The Soldier's Sweetheart (16 page)

The knot in her belly that had been there since before she’d walked into the room now started roiling with pierced, jagged edges. She felt a little shaky and wondered if maybe she’d accidentally been hyperventilating as her nerves increased. Only Will’s firm arm around her shoulder kept her grounded as she leaned into him and consciously slowed her breathing.

“You okay, honey?” Will queried, his brow creasing.

“What do you suppose is taking them so long?” It felt good to get the words out, to share her apprehension with him.

The family gathered around the table and the folks from the community started returning to their seats. Surely a ruling was coming soon.

“Aw, it’s nothing to worry about,” Grandpa Sampson assured everyone. “Old Frank is probably jawing away about nothing out there. You know how he gets, especially if he thinks he’s in charge of the operation.”

“He kind of is,” Samantha pointed out.
In charge of our future.

“Well, then, that’s a good thing for us, isn’t it?” Her father’s tone was firm and encouraging, but Samantha could still hear the sliver of doubt in his voice. “Frank would never dare vote opposite his wife or he’d never hear the end of it, and we all know which side Jo is on.”

That much was true. When it was finally her turn to talk, Jo had taken the floor like a pro. She’d made no apologies when she ripped Stay-n-Shop all to shreds. She was like a mama tiger protecting her cubs, and in this case, the cubs in question were the Howells.

“All we can do is wait,” Will said, giving Samantha’s shoulder a squeeze. “There’s no sense fretting until we know what we’re going to be up against. But this may very well be the end of our fight.”

“Or just the beginning,” Samantha groaned. She wasn’t sure her heart was going to be able to take it if she had to wait much longer. She thought her chest might explode from all the anxiety rocketing through her.

Just then, the council members started filing in the door and taking their seats behind the front table. Samantha tried to read their expressions, but none of them were giving anything away. Not
one
of them. And that’s what was scary.

No smiles. No relaxed postures. Instead, they sat as still as statues and just as straight. The room was absolutely silent until Frank banged his hammer-gavel against the surface of the table. Samantha had no idea why Frank thought he needed to do that. He already had everyone’s attention. Even the corporate lawyers seemed to be waiting with bated breath for the council’s decision.

“I’m callin’ this meeting back to order,” Frank announced in his usual gruff tone. She tensed, waiting for the anvil to plunge down on her.

Will slid his arm from her shoulders to her waist and pulled her more tightly against him. Hip to hip. Shoulder to shoulder. She was not facing this moment alone.

“I’m sure everyone here knows just how important a decision this is,” Frank began.

The crowd murmured in agreement.

“Our decision will affect not only the Howell family, but the community of Serendipity in general.”

He paused and took a sharp breath of air before continuing. “As you must have surmised, the town council members here have carefully deliberated on the subject.”

The hum of voices in the room dropped abruptly into silence, with Frank ready to make the life-changing announcement.
Pronouncement,
as far as Samantha was concerned. She could almost hear the collective intake of the crowd’s breath. She was most certainly holding hers.

“What we’ve concluded,” Frank continued, “is that it won’t be fair to either party if we make a rash decision based on a few minutes of discussion. This is an extremely weighty matter. We are giving ourselves one week to think on it and deliberate some more. When we’ve come to a consensus, we’ll directly contact the persons involved with our ruling.”

Anger was the first of Samantha’s emotions to set in, and adrenaline jolted into her system, bringing her nerve endings alive. She shook her head in protest. Stay-n-Shop wasn’t a person. It was an entity. An unfeeling, impersonal entity with lethal steel-trapped jaws that were about to eat her alive.

“Just like all of the rest of you, we on the town council have known the Howells most all of our lives, so we understand just how sensitive this matter is. Naturally, it’s difficult for us to be unbiased in our thinking, which is why we’re taking a step back. Sam’s Grocery has held a key position in Serendipity for a long time, and we’re conscious of that.

“But allowing Stay-n-Shop to build their store in our area also offers folks some benefits we’ve not seen before within this township. We might not like it personally, but we’ve all acknowledged that there are both pros and cons to this scenario, and it’s our duty to weigh them carefully and rule in the best interests of the majority. It ain’t as cut-and-dried as all that, and like I said, we need more time to think on it. That’s all I’ve got to say on it for now. Meeting adjourned.”

There was a roar as the folks who’d showed up to support the Howells echoed their feelings of distress and outrage. They were clearly not happy with the outcome of the proceedings.

