Читать книгу Daddy Says, ''I Do!'' - Stacy Connelly, Stacy Connelly - Страница 9

“Hey, Sam!”

Pausing outside Rolly’s Diner after closing up his shop for the evening, Sam turned to see Billy Cummings climb from his truck. An old friend from grade school, the two of them had shared a friendship and rivalry for the past two decades.

“Someone said they saw a piece-of-crap ’Vette limping down the highway this morning. You didn’t get that pile of junk running, did you?” Challenge rose in the other man’s expression, and Sam knew the sheriff’s son was ready for anything—a hearty slap on the back or a sharp jab to his jaw.

Sam went with his first instinct and chuckled even though he hadn’t completely forgiven the other man. “If you knew a thing or two about cars, you would have realized what a prize that ‘piece of crap’ really is.”

The car’s original owner had first contacted Billy, knowing how Cummings liked fast cars, but Billy didn’t have the skills needed to get the Corvette back in prime condition and he knew it. When he passed on making an offer, the owner had called Sam. He’d jumped at the chance to buy the classic only to end up in a bidding war with Billy, who might not have wanted the car but didn’t want Sam to have it either. In the end, Sam bought the ’Vette, but thanks to Billy, at a much higher price.

“Have you decided what color to paint it?”

“I’m sticking with red.”

Billy shook his head. “You might as well paint it black now, since you’re gonna end up selling it to me.”

“Yeah, right.” Sam scoffed. He had bigger plans for the car than handing it over to his friend. The year and model were rare enough that he had a good idea what the restored car would draw at an auction. He wasn’t new to auctions or the kind of crowd and car enthusiasts they attracted. As much as he liked working at the garage, restoring classic cars was his true passion and his dream for the future.

Clearville was home, and he had no plans to leave, but the thought of traveling around to car shows throughout the state, buying “pieces of crap,” restoring them and then selling them for a small fortune…yeah, he liked that idea a lot.

“You missed your chance to own that car, my friend,” he told Billy. “You’ll be lucky if I even let you ride in it.”

Climbing back into the cab of his truck, Billy vowed, “Just wait.”

“For what? A cold day in hell?” Sam laughed as his friend pulled away with an obnoxious honk of his horn. He was still smiling as he pulled the door to the diner open and walked into the familiar scents of fried food and strong coffee.

A waitress greeted him and asked, “Your usual table, Sam?”

The back corner table at Rolly’s might not have had the Pirelli brothers’ names on it, but all the staff and locals knew it was theirs. The “newer” section of the restaurant, added on some twenty years ago, was filled with large-sized tables. And the Pirelli brothers were large-sized men. Guys who didn’t do booths.

It was one thing to be on a date, sitting close to a pretty girl, thigh touching thigh, holding hands beneath the privacy of the table. He had no trouble with the idea of sharing a booth with Kara.

But a couple of broad-shouldered guys crammed together like that? No way.

He started to nod to the waitress when a familiar face caught his eye. Nadine Gentry, Will’s mother, had worked at Rolly’s for almost as long as Sam could remember. “I’ll take one of the booths tonight, thanks.”

Will hadn’t said anything more about the fight, but Sam sensed something was on the kid’s mind. Sam had few rules, but keeping your mind on the job was one of them. Not paying attention was a surefire way to end up hurt.

Sam had promised he’d let Will handle his own problems, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t ask Nadine if she was worried about her son.

An older, feminine version of Will, Nadine’s black T-shirt and denim skirt hung from her slender frame, the dark color stark against her pallid complexion and fair hair. “Hey, Sam, what can I get you?” she asked, pulling out a small notepad from her red apron and fiddling with her pen instead of meeting his gaze.

Pretending to hesitate over the menu, he said, “I need just a minute. How are things going?”

She shrugged a narrow shoulder. “Busy. Tips have been good.”

“And Will?” Was it just his imagination or had the woman tensed at the mention of her son’s name?

“You’d know that better than I would, Sam. He’s at your place more than he’s at home.”

With school still out for another few weeks, Will had been spending a lot of time working. For the first time, though, Sam wondered if it wasn’t something other than a need for extra cash that had the teen spending so much time at the garage. “He didn’t get that black eye at my shop.”

