06 Uncovering Hidden Treasure by Karen Ward Page A

his
flight and room reservations for his trip to Washington DC. He is
dreading being away from the ranch, away from Samantha. Wait! When
did this happen? When did she become so important to him? Since
when does Clarence Kincaid Jr. allow his dick to make his
decisions? Damn! What's wrong with him? Maybe this trip is exactly
what he needs to get his head back on straight. He goes to his
bedroom and begins packing his bags for his trip to Washington
DC.
    Samantha knew the exact moment when Rance's
attitude toward her changed. She felt the chill deep down in her
soul. Her eyes cloud with tears and she slowly rises from her chair
and makes her way out of the office and over to the main ranch
house. She goes straight to her bedroom and closes the door where
she lets her tears fall. What happened? Why did he change his mind
about her? What is she going to do now? What if she's pregnant?
    Bear knew the moment when Stump's attitude
toward Sam changed too. He had been watching both Stump and Sam and
felt the chill as surely as if he was one of them. Damn! He had
hoped they had worked through their differences. They are perfect
for each other but he knows they have to work this out
themselves.
    ******
    Stump has been tossing and turning for what
seems like hours. His arms are aching to hold Samantha and every
time he closes his eyes he sees her pleading face begging him to
make love to her. He finally gets out of bed and walks to the
window facing the house and looks across the expanse. Then he sees
her. She is sitting in the wooden swing on the stone patio in back
of the house. The moonlight is reflecting off of her beautiful pale
blonde hair making it appear like a halo around her head. She is
dressed in a floor length silk robe and nightgown. It looks white
in the moonlight but may be another pale color. She looks just like
an angel sitting in that swing. Damn! She is so beautiful and Stump
has his usual reaction, his member springs to full attention
throbbing with need. He continues to stand in the window watching
her, mesmerized by the vision before him.
    Samantha's heart is breaking. She has cried
until there just aren't any more tears left to fall. How did she
fall so deeply in love with Rance Kincaid in such a short time?
Will his rejection ever stop hurting? Oh God, help me please!
Finally, she rises from the swing and makes her way back to her
room where she succumbs to her exhaustion.
    When Samantha rises from the swing, it takes
every ounce of Stump's control not to run after her and beg her to
make love with him. He watches until she disappears from sight,
then he makes his way back to his bedroom, opens a pint of whiskey
he keeps for emergencies, and downs the whole thing in a few gulps.
It burns his throat and helps to ease the discomfort in his nether
region. When the whiskey is gone he falls on the bed and sinks into
a restless sleep.
    ******
    All during his flight to Washington DC the
following morning, Stump is forced to study the file of notes and
pictures that he, Pinky, and Scoot made following their last
mission in Central America. Scoot nearly died on that mission and
when they returned to the states the group decided they would no
longer accept missions outside of the United States and Canada. Now
that all of the guys are married except him, that decision is set
in stone. A wave of loneliness washes over him followed by a vision
of Samantha sitting in the swing in her flowing nightgown and the
halo around her head. He shakes his head clearing it of the vision.
He has got to keep his mind on this assignment, these committee
meetings can be very intense and stressful and he needs to be well
prepared.
    ******
    When Samantha wakes the next morning, she is
determined to move on with her life. She has survived other tough
times and she will survive this one too. She dresses in comfortable
jeans and a long sleeve shirt, grabs a homemade cinnamon roll and a
mug of coffee from the kitchen, and heads over to Pinky's