CHAPTER 4
Sam drove home in a daze. It was a quick ten-minute drive anywhere in a town that size, but today she couldn’t tell you if it was ten minutes, where she lived, or even what her name was. Dawson’s soft full lips harassed her thoughts the entire drive, causing lust filled ideas that excited her and made her anxious, provoking every emotion in between.
Sam lived just outside of town, on the east side, the hospital stood on the west side. Being a tourist destination, summer months proved to be a bit more of a commute for such a small town. Rustic and charming, Main Street was just over a mile long, peppered with boutiques, coffee shops, restaurants, florists, and a variety of other shops on both sides of the lengthy stretch of road, and it was the epicenter of tourist season. During high season, which was most of the year, Main Street could get pretty congested with foot traffic and tourists venturing through.
The rodeo was in town, which provided even more delays. Their little town was busy! Sam took a country back road that ran along the south side of town, to avoid the delays. It was desolate, sprinkled with a few ranches and cabins, and held an incredible view of the mountains off in the distance. It was a nice drive, peaceful, and always reminded her why she loved living in McKenzie Ridge. She enjoyed the drive, and it was short, but it allowed her some quiet time to get lost in her thoughts.
Replaying the day’s events, she was stunned by his kiss but more so by her reaction to it and desire for more of what he had to offer
. He was purely intoxicating, like a drug, she decided, something one could become vastly addicted to and that she needed a lot more of. She could still smell him, feel him, taste
him. This was a dangerous venture, sure to be loaded with equal parts pleasure and disappointment, but for the first time in years, she didn’t care.
It was just too easy to get lost in Dawson Tayler, and she didn’t know why; he was just another man, or was he? She had been a very successful hard ass, where men were concerned, for the last four plus years. Why was her libido coming out of hibernation now, and full throttle, for a man that was more dangerous than matches and gasoline? This was purely physical. She just needed to satisfy that long overdue craving, and this desire for Dawson would fade. Right?
She originally had pegged him as the love them and leave them type. Dawson was never in the company of another woman, ever, but a man like him doesn’t sleep in a cold bed. She was sure his bed was plenty warm anytime he needed his itches scratched, and had plenty of women lining up, willing to scratch it, as often as needed. Sam was tempted to let him love her a couple rounds, warm those sheets for him, then leave him. Two birds, one man—take care of her own itch and get out before it got too serious and he left her. Her heart was safe that way.
There wasn’t room in her life for a man, but maybe some lovin’, some hot sweaty, grip the sheets and scream lovin’. That’s all she could offer a man. He couldn’t leave what he didn’t have, and her heart would stay intact. She knew there was a genuine side to Dawson, a caring, considerate type, a great friend. She valued that newly found friendship, too, and didn’t want to lose that. Maybe this was more than a hormone-enraged bout of temporary psychosis. Maybe there was more to this man than her previous assumptions. She was completely at war with herself and what she wanted from this man. Was she really considering this on any level?
She pulled into her driveway, unsure how she managed to get there in one piece, lost in her arousing thoughts of Dawson the entire way. When she walked in, she paused as a shiver drifted over her, raising the hairs ever so slightly on the back of her neck. The door was unlocked. She lived in a small, safe, uneventful town, but even so, she was always cautious and locked up, even if she was home.
Had she been so distracted and excited for her non-date lunch with Dawson that she didn’t lock her door? She also left the lights on? Hairs still on end and instinct scratching, suggesting something was askew, she ultimately settled with the idea that she really needed to get her crap together and under control. Paranoid and forgetful were not characteristics she carried. She was becoming a distracted, sex-crazed loon over a man, and that just wasn’t Sam.
This was the third time in so many weeks she had come home to find that she had left something out of order. First it was the sink running; who does that? Then she came home to find the TV had been left on in her room and in the living room, and she didn’t even remember having either on! Now the lights were on and the door unlocked? She found it as funny as she found it odd. She was acting like a love-struck teenager, annoying as all get out.