From across the room, Cal met Samantha’s gaze and gave her a cold smile. As far as he was concerned, he’d won.

In a sense, he had. If the folks on the council had to think about it, that meant they were divided on the issue. And if they were uncertain, if there was even the tiniest sliver of doubt in their minds, Cal Turner would find some way to push his point home and urge the vote to his favor.

Samantha felt like someone had kicked her hard in the gut. Just when she’d started to believe that having the folks in the community behind her would sway the decision, she’d had the rug pulled right out from under her and had landed straight on her head.

And here she’d thought Stay-n-Shop might finally go away and leave them alone so they could move forward with their lives.

She was despondent and absolutely livid that her reality had come to this. Economics versus legacy. Money talked. It screamed. The almighty dollar was twisting the life out of what was left of her heritage.

Discounts. Variety. Employment. Economic development. And what they had the nerve to call
charity
.

Really—who could fight with that?

She’d certainly put forth her best effort, but to no avail. Will had tried, as well, adding his own words to hers, standing up to the corporation and trying to show the people of Serendipity all they would lose should Stay-n-Shop enter their town.

The crowd had gotten the message, but the council, not so much. Had they even heard Will’s argument against bringing a host of new residents to town? Or had they turned that reasoning on its head?

Samantha groaned and slipped out of Will’s grasp. She was breathing so heavily she was seeing spots. She made a beeline for the door, desperately needing fresh air and a moment alone so she could pull herself together. She needed to see the stars in the sky to remind her of the Lord’s presence and feel the soil below her to ground her to the earth.

She peered upward, trying to pray, but the twinkling of the night sky was not enough. Because it appeared to Samantha that God had abandoned her in her hour of greatest need.

Chapter Thirteen

W
ill watched Samantha make a mad dash for the nearest exit, but despite the fact that he desperately wanted to follow her, he did not immediately spring up out of his seat. He’d seen her expression just before she’d turned away. She was struggling frantically not to lose it—at least not in front of other people. He well knew what it was like to need a little space to regroup, and he respected Samantha enough to allow her to gather herself before he came after her.

But it wasn’t easy to sit and wait when she’d just been blasted by a life-changing emotional mortar, and all he wanted to do was find her and attempt to console her as best he could. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what she was feeling right now, being told her legacy wasn’t worth immediately upholding, and knowing nothing except that she’d have to wait longer to know for certain the direction her life was going to take.

He knew how
he
felt about it.

Actually, he didn’t. Or at least he couldn’t put words to the whirlwind in his chest that was causing his blood to roar in his ears. Flabbergasted might be close to describing what was going on. He had no idea how the town council could possibly see any true good coming out of soliciting big business. Did they not realize the ramifications of allowing Stay-n-Shop to build their store in Serendipity? How could they not have considered the many testimonies given by the folks who had come to support Samantha and the Howells, who felt Sam’s Grocery was a vital part of their community?

Will decided he couldn’t wait another second to find Samantha and take her in his arms and assure her that all would be well. That it would all work out in the end. With a determined set of his chin, he strode out the door. He had to find her and remind her that she was not alone.

It didn’t take him long to discover where she’d gone. He found her slumped on the ground behind the Grange hall, away from the main doors and the parking lot where everyone else was heading. She sat with her back against the wall and her arms around her knees. Her head was resting within the crook of her elbow and her shoulders were quivering.

Was she crying?

Will’s heart felt like someone was holding it in his fist and squeezing it. He didn’t think for a moment that Samantha’s tears showed any kind of weakness, but he didn’t know what to do with a sobbing woman, how to make things better for her. It was killing him that there was nothing he
could
do for her to make things right in her world.

And there was the rub. As desperately as he wanted to, he couldn’t help her. There was nothing he could do to make things better for her.

He crouched before her and tentatively laid a hand on her shoulder.

“I’m here, honey. Talk to me,” he murmured.

Samantha didn’t say a word. Instead, she rolled forward, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her head in his chest. Her movement was so intense and unexpected that he nearly lost his balance. He caught himself and rocked forward onto his knees, cradling Samantha against him and allowing her to sob on his shoulder.

His heart ached for her. He desperately wanted to take away her pain, yet all he could do for her was hold her close, brushing his palm against the softness of her hair and soothing her with quiet words spoken lower than a whisper.

After a few minutes she stilled in his arms, no longer sobbing, but gasping heavily with a hitch in each breath.

