Rachel shook her head slowly. She was the last person to suggest Sam show any compassion for his father. She had her own issues with Edwin McCoy that she was still dealing with.
“I think you should do what you want to do,” Rachel told him softly. “We’re all behind you. Whatever you decide, you know we’ll support you.”
Sam smiled down at her. He found that the anger within him was subsiding. She had always been able to calm him. How could he have forgotten that? So many things about Rachel were coming back to him. And all of them were comforting and loving.
“I guess it
would
be a good time to tell him my decision,” he conceded finally. He looked up at Roy and nodded calmly, smiling at the relief he saw on his friend’s face. “I’ll need a date though.” He looked directly at Rachel and smiled.
“Rachel would love to go with you, wouldn’t you, Rache?” Paulette said quickly, not waiting for an answer. “Look in my closet, Rachel. There’s an absolutely gorgeous black dress in there that’s brand new. I bought it long before I got to be this size, and I never got a chance to wear it. It’ll fit you perfectly.”
“Wait a minute,” Rachel stopped her, totally overwhelmed. “I couldn’t impose. Besides, your father wouldn’t appreciate it if I showed up.”
And he warned me to stay away from you or else he would ruin you and my family.
Sam reached out to gently touch her face to return her attention to him. “I could sure use the moral support,” he told her sincerely.
Rachel hesitated, struggling violently with the decision. It was a no-win situation for her. Supporting Sam was the only thing she could possibly choose. She stood up and opened the closet door.
“Okay, where’s the dress?” she said finally, rummaging through the closet to hide the blush that was creeping across her face at the thought of going on a date with Sam. She was glad that her back was to everyone so they couldn’t see the smile that was lighting up her eyes.
“It’s behind Roy’s suits in a clear garment bag,” Paulette said happily. She turned to her husband and winked conspiratorially. Roy smiled and looked at his friend, breaking into a grin at the happiness that was obvious on Sam’s face. Maybe his father’s dinner wasn’t going to be so bad for Sam after all.
Rachel located the garment bag and pulled it out of the closet. She couldn’t help but gasp at the elegance of the dress as she viewed it through the clear plastic of the bag. It was black chiffon with black sequins accenting the halter top. It was sophisticated and daring and she wondered how Sam would react to her wearing such a blatantly sexual dress. She looked up and found him staring at it then saw him look up at her, a slow smile spreading across his face. He was going to like it just fine.
“I’ll have to get some shoes and underthings,” she barely whispered, blushing immediately.
“We can drive into Denver the morning of the banquet. You can buy whatever you need there,” Sam told her, smiling.
Rachel nodded and turned to find both Roy and Paulette watching her and grinning. She was immediately annoyed at their obvious meddling, and walked from the bedroom to gently rest the beautiful dress on the couch so that she could take it with her when they left. Walking back toward the bedroom, she got busy removing the remains of the delicious meal.
At Rachel’s insistence, Roy and Paulette remained in the bedroom while she and Sam took the dishes and trays back into the kitchen to begin cleaning up. Rachel washed the dishes quickly, very much aware that Sam was watching her closely.
“Sam, you’re making me a nervous wreck watching me like that,” she said finally, wiping her hands on the dish towel and throwing it onto the counter.
“Sorry,” he said, amusement evident in his voice as he put the last dish away before turning to face her once again. He smiled softly, her beauty and kindness filling him with emotions. “You look tired.”
He reached forward and gently touched the dark circle under her left eye, rubbing his thumb across her cheek to stroke the pale bruise that still marred her beauty. He felt a combination of concern and anger filling him as he thought about the pain she had to have experienced during her attack.
“I am, a little,” she admitted. Before Rachel knew what was happening, she was being lifted into Sam’s strong arms and carried back into the bedroom.
Roy and Paulette were shocked into silence when they saw Sam carrying Rachel into their room. Roy pulled Paulette closer toward him when he realized that Sam’s intention was to place Rachel beside Paulette on the king-size bed.
“What are you doing?” Rachel demanded, embarrassed.
“Be quiet,” he told her sharply, laying her down on the bed and sitting down next to her. “She’s been sick lately and needs to rest, too.” His explanation made Roy and Paulette grin at him, and he couldn’t help but smile back at them.
“Now this is what I call after dinner conversation,” Roy said very seriously.
Rachel couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m surrounded by lunatics,” she said, shaking her head as she looked at the three of them.
Paulette’s gasp drew their attention and all laughter subsided. She was clutching her stomach, making them worry.
“Paulette, what’s wrong?” Roy asked her nervously, covering her hand with his own.
“The baby is moving,” she said happily, taking her husband’s hand and placing it on the lower part of her abdomen.
Rachel smiled at Paulette, relief and happiness filling her. “May I feel the baby, Paulette?” she asked quietly.
Paulette nodded, taking Rachel’s hand and drawing it toward her belly. Rachel looked down as her hand touched the hardness of Paulette’s stomach and smiled as she felt the baby move beneath her hand. She turned and faced Sam with a look of wonder. He was looking at her with such tenderness that her heart began to flutter.
He reached across her to gently place his hand on Paulette’s abdomen and smiled at the strength of the baby’s kick. Feeling the movement of the life that was growing inside of her made him think about Rachel in the same condition as Paulette. He admitted to himself that he was looking forward to it becoming a reality. When the baby moved again, he couldn’t help but feel a rush of happiness.
“You’ve got a tiger there, Roy,” he teased.
Roy looked at his wife, then at his cousin, and finally at his friend. He said a silent prayer of thanks for the three people beside him. He was overwhelmed with the love they shared and the feeling of his son moving strongly beneath his hand.
“Thank you, Paulette,” he whispered as he leaned forward and lightly kissed her temple.