Maybe after her date
, she would find her senses again, remember why she didn’t date, and pull it together. One night, it was all she needed to purge her system of Dawson’s all-consuming, smexy presence in her world. There was a big difference between a date
and dating; dating
required commitments that were easily broken and eventually led to disappointment, and a date
is just what she needed to cleanse her pallet
and satisfy a certain ache.
She walked next door to see Granny Lou and Everly for their weekly round table. Although they tended to get together more often than that as their lives overlapped in so many ways, especially being neighbors, they still carved out time to sit and enjoy each other uninterrupted, to catch up. These were the days they each looked forward to, getting together to devour Granny’s famous snicker doodles or brownies a couple days a week; girl time was important.
Evie still lived with her grandmother in the small guesthouse that rested behind the main house in the far corner of the property.
One day she would find a place of her own, but for now this was still home as it always had been. Her personal dwellings were quite small and simple as the main house was modest in size. It was just the two of them. She had her privacy, so she wasn’t in a hurry to move on, and Lou loved having her granddaughter in close proximity.
Sam had her own small home, finally, after years in Granny Lou’s house. Sam loved that woman. It was hard to leave, even if she was just next door. Granny was home to her. Her own mother couldn’t be bothered to be anything but a reminder that Sam didn’t hit the gene pool lottery.
When Sam’s mother, mother
used loosely, found a home for her daughter with Lou Shaw, she was quick to drop and run. Bette wasn’t one to plant roots anywhere, which meant Sam didn’t either, so finding McKenzie Ridge and a home where she could ditch her daughter made chasing her next husband become much easier, and Sam finally had stability in her life.
Lou couldn’t stand the sight of Bette Morrison, didn’t trust that woman any more than a rabid raccoon in the middle of the afternoon, but Lou was a fair woman, believed in second chances, or in this case twenty or thirty—people could change. Lou loved Sam, so she was happy to take her in and raise her as her own, especially when Bette needed to ‘take a trip’ that she would never come back from.
Evie was already in the sunroom sipping her coffee and eating cookies, eyeing Sam with a devilish grin as she came into the room. Sam halted in the doorway, completely aware of what was coming next; small-town news travels fast. Rolling her eyes, Sam threw her head back, cheeks blushed, and quickly turned to retreat and avoid entering Evie’s web of questions. She was here to eat sweets, not get grilled.
Fun, energetic, and kind spirited, Everly Shaw – jaws drop and heads turn when she’s around – her beautiful blonde hair, golden skin, and hazel eyes are like a ray of sunshine, pouring in. Tall, lean, toned in all the right places, she was hot, but she was choosing to live vicariously through Sam rather than find love herself.
Evie’s parents died when she was nine. They were killed in an accident while hiking. Evie was spared but spent two days alone with her deceased parents in the woods, waiting for rescue. Something like that changes a person. As a child it either enlivens you or completely screws you up; Evie had traces of both. Her childhood rooted her desire to be a nurse, but with adventure. Stationed at the same hospital as Sam, in the town where they were raised, Evie’s days were filled with the excitement of helicopters, with her Life Flight assignments, and rappelling down cliffs to save lives as Search and Rescue. She was a real thrill seeker.
The appeal was adventure, but Sam and Granny Lou knew it was a distraction; Evie never talked about what happened to her family. Her family was Granny Lou, Sam, and the smallest lady of the house, little Ellie—they were her everything. That little girl changed all of their lives and softened the hardness that was Evie’s heart; but only as much as a 4-year-old could. The most unlikely pair, opposites in every way, Evie and Sam were true soul sisters. She and Gran helped Sam through the early days of that whirlwind known as Ellie Lou—named after her and Gran in fact. Evie would do anything for the ladies in her life. Today, however, it was more about grilling Sam and enjoying every uncomfortable moment of embarrassment. This was going to be good.
“Hold up sister. Where do you think you’re going? Seems you have some steamy news to tell, my friend!” Everly said while rubbing her hands together like a sinister old maid; the sinister part was solidified by the deep throaty chuckle that accompanied the wiggling eyebrows.
“Evie, please, you look like a starved piranha, and it’s not a cute look on you,” Sam replied in hopes of shaking the nagging dog off her scent. “I just want to stuff my face with some of those little bites of heaven over there or hide under a rock to avoid the nosey hen, lovingly known as you.”
