd harbored hope he'd change his mind. Now, she knew he wouldn't.
They'd finished their walk and the conversation, and while she thought she should say something, didn't trust herself to speak.
"I'd hoped to become department chairperson soon," Sam said, "but a colleague phoned to say the appointment has been postponed six weeks. I was pretty well assured of the position, and I can't think of a reason for the dean to drag his feet, or change his mind about me now." Sam sat down on the front steps and rested his elbows on his knees.
Sam could stay in Browning for six weeks. Lily's heart soared on new wings of hope. "It's probably one of those red tape things. There are any number of niggling little details that can slow the wheels of administration. I wouldn't worry if I were you."
He frowned and that little telltale wrinkle appeared between his eyes. "Stop fretting." She jostled him with her elbow. "Now that you have this time to spare, what are you going to do with it?"
"I was so caught up in the implications regarding the job, I haven't thought about it." Sam scratched his head. "I need a haircut, if I want to keep my hair short."
"Delilah at the Pink Poodle cuts men's hair, as well as women's."
"You want me to get my hair cut by a woman named Delilah at a place called Pink Poodle? I'd be laughed out of town."
"This isn't Phoenix. No one would laugh. So, now that you don't have to hurry back?" Lily fixed her gaze on him, hoping her heart didn't show in her eyes. If she had to draw a picture for him, she would, although the decision must be his. "Are you going to use that time to fix up your house?"
"I could; couldn't I?"
Was it her imagination or was there a hint of excitement in his voice? "Did you have something else in mind?"
Sam shook his head. "Elizabeth, a colleague I've been seeing, casually, wanted me to go to Boston. She's teaching out there for six weeks, but I'm not interested."
He'd been seeing someone casually…he didn't want to go to Boston with her…six weeks. Lily tried to process all those thoughts.
He laid his hands on her upper arms and she shivered, although the night was hot. He moved his mouth slowly toward hers and she raised her face, heart pounding.
"I could stay here," he said, his breath hot on her lips. "Should I?"
She raised her arms to encircle his neck. Now, if he'd just make the right decision. Six weeks. You said I could accomplish anything I set my mind to, or my heart on.
Sam's mouth was hot and seeking, and Lily melted into his kiss. The fire he ignited inside her was more dangerous than the blaze she'd started at Jenny's. Breathless, she pulled away, not daring to stay in his arms a moment longer. She didn't want to do something foolish to influence him.
I know what I want. I want you to ask me to our class reunion. Maybe even fall in love with me. "You should do what you want, and you're the only one who knows what that is." She raised her eyes to his and hoped.
* * *
Lily left the house early next morning to eat breakfast at the Chrome Grill. She'd given Sam a big enough opening to say what he wanted, and when he didn't, she went upstairs to shower and to bed, where she'd had a hard time falling asleep.
She kept tuning out the splashing of her waterfalls, hoping to hear footsteps on the stairs and a knock on her door. And when she opened it, he'd be standing there, blue eyes bright with discovery. "I want to stay because of you."
Fantasizing only made it harder to rest peacefully. This morning, her eyes felt gritty. She hadn't heard a sound out of Sam before she left. He was usually downstairs, waiting, and ready to ply her with food. Was he hiding out until he made his decision? Was he afraid to tell her the one he'd made?
Lily parked behind Radiance and walked to the Chrome Grill.
During yesterday's visit to Country Care, Jenny's only concern was Lily having a place to stay. When she learned she was staying with Sam, she was so thrilled, you'd have thought it was her idea. "The Thornbury house is charming, and Sam Champion's grandfather was a striking man. If I'd met Samuel Thornbury first…"
"You had a good life with your husband, but I know it was cut short." Jenny's husband was killed in an industrial accident when their daughter was still a toddler. "What about that man you mentioned at the end of the hall?" Lily teased. "Is he good looking?"
"Old Bill?" Jenny folded her hands in her lap. "He's got gray hair growing out of his ears and none on his head. But he was probably a stud when he was the age Samuel was when I knew him." She chuckled. "Old Bill joined my
craft class. I think he's got the hots for me."
Lily almost choked. "Jenny Oates. Did you say what I think you just said?"
"I'm not dead yet, and neither is Bill. He might be ninety, but he weaves a mean plastic key chain." She waved a dismissive hand. "What about young Sam's looks?"
Lily admitted he was handsome, and not young, but her age.
"Thirty-eight? Not young?" Jenny laughed. "You're just a baby. What if you two were my age, or Bill's?" She picked at a piece of yarn on the afghan that covered her legs. "I remember the Thornbury's daughter visiting often while her husband was getting out of the military. Evelyn was an only child, and Samuel and Martha were so in hopes she and her family would settle in Broning. One day, when I was hanging clothes on the line in my backyard, I overheard Martha telling her daughter--that would be your Sam's mother--they hoped she and her husband would take over the house one day."
Listening raptly, Lily wished he were her Sam.
"Samuel was always puttering around the house and yard. He bought all the latest lawn and garden gadgets and put all sorts of gizmos in the kitchen of that house. Martha said he poured too much money into that one room, but she enjoyed showing it off."
Lily nodded. "The stove has a warming oven, griddle, and all sorts of extras. He must have liked gardening and cooking as much as Sam does. What did Martha look like?"
"She wore her hair permed in silly tight little curls, but worse yet, she had it tinted blue. She said it was white, but I'd hate to eat snow that color. We used to eat snow mixed with vanilla flavoring when I was a girl and pretend it was ice cream. You wouldn't dare eat snow nowadays, from what I hear."
Lily touched Jenny's hand, to bring her back to the present. She liked to reminisce, but now she'd confirmed Mrs. Thornbury was the grandmother Sam remembered, Lily wanted to ask another question. "What did Sam's mother say about them taking over the house?"
"I didn't hear her answer. She was a soft-spoken woman and pretty as a china doll. She took her looks after her father. Dark hair. Eyes as blue as Lake Erie. I swam in Lake Erie once when I visited my cousin in Cleveland."
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