All-American Girl (15 page)

“The dress does look nice, doesn’t it?” Samantha asked.

“Nice? Just nice? You look hot.”

Samantha couldn’t help but laugh. She didn’t know if she would call it “hot,” but something inside her was on fire. Twirling around, she reveled in the silky feel of the skirt swooshing around her bare legs. She supposed she did feel a bit like a princess, and it was better than jeans and ratty T-shirt, that was for sure. And she felt more like a girl than she ever had in those suits she wore for book signings and meetings. Maybe she should make dresses a more integral part of her wardrobe.

Okay, now she was getting ahead of herself. Besides, she didn’t have anyone to impress but herself. Jeans were comfortable. She stuck her foot out and eyed her strappy sandals. They were cute, but she was certain she would be crying for a foot soak later. The outfit was nice, but it wasn’t practical. Practical was better than pretty.

“Ready to go?” Samantha asked.

“You bet. I can’t wait to see everyone’s reaction to the new smokin’ hot Samantha.”

Samantha drew her brows together. “Please, don’t embarrass me.”

“Hey, what’s a girl got to do to have fun around here? The least you can do today is show off the new you. Don’t make me do it for you.”

Samantha wouldn’t win this argument by a long shot. “Fine. I’ll make sure I saunter around and show everyone how my best friend likes to dress me up like an overgrown Barbie.”

Jenny playfully pinched the skin under Samantha’s arm.

“Ouch!”

“Well, that’s what you get for not believing in yourself.”

“I believe in myself.”

Jenny handed Samantha a white cotton shrug as they walked to the door. “You do, do you?” she asked.

Didn’t she? Well, maybe she didn’t. After all, she didn’t believe in herself enough to finish her book. She didn’t believe in herself enough to fight more with Ryan about Ava. She didn’t believe Lance—before she finished that silent statement, she banished it from her thoughts. Lance didn’t have anything to do with her not believing in herself.

She swiped a stray hair from her eye and grumbled; there was a reason she did the ponytail thing. Now her hair was going to be in the way all evening.

“Okay,” Samantha admitted. “So maybe I have a few more personality kinks to work out. Who doesn’t?”

“True.”

“Besides, I’ve got a lot of circuits firing in a lot of different directions, so when I have time to believe in me, I will.”

“Whatever you say, sweetie.”

Samantha opened the front door and walked into the balmy spring air. She shot Jenny a playful smile and said, “All right. Let’s get this over with.”

“It’s hard to see what is right in front of you.”
~Unknown

L
ANCE
W
ANDERED
A
ROUND
T
HE
S
PRING
F
ESTIVAL
with Jax tugging him in all different directions. The boy couldn’t see everything fast enough. Lance ruffled his hair and smiled.

“Dad! Over there.” Jax poked his finger toward a shooting gallery, where rows of plastic ducks waited to be shot off their perches. “Can I play? Please?”

“Sure.”

Hand-in-hand, they walked to the ducks. Then to the bottle top toss, the climbing wall, and the three-legged race, where they lost to two five-year-old girls. Jax wasn’t disappointed, though. He was having a great time, and that made Lance the happiest man on earth.

“Elephant ears, Dad! Can I get one of those?”

“You bet. We can sit over by the band while you eat and then check everything else out. How’s that?”

“Great!”

A few minutes later, they were headed to their seats. An elephant ear pastry the size of Jax’s head teetered in one hand, and his T-Rex was safely grasped in the other.

“Lance. Jax!” Candice emerged from the crowd and hugged both of them. “Oh, careful, Jax. Don’t drop your dessert.”

His big eyes widened. “No…no. I won’t. Daddy said this is the only one I get.”

Candice ruffled his hair. “I see you brought T-Rex with you this evening. Does he like our Spring Festival?”

Jax gave Candice a twisted grin. “Aunt Candy, toys don’t talk.”

Candice laughed. “Oh, my apologies. Mine do.”

“No they don’t.”

“Well, you’ll just have to come over. We’ll make cookies and I’ll show you.”

His face lit up. “When?”

Candice pretended to think, tilting her head back and forth. Lance loved that she was so good with Jax and with children in general. He hoped his sister would find a good man to share her warm heart with.

“Well.” Candice tapped a finger to her palm, pretending to look at some invisible organizer. “My plans for this evening have been canceled, and I would prefer to have you over anyway. How’s that?”

Jax turned to Lance. “Is it okay? Can I go to Aunt Candy’s tonight?”

“Of course. Not too many sweets, though. I know how she spoils you.”

“I do not,” Candice insisted. “I simply show my favorite nephew a good time. We’re all kids at heart, you know.” She poked his chest. “Especially you.”

Lance faked pain as he rubbed a hand over the spot. “Yeah, yeah. Let’s go sit down before Jax loses his elephant ear. It looks like it’s getting heavy.”

With Jax walking several steps in front of them, Candice looked at Lance. “Cole’s here.”

Lance stiffened. “What?”

“Cole. I saw him earlier over by the balloon toss.”

“And…” Lance controlled the frustration in his voice. “How did he seem?”