“Oh honey, you sit right here and stuff your face all you want while you explain that glow you’ve been carrying around. Something tells me it’s called Dawson Tayler?” Everly said in a sassy southern drawl while fanning herself and batting her lashes.
“It’s called tired and sweat. Its hot outside,” Sam said in reference to this imaginary glow Everly was claiming. “And that something
is called gossip. I swear this town is entirely too bored if my non
-love life is the topic of town discussions.”
Scooting her chair closer, Evie leaned in, elbows on the table, fully engrossed in Sam, letting it be known she was not leaving without the steamy details. “I would be sweating too if I was kissed so hard my lips swelled up like I just kissed the tail end of a wasp. This is going to be better than I thought…dish!”
“Ugh. Fine. We went to lunch at the Pavilion, which you obviously already know. I had a hoagie…”
“Eh! Nobody cares what you ate; get to the good stuff where you two were kanoodling in the parking lot, sucking face, and rubbing each other’s…”
“We weren’t kanoodling
or rubbing anything! I swear, Ev, this is so ridiculous. Look, we are just friends and…”
Granny Lou walked in with a fresh pot of coffee and a clever, well-informed look, before Sam could finish…knowing that look couldn’t mean anything good. Not one to mince words, she bluntly questioned Sam, filling in the blanks that she apparently couldn’t fill from the gossip mill.
“Have you decided what you are wearin’ tomorrow night, and how was that kiss, honey?” Boom, there it was, shock and awe, Granny style. Sam considered making a run for it. “I hear it was a bit of a crowd pleaser, even if it was a little R rated. Thank goodness you had the good sense to keep your hands where they could be seen. It was the park after all, full of children, and Pastor Henry’s wife, along with the Ladies of His Kingdom for their weekly meetin’.”
Jaw dropped, eyes wide, and pink cheeks, Sam was completely mortified; beyond mortified, she was humiliated and felt the size of a gnat, the runt gnat in a family of freakishly small gnats. Sam left the park no more than 30 minutes ago, and that’s being generous with time, so how on earth did Gran not only know the details of her afternoon ‘kanoodling’ in the park, but obviously already shared said details with her partner in crime, Everly, who was in full blown, head back, stomach holding, tears running, hysterics?
This was an all-time record for the McKenzie Ridge gossip brigade! Pastor Henry’s wife and the Ladies of His Kingdom…she may as well add the scarlet letter to her attire, now, and paint her door red. These women, and likely a handful of men, deserved a damn medal; they officially broke the record for the ten-mile radius grapevine event!
“So, is everyone watching me or just your clan of vultures?” Sam shot back.
“Oh honey, don’t be so dramatic. Carol called me from the park to tell me about her new granddaughter. You knew Sarah and Jack had the baby.” Granny had a way of pleading innocence in a convincing way, over just about everything. “Anyway, wouldn’t you know it, she was at the park minding to the older ones, to give their mama some time to rest with the baby, and…”
“…and just happened to see me and Dawson and felt the need to spy for you?” Sam cutting Gran off would typically not happen, not due to respect or anything, but because Louise Shaw rarely shared the floor when there was a story to tell, which is exactly why Sam cut in.
“Oh, Sam, you make it sound so calculated. ‘Twas nothing more than a coincidence, honey,” Granny said while shooing a hand at her because, of course, Sam’s reaction was more ridiculous than the gossip mill, apparently.
Everly jumped in, tired of waiting for the good stuff, wishing she had popcorn for this one. She was rather enjoying the site of Sam squirming, a sign that this really was something and not the ‘nothing’ Sam claimed. “Yeah, Sam, it was a coincidence
, so spill it. I’m currently living vicariously through you. My love life is null and void, so you and a couple of racy books are all I have to feel scandaliiized!”
“Ev, I don’t have a love
life! I don’t date, you know that. I don’t have time or the desire for it, and men are just…they are just more trouble than they are worth. The only thing scandalous about this is the flock of hens turning nothing into something,” Sam defended.