Nadine paled slightly, but she defiantly held his gaze. “What are you saying, Sam?”

Sam didn’t pay much attention to Clearville gossip, but he had heard that Nadine had hooked up with a younger man. Sam had never liked Darrell Nelson, a grudge that went back to their days on the playground, when Darrell had taken pleasure in picking on anyone weaker than he was. Unease twisted inside Sam as he realized Will would make an easy target, but so too would Nadine. Throwing around accusations wasn’t going to help if the woman was trapped in an abusive relationship.

“I’m not saying anything, Nadine. I’m asking. Is everything okay at home? Do you need any help?”

“I’m fine. Everything’s fine.”

“And Will?” Sam couldn’t resist asking.

“That was…an accident.”

“Nadine—”

“Please, Sam. Just leave it alone.” She rushed off before taking his order, but it was just as well. Sam had lost his appetite.

He wished there was something more he could do, but thanks to his friendship with Billy, Sam knew enough about law enforcement to realize the sheriff would need proof. More than that, he would need Nadine or Will to press charges.

He’d talk to Will again, he decided, and if that didn’t work, then maybe he’d have a talk with Darrell Nelson.

The bell over the diner’s door rang, and Sam looked up in time to see an already familiar blonde step inside. Kara slid her sunglasses up to the top of her head, pushing her straight hair back from her face. She glanced uncertainly around the crowded diner, and he had the feeling that holding Timmy’s hand was giving her as much reassurance as it gave the little boy.

Her nephew. Not her son. Single moms had always been off-limits, and even though something about Kara tempted him to break that rule, he was glad he wouldn’t have to. Glad he wouldn’t have to look too closely at the reason why he would have been so willing to cross that line.

A hint of weariness seemed to tug at her shoulders, something he hadn’t noticed before. She was tired after her trip from—

He frowned. Where, exactly? he wondered, as he realized she hadn’t told him where she was from. Or what had brought her to Clearville. Or how long she was staying. True, they hadn’t had much chance to talk, but weren’t those simple facts ones that normally came up right off the bat?

As Kara paid for a to-go order and reached for the bag, Sam was tempted to cross the diner and offer to carry it for her, like some kid with a crush on a pretty girl, willing to cart around an armload of books if that was what it took to have her smile at him.

She held out her free hand to her nephew, who’d wandered a few feet away to crawl into the booth closest to the front window, but Sam stayed put as the two of them left the diner. No need to push his luck when he could bide his time. After all, he already had a date with the lady the following night.

Thinking he might find out something about the woman who had him so intrigued, he made his way to the front counter. “Hey, Rolly, the blonde who came in for take-out, what did she order?”

“Why is that any of your business?” the other of the diners demanded.

“Give me a break,” Sam said, familiar with the older man’s soft spot for young women. Kara must have quickly made an impression on Rolly, just as she had on him. “I’m just trying to get an idea of the lady’s tastes.”

The former army cook eyed Sam as if he’d never seen him before. “Not someone like you.”

“Is that right?”

“Sure is.”

Certainty rang in the older man’s voice, taking some of the fun out of the game. The attraction was mutual, Sam would stake his reputation on that. But even though he’d seen the spark of awareness in Kara’s gaze, the slight blush on her cheeks, he also sensed a wariness in her. A deer-in-the-headlights hesitation that warned him she’d be more likely to run away from him than rush into his arms.

“What makes you think a lady like that wouldn’t want to go out with me?” he asked Rolly.

“You are something else, Sam.” A familiar female voice had him turning to face Debbie Mattson. Judging by the smirk bringing out the dimples in her round cheeks, she’d been standing behind him all along. “All a woman has to do is cross the town line and you start sensing fresh meat.”

Annoyance flickered through Sam. Not so much at the baker’s pointed barb. That was the kind of relationship they had after knowing each since grade school. It was more the way Debbie had lumped Kara in with all the other women he—okay, he had to admit it—all the women he’d chased after.

He couldn’t come close to putting a finger on what made Kara different. But he’d long ago perfected the ability to hide his true feelings. “My radar must be working overtime, seeing as I met Kara even before she hit town.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Nope, met her when she ended up with a flat on the side of the road.”