“I didn’t speak to him. Just watched. He seemed okay.”

Lance narrowed his eyes. The last thing he wanted was for a drunken Cole to come to the Spring Festival and rage at everyone. That man was a pro at causing a scene and starting trouble. And Sam would probably be here. He suppressed a growl. If Cole was drunk, Sam didn’t need to see it. Lance’s attempts at getting Cole sober had failed. Lance knew firsthand the horrors of living with a drunk. He knew what it did to the drunk’s body, mind, temper, and overall control. He’d tried to help Cole in every way, and thought he’d finally got it right the last time. Apparently not.

“What exactly does ‘okay’ mean, Candice?” he asked.

Candice’s lips flattened. “He’s not drunk…not yet.”

“Damn it.”

She gripped his arm. “Calm down. I haven’t seen him in over a half hour. Maybe he left.”

Lance hoped so, for his sake, and for Sam’s. He gritted his teeth. “We’ll see. Let’s get Jax over by the band. He needs to eat and I need to relax for a bit.” He rolled his shoulders and strode behind Jax, taking a seat at the edge of the awning. The music was upbeat, light saxophone and bass. The muscles in his neck relaxed as he watched Jax smear cinnamon and sugar all over his face. Jax giggled at the people on the makeshift dance floor, amused by their dancing.

The sun faded over the horizon, enveloping the bustling festival with a serene orange glow. The crowd grew, and the noise level inched up. The smell of popcorn, hamburgers, and cinnamon drifted through the air as laughter, squeals, and the whoosh of hot air balloon rides echoed in the distance. Amazingly, it was peaceful. As Lance bounced Jax on his lap and tickled him, his son’s laughter lifted his spirits even more.

Peaceful and perfect. He looked up from wiping a smudge of elephant ear off Jax’s cheek and saw her.

Sam
.

Time stood still, people parted, everything fell silent, and all he could see was her. She drifted through the crowd as if she were floating, waving and saying hi to old friends. He gazed at her in complete fascination.

Her hair was down and it looked amazing, waves of auburn framing her face and flowing around her shoulders. As his eyes traveled lower, an uncomfortable tightness grew in the worst possible place. The swell of her breasts bounced lightly with each step. And her legs. God help him. They looked miles long and shimmered beneath the red and orange hues of the sunset. It instantly reminded him of the time they were wrapped around him, gripping him like he was the only man on earth.

And then she smiled. Her perfect pink lips parted, showing her straight, white teeth. He realized then it was the first time he’d seen her smile since she came back to Burlington. Up until that moment, he’d only seen her scowl and frown, usually at him. She wasn’t smiling at him, of course, but that didn’t matter. He’d had no idea how much it would light up her face. It made her bright emerald eyes shine, and he had an urge to stroke her cheek and tug her close.

Damn.

He did not need old lust rearing its ugly head. Besides, he already knew Sam didn’t care for him. Apparently she’d never really liked him, just pitied him, from what he’d heard. Used. She’d gotten what she wanted and ran, so he shouldn’t be staring at her like she was some fresh piece of meat ready to be basted and grilled to his liking.

But he couldn’t help it. He’d never seen her with such happiness on her face. At thirty-four, he would’ve thought he could control the wicked urges that slithered into his mind, but there was something about the way Sam grinned, and the way she tossed her long hair over her shoulder when she talked. It made him want to bury his face in it, inhaling nothing but her scent, and kiss her until she was breathless and clinging to him.

Damn.

He licked his dry lips and helped Jax off his lap. He blinked, hoping he could erase the visual from his mind. It didn’t work.

“Look,” Candice said. “There’s Samantha.”

He winced inwardly. He’d seen far too much of her already, but that didn’t stop him from wanting to see more.

“Samantha?” Jax perked up more, if that was possible. Lance knew he’d have a sugar rush the rest of the evening; good thing he was staying with Candice. “Let’s go say hi.”

With a silent groan, Lance got out of his seat and hoisted Jax up in his arms. Several long strides later, he was enjoying her sweet scent, but cursing himself for it.

“Samantha!” Jax called out as he crawled down from Lance’s grip. Samantha spun around and smiled at the sound of his voice. Lance’s breath rushed out of his chest. She was a siren. Her face was slightly flushed and a bead of sweat clung to the swell of her breasts peeking out from her dress. Her long lashes fluttered around her almond-shaped eyes. He stood there, stunned.

“Hey, Jax! I’d like you to meet my friend Jenny.”

Jenny held out her hand and Jax shook it. “It’s nice to meet you, Jax.”

Samantha bent down and wrapped Jax in a tight hug. Lance’s eyes followed and got another too-good view of her breasts. He shifted, his slacks becoming tighter with each passing second. When she rose, she surprised him by giving him a wistful smile.

“Hey, Lance.” Was he imagining things, or did her voice sound…sexy?

“Hey, Sam.”

