It’s fabulous,” Samantha said as Brooklyn led the way to the family room. “The whole house is beautiful. You have a real flare for decorating. A gene I’m sorely lacking.”
Brooklyn laughed. “I decorate on a shoestring, I assure you. I’ve become an expert at shopping garage sales and repurposing items others throw away. The B&B taught me how to do that.”
“I’d love to see what you’ve done over there since the wedding.”
“I’ll be glad to show you.”
Derek stood as the two women reentered the room. His gaze went straight to Brooklyn, and Samantha felt her breath catch at the look in his eyes. The love her cousin felt for his wife was palpable, and a sting of envy shot through her. With it came the image of a man she’d once thought, once hoped—
She forced the unwelcome memories away.
“Honey,” Brooklyn said, “is your guest coming?”
He glanced at his watch. “Far as I know.”
Another guest? Samantha had thought this was a night for family. She’d wanted to catch up and reminisce. It wouldn’t be the same with an outsider present.
As if on cue, the doorbell rang.
“There he is.” Derek headed for the front door.
He? Samantha looked toward Brooklyn, but she had already walked out of the family room on her way to the kitchen.
“Come on in,” she heard Derek say. “Brooklyn’s about ready to put dinner on the table.”
Samantha turned in the direction of Derek’s voice in time to see him enter the family room. A few steps behind him came his guest.
Nick Chastain.
The very man she didn’t want to think about.
For the second time in as many days, Samantha felt her world shift beneath her feet. She expected to see a look of surprise in his eyes to match her own. She didn’t find it. Had he known she would be here? Had she been kept in the dark on purpose?
Derek said, “Nick tells me you two knew each other in Oregon, so I invited him to join us. He’s only been in the area a couple of months and doesn’t know many people yet. I thought it would be nice for him to have a friend here.”
A friend. Was that what he’d told her cousin she was to him? A friend?
“Hope you don’t mind,” Nick said softly.
Well, yes. As a matter of fact, she did mind. Whatever they had once been to each other, they weren’t now. Not a couple. Not even friends. In fact, they were little more than strangers as far as she was concerned.
“Of course I don’t mind,” she lied.
Derek was oblivious to the undercurrent in the room, but something flickered in Nick’s eyes, telling Samantha he understood her true feelings.
It shouldn’t matter that he was there or that he knew she wished he wasn’t. It didn’t matter. None of it. Two years was a long time. She had moved through all the appropriate stages of getting over a failed romance. It hadn’t even taken that long. Not when Nick had both ignored her apologies and seemed to have dropped off the face of the earth. That was the real reason for her surprise: she’d never thought to see him again. Anywhere. Least of all here in her grandmother’s hometown.
Brooklyn reappeared from the kitchen. “Hi, Nick. Glad you could join us. You already know Sam, I understand.”
“Yes, we know each other.”
“Well.” Brooklyn motioned them to follow. “Dinner’s ready. Come take a seat at the table.” Her gaze flicked to Derek. “Tell Alycia to join us please.”
“Will do.”
Brooklyn went one way and Derek went another, leaving Samantha in the family room with Nick.
“I’m sorry if you don’t want me here,” he said, voicing her feelings more accurately than she would wish. “I didn’t know you were coming until after I’d accepted the invitation. Then it seemed rude to back out.”
She shook her head. “No. No, it’s all right, Nick. Really.” She drew in a quick breath and offered him a fleeting smile.
“Hurry up, you two,” Brooklyn called from the other room.
“I should help her.” Samantha hurried to do just that.
Unfortunately, there was nothing left to help with. Brooklyn had everything on the table. All Samantha could do was choose which side to sit on—and hope she’d chosen the right chair. She was grateful when it was Alycia who took the one next to her. Host and hostess sat at either end of the table. Nick paused and then settled onto the remaining chair opposite Alycia. Not quite in Samantha’s direct line of vision, but still closer than she liked.
As the serving dishes made their way around the table, Samantha glanced at Alycia. “How’s school?”
“It’s okay.”