Paulette closed her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. The love that surrounded her was all that she had ever wanted or needed. She would be forever thankful for the day she had met her husband. Because of him, she had a life filled with love and happiness.
Now, all they had to do was make sure that Rachel and Sam were equally blessed with a future filled with love and babies. Both Sam and Rachel were stubborn, but so were she and Roy. It was going to be an interesting summer.
They drove back to the campground in silence. Paulette’s gorgeous dress hung behind them on the hook above the passenger side rear window. Every once in a while, Rachel looked back as if to make sure that the beautiful creation was still there. Sam watched her out of the corner of his eye as he drove. He could tell that she was thinking very seriously about something. He knew that she had enjoyed herself tonight. He had, too—after the initial scare Paulette had given them all.
“After we get to Denver on Saturday and you get the things you need at the store, we can go to my apartment to get ready for the dinner,” Sam told her quietly, keeping his eyes on the road as he spoke. “Is that okay with you?”
Rachel looked at him a moment then nodded. “That’s fine,” she said, leaning her head back against the headrest to relax. “You’re not exactly masher material. I trust you.” She thought about the last time he had touched her and wondered if they would enjoy more intimacies. She was not averse to carrying it further.
Sam laughed a little and stole a glance at her before returning his gaze to the road. “I don’t know if I should be insulted or relieved.”
Rachel turned toward him and smiled. “You should feel complimented,” she told him honestly. He had no way of knowing just how much she did trust him. The last time she had been at a man’s apartment, she had been brutally attacked. The thought of the same thing happening with Sam wasn’t even a remote possibility. She would trust him with her life. She always had.
Sam hesitated a moment then reached out and found her hand on the seat beside him. Taking it gently within his hand, he squeezed it tightly then brought it to his mouth to kiss it lightly.
As the truck made its way into the dirt driveway of the campground, he found himself relaxing at the thought of being home. Rachel opened her door and stepped out. She walked quickly toward the camper and was about to open the door and step inside when Sam reached out and stopped her with his hand.
“Thanks for a nice night,” he told her quietly.
“I had a nice time, too,” she said, smiling.
He looked at her for a moment then reached out, took her into his arms, and drew her into his embrace. Slowly lowering his head toward hers, he kissed her lips gently and drew her closer toward his body. For the briefest of moments, both felt an intense rush of pleasure as their bodies pressed intimately against each other. Too soon, the embrace relaxed, the kiss lightened, and both had to decide what was to be done about their time together.
When Sam started to draw away, he found that Rachel was holding on to his arms and pulling him closer to her to prevent him from ending the kiss. His arms engulfed her then, crushing her to him in a passionate embrace. His lips pressed against hers and he kissed her with all the passion that he had been keeping in check since she had arrived at the campground. That one moment of intimacy they had shared made him want her more than ever. He wanted her touch. He wanted her gentleness. He wanted her love.
He moved his head slightly, pressing his mouth to hers with more urgency, coaxing her lips to respond with the same passion that he was feeling. Long gone were the memories of the awkward teenager that tagged along after him and Roy. The person he held tightly against him was a mature woman who was making him feel astonishing things. As their kiss intensified, he found that he wanted more of her.
He tasted her mouth hungrily, sweeping his tongue inside and delighting in the feel of her tongue meeting his. He leaned back and looked down at her, smiling at the way she was looking up at him.
“Your heart is pounding,” he whispered to her gently.
“So is yours,” she said, a little breathlessly.
“We’d better get inside,” he said finally, reluctantly letting her go so that she could step up into the trailer.
He followed her inside and lit the lantern that rested on the table. He looked down at her for a moment and could sense that she was nervous. He knew that he had to change the situation so that the fear in her would not make her pull away from him or the feelings that they were just beginning to explore.
He emptied his pockets and put the contents on the table, the folded envelope he had put in his back pocket thrown down among the change and keys. Picking up his flashlight and clipboard, he turned toward the door and opened it.
“I’ll be back in a little while,” he told her as he stepped down from the camper. “You’d better get some sleep.”
Rachel watched him go and realized that she had let out a sigh of relief. Although she wanted nothing more than to be physically close to Sam, she was afraid that he would want to continue their lovemaking and she would find herself in another predicament. If she made love with him she knew that she would be devastated when she had to leave him at the end of the summer.
Removing her coat, jeans and sweater, she pulled on her navy sweatpants and sweatshirt, and climbed up onto the bed beside the table. As she made her way across the table she knocked the envelope to the floor. She bent to retrieve it, hesitating when she saw the return address was a hospital in Denver. She placed the letter back on the table and climbed up onto the bed. She lay down on the pillow and cuddled under the many blankets. She was freezing.
When Sam returned half an hour later, she watched him quietly as he stepped up into the camper. He looked at her silently for a second then placed the flashlight and clipboard on the table. He noticed the envelope and picked it up, tearing the end off and pulling the single piece of paper from it. He opened it and read it quickly then folded the paper and placed it back into the envelope.
“Everything okay?” Rachel asked him worriedly.
Sam looked up to face her and smiled. “Yes,” he said quietly. “I had some blood work done before I left Denver.”
“Are you sick?” Rachel asked quickly, sitting up to face him.
“No, I’m fine,” he told her, crossing the short distance that separated them and kneeling before her. “I wanted to make sure I was clean. Even though I’ve always used condoms, I didn’t want to take a chance. I already knew the outcome of the tests, but I thought it would be best to have a copy of the results for my records.”
“Oh,” she said quietly, relieved.
“I wanted to have the results in case I needed to show the woman I wanted to share my life with,” he told her gently. “I wanted her to know that it was safe to be intimate with me.”