She flinched at the nickname. He knew she didn’t like it, but it was a habit. He’d originally started calling her “Sam” when she was fourteen and he was eighteen; he knew it sounded more like a boy’s name, and it had been the only way to remind himself that the girl who was growing up before his eyes was off limits. The name didn’t help much as years passed. Sam got taller, filled out, and ditched the bouncy pigtails. She’d grown more confident and looked at him seductively. Winked at him. Talked to him softly. Touched him flirtatiously. He always brushed her off; he didn’t want to mess up his friendship with her, her brother, or her relationship with Candice. But after she’d helped him through one of the most difficult moments of his life, he’d fallen for her. Hard.

“Lance.” Candice tugged on his shirt.

He snapped back to the present. “Yes?”

“Whoa, I think you caught Samantha’s tune-you-out disease from yesterday.” He frowned, and she smirked at him. “Hey—just saying. I’m going to go ahead and take Jax around to a few more games and then we’re headed out before he crashes. That okay with you?”

“Yeah, thanks for watching him tonight.”

“My pleasure. See you in the morning.”

“Bye, Candice,” Samantha and Jenny said in unison. Candice and Jax were quickly lost in a maze of people. Lance turned back to Sam.

“So, what do you think of Samantha’s look, Lance?” Jenny asked. Lance arched a brow when Sam elbowed Jenny in the ribs, and Jenny’s muffled groan nearly made him laugh. “I told you, Samantha,” Jenny said, “if you weren’t going to show off, I was going to do it for you.”

Sam’s face went from flushed to beet red in a matter of seconds. She bowed her head and crossed her arms over her chest. Did he really make her uncomfortable? He couldn’t imagine why, seeing as how she left him high and dry all those years ago and how rude she was to him. Well, actually—he’d known she still felt something from the moment he saw her at the hospital when she came back into town. Her lips trembled when he got too close, the air crackled between them, and he liked the way his name slid off her tongue. He didn’t know why she was trying to hide it so badly.

He should despise her for the way she walked out of his life, but he’d learned a lesson a long time ago about helping people—a lesson that stuck with him and made him want to help others, and from Sam’s own grandmother, no less.
Don’t turn your back on others. Help them as much as you can. One day, you might need their help in return.
He was going to help Sam, just as her grandmother had helped him.

Even though Sam didn’t want him around, he would still press her buttons as long as it took. He just wished he could get his out-of-control erection to simmer down.

“So?” Jenny asked. “How does she look?”

His eyes slid from her head to her feet, stopping briefly at the V-neck of her dress. It only tortured him more. He found it hard to swallow, and the words he wanted to say wouldn’t lift off his tongue. “You look nice.”

“Nice?” Samantha’s face fell. Lance flicked his gaze between to the two women.

“You know,” Jenny said, “the roguishly handsome man I met over the by barbecue pit wanted me to come back so he could show me his secret recipe.” She smiled mischievously. “I think I’m going to see what he has to offer.”

Jenny leaned over and whispered something in Samantha’s ear. Samantha pressed her lips together and glared at Lance. “Fine, Jenny. I’ll see you at the house later.”

“Bye, guys!” Jenny winked at Lance before walking off.

Then it was just the two of them. A mild breeze blew, flapping the touchable fabric around her legs. Her expression remained cold, distant, but that didn’t stop her sweet scent from capturing his attention, and his erection sprang back to life. He wanted to tug her down to the grass and wipe the troubled look right off her face.

What was he saying? He couldn’t,
wouldn’t,
get involved with her. Not that she wanted to anyway, but he couldn’t leave her standing in the middle of the festival alone. It was a lovely night. The sun was almost fully set and the silvery light of the approaching evening lit her skin with an innocent glow.

“Would you like to go for a walk?” he asked.

She stared at him curiously. “I guess.”

“It’s getting cooler. Do you have a sweater or something?” She wiggled a white shrug in front of his face and took off walking in the opposite direction. In a few short strides, he caught up to her. He took her elbow to slow her down. “What’s the hurry?”

She grumbled something under her breath and walked faster. He tightened his grip and came to halt along a row of pine trees near the edge of the field. When she looked up at him, he saw nothing of the beautiful woman he’d marveled at just a short time ago. Pure aggravation flashed through her cat-like eyes.

“What’s wrong with you?” he asked.

Her mouth dropped open and she twisted out of his grip. “Nothing is wrong…with
me
.”

“I disagree. I would say the look on your face points more toward the Wicked Witch of the West when I would prefer it match the beautiful face of the Good Witch of the North instead.”

“Don’t you dare—”

He silenced her with his lips. She gasped and tried to move away, but Lance wrapped an arm around her. She fought until he deepened the kiss and explored her mouth with his own, and he was relieved when she dissolved in his arms, surrendering. He knew he shouldn’t, but he took advantage and plundered her mouth like he’d wanted to that first day. She moaned against his lips, and he cursed silently for what he was about to do.

“Well, well, well,” a deep voice slurred from behind them.

Lance tore his mouth away from Sam’s. Her breathing was ragged, her eyes half-open, and he looked at her sympathetically. Twisting his body, he positioned himself right in front of her.

“What do you want, Cole?” Lance asked.

“It looks like I…I interrupted some…thing.” Cole swayed on his feet and a button from his dirty red shirt popped open.