“What grade are you in? I’ve forgotten.”
“Seventh.” Without waiting for the next question, the girl added, “I’m thirteen.”
Thirteen. As Samantha recalled, that could be a tough age. No doubt Alycia wasn’t fond of being grilled by an older cousin, once removed, whom she’d met only one time before. But Samantha persisted. “Any favorite subjects?”
The girl shrugged. “Not really.”
“That’s not true,” Brooklyn interjected, smiling. “Alycia plans to become a veterinarian. Any subject that can help with that is a favorite.”
Alycia seemed to perk up. “Ethan—he’s the vet here in Thunder Creek. He lets me help out at his clinic on Saturdays. I love getting to take care of the animals.”
Nick said, “It’s great to have a goal in mind at your age.”
Samantha’s stomach tightened. For a few brief moments she’d forgotten he was across the table. It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter.
“So, Nick,” Derek said, breaking into her silent mantra, “tell us more about how you know Sam.”
Her gaze darted to Nick, but he was looking at her cousin.
“We met at a lecture.”
“A lecture? On what?”
“Something to do with taxes.” Nick chuckled. “Trust me, I didn’t want to be there. I was forced to attend by my CPA. But then I saw this beautiful redhead sitting one row in front of me, and I decided it wasn’t a bad place to be. I remember that I was determined to make her acquaintance at the first opportunity.”
Samantha felt Nick’s gaze on her, but she stared at her dinner plate, trying her best not to remember the night he spoke of.
“So,” a male voice said, “what do you think of the seminar so far?”
She glanced to her right, and her pulse hiccupped.
The stranger smiled, as if he’d sensed her reaction. He was tall and broad shouldered. Even in a suit, there was only one word to describe him: rugged. She could almost smell the fresh outdoors on him, and it had nothing to do with his choice of soap or cologne. She usually avoided the type. She was more of an indoor girl.
He cocked an eyebrow, as if to repeat his question.
“It’s good,” she answered.
“I’m not sure I understand much of it.”
She looked at the half-filled paper cup in her hand.
He persisted. “My accountant twisted my arm to come. It’s not really my thing.”
“What is your thing?” The question was asked before she could help herself.
“Sailing. Kayaking. Biking. Deep sea fishing. Rock climbing.” He ended with a small shrug.
See. She’d known it. Not her type at all.
“Teaching,” he added.
Her gaze snapped to him. “You’re a teacher?”
He laughed. “You don’t have to sound so surprised.”
“I’m sorry.” She felt her cheeks grow warm. “What do you teach?”
“I’m a professor at OSU. Fisheries and Wildlife.”
A professor? Maybe he was her type after all.
He put out his hand. “Nick Chastain.”
“Samantha.” She took it—and felt that silly hiccup in her chest again. “Samantha Winters.”
Samantha took a slow, deep breath and forced her attention back to the present.
Nick was still speaking. “We struck up a friendship after that night.”
“Ah. I see,” Derek replied into the silence that followed.
A friendship. Yes, their relationship had begun as friendship—despite them having what seemed so little in common. They hadn’t liked the same music. They hadn’t liked the same kinds of books or movies. He was an outdoorsman, as she’d first suspected, while she liked her creature comforts. He wanted adventure. She wanted safety and security.
Still, despite their many differences, she’d found herself irresistibly drawn to him. He was sexy, like one of the major stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood. A man’s man. He was interesting, even exciting. And—she reminded herself now—he was reckless, frustrating, and sometimes selfish. Which were just a few reasons why, despite how much she’d cared for him back then, their relationship hadn’t lasted.
Were those the reasons, Sam?
She gave herself a mental shake as she drew in another deep breath. They’d broken up, and it had been for the best for them both. All she’d regretted was the way their relationship had ended.
She leveled her shoulders and glanced up from her plate. While her thoughts had drifted for the second time, the conversation had moved on. Just as well. She resolved she would enjoy the rest of the evening.
