Randall Riches (9 page)

Samantha saw the concern on Lavinia’s face and she immediately reassured her. “I love it. It feels so silky and cool. Thank you, Lavinia. It’s wonderful of you, and you and Pete, too, Janie, to bring me these things. I was just trying to remember something that was bothering me. That’s why I frowned.”

“Rich brought you something, too,” Lavinia assured her. She turned away from the bed and picked up a
small blue, woven bag with flowers. “He thought you could use a bag for your new nightgowns. And he put in all your grooming things from your duffel bag.”

Samantha turned bright red. “I—I don’t have much.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Janie assured her. Then she put the jeans and T-shirt she’d been wearing that morning into the case along with the white peignoir set. “I’d better invite the men back in before they get too antsy.”

Rich and Pete must’ve been waiting right outside the door because they entered at once.

“You look pretty,” Pete said immediately. “Feeling a little better?” he asked.

Sam dutifully answered, “Yes, of course.” In truth, the pain was coming back.

“Okay, we’re going to go have dinner, but we’ll check with you later before we head for the house,” Janie said. “Some of the others may be in to visit. Red and Mildred are definitely planning on it. But if you get tired, just shoo them away.”

She and Lavinia and Pete each kissed Samantha’s cheek and headed for the door. Pete looked over his shoulder. “You coming, Rich?”

“I’ll be right there. I need to get her signature for the sheriff,” he said. “Go ahead and get a table and I’ll be there in five minutes.”

Suddenly, Samantha was alone with Rich. She’d spent several days in the truck with him, but this was different. “What do I need to sign?” she asked hurriedly.

He pulled a folded sheet of paper out of his back
pocket. “This paper is to press assault charges against Brad.”

“But I thought you said he was being charged with murder.”

“He is, but we want to be sure he doesn’t escape all the charges. Just sign on the bottom line. I filled out the rest of the information.”

He offered a pen and then realized at the same time that she did that it was going to be impossible to write her name. At least by herself. “Damn, I didn’t think of that. I’ll talk to the sheriff tomorrow and ask if your signature can be postponed.”

“Thank you. But I think I can do it if you’ll support my arm.” She wanted to be sure Brad wasn’t let out of prison any time soon.

“Are you sure? We don’t want to open up that cut.”

“I’m sure the doctor’s stitches will stay in place. Unless you don’t want— I mean, I can do it by myself, probably. Give me the pen, please, and—”

Rich stepped closer to the bed, his features stiffening.

“I don’t have rabies!” she snapped when he warily approached.

“I know that! I just don’t want to hurt you,” he added as he slid his hand under her injured arm. With his other hand, he slid the bed table over her lap and placed the form on it. “Okay, let’s try it. But if it hurts too much, I’ll talk to the sheriff about waiting.”

Sam tried to hide how much effort it took to move the pen. However, she managed to produce a wobbly signature similar to her normal one. Then she lay back
against the pillows and drew a deep breath, aware that Rich still held her arm. “Thank you.”

He followed her gaze to her arm and eased his hold from her. “Good job. Did it hurt much?”

She shook her head. “Oh, and thank you for loaning me that bag. I appreciate it.”

He looked at her for a long moment. “It isn’t a loan, Sam. It’s a gift.”

“I—I—thank you.”

He bent over, she supposed to kiss her cheek as his parents and grandmother had done. But Samantha wasn’t prepared for that. She turned her head to tell him so, and his lips covered hers.

She’d been kissed before. When she was younger and wanted to know what all the excitement was about. And a few times when she wasn’t willing but couldn’t fight the man off. But none of those times had shown her the magic people talked about.

Her first thought was that Rich had made a mistake. But his lips had control of hers, and he didn’t back away. Instead, his lips softened and gently urged her closer. The tip of his tongue stroked her mouth, teasing her. Then she realized how responsive she was. The last thought she had was she’d found heaven. But she couldn’t! Panic rushed in.

With Rich, of all people, she found the magic of a kiss.

Pete kept an eye on the restaurant door, waiting for Rich’s arrival. They’d left him at the hospital over a quarter hour ago and Pete couldn’t help wonder what was taking him so long. But he wasn’t into matchmaking, in spite of what Janie said.

