up the phone and started making sandwiches.
“What did Mom say?” Rich asked, frowning.
“She said she and Pete would talk to Samantha. We’re each going to buy her a nightgown, so she’ll have more than one, but we’ll keep them simple. How manysandwiches do you want?” she asked, switching the subject.
“One,” he said, absentmindedly.
“One? You usually have two at least,” Lavinia pointed out.
“I’m not getting a lot of exercise with this cast on my foot. What should I get her?”
“Well, I don’t think it would be proper for you to get her a nightie,” Lavinia assured him with a grin.
“Of course not! I didn’t mean— I wasn’t thinking of that. But if you all are taking her presents, I don’t want to show up empty-handed,” he explained in irritation.
He had no intention of getting intimate with Samantha. Unlike Russ, he wasn’t ready to marry. But Samantha was a friend. He’d brought her here. And it was normal to get a little warm thinking about a woman’s nightclothes. It didn’t mean anything.
“Maybe your mother will think of something,” Lavinia said, fixing the sandwiches.
Rich poured two glasses of iced tea. “When is she coming over?”
“As soon as your dad comes in.”
Rich frowned again. “Dad doesn’t come in until almost dark. I thought we should take Sam her things now.”
“Don’t worry. He’s coming in early.”
Rich stood there, his hands on his hips. Did his father really think of Samantha as a daughter? Rich certainly didn’t think of her as a sister. In fact, he realized now that he’d been attracted to her from the beginning. On the drive up, the more she pushed him away, the morehe’d wanted to know about her. He’d visited a couple of times since she’d moved to his grandmother’s, but Sam hadn’t shown any delight upon his arrival. If anything, she’d withdrawn again.
“Sit and eat, boy. They’ll be here in half an hour,” Lavinia ordered, a smile on her lips.
T HE DOCTOR HAD instructed the nurses to give Samantha painkillers after they got her in bed. As the medicine took effect and she slid into sleep, she vaguely heard voices talking by the bed.
“Who is she? Doc said she’s a friend of Rich Randall.”
“Maybe some woman’s finally caught him. She’s pretty enough. And I heard she took down a big man, so maybe she took Rich down, too. In a different way,” the voice added with a chuckle.
Samantha tried to speak, but her tongue seemed thick. She tried again, but finally gave up, losing consciousness.
When she awoke several hours later, it wasn’t just her tongue that didn’t operate. Her mind seemed blank, too.
“Samantha?”
She struggled to open her eyes and discovered Dr. Jacoby by her bed, taking her pulse. “Hi,” she whispered. “Throat dry.”
“Nurse, get her some water,” the doctor ordered and the woman came into Sam’s line of vision with a glass with a bendable straw in it.
Samantha sipped the water slowly.
“I believe you have some visitors waiting,” the doctor said cheerfully.
Samantha frowned. “No. No visitors.”
“You don’t feel up to visitors?”
“No. There’s no one to visit.”
“You’re wrong there, young lady,” he said before departing.
“Shall I raise the head of your bed a little? It will make it easier to visit.” Without waiting for an answer, the nurse pushed a button, elevating Samantha’s head.
Almost simultaneously, the door opened again and Lavinia and Rich, accompanied by Pete and Janie, came into the room.
Pete reached the bed and leaned over to kiss her cheek. “Hi, honey. Sorry you had such a hard time. How are you feeling?”
“Pete,” she managed to say, suddenly fighting tears.
Janie replaced him and kissed her cheek, too. “Poor dear. I’m sorry it took us so long to bring your things to you. Did you sleep some?”
“Yes,” Sam replied. “You didn’t have to come.”
“Do you think I’m going to let my handsome husband visit a
“What did Mom say?” Rich asked, frowning.
“She said she and Pete would talk to Samantha. We’re each going to buy her a nightgown, so she’ll have more than one, but we’ll keep them simple. How manysandwiches do you want?” she asked, switching the subject.
“One,” he said, absentmindedly.
“One? You usually have two at least,” Lavinia pointed out.
“I’m not getting a lot of exercise with this cast on my foot. What should I get her?”
“Well, I don’t think it would be proper for you to get her a nightie,” Lavinia assured him with a grin.
“Of course not! I didn’t mean— I wasn’t thinking of that. But if you all are taking her presents, I don’t want to show up empty-handed,” he explained in irritation.
He had no intention of getting intimate with Samantha. Unlike Russ, he wasn’t ready to marry. But Samantha was a friend. He’d brought her here. And it was normal to get a little warm thinking about a woman’s nightclothes. It didn’t mean anything.
“Maybe your mother will think of something,” Lavinia said, fixing the sandwiches.
Rich poured two glasses of iced tea. “When is she coming over?”
“As soon as your dad comes in.”
Rich frowned again. “Dad doesn’t come in until almost dark. I thought we should take Sam her things now.”
“Don’t worry. He’s coming in early.”
Rich stood there, his hands on his hips. Did his father really think of Samantha as a daughter? Rich certainly didn’t think of her as a sister. In fact, he realized now that he’d been attracted to her from the beginning. On the drive up, the more she pushed him away, the morehe’d wanted to know about her. He’d visited a couple of times since she’d moved to his grandmother’s, but Sam hadn’t shown any delight upon his arrival. If anything, she’d withdrawn again.
“Sit and eat, boy. They’ll be here in half an hour,” Lavinia ordered, a smile on her lips.
T HE DOCTOR HAD instructed the nurses to give Samantha painkillers after they got her in bed. As the medicine took effect and she slid into sleep, she vaguely heard voices talking by the bed.
“Who is she? Doc said she’s a friend of Rich Randall.”
“Maybe some woman’s finally caught him. She’s pretty enough. And I heard she took down a big man, so maybe she took Rich down, too. In a different way,” the voice added with a chuckle.
Samantha tried to speak, but her tongue seemed thick. She tried again, but finally gave up, losing consciousness.
When she awoke several hours later, it wasn’t just her tongue that didn’t operate. Her mind seemed blank, too.
“Samantha?”
She struggled to open her eyes and discovered Dr. Jacoby by her bed, taking her pulse. “Hi,” she whispered. “Throat dry.”
“Nurse, get her some water,” the doctor ordered and the woman came into Sam’s line of vision with a glass with a bendable straw in it.
Samantha sipped the water slowly.
“I believe you have some visitors waiting,” the doctor said cheerfully.
Samantha frowned. “No. No visitors.”
“You don’t feel up to visitors?”
“No. There’s no one to visit.”
“You’re wrong there, young lady,” he said before departing.
“Shall I raise the head of your bed a little? It will make it easier to visit.” Without waiting for an answer, the nurse pushed a button, elevating Samantha’s head.
Almost simultaneously, the door opened again and Lavinia and Rich, accompanied by Pete and Janie, came into the room.
Pete reached the bed and leaned over to kiss her cheek. “Hi, honey. Sorry you had such a hard time. How are you feeling?”
“Pete,” she managed to say, suddenly fighting tears.
Janie replaced him and kissed her cheek, too. “Poor dear. I’m sorry it took us so long to bring your things to you. Did you sleep some?”
“Yes,” Sam replied. “You didn’t have to come.”
“Do you think I’m going to let my handsome husband visit a
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