beautiful woman and me not come? Why, there’d be rumors all over town.” Janie’s big grin told Sam she didn’t mean it. At least she hoped so.
Lavinia stepped forward. “Did Doc give you some medicine?”
“Something to help me sleep. Pete, can you talk to him? He wants me to stay overnight.” Alarm had her voice rising.
“What’s the matter, Sam? You got a heavy date tomorrow?” Pete asked grinning. “I think you’d best do what Doc says.”
Almost as if he felt he was being ignored, Rich came to the other side of her bed and picked up her left hand. “Did he say why?”
“No. He said we’d talk about it later.” She looked at Rich hopefully. “I can take care of myself. I won’t cause Lavinia any trouble, I promise. I think she’ll let me stay at her house until I’m feeling better.” Her gaze shifted to Lavinia to see if she objected to that remark.
Janie and Pete exchanged a look that she couldn’t interpret. Then Pete said, “Honey, I told you, you belong with us. No one is sending you away. We’re going to take care of you. You’re one of us, now.”
“I can’t stay, Pete. I put Lavinia in danger. I can’t promise it won’t happen again. Brad is mean and vicious.”
“If anything does happen, it won’t be Brad causing trouble,” Rich assured her. “They’re charging him with the murder of his fourth wife. And maybe for the others, too. He’s going to be put away for a long time.”
“Besides, we did a good job of protecting ourselves, young lady. We’re the talk of the town.” Lavinia beamed at her, as if that were a desirable thing. “Now, open this.”
She thrust a box at Samantha that she hadn’t noticed before.
Samantha stared at the box. “I—I can’t— What is it?”
“That’s why you’re supposed to open it, silly,” Lavinia teased her.
Her gaze flashed to both Pete and Janie, then Rich. “I can’t.”
“Rich, you help her,” Janie ordered.
He put something on the floor and stepped to her bedside, lifting the lid off Lavinia’s box. Inside, nestled in tissue paper, was a pale-green short nightgown, along with a matching robe. Rich lifted the two garments out of the box, putting them across the cover so she could see them.
“No! No, I can’t. Lavinia—”
Janie stopped her. “I know you’re independent, but, Sam, we’d do the same thing for anyone else. If you don’t want them when you leave, you can just leave them behind. But we want you to have them.”
Sam looked even more alarmed. “Them? There’s more?”
“You’ll need a change, especially if you stay another night,” Janie explained. “Besides, do you know how long I’ve waited to have a daughter to shop for? You’ll be doing me a favor.”
Rich reached out for the next box and opened it, too. Inside was a white gown and robe. It, too, was simple, but it had lace edging the neckline and armholes.
Sam reached out and stroked the soft material of both gowns. She’d never had anything as nice. “You’re all so sweet. I—I don’t know how I’ll repay you.”
“We’ll tell you when our birthdays are coming up. And we’ll expect good presents,” Pete told her, grinning.
“Now, you men scoot out so we can make Sam comfortable,” Janie ordered. The men quickly departed.
“She lives with me, so I say she wears the green one first,” Lavinia insisted.
“Of course, Mom,” Janie said, “if that’s okay with Samantha.” She looked at her and Sam nodded. “Okay, lean forward just a little bit and I’ll untie the one you’re wearing. I hate those ties.”
When she pulled the hospital gown away, she immediately slipped the pale-green gown onto Sam’s head. Then, very gently, she put Samantha’s injured arm through the armhole. “We picked out gowns with big armholes, so it would be easier.”
Lavinia, on the other side of the bed, held the gown for Sam to put her uninjured arm in. Then she smoothed it down over Sam’s body and drew the cover up over
Lavinia stepped forward. “Did Doc give you some medicine?”
“Something to help me sleep. Pete, can you talk to him? He wants me to stay overnight.” Alarm had her voice rising.
“What’s the matter, Sam? You got a heavy date tomorrow?” Pete asked grinning. “I think you’d best do what Doc says.”
Almost as if he felt he was being ignored, Rich came to the other side of her bed and picked up her left hand. “Did he say why?”
“No. He said we’d talk about it later.” She looked at Rich hopefully. “I can take care of myself. I won’t cause Lavinia any trouble, I promise. I think she’ll let me stay at her house until I’m feeling better.” Her gaze shifted to Lavinia to see if she objected to that remark.
Janie and Pete exchanged a look that she couldn’t interpret. Then Pete said, “Honey, I told you, you belong with us. No one is sending you away. We’re going to take care of you. You’re one of us, now.”
“I can’t stay, Pete. I put Lavinia in danger. I can’t promise it won’t happen again. Brad is mean and vicious.”
“If anything does happen, it won’t be Brad causing trouble,” Rich assured her. “They’re charging him with the murder of his fourth wife. And maybe for the others, too. He’s going to be put away for a long time.”
“Besides, we did a good job of protecting ourselves, young lady. We’re the talk of the town.” Lavinia beamed at her, as if that were a desirable thing. “Now, open this.”
She thrust a box at Samantha that she hadn’t noticed before.
Samantha stared at the box. “I—I can’t— What is it?”
“That’s why you’re supposed to open it, silly,” Lavinia teased her.
Her gaze flashed to both Pete and Janie, then Rich. “I can’t.”
“Rich, you help her,” Janie ordered.
He put something on the floor and stepped to her bedside, lifting the lid off Lavinia’s box. Inside, nestled in tissue paper, was a pale-green short nightgown, along with a matching robe. Rich lifted the two garments out of the box, putting them across the cover so she could see them.
“No! No, I can’t. Lavinia—”
Janie stopped her. “I know you’re independent, but, Sam, we’d do the same thing for anyone else. If you don’t want them when you leave, you can just leave them behind. But we want you to have them.”
Sam looked even more alarmed. “Them? There’s more?”
“You’ll need a change, especially if you stay another night,” Janie explained. “Besides, do you know how long I’ve waited to have a daughter to shop for? You’ll be doing me a favor.”
Rich reached out for the next box and opened it, too. Inside was a white gown and robe. It, too, was simple, but it had lace edging the neckline and armholes.
Sam reached out and stroked the soft material of both gowns. She’d never had anything as nice. “You’re all so sweet. I—I don’t know how I’ll repay you.”
“We’ll tell you when our birthdays are coming up. And we’ll expect good presents,” Pete told her, grinning.
“Now, you men scoot out so we can make Sam comfortable,” Janie ordered. The men quickly departed.
“She lives with me, so I say she wears the green one first,” Lavinia insisted.
“Of course, Mom,” Janie said, “if that’s okay with Samantha.” She looked at her and Sam nodded. “Okay, lean forward just a little bit and I’ll untie the one you’re wearing. I hate those ties.”
When she pulled the hospital gown away, she immediately slipped the pale-green gown onto Sam’s head. Then, very gently, she put Samantha’s injured arm through the armhole. “We picked out gowns with big armholes, so it would be easier.”
Lavinia, on the other side of the bed, held the gown for Sam to put her uninjured arm in. Then she smoothed it down over Sam’s body and drew the cover up over
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