“Well, if hot and heavy neckin’ in a parkin’ lot at the park is not datin’ and a non-love life, things have changed since I was of age, girls,” rebutted Gran, and she was about to drop the final bomb that should get Sam singing like a canary, Granny style. “Sounds like it was pretty steamy, left you speechless, and all.”
“Wait, how did you know there was a date and the whole speechless thing?” Sam was flustered; damn this small town and its nosey geriatric mafia. “Where exactly was Carol watching me from, Gran?”
“Well honey, you parked right next to her! She was in the car, fixin’ to leave when the two of you walked up. She felt it rude to interrupt by starting up her car.” As if she should be flabbergasted by the idea of minding one’s business by starting their car to leave. Granny may as well have just said ‘duh.’
“Right, rude, more so than sitting in a car listening in. Let me guess, you were on the phone the whole time?”
“Well honey, I just told you that she had called to…”
“Right, right, tell you about the new baby. Got it.” Sam planted her face firmly in her hands before resting it on the table. “How embarrassing!”
“This is hilarious, Sam! I bet half the old ladies in this town are getting steamy windows talking about it! This is awesome, epically awesome, Sam!” Everly could hardly catch her breath, laughing at her sister-friend and all her embarrassing shame. Not that she had anything to be ashamed of, but she was happy to let her think so; the show was just getting good. “Way to give the geriatrics something to look forward to!”
“Hey now, those old ladies are my friends, missy, and they are just looking out for our Sam. That Dawson is a dreamboat, hubba, hubba! He’s the one they hope gets called in if one of their pacemakers should fail and they need a little mouth to mouth.” Another slam dunk from Granny, earning her more eye rolling and pink cheeks from Sam, and cookie crumbs shooting through Everly’s teeth as she laughed out loud.
“Oh geez, thanks for the visual, Gran. Sam, you need to warn your dream boat—sounds like there is a conspiracy over at the senior center to trap the guy into some covert, undercover naughty! Poor guy will be on a ‘date’ and not even know it!”
“I’m glad you find this so funny, Everly. Look, I appreciate the concern or support, whatever it is, but this is just a friendly, friends, friend thing. Nothing more, nothing less. We grab breakfast here and there, share some interests, it’s like the male version of you, Evie!”
“Last I checked, you and I never swapped spit or did heavy petting body checks on each other in public places!”
“EVERLY! Okay, I am done talking about this. I can’t even look at you right now, after that, eww. We are just having dinner, as FRIENDS, no big deal.”
“Okay honey, friends it is.” Granny chimed in. “Now finish that plate of snicker doodles before they find my ass. At my age, you don’t even have to eat them for that to happen, and I need to keep this thing in shape so I can find my own neckin’ partner.”
“Gran!” Sam and Everly said in unison, completely shocked by Gran’s need for lovin’.
“What?! I ain’t dead yet! I may be old, but I’m still a lady that needs…”
“Whoa! Got it Gran!” Everly cut her off before it went from awkward to needing therapy.
“I’ll stick to tea. I don’t need the sugar or coffee keeping me up tonight. I went and left the door unlocked today. I don’t get it; I could have sworn I locked it. I’ve left the lights, TVs, and even the water on lately, too.”
“You don’t think someone is over there meddlin’, do ya?” Gran asked, ready to grab her gun and sleep over.
“No, Gran, nothing that dramatic ever happens in McKenzie Ridge. I just have a lot on my mind.”
“You don’t suppose that mama of yours has blowin’ back through do ya? Somethin’ she might do if she’s in between husbands.” Lou didn’t trust Bette Morrison any more than she’d trust a hungry rabbit in her garden. Bette was as reliable as a bucket with a hole in it. She let Sam down more times than Granny cared to count.
“No, I haven’t heard from her in a while. She was blissfully happy with what’s his name last we spoke. Sneaky isn’t her style. Her presence floods in long before her arrival, like a hurricane!”
There was a long pause before anyone spoke. Grinning ear to ear with a whimsy, daydream look in her eyes, Sam finally declared, “I will admit Dawson does have me a bit distracted; we may only be friends, but I am not
blind.”
Evie and Granny looked at each other grinning. Granny winked, “Friends my ass, honey.”