He would like it if Rich fell for Samantha however, and brought her legally into the family. But only if Rich loved her. Pete knew his son’s reputation as a love-’em-and-leave-’em kind of guy. After cautioning him to use condoms and be kind, he didn’t figure there was much else he could do.

Rich came in, a scowl on his face.

Pete raised his hand. “Rich! Over here.”

His son joined them at a table for six, barely greeting them as he sat. Then he buried his face in the menu.

Pete waited him out. When he finally came out from behind the menu, Pete asked, “Everything all right?”

“Yeah.”

“I wondered because you took longer than we expected.”

“Sorry, I ran into some friends and they wanted me
to tell them about Samantha. Why are we at such a big table?”

Janie smiled. “Russ and Abby are joining us here. They hadn’t heard about Sam’s rough day.”

“Oh.”

The waitress arrived to take their orders. Janie also ordered for Rich’s twin and his fiancée. After the waitress left, Rich asked, “How do you know what they want?”

“They told me what they wanted on the phone. This way their food will arrive about the time they do. I think this new situation is working very well for Russ. He enjoys working with Bill Johnson in town and still doing some work at the ranch part-time,” Janie enthused.

“More to the point, Dad and the uncles are behind him.” Rich folded his arms across his chest and stared at his dad. He couldn’t believe his twin enjoyed being a bean counter part-time. But, according to everyone, Russ was happy. He’d started working for the only accountant in town last fall, about the time Rich went off to the rodeo.

“It’s working out all right,” Pete replied. “We hired an extra hand.”

Just then, several young men wandered by their table, stopping when they recognized Rich. “Hey, Rich! Congratulations!”

“For what?” Rich frowned.

“We heard you’re getting married soon. To the new lady in town.”

Rich glared at the two men.

“That’s what my girlfriend Beth said. She was work
ing reception at the clinic when you brought that woman in. The news sure took us by surprise. We thought you wouldn’t get caught so easily.”

“I’m not marrying anyone!” Rich snapped. “The lady’s a friend and nothing else.”

Their eyebrows raised. One of them said, “I heard she’s good-looking. Green eyes and long, dark hair.” He looked at Rich as if to confirm the rumor.

Rich stared at the table, ignoring them.

“’Fraid you got your facts wrong, boys. Rich is recovering from a broken ankle. That’s why he’s home right now. Not because of some lady,” Pete said, nodding at the two young men. “He’s had a long day. He gets tired with that cast on his leg.”

After they moved on, Russ and Abby arrived.

“How’s the leg doing?” Russ asked at once.

“Fine. Hi, Abby. Good to see you.”

“Hi, Rich, Mrs. Dawson, Mr. and Mrs. Randall.”

Janie leaned forward. “Make it Pete and Janie, Abby, like I told you. There are too many Randalls around who’ll answer to those names.”

“I guess you’re right. Even Toby and Elizabeth,” Abby pointed out. She and Elizabeth both taught at the elementary school. “I’m looking forward to meeting the
future
Mrs. Randall,” she said, a big smile on her face as she stared at Rich.

“But that would be you,” Rich said.

“No, silly, not me!” Abby exclaimed with a chuckle. “The rumor around town is that you’re settling down.” She beamed at Rich as if that were a happy thing.

“What are you talking about?” Rich demanded harshly.

Russ leaned closer. “Are we rushing things, bro?” he asked.

“No, you didn’t rush things. You just drove off a cliff. Of course I’m not getting married! Don’t believe the blasted rumors!”

R
ESTING IN HER
hospital bed, Samantha was still getting over the shock of Rich’s kiss. She was replaying the scene in her mind. The look in Rich’s eyes as he’d backed away, a stunned expression on his face even as he had pulled her arms from around his neck.

“I gotta go!” Rich had muttered and had quickly disappeared.

Now Samantha closed her eyes, fighting the tears, fighting the throbbing pain. She wasn’t sure which hurt the most. The physical pain as her painkiller wore off, or the heartache she felt at Rich’s regret over their accidental, magical kiss.

The young nurse who’d given her the water earlier came into the room. One look at Sam’s face and she demanded, “What’s wrong? Are you in pain? Why didn’t you call us?”

Sam opened her eyes. “I just moved wrong. That’s all.”

