Some Day Somebody (42 page)

“Yes, you do, but thanks anyway.  Now if the kids are still there I need to speak to Grant, please.”

When Grant got on the line, she told him about their plans for supper, and asked him to pick up dog food on the way home.

Carrie hung up the phone and stretched to get the kinks out of her back. “I’m going back to my place to relax for awhile.” She turned to face Sam. “See you later?” she asked, as he nodded.

Carrie walked the short distance home and unlocked her door. She stood just inside, awed by everything she’d accomplished with the help of her family and Sam. She could appreciate it now, in the daylight with no one watching from the shadows. Daylight made all the difference.

She walked into her bedroom and stood in front of the mirror to gaze at her reflection. Was this her, with a new home, career, man, in a new town?
 
With a whole new life?
 
Carrie closed her eyes and sent up a silent prayer
. Please God, let this be the right choice for me. Somehow...let this work out.
She pinned up her hair before she slipped into the tub to soak her tiredness away.

Two hours later, she’d finished a leisurely bath and spent extra time on her make-up and hair. Wanting to look special, she pulled a figure flattering dress from the rarely-worn section of her closet. The extra effort turned out to be worth it. When Carrie opened the door to Sam, he pursed his lips in a silent whistle as one brow lifted, obviously pleased with what he saw. The man could make her feel pretty without uttering a syllable.

He had to clear his throat twice before he finally managed to speak. “You look...really...great in that dress.” He paused, and shook his head, as though to focus his thoughts.
“My pretty girl.”

She blushed at his heartfelt compliment and murmured a polite “Thank you,” before stepping aside. “Are you coming in?” He brushed by her, disturbing the air with his masculine scent. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply.
Davidoff...Cool Water, maybe?
Once she’d closed the door, she turned to him. “Of course you already know that I don’t wake up looking like this. It takes some effort, and unfortunately, the older I get, the more effort it takes.”

A growl deep in Sam’s chest resonated in the open space as he closed the gap between them. “But when you do this for me, damn it makes me
feel
good.”

“Good Lord,” she breathed, lifting her arms to embrace his neck, letting him kiss her...a long, lingering kiss that left nothing to the imagination.

Sam pulled away and spoke in a gravelly whisper. “Carrie...” She reached for him again and nibbled seductively on his earlobe. “Yes?”

He groaned, as though struggling for control, when her lips moved from his earlobe to his neck. “Not that this isn’t nice, but...” his voice trailed off.

She scraped her teeth gently along his neck, smiling to herself as he released another low groan. She lifted her mouth to his ear. “You started it,” she breathed, before catching his earlobe between her teeth, giving it a gentle tug. “Want me to stop?”

Sam closed his eyes.
“Hell no.
You can do this all night if you want to.”

She gave a low chuckle. “We’ll have to wait on that all night thing.”

“Please don’t make me wait too long for that.”

“Haven’t you heard that saying ‘the longer the waiting, the sweeter the kiss?’” she whispered into one ear. She kissed him gently on the mouth then moved to his other ear. “Or how about ‘good things come to those who wait?’”

He shuddered at her gentle touch then pulled her close. “If you don’t stop, I won’t be able to wait for a damn thing.”

“You’ll have to. The kids will be here soon.”

“Not that soon, babe. You need to trust me on this,” he said, throwing his head back as she nipped at his neck.

Carrie pulled slowly away from him and took his hand. She walked slowly over to the stereo system and pressed the play button. The soft sounds of Wilson Phillips singing “Hold On” came through the speakers. Carrie lifted her eyes to his.
“
Danse
avec
moi
, Sam?”

He held tightly to her as they swayed and moved to the song
.
Before the chorus began she gazed up at him. “Listen,” she whispered as the trio crooned how some day somebody would want to make her turn around and say goodbye to her old life.

“You’re my ‘somebody’, Sam,” she said, her voice filled with emotion. His gaze pierced through her blur of tears, and she knew the moment he believed her. He pulled her closer, and held on as they swayed, as one, through the second chorus.

Their fingers interlaced, their hearts connected, he kissed her throughout the third chorus. As the last notes drifted off into silence he pulled away and spoke in a raspy whisper. “I’m proud to be.”

“You have changed my life, Sam. I can feel it,” she murmured against his mouth.

He rested his forehead against hers. “I can’t imagine what kind of Christmas I’d be having if you weren’t a part of it.”

She leaned back, giving him an amused look. “No cigarette smoking stalker proclaiming his hatred for you on a windshield.”

“
Mmmm
...” He kissed her softly on the neck and behind her ear.
“Boring as hell.
My God, you smell good enough to eat. Remind me to buy you a gallon of this stuff.”

