River of Love(43)

“No, it’s not. You’re my employee, not my sister. I had no business trying to keep him away from you in the first place.”

“I appreciate that your heart was sort of in the right place. But I have faith in Sam.” And then, despite her faith in Sam, she had to ask, “You’re not going to fire me if something goes wrong between us, are you?”

He stared at her in silence for so long she feared his answer would be, What other choice will I have?

He rose to his feet and she stood, too, pulling her shoulders back, preparing for the thing she feared most.

“This Sam. The thoughtful, caring, insightful man you described, that’s the real Sam. That’s the brother I thought he’d buried too deep to find. I don’t think we have to worry about that particular scenario. Unless, of course, you decide to ditch Sam, in which case...” He shrugged with a tease in his eyes as they walked out of his office.

“Seriously? You’re going to turn this on me?” she said jokingly.

She was so relieved she wanted to hug him, but she didn’t because he was still her boss. Thank God.





Chapter Twenty-Six


SAM PULLED UP to the cabin Monday evening, surprised to see Tempe’s car in his driveway and a bonfire down by the water. He’d worked later than he’d expected, taking extra time to talk with Tex about upcoming trips they were hosting and his availability. Tex had proven to be a reliable hard worker, and Sam was pleased to hear that Tex had no plans of taking off anytime soon. He’d checked in with Lira about her progress and had ended up taking an hour to review the new charting systems she’d put into place. She was doing a spectacular job, and she seemed to enjoy the work. Things at Rough Riders were falling into place nicely, and from the text he’d received from Faith, it sounded like her talk with Cole had gone well, too, which had made his day.

He probably owed Cole an apology for storming off, but he needed another day or two to nurse his wounded ego. He’d had no idea he was such a pansy ass, but apparently his brother’s view of him mattered a lot more than he cared to admit.

Pushing that thought from his mind, he stepped from the truck. The sound of Tempe’s guitar greeted him. On his way down to the bonfire Faith’s beautiful face came into focus, illuminated by the flames of the fire. She was laughing at something Tempe must have said. Seeing her with his sister touched him in a deep, unexpected way.

“Hi,” she said as he leaned in for a kiss.

“Hey, baby. Missed you.” He turned to Tempe, giving her a warm hug. “I wasn’t expecting you, sis. It’s nice to see you.”

“Sorry I didn’t call first, but I was so excited about finishing my song, I wanted to come play it for you.” Tempe’s blond hair was pulled back in a ponytail. She smoothed her summery skirt and rested her guitar on her knee.

Sam sat in a chair beside Faith and reached for her hand. “Great. I can’t wait to hear it.”

“I was just thanking her for the referrals for Lira and the other members,” Faith said.

“Hey, when it comes to emotional health, I’m always willing to help,” Tempe said. “Besides, you never know. One day I might need that website of yours.”

“Like hell,” Sam said. “I’ll kill anyone who cheats on you.”

Faith squeezed his hand. “Brotherly love at its best.”

“He’s totally not kidding,” Tempe said. “With my dating life, I don’t think we’re in jeopardy of him having to kill anyone.”

They all turned at the sounds of tires on gravel.

“Did I miss the invitation to the party?” Sam said, wondering why Nate was there. And Jewel. They both stepped from the truck and waved.

“I told him I was coming over,” Tempe said. “I didn’t invite him, but when has Nate ever needed an invitation?”

None of them needed invitations, but Sam had gotten spoiled, having Faith all to himself these past few weeks. His disappointment at losing a few hours alone with her surprised him.

“He doesn’t.” Sam turned to Faith. “Sorry, baby. So much for our night alone.”

“We get plenty of time alone. I’m glad they’re here.”

He knew from her tone she was, even if she was a bit nervous. Sam rose to greet Nate and Jewel.

“So I guess you got lucky?” Jewel waggled her brows.

Sam hugged her. “Luckiest guy on earth.”

“Shit,” Nate said, pulling Sam away from Jewel. “That would be me, thank you very much.” He squeezed Tempe’s shoulder on his way past. “Sis. Good to see you.”

Nate stood in front of Faith’s chair and opened his arms. “Get on up here.”