He faltered for words. What could he say that would console her? What if he said the wrong thing, as he’d often done with Haley? What if he managed to screw things up, to make Samantha feel worse and not better?

“The answer isn’t exactly
no,
” he finally stated softly.

Samantha used her palms on his chest to push back and meet his gaze. Her glorious blue eyes were shimmering with tears. Her mascara had run, leaving little streaks down her face and black smudges underneath her eyes. He rubbed them away with the pads of his thumbs. As he looked at her, he realized that Samantha was always beautiful to him, inside and out, no matter what. The thought thunderstruck him.

“It might as well be no,” she countered. “You saw the look on Cal Turner’s face when Frank announced that they were going to table the motion. If the council has to think about it, then it’s not the open-and-shut case we had hoped it would be. And if it’s not as straightforward as all that, the corporation has made their point. They’ll only push harder now that they know they have some leverage.”

“We made our point, too, honey.”

“Apparently not well enough. Do you think that all the talk about bringing in jobs and building up the town worked against us?”

Will felt like a crane’s iron ball had swung around and knocked him in the head.
Had
his argument been turned on him?

“We still have to hold out hope,” he responded firmly. “We have to believe that the council members will do the right thing. They are all longtime residents of our town. I’m certain that as they think it over, they’ll see Stay-n-Shop for what it is—a threat to our small-town way of life.”

“What if they don’t? How do we know they aren’t going to focus on the
benefits
of the big-box store? What if they see it glowing in marquee lights?”

Will sighed and shrugged. “I suppose we can’t know for sure. But I do know who you can depend on completely.”

Samantha looked at him expectantly. Will wanted to tell her that she could depend on him completely, but he knew better than to promise her any such thing. Haley had depended on him, and look what had happened there. No. There was One far greater and more reliable than he was.

“Old Frank?” she guessed, thinking he was talking about the council members.

“I expect Jo will keep him in line, but I was actually referring to someone else.”

“And that would be...?”

“God, of course. Ultimately He is the one in control, don’t you think? He’s going to bless you and take care of you no matter what the council decides.”

Samantha remained silent, looking pensive.

“You’ve got your family,” he reminded her. His voice turned raspy when he added, “And so far as I am able, you’ve got me.”

She pulled him tighter, as if she was proving to herself that he was really here. She was practically choking him, but he didn’t mind. He couldn’t really breathe anyway, not when he was so aware of the moonlight softly caressing her face.

He
was
here. And he would be. Like he’d said—as much as he was able.

“Don’t forget—tonight most of the community spoke up against allowing Stay-n-Shop to build.”

“No. I won’t ever forget what happened tonight. I’m forever grateful that all those folks cared enough to fight for Sam’s Grocery.”

Will chuckled dryly. “They weren’t fighting for Sam’s Grocery, honey. They were fighting for
you
.” His heart welled with his own feelings for her. He cared so much that it scared him. “They were there for you and your family, and for our whole way of life in Serendipity.”

“Our soon-to-be-changing way of life,” she reminded him grimly.

“Maybe,” he admitted, his voice deepening. “Or perhaps it won’t make any difference at all, no matter what they build or don’t build. You saw how many people came out for you tonight. Who’s to say they’d even patronize Stay-n-Shop? Just because it might exist doesn’t mean the residents of Serendipity will have to shop there.”

“Not at first, maybe.”

“Not at all,” he assured her. “I imagine most folks are going to keep shopping where it’s familiar and friendly, with the townspeople they’ve known all their lives—Sam’s Grocery.” He was determined to make her see his point, but she seemed equally determined to ignore it.

“Until they need something on a Sunday afternoon and they realize they can run over to Stay-n-Shop to get it. Don’t you see? We can’t compete in their arena. Once folks try it, they’re bound to go back. Maybe not a lot at first, but as time goes on, our customers will start migrating toward the convenience of the big-box store, and my business—
our
business,” she corrected herself, “will dry up and eventually blow away like dust in the wind.”

“You can’t think like that or you’ve already lost the war,” Will insisted.

“Maybe I have. Maybe I should just concede now and cut my losses.”

“What?” Will’s voice rose both in tone and volume. That didn’t sound like Samantha—like the never-give-up, never-give-in woman determined to protect her family and her town from Stay-n-Shop’s bad influence. This was a woman who felt the obligation to take the whole world’s problems on her shoulders just to keep others from having to suffer.

“It’s just—”

“It’s just
nothing,
” Will interrupted her before she could finish her pessimistic statement. He cupped her face in his palms, forcing her to look him directly in the eye. “Don’t you give up. Do you hear me? Don’t you even think about it.”