“You’re probably ready for more medication anyway. I’ll check with the doctor.”

As the nurse turned to go, Samantha called out to her. “No! No, I’m going to have visitors. I don’t want to take anything until it’s time to go to sleep.” People
were actually coming to see her. She’d never had people visit her when she was sick or injured before.

“I’ll discuss it with the doctor.” Then the nurse disappeared, leaving Samantha alone. With time to think about that kiss…and Rich’s reaction. She knew it had been unintentional. And his expression had told her that he hadn’t enjoyed it. But she had. That was the scary part. It had to be because of the medication. It couldn’t be anything else.

Her door opened and Dr. Jacoby came in.

“I thought doctors didn’t work late,” Samantha said, trying to mask her pain.

“Only when I have a pretty patient, young lady. How are you doing?”

“Fine.”

“Liar.” He reached for her left hand and took her pulse. Then he looked at her eyes. “Why didn’t you want medication?”

“It puts me to sleep. I haven’t eaten dinner and I might have visitors tonight. I’ve never had visitors, doctor. I—I’m excited about that.”

She realized she’d made the doctor feel sorry for her, something she hated, but she had to explain so he wouldn’t medicate her.

“The Randalls are a nice family,” he said. “Let’s make a deal.”

“What?”

“I’ll give you a little medicine that will ease the throbbing if you promise to lie real still. I want you to even let the nurse feed you. Then as soon as your vis
itors leave, I’ll come give you the rest of your medication.”

“I don’t want to make you work late. Can’t the nurse—”

“I live next door. Besides, I want to see if you enjoyed your visitors. Okay?”

“Thank you, Dr. Jacoby.”

He surprised her by taking her left hand in his and gently squeezing it. She smiled back at him as he left.

“See you in a little while,” the doctor said and closed the door behind him.

Almost immediately the nurse returned with a tiny pill in a small paper cup. She gave it to Samantha and got her some water. “Oh! Doc said I should feed you. Let me go get you a tray. I’ll hurry ’cause I’m sure you’re hungry.”

Samantha wasn’t sure she could eat. At least not until the pill took the edge off her pain.

When the nurse returned Red and Mildred were with her. “I have to feed her, but I’m sure she’d like to visit with you,” the nurse told the older couple.

Mildred smiled. “I can feed her so you can take a break.”

“Are you sure you don’t mind? The doctor doesn’t want her to move at all.”

“I’ll take care of it.” After the nurse left, Mildred kissed her on the cheek. “I hear you’ve been very brave,” she said, cupping Samantha’s cheek.

Samantha tried to shake her head, but Mildred stopped her. “You’re supposed to lie still. Red, you talk to her while I feed her.”

Mildred started opening up the containers. “Oh, look. You get banana pudding for dessert. That’s Red’s favorite.”

“Red, you can have the pudding. I’m not that hungry,” Sam said, not sure she could eat anything.

“Aw, naw. I won’t take your pudding. It’s the best part,” Red protested.

“Aha! She has meat loaf and mashed potatoes and green beans. Here, start off with a bite of meat loaf,” Mildred said, offering Samantha a bite on the fork. For the next fifteen minutes, Mildred slowly fed Samantha her dinner and both she and Red chatted with her.

Samantha had never had such loving care. “You’re both being so sweet. Red, please eat the banana pudding. I can’t eat anymore.”

Red’s face lit up. “If you’re sure…”

Mildred and Samantha shared a smile as Red dug into the banana pudding.

“Hey, who’s eating here?” Jake, the oldest of the Randalls, asked as he and his wife B.J. entered the room.

“The little girl said she’d had too much,” Red immediately assured Jake.

“Red’s helping me out,” Sam said with a big smile. The merriment they all shared almost made Samantha forget her pain.

B.J. presented her with a big box of chocolates and Samantha immediately asked Mildred to pass them around so everyone could share.

“Brett and Anna and Chad and Megan will stop by tomorrow. We didn’t want to overwhelm you,” B.J.
told her with a grin. “It’s hard for people to handle all of us at once.”

“Oh, please, that’s not necessary. You’ve all been more than generous.” She hadn’t seen this many Randalls since the meal she shared with all of them that first night she arrived.

