After the Dawn by Francis Ray Page B

left to her to try to defuse the situation. Again.
    â€œUncle Evan, Dillon and I have no desire to embarrass you by announcing that we’re in charge, but in order to do our job we need the employees to take orders from us without questions.” Samantha dropped the other shoe. “You’ll have to make the announcement to the employees.”
    â€œI won’t do it.”
    â€œFine.” Dillon turned to the door. “I’d much rather tell them we’re full partners.”
    â€œWait!” Evan cried out.
    Dillon glanced over his shoulder. “Make it quick.”
    â€œI’ll do it,” Evan said grudgingly.
    â€œYou know where the PA system is.” Dillon opened the door and stepped back.
    *   *   *
    Evan made the announcement, but he worded it in such a way that everyone believed his workload was so heavy, he’d asked Samantha and Dillon to help out. It still got to Dillon that Evan treated Samantha as if she didn’t matter. Dillon would have much rather told the employees the truth, but he knew Evan would somehow make Sam pay. She was too softhearted.
    â€œAll right. You’ve been glaring at me for the past five minutes.” Sam put the folder aside. She was sitting across from him at the small desk. “You think I’m a cream puff.”
    â€œEvan is a jackass. He needed to be taken down a peg or two,” Dillon said, his temper bubbling again.
    â€œJust because he can’t be gracious is no reason we can’t be.” She picked up her file. “We can’t run the plant if we’re at each other’s throats.”
    She couldn’t be that naïve. “You think Evan is going to hate us any less or stop praying we fall flat on our collective butts because we didn’t out him as a fraud?”
    She opened her mouth and then closed it. “I’m hoping he’ll eventually come around. He lost his father and the company within a week. He deserves to be upset.”
    â€œHe was a jackass before then and we both know it. He’s taking advantage of you.” Dillon wanted to shake some sense into Sam, then kiss her breathless.
    â€œPerhaps, but when we turn Collins around, I want to look back and know we did it fairly and with dignity.”
    Dillon shook his head and stared at her. “An idealist and a dreamer. Lord help me.”
    â€œLord help both of us,” she said under her breath.
    â€œI heard that,” Dillon said.
    She didn’t back down. “You aren’t the easiest to work with either. You and Uncle Evan both have your faults.”
    â€œAnd I suppose you don’t have any?”
    â€œI have the greatest faults of any of us.” She bent her head briefly.
    Dillon saw her brush a knuckle beneath each eye. Damn. She better not cry. “You all right?”
    She grabbed a tissue and raked it beneath her nose. Picked up another folder.
    â€œSam?”
    â€œFine.” She straightened the papers in front of her. “I can’t concentrate with you talking.”
    It was more than that, but he wasn’t going to push it. Tears were the oldest trick in the book. They didn’t affect him. The knot in his stomach was probably due to being pissed off at Evan.
    Picking up the files in front of him, he went back to work. Tomorrow morning when Roman arrived, Dillon wanted to be able to give him a better picture of the company’s finances. He snuck another look at Sam, still clutching the tissue. She had enough to contend with without him on her case.
    â€œRoman is driving down in the morning from Dallas and meeting me at Mama’s for breakfast. How about coming over around eight and eating with us?”
    She didn’t even look up. “Thank you, but I’ll be busy.”
    He opened his mouth but caught himself just in time before asking her if she had a date. It was no concern of his if she dated every single man in Elms Fork. “Suit