Nick sensed the moment when Samantha determined not to let his presence spoil the family dinner. Good. He didn’t want to be a problem. Just the opposite. He wanted to mend things. He wanted to ask for her forgiveness—both for things he remembered and things he could only suspect through the fog. He wanted them to be friends. It was the most he could want, but he wanted that much.
“Nick,” Brooklyn said, “Derek told me you’ve been looking for a church to attend.”
“Yes, I have. I was a member of a dynamic congregation in Wyoming. That’s where I lived before coming to Idaho. The church had lots of different ways to minister in the community, and I’d like to find something similar here.”
Across the table, he saw Samantha’s eyes widen almost imperceptibly. Was she surprised to learn he’d been living in Wyoming? Or was she surprised to know he’d become a church member? Perhaps both.
“Have you visited Thunder Creek Christian Fellowship?”
He looked at Brooklyn. “Not yet. I’ve been to a few churches in Nampa and Caldwell. Lots of good preaching, but no place has clicked with me yet. You know, that feeling when you know you’ve found a home.”
“Well, you should come this direction next Sunday. Derek is one of the leaders in the men’s ministries. We’d love to see you there.”
Nick smiled at Brooklyn, then Derek. “Sure. I’ll think about it. It’s not much farther to drive into Thunder Creek than it is to go into Caldwell.”
“Service starts at ten o’clock,” Brooklyn added.
He wondered if Samantha would be at their church on Sunday, but he kept himself from looking her way. He wouldn’t want to discourage her from attending, and he was afraid any interest on his part might do that.
The conversation moved on, and Nick was satisfied to eat the delicious food and listen as the others talked about family members and mutual friends and acquaintances in Thunder Creek. He learned how long Derek and Brooklyn had been married—a little over a year and a half—and about Derek’s adopting Alycia last year and how Derek had also come to adopt the petite and somewhat prissy papillon named Miss Trouble who was currently, as they could witness through the dining room windows, playing what looked like a game of keep-the-ball-away-from-Boomer in the backyard. It was the most pleasant evening Nick could remember having in a long, long while.
The meal of boneless chicken cutlets with a cherry tomato salsa, roasted sweet potato wedges, and peas with pearl onions—all organic, thanks to Derek’s farm—was followed by a dessert of chocolate-raspberry tarts.
“This is amazing,” Samantha said after her first bite.
Nick nodded in agreement, but his mouth was full, so all he could manage was an “Mmm.”
Leaning toward Samantha, as if in confidence, Alycia said, “Mom tries out all of her new recipes on me and Dad before they serve the same thing at the inn. They don’t all taste this good.”
Samantha laughed, her head tipped slightly back, her eyes narrowed, a hand over her mouth.
Nick loved the sound of her laughter. He always had, although he’d forgotten how much until right then.
A short while later, all the dessert plates empty, Brooklyn said, “Alycia, will you clear the table for me please?”
“Sure, Mom.”
Brooklyn stood. “You all go into the living room. I’ll bring the coffee. Decaf all right for everybody?”
She was answered by a chorus of yeses.
Before leaving the dining room, Nick walked to the window to check on Boomer. Miss Trouble had dropped the ball and was now bathing Boomer with her tongue. The expression on the border collie’s face made Nick grin.
“Patient, isn’t he?” Derek said as he stepped to Nick’s side.
“Yeah, he is. I got lucky when I found Boomer at the shelter.”
“Pets make a home, as far as I’m concerned. Brooklyn would agree now, but she didn’t always think so. She didn’t grow up around animals the way I did.”
Nick looked at Derek. “Gotta confess, I would’ve guessed Miss Trouble to be your wife’s or your daughter’s dog. Never would’ve figured she was yours first. Not even for a rescue.”
Derek laughed as he dropped his hand onto Nick’s shoulder. “We never know what or who God will bring into our lives. Do we?”
“I guess not.” Nick pictured Samantha, the way she’d looked the night they met, back at the beginning before he’d ruined it all. Then he tried to shove the image away. If God had brought her back into his life, it was so he could apologize for the things he’d said in anger. Nothing more than that.