Jake leaned over and patted her good hand. “You heard Pete. You’re one of our own. How long will you have to stay here? Pete said you wrenched your shoulder as well as getting cut.”

“Yes,” she said with a sigh. “At first, the doctor said I could go home in the morning, but now he says I’ll have to stay a second night.”

“One more night won’t be too bad,” B.J. said.

Samantha smiled, saying nothing.

About that time, Pete, Janie and Lavinia returned, along with a couple. At first Samantha’s heart raced, thinking Rich had returned with another woman. But she realized almost at once that it was Russ, not Rich.

“Hi. Um, thank you for coming to visit me,” she said, unsure how she should respond.

“Samantha,” Russ said, stepping forward and pulling the young woman with him, “I want you to meet Abby, my fiancée. We’re getting married in July, on our birthday.”

“Oh, a double celebration. How nice!” She smiled and the conversation picked up again. She hoped no one noticed when she kept watching the door. With so many people in the room, no one would realize she was watching for Rich.

Which was foolish. She didn’t think he would come
after that fiasco of a goodbye. But she couldn’t help herself. After all, he had to catch a ride home. He couldn’t drive himself.

Suddenly, Pete said, “Rich had some errands to take care of. He’s meeting us here later.”

She smiled. It felt stiff, but she was sure no one would notice. “Mildred, please offer them some of the chocolates B.J. and Jake brought.”

Pete raised an eyebrow at her. “Chocolates? That was thoughtful,” he agreed with a smile.

Samantha felt her cheeks flush. She knew Pete was remembering her remark about staying with the family that first evening when she tried to leave and he and Rich had come after her. When the box came back to her, Samantha deliberately took a chocolate and bit into it. Pleasure filled her.

First the kiss. Now the chocolate. She was in big trouble.

When it came time for everyone to go, Samantha hated to see the end of the visit. She’d enjoyed it a lot. But the pain was coming back and she was going to be ready for another pill when the doctor returned.

She heard his voice in the hall and gave a sigh.

“What’s this? A convention of Randalls?” the doctor asked as he entered the room.

“Hey, Doc,” Jake said, greeting his old friend. “How’s our patient?”

“Pretty tired, I imagine. I’m going to have to run you all out. She’s promised to take her pill and go to sleep.”

He handed Samantha a large pill and a glass of water.
“I’ll send the nurse to help you get settled for bed, young lady.”

She nodded dutifully.

All her visitors rose and started filing out, calling good wishes over their shoulders. And Sam couldn’t help but wonder why Rich hadn’t shown up. How was he going to get home?

Pete was the last one out. He stopped by the bed and proved to her that he’d noticed her concern over Rich’s absence. “Don’t worry about Rich. We won’t leave him stranded.”

Samantha nodded and sighed.

R
ICH NOTICED
that his father was frowning when he emerged from the hospital. Leaning against the front fender of his grandmother’s car, Rich greeted his grandmother as she got behind the wheel.

Just as Rich opened the passenger side door Pete called out to him. “Rich! Wait a minute, please. Come ride with me. Janie will ride with Lavinia. We’ll follow them to the ranch.”

Curious, Rich followed his father’s suggestion. He couldn’t help but wonder what his father was up to.

“You staying at your grandmother’s tonight?” Pete asked when they were on the road.

“Yeah, I thought I would. I’m worried she might feel a little afraid.”

“You’re a good boy, Rich.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

“Now tell me what happened with you and Samantha when you stayed at the hospital after we left.”

Rich sat frozen, staring straight ahead. Finally, he muttered, “Nothing.”

“Son, I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t know
something
happened.”

“It was nothing, Dad.”

Pete remained silent.

Finally, Rich said, “I was on my way out and well, all of you had kissed Sam on the cheek. So I leaned over to kiss her, too, and she turned her head.”

“You mean you kissed her on the lips?”

“I didn’t mean to.”

“What did she say?”

“Nothing. I left. How did you know something happened?”

“You weren’t exactly in a happy mood when you got to the restaurant. And when we got back to the hospital, I realized Samantha kept looking at the door, like she expected you to come in.”

They drove along in silence.

Finally Pete said, “I try not to interfere in your social life, son, but I don’t want Samantha upset…or even worse, running away.”