One lone tear rolled down her cheek.

“Look to God for your strength,” he reminded her softly.

She sighed, leaning her cheek into his palm. “I know you’re right. It’s just the waiting I can’t stand. I need a decision, one way or another, so I can move on with my life.”

Her eyes gleamed so blue. Her skin was soft under the roughness of his hands. The floral scent of her shampoo was playing havoc with his senses, wafting around him and drawing him closer.

Her gaze was begging him to put an end to her misery. She needed something to remind her that there was so much good in Serendipity, so much good in her life.

She needed...

He needed...

“Will,” she whispered, holding perfectly still as he closed the small distance between them. “I—”

He brushed a finger over her lips. “Shush. Don’t say anything.”

He slid his hand over her hair and cradled the nape of her neck, adjusting his arms around her until they fit perfectly together. His blood surged through his chest like a waterfall in a tropical paradise and he cherished the moment as his lips hovered over hers, their breaths mingling warmly together.

In the back of his mind, he was still aware of his guilt. He shouldn’t be here. It wasn’t right. He couldn’t be the man that Samantha needed him to be.

Tomorrow that might be true, but at this moment, he couldn’t be anything
but
what she needed him to be. He sighed and gave in to the inevitable, despite how long and hard he’d fought against it. He could no more stop himself from kissing Samantha than he could stop the stars from twinkling in the sky.

Her eyes were like those stars—glittering, luminescent.

“Samantha, honey,” he whispered against her lips. It was his last conscious thought. Her soft mouth yielded to his, her lips giving and receiving. He wanted her to know his support. He wanted her to feel his love.

His grip tightened as he deepened the kiss, putting his whole heart into showing what he could not say, and knowing it was what she most wanted to hear.

I love you. And you are not alone.

* * *

Samantha ran a hand over Will’s strong shoulder and sighed. Her other palm rested against the graze of whiskers on his jaw. It was wonderful to be in his arms. She hadn’t realized until now just how long she’d been waiting for this moment—maybe from the first time he’d walked in the door of Sam’s Grocery.

His kiss was at once gentle and demanding, soft yet intense. His arms surrounded her like a fortress, his shoulders a stronghold against everything bad and difficult in the outside world. Nothing existed except Will—the solid strength of him, the enticing musk of his aftershave, the way he’d whispered her name in the passion of the moment.

He made her feel beautiful. Safe.
Loved
.

The unspoken, invisible bond between them was unlike anything she’d ever experienced before. Their embrace wasn’t just a meeting of lips but the union of two hearts. She’d prayed about this moment from the time she was old enough to understand the nature of love, and she savored it with all that was in her being, because now she recognized those emotions tugging at her heart.

She was in love with Will.

Her heart was soaring. Will cared for her, too. She realized, looking back, that he’d been silently communicating his feelings to her for quite some time—protecting her from nearly the moment he’d first walked into her life. She’d simply misread the signals.

But now he was showing her how very much she meant to him in a way that was beyond misinterpretation.

He had to know she felt the same way about him. She put just as much meaning into their kiss as he did. But where Will preferred to convey his emotions through deeds and actions, Samantha needed to say the words. Out loud.

“Will,” she murmured as he tenderly leaned his forehead against hers. “I want you to know that I—”

He seemed to freeze suddenly, and then bolted to his feet and backed away. The movement was so abrupt, so harsh, that Samantha, completely shocked, hardly knew what to do.

“Don’t,”
he rasped, the single word a direct order. “Don’t say it, Samantha.”

“What?” she asked in bewilderment. Her mind was still muddled and cloudy from the kiss and her heart was still pounding in her ears. She felt like she was being plunged back into mental chaos after having a moment of pure, beautiful clarity.

Maybe she hadn’t heard him right. That had to be it. She hadn’t understood what he was saying.

“What’s wrong, Will?”

“I think we ought to stop right here, before anything else happens.”

“Are you kidding me right now?” she demanded.

He tunneled his fingers through his hair, leaving it pointed and disheveled, a mirror image of the way her emotions felt right now.

“We got caught up in the moment,” he explained, his voice grim, a far cry from how soft and loving it had sounded just moments before. “We were both upset. It happens. Let’s leave it at that.”

“It
happens?
” she repeated as her heart was pierced by the sharp edges of Will’s words. “It happens. That’s all you are going to say about it?”