“Really?
I was thinking maybe it’s time to try something else.”

He buried his face in her neck. “Don’t you
dare.
”

She tilted her head to allow him easy access. “I didn’t know you liked it that much.”

“Liar.”

She smiled. “And you, what is that?
Davidoff?”
She trailed her nose along his neckline, inhaling his clean scent.

“Amanda and Joe’s Christmas gift.
Like it?”

“Mm
..hmm
...Clean, fresh, and just a hint of spice. I have very sharp sense of smell, and this,” she nipped one ear. “On you,” she nipped the other, as she sucked in her breath, “is a very big turn on.”

“I aim to please,” he murmured.

“
Everybody,
or just me?” she teased.

“Just you,” he said. “If you believe only one thing about me, you can believe that.”

She pulled away to search his eyes. “I believe you,” she said, before laying her head onto his chest again.

“So, this being
your
‘
somebody’,
what exactly does that entail?”

Carrie listened to the steady rhythm of this big man’s soft heart. “It means that, at this moment, I can’t see anyone else in my future besides you. It means that I’d love to see us make a life together – blend our two families into one. Even if I don’t know if I’m in love with you right now, there’s nobody else that I’d rather be able to say those words to.” She raised her head to meet his intense gaze. “Is that enough for now?”

Sam responded with a kiss that made her toes curl and her back arch.

“It is for now.” He cradled her face in his hands and kissed her. “God knows I’m nuts about you.”

She raised her hand to caress the side of his face, and heard a tentative knock. Carrie pulled away and fanned her face before going to open the door.

“Come on in, Nick, your dad’s here,” she said, thankful for the save. “The kids should be back from Gardiner any minute.”

“Man, you got a lot done today,” Nick said, looking around. “This place looks great.”

“Thanks, and we even have food and drinks in the house now. Would you like a Coke or Dr. Pepper, maybe?”

“No, that’s okay. I’ll wait until we go to the restaurant and make Dad pay for it. Where are we going anyway? Amanda and Joe called wanting to know. They should be meeting us here any minute.”

“I’ve already taken her to the steak house, so, seafood?”

“That sounds good,” Carrie said, opening the door as Grant’s truck pulled into the driveway. The girls got out, each grabbing armloads of stuff to bring in.

Grant walked around to the back of his truck and dropped the tailgate. A medium sized dog with white, curly fur jumped out and ran to Carrie.

“What
kinda
dog is
that
?” Nick asked.

“He’s a fluffy, lovable mutt, aren’t you, Toto? Did you miss me, boy?” Carrie scratched his head and scruff as he wagged his tail happily. “Let’s see how you like your new home, and whether or not that fence will hold you.” She walked him into the back yard and closed the gate. Toto explored his new domain, marking his territory every chance he got.

She gave a light hearted chuckle. “Just like a man.”

“So that’s the infamous Toto,” Sam commented from the back porch as the dog ran back to Carrie. “I thought he’d be bigger.”

Carrie put her hands over the dog’s floppy, fluffy ears. “Don’t hurt his feelings. He’s been a member of the family for seven years. And he’s big enough when it comes to raising a ruckus, you’ll see. Did y’all pick up some dog food?”

“Yep, a water bowl and food dish, too,” Gretchen replied. “Toto’s a good hunter, Mr. Sam. He kills mice, rats, and we’ve even rescued a few rabbits from him. He barks at anything, so he should let us know if anyone’s around.”

“Hey Mom,” Lauren said as she walked out to the back porch to meet them. “We told dad you didn’t have cable so he gave us the DVD player from the living room. Grant’s hooking it up right now.”

“That was nice of him,” she said, filling the two bowls with dog food and fresh water.

“I’m starving,” Lauren said, glancing in Sam’s direction. “Where are we going to eat?”

“The seafood place here in town. We can go as soon as my daughter and son in law get here.”

“Are the fried oysters good there?” she asked.

Sam made a face and shook his head. “I wouldn’t know.” “Aw, what’s the matter Sammy, your mama says you don’t eat that?” Carrie teased.

“Hell no, I tried to eat one once, and that rubbery son of a gun kept growing in my mouth.”

“That’s good. More for us,” Gretchen said.

Grant came around the back with some kind of cushion in his hands. “Hey Mom, I bought Toto a bed for the porch. Sheltered from the wind and rain, he should be real comfortable back here.” He placed the padded bed on one side of the porch next to his food and water. Within seconds, the dog jumped up the steps and sniffed at it before curling up inside. “He must like it.”

Carrie smiled up at Grant. “You got everything you need to hook up that DVD player?”

“Yep, it’s ready to go. Can we rent some movies tonight?”