“Damn and thank you,” she whispered shakily. She knew that she was being every kind of a fool, but she wished for one true, wild moment that her rescuer had been too late.
Deliberately she rubbed her eyes. Anybody would be able to tell that there was something wrong. She hoped only that she could convince her audience that she’d been crying.
“Andrea, I came as soon as I heard.” Ed covered the distance between them in a few steps and took her hand. “Are you all right?”
“I think so, Ed. Thank you.”
Ed put a possessive arm around her, ignoring Sam’s presence. “You should have called me. What’s
he
doing here?”
“He helped me get Buck home, Ed.”
“I knew this man was trouble. I don’t want you to have anything else to do with him, Andrea.”
“Now just a minute, Ed, this wasn’t Sam’s fault. It was Otis who crashed through Sam’s house.” Andrea tried unsuccessfully to move out of Ed’s embrace.
“Of course it is. He doesn’t belong here. He’s either a criminal or a con artist. I was content to let you have your little fling, until this happened. Now I want it stopped. It’s becoming an embarrassment.”
“Let me go, Ed.” Andrea was shocked. She hadno idea that Ed was still nursing the mistaken idea that he had any control over her actions.
“Let her go, Pinyon,” Sam said quietly. “Now.”
There was a long moment when Andrea wasn’t sure that Ed would comply. She felt the silent anger in his grip and saw the deadly fury in his eyes. Nobody ever crossed Ed. Nobody ever had a reason to, until now. And she knew that being forced to back down wasn’t something Ed would forgive.
Ed dropped his arm. He shot a wicked look back at Sam. “All right. Perhaps I am overreacting. I suppose I should thank you for bringing Andrea and Buck home, Farley,” Ed said, but his tone didn’t match his words.
Andrea stepped back and moved past Ed down the hill. “Too bad about the damage to Mamie’s house,” he went on, falling in behind, “but it doesn’t matter. I’m going to tear it down anyway.”
Sam stopped. “Tear it down?”
Andrea heard the shock in his voice and realized what she’d done by not telling him the truth. She should have warned him, prepared him.
“Sure. Didn’t Andrea tell you? I’m going to claim Mamie’s house at the tax auction. Who else would want it?”
Sam walked past Ed to a point where he could face Andrea, disbelief on his face: “You knew, Andrea?”
“Well, yes, but …” Andrea felt her heart flutter as Sam’s expression turned to ice.
Ed smiled, shook his head, and let out an I-told-you-so sigh.
Sam turned and started down the hill.
Andrea shook off her anger at Ed and hurried after Sam. “Wait, Sam. I knew he planned to turn the place into an equipment storage area. But that was before you … before I … You weren’t going to stay, and I didn’t think it would matter,” she said softly.
He stopped and turned back to her.
“It matters.” His voice was tightly controlled, not completely masking the depth of his pain.
And then he was gone, disappearing into the gray of the late afternoon like a lean shadow.
Andrea knew that she’d pierced Sam to the core.
And it did matter. It mattered very much.
Six
Andrea snapped the receipt book closed, swung her chair away from the desk, and propped her feet on the shelf of the file cabinet. The town had been too quiet. She hadn’t heard from Sam since the accident over a week ago, and after she’d finished telling Ed Pinyon off, she wasn’t likely to hear from him again either.
Perhaps it was just as well that Sam had avoided her. Andrea didn’t know how to face him. Mamie’s house had become some kind of symbol to Sam, a symbol of his past and his future. Not telling him about Ed’s plans to destroy the house hadn’t seemed important at the time. She’d considered it, but if Sam decided to stay, he’d have had first crack at the taxes. Since he’d admitted
Deliberately she rubbed her eyes. Anybody would be able to tell that there was something wrong. She hoped only that she could convince her audience that she’d been crying.
“Andrea, I came as soon as I heard.” Ed covered the distance between them in a few steps and took her hand. “Are you all right?”
“I think so, Ed. Thank you.”
Ed put a possessive arm around her, ignoring Sam’s presence. “You should have called me. What’s
he
doing here?”
“He helped me get Buck home, Ed.”
“I knew this man was trouble. I don’t want you to have anything else to do with him, Andrea.”
“Now just a minute, Ed, this wasn’t Sam’s fault. It was Otis who crashed through Sam’s house.” Andrea tried unsuccessfully to move out of Ed’s embrace.
“Of course it is. He doesn’t belong here. He’s either a criminal or a con artist. I was content to let you have your little fling, until this happened. Now I want it stopped. It’s becoming an embarrassment.”
“Let me go, Ed.” Andrea was shocked. She hadno idea that Ed was still nursing the mistaken idea that he had any control over her actions.
“Let her go, Pinyon,” Sam said quietly. “Now.”
There was a long moment when Andrea wasn’t sure that Ed would comply. She felt the silent anger in his grip and saw the deadly fury in his eyes. Nobody ever crossed Ed. Nobody ever had a reason to, until now. And she knew that being forced to back down wasn’t something Ed would forgive.
Ed dropped his arm. He shot a wicked look back at Sam. “All right. Perhaps I am overreacting. I suppose I should thank you for bringing Andrea and Buck home, Farley,” Ed said, but his tone didn’t match his words.
Andrea stepped back and moved past Ed down the hill. “Too bad about the damage to Mamie’s house,” he went on, falling in behind, “but it doesn’t matter. I’m going to tear it down anyway.”
Sam stopped. “Tear it down?”
Andrea heard the shock in his voice and realized what she’d done by not telling him the truth. She should have warned him, prepared him.
“Sure. Didn’t Andrea tell you? I’m going to claim Mamie’s house at the tax auction. Who else would want it?”
Sam walked past Ed to a point where he could face Andrea, disbelief on his face: “You knew, Andrea?”
“Well, yes, but …” Andrea felt her heart flutter as Sam’s expression turned to ice.
Ed smiled, shook his head, and let out an I-told-you-so sigh.
Sam turned and started down the hill.
Andrea shook off her anger at Ed and hurried after Sam. “Wait, Sam. I knew he planned to turn the place into an equipment storage area. But that was before you … before I … You weren’t going to stay, and I didn’t think it would matter,” she said softly.
He stopped and turned back to her.
“It matters.” His voice was tightly controlled, not completely masking the depth of his pain.
And then he was gone, disappearing into the gray of the late afternoon like a lean shadow.
Andrea knew that she’d pierced Sam to the core.
And it did matter. It mattered very much.
Six
Andrea snapped the receipt book closed, swung her chair away from the desk, and propped her feet on the shelf of the file cabinet. The town had been too quiet. She hadn’t heard from Sam since the accident over a week ago, and after she’d finished telling Ed Pinyon off, she wasn’t likely to hear from him again either.
Perhaps it was just as well that Sam had avoided her. Andrea didn’t know how to face him. Mamie’s house had become some kind of symbol to Sam, a symbol of his past and his future. Not telling him about Ed’s plans to destroy the house hadn’t seemed important at the time. She’d considered it, but if Sam decided to stay, he’d have had first crack at the taxes. Since he’d admitted
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