Aware of the narrow mountain roads leading to town and the lack of cell coverage, Debbie’s smirk faded some. “She was lucky you happened by.”

“That’s what I said!”

She rolled her eyes with a laugh. “Why do I have the feeling you’re not joking? Honestly, Sam, when the right woman comes along, how is she going to take you seriously?”

Serious relationships led to serious heartache, and that was something he could do without. “My right kind of woman is all about having a good time.”

They might just have met, but his first glance had revealed that Kara wasn’t the “girls just want to have fun” type. All that meant, though, was that whatever relationship they had wouldn’t last, already a guarantee thanks to Kara’s temporary status in his hometown. He had nothing to worry about.

“Well, I wish you and your good-time girl good luck,” Debbie said as a waitress waved her over to a table she’d just cleared.

Sam doubted Debbie’s wishes had much to do with it, but luck was definitely on his side, he decided, as he spotted a furry green leg sticking out from the corner booth. He grinned as he picked up the familiar stuffed dinosaur. It looked like Kara needed rescuing a second time.

Kara collapsed onto the small sofa in the tiny living area of the hotel’s two-room suite. Exhaustion pulled at her until she thought she might sink clear through the too-soft navy brocade cushions and never get up again. The two-day drive had taken a lot out of her, but the last half hour had completely worn her out.

How could she have lost Timmy’s stuffed animal? It wasn’t like she didn’t know how much the dinosaur meant to him. Losing that dinosaur, one of the last connections to Marti…it felt like another part of her sister had just slipped away.

As soon as Timmy had climbed into the unfamiliar bed and realized the toy wasn’t waiting there for him, they’d searched the minivan, checking between and beneath the seats. She’d tried asking him the last time he remembered having the dinosaur, but Timmy had started to cry, and Kara had been too upset herself to push him harder.

She didn’t know what to think about Timmy’s last tearful request to sleep with the tiny car Sam had given him. She should have been grateful that the little boy had taken comfort in the toy. But she only felt like that much more of failure, so much so that she wondered if Marti hadn’t had the right idea.

Maybe Timmy would be better off with Sam.

A knock on the door pulled her from those heartbreaking thoughts, and Kara wiped her eyes as she pushed off the sofa. The dinosaur would turn up. It had to.

“Who is it?” she called out softly as she reached the white paneled door.

“Room service.”

“I didn’t…” Her voice trailed off as she recognized the masculine voice and the already too familiar skip in her pulse. Sam…

Opening the door without removing the safety chain, she met his gaze through the narrow gap in the door. “I didn’t order room service.”

“You didn’t order dessert at Rolly’s either, which is a real shame because they have the best chocolate silk pie around,” he said, holding up a clear plastic container with a huge slice inside.

“You brought—wait, how do you know what I ordered at the diner?”

“I’d stopped in there. You didn’t see me, but—”

“You noticed I didn’t order dessert,” she filled in, “and brought me pie?”

Kara didn’t know what to think about Sam making such an effort to see her again. After all, she could hardly tell him she wasn’t interested when she’d already asked him out for a date! And she could hardly tell herself she wasn’t interested when her racing heartbeat and the heat rising to her cheeks would have labeled her a liar.

“Yep. Figure this way, you’ll owe me…dinner and two desserts.” He paused as he pretended to tally up her debt.

“What if I don’t like pie?”

“Everyone likes pie.” Confidence rang in his voice and casual posture, leaning against the side of the recessed doorway, offering up the rich, decadent, tempting dessert. “And then there’s always my other special delivery.”

Kara gasped as he brought his other hand into sight and quickly slammed the door shut. She slid back the security chain and opened the door all the way to reach out for the stuffed dinosaur Sam held. Sinking her fingers into the soft green fur, she pulled the toy to her chest. “Where did you find him?”

“Timmy left him in the booth at the diner.”

“But I called! They said he wasn’t there.”

Sam flinched a little. “Yeah, that’s probably because I’d already taken him with me. I was planning to come straight over here, but then I got a call about a motorist who’d broken down on the highway. Sorry about that.”

“You had a job to do. That’s more important.”