Faith turned beet-red as she rose to her feet, and Nate pulled her into a hug.

“How can I not hug the woman who tamed Sammy?”

“Sam will never be tamed,” she said as Sam pulled her onto his lap. “And I wouldn’t want him to be. Monogamous is enough for me.”

Nate laughed. “That’s why you’re the perfect woman for Sam.”

“Get used to it,” Jewel said to Faith. “This family tends to say whatever they want.” She kissed Nate. “Especially my man.”

Another car pulled down the driveway, and they all turned. Sam’s muscles corded tight at the sight of Cole’s car—followed by his parents’ car and Shannon’s, which he knew Ty was driving.

“Oh yeah, I might have told everyone we were coming over.” Nate flashed a Cheshire-cat grin. “Nothing better than slowly easing in to the family.”

Sam shook his head as his family took over the lawn. The next hour was spent roasting marshmallows and listening to Remember When stories about Sam.

Faith soaked up every story, teasing him every so often. If he’d thought seeing Faith with Tempe had given him unexpected pleasure, seeing his family bring Faith into their inner circle filled parts of him he hadn’t known were empty. The only niggling to the spontaneous get-together was the way he and Cole were eyeing each other up, both obviously biding their time, waiting for the right moment to talk.

“Remember when Sam learned to horseback ride at Uncle Hal’s?” his mother said, her blue eyes filled with amusement, obviously excited to share one of his most embarrassing moments. “He was eight and a total show-off…”

Cole chose that moment to come to Sam’s side. “Can we talk?” he asked discreetly.

Sam felt Faith’s eyes on them and held up a finger, indicating he’d be right back. “Sure.” They walked away from the group, and Sam didn’t even try to pretend that the entire family wasn’t holding their breath just as he was.

“Listen, Cole. I owe you an apology.”

“What?” Cole shook his head. “Sam. I owe you an apology for the way I reacted to you. It was unfair and uncalled for. You’re an honest guy, and I had no right to disbelieve you. I’m sorry.”

A lump lodged in Sam’s throat, and from the emotions washing over Cole’s face, he thought he might be suffering from the same.

“Thanks,” Sam said. “But you were right to worry, and you were watching out for my girl, so how upset can I really be? I shouldn’t have stormed off. The truth was tough to hear, but hey, that’s what it takes to change, right? Isn’t that the first step? Admitting you have a problem?”

“You didn’t have a problem, Sam. You got hurt as a kid and never gave yourself a chance to deal with it. You buried it.”

Sam thought about that and knew it was at least partially true.

“You just had a different lifestyle than I did,” Cole said. “But not that different. You were more active, but hell, I didn’t commit for years either. I was an ass, Sammy, and it wasn’t fair of me not to take you at your word. I’m sorry.”

“Next time you don’t believe me about something this important, I’ll kick your ass,” Sam teased.

“Actually, your girlfriend sort of already did. I was wrong. You guys are perfect for each other. I had no idea she was so tough.”

Cole draped an arm over his shoulder, and a little piece of Sam’s world shifted back into place.

“Tough doesn’t even begin to describe her. You know I don’t believe in reliving the past, and thankfully”—his eyes found Faith—“neither does Faith. We both focus on the now, and the future. And from where I’m standing, my future looks pretty damn perfect.”





Chapter Twenty-Seven


IF BLISS WERE a place on earth, Faith had found it in Sam’s arms with his hard, hot body wrapped around her and his face nestled against her neck. Saturday mornings had become her most favorite day of the week. She took advantage of his slumber and visually explored her man’s bedroom. She was used to sleeping in it by now, but in the three weeks they’d been staying there, she had been so consumed with Sam, she hadn’t paid much attention to what the bedroom actually looked like.

It felt potently masculine, like Sam. The sheets, blankets, and throw rug were shades of brown, burnt orange, and gold. Dark wood trim surrounded three enormous windows and French doors that led out to a deck overlooking the lake, where they’d taken to having breakfast. Her WAC folder sat beside her laptop on the intricately designed wooden table built from driftwood that sat between two distressed leather chairs in front of the windows, where they’d sat and talked for hours last night.