spoke.
Sam recalled a dark-haired girl from school. “She’s younger than you.”
Ian nodded. “By three years.”
“Mike, her boyfriend, beat her pretty bad. Knocked her up, even hit her while she was pregnant. She lost the kid but got pregnant again. She had this one, a little boy. They call him Theodore…Teddy. God, he’ll be a teenager pretty soon.”
“You haven’t gone to see him?”
Ian glanced at Sam. Blue eyes full of uncertainty. That uncertainty made him suddenly appear younger and vulnerable. Gone was the arrogant confidence of years past.
He shook his head. “I’d be the last person Roxy would want to see. Anyway, I had gone over to Roxy’s place. She was living with Mike in a trailer park. A real dump, but what else could you expect from that scumbag? I was in the back room at the time. Mike didn’t know I was there. He was drunk again and started in on my sister, beating on her. Mike started shoving her around, and I came out and hit him. I’d listened to Roxy brag this guy up for over six years. I’d seen the bruises, seen the way she’d lie to our parents about how she got them. It was ridiculous.”
Sam watched as Ian’s expression changed from one of hurt to sheer anger.
“Mike fell like a ton of bricks. I guess he had an aneurism explode in his brain or something. That’s what I was later told. The punch I threw wouldn’t have killed a normal person. Anyway, I went up for ten years on manslaughter charges but got parole for good behavior.”
“Couldn’t the police have listened to your side of things? You were defending your sister.”
“They tried to get second-degree murder because they said I’d intended to hurt him. I had, just didn’t intend on killing him.” Ian’s expression suddenly masked to somewhere very far away. The hands that he’d balled up into fists began trembling.
Sam reached for his hand and squeezed it. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For telling me what happened. I’m sorry.”
He pulled away and quickly stood. His expression turned hard, cold, turned to someone she didn’t know. “I don’t need pity.”
“I wasn’t—” She hadn’t meant to insult him. She stood, set her soda can on the kitchen counter. “I’d better go.”
“I’ll take you home.”
“It’s not far. I can walk.”
Sam couldn’t have expected the next moment. They were standing too close, and they bumped into each other. She looked at him, and he looked down at her. The evening had been too stressful. She should just back away, but she didn’t realize what he was doing until it was too late.
He bent toward her, and she stood up on her toes. His hand cradled her jaw, his calloused thumb gently brushing over her lips. The kiss was innocent enough, his lips barely brushing over hers. Her heart tripped and beat nearly out of her chest. She laid her palm on his cheek, feeling the stubble of his beard.
Ian broke the kiss and stepped back. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.”
“You say that all the time.”
“No, really—” She didn’t know what else to say. She wondered about Ian’s life, wondered how many other times before he’d had to deal with rude comments and gossip about his past. Would he stay in Cold Springs?
The thought surprised her, but she really couldn’t imagine him being able to put up with small town minds and gossip for long. No one ever really was supposed to care what others thought of them, but how could one not? Especially when you were trying to build a new life. Starting over would be so much easier in a town that didn’t share his past.
Sam didn’t want him to go. They were both a part of Cold Springs, and they could get through it together. Couldn’t they? The thought both surprised and scared her. Sam had never thought about
Sam recalled a dark-haired girl from school. “She’s younger than you.”
Ian nodded. “By three years.”
“Mike, her boyfriend, beat her pretty bad. Knocked her up, even hit her while she was pregnant. She lost the kid but got pregnant again. She had this one, a little boy. They call him Theodore…Teddy. God, he’ll be a teenager pretty soon.”
“You haven’t gone to see him?”
Ian glanced at Sam. Blue eyes full of uncertainty. That uncertainty made him suddenly appear younger and vulnerable. Gone was the arrogant confidence of years past.
He shook his head. “I’d be the last person Roxy would want to see. Anyway, I had gone over to Roxy’s place. She was living with Mike in a trailer park. A real dump, but what else could you expect from that scumbag? I was in the back room at the time. Mike didn’t know I was there. He was drunk again and started in on my sister, beating on her. Mike started shoving her around, and I came out and hit him. I’d listened to Roxy brag this guy up for over six years. I’d seen the bruises, seen the way she’d lie to our parents about how she got them. It was ridiculous.”
Sam watched as Ian’s expression changed from one of hurt to sheer anger.
“Mike fell like a ton of bricks. I guess he had an aneurism explode in his brain or something. That’s what I was later told. The punch I threw wouldn’t have killed a normal person. Anyway, I went up for ten years on manslaughter charges but got parole for good behavior.”
“Couldn’t the police have listened to your side of things? You were defending your sister.”
“They tried to get second-degree murder because they said I’d intended to hurt him. I had, just didn’t intend on killing him.” Ian’s expression suddenly masked to somewhere very far away. The hands that he’d balled up into fists began trembling.
Sam reached for his hand and squeezed it. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For telling me what happened. I’m sorry.”
He pulled away and quickly stood. His expression turned hard, cold, turned to someone she didn’t know. “I don’t need pity.”
“I wasn’t—” She hadn’t meant to insult him. She stood, set her soda can on the kitchen counter. “I’d better go.”
“I’ll take you home.”
“It’s not far. I can walk.”
Sam couldn’t have expected the next moment. They were standing too close, and they bumped into each other. She looked at him, and he looked down at her. The evening had been too stressful. She should just back away, but she didn’t realize what he was doing until it was too late.
He bent toward her, and she stood up on her toes. His hand cradled her jaw, his calloused thumb gently brushing over her lips. The kiss was innocent enough, his lips barely brushing over hers. Her heart tripped and beat nearly out of her chest. She laid her palm on his cheek, feeling the stubble of his beard.
Ian broke the kiss and stepped back. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.”
“You say that all the time.”
“No, really—” She didn’t know what else to say. She wondered about Ian’s life, wondered how many other times before he’d had to deal with rude comments and gossip about his past. Would he stay in Cold Springs?
The thought surprised her, but she really couldn’t imagine him being able to put up with small town minds and gossip for long. No one ever really was supposed to care what others thought of them, but how could one not? Especially when you were trying to build a new life. Starting over would be so much easier in a town that didn’t share his past.
Sam didn’t want him to go. They were both a part of Cold Springs, and they could get through it together. Couldn’t they? The thought both surprised and scared her. Sam had never thought about
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