“More important than reptile relocation?”

“Yes,” she said with a laugh at his teasing. “You know how these stuffed dinosaurs make nuisances of themselves in urban areas.”

“We’re lucky he didn’t destroy Tokyo. He’ll be much happier in his natural habitat.”

“Timmy will be thrilled to have him back. Thank you, Sam.” Kara dropped her gaze, mortified to feel the sting of tears burning her eyes.

He’d brought back a stuffed animal, not a lost child….

“Hey, are you okay?”

Blinking quickly, Kara glanced up to find Sam watching her, concern creasing his forehead. It was the first time she’d seen him without his charmer’s smile. A shield, she realized suddenly, for his true feelings. It was enough to make her wonder if he was the carefree womanizer she’d immediately pegged him as. If he might be so much more than he let people see.

“I, um, I’m fine. It’s just been a long few days.” Curiosity had his green eyes narrowing, and Kara’s pulse took a slightly panicked leap. She wasn’t a good liar. She prided herself on being honest by nature. But she wasn’t ready to tell the whole truth.

She hugged the dinosaur tighter to her chest. Nowhere near ready.

“Hey, look, it’s getting late, so why don’t I head out?”

She should let him go. He was offering, so all she had to do was thank him again and send him on his way….

But instead, she heard herself say, “I always have liked chocolate silk pie.”

Sam grinned as if he’d known that all along. “The pie is a given, but my staying doesn’t have to be.”

“No, please stay,” she said as she stepped back to let him into the small living area of the room.

It was better this way, Kara told herself even as Sam opened the container and removed two plastic forks—a sign he’d hoped to share her dessert all along. She wanted to get to know him and it might be easier in this casual setting rather than trying to learn everything she could on their date.

But what questions could she ask that would determine whether or not Sam would make a good father? And how was she supposed to decide what answers would be right or wrong?

Past mistakes proved she wasn’t the best authority when it came to judging a man’s character. What if she trusted Sam to be a good guy, to do the right thing where Timmy was concerned? And what if she was wrong?

Unlike her previous relationship, this time it wasn’t her trust that would be betrayed, her heart that would be broken. This time, Timmy’s future was at stake.

Hoping she could pull this interrogation off without gaining Sam’s suspicion instead of his confidence, she settled back on the sofa. The piece of furniture seemed so much smaller now with Sam taking up the second cushion. His booted feet rested on the floor, his muscular, denim-clad thighs spread wide as he leaned forward and dug his fork into the piece of pie.

He leaned back, his shoulders angled toward her as he held out the fork. “You get first bite. Only fair since I bought it for you.”

The crisp, buttery crust and rich chocolate filling melted on her tongue, but it was the heat in Sam’s eyes as her lips closed over the plastic fork that made Kara feel like she was dissolving. Everything from her willpower and determination to keep Sam at a distance, to the future she pictured for herself and Timmy, was disappearing like sugar in water. Soon there’d be nothing left.

Pulling back quickly, she busied herself reaching for a napkin and her own fork. “It’s, uh, very good. Thank you,” she said, clearing her throat to get the words past the lump of chocolate-coated desire lodged there. “You said before that Clearville’s your hometown, right?” Striving for a casual, let’s-get-to-know-each-other tone, she added, “Tell me what it was like growing up here.”

Marti had once laughed at her nervousness on first dates. “Dating’s a piece of cake,” her sister insisted. “Guys love to talk about themselves. All you have to do is pretend you’re interested.”

But as Sam talked about his childhood in the small community, Kara didn’t have to pretend. He was great storyteller, and she was reluctantly fascinated at his antics as the youngest son with two big brothers who were as likely to stick up for him as they were to knock him down.

“Not that I didn’t deserve it,” he reassured her with a grin, the closeness he shared with Nick and Drew and his little sister, Sophia, evident in his tone of voice. And his parents…Kara didn’t think she’d ever met anyone who spoke with more love and respect for his parents.

Not once did he mention his parents using the natural rivalry that could exist between siblings to make them try harder or push themselves further. Not as her parents had with her and Marti.

“Sorry, I think I’ve bored you with stories about my family long enough. I’ve monopolized the conversation without giving you a turn.”