Yours Again (River City Series) (26 page)

 She
paused and waited until he looked at her again. “It’s a very precious thing,
and you don’t realize it when you’re young.” She held his gaze. “Youth does
that to you. Gives you that optimism that there will be a multitude of
opportunities. You never think that you might only get one chance.”

She
snapped her fingers. “Just like that the chance is gone and you spend the rest
of your life trying to find it again.”

They
lapsed into silence again, each immersed in their own thoughts. Taos rubbed his
knuckle across his lower lip. Something he could only describe as a nervous
chill gripped him. One chance, one opportunity. How many women would he get the
chance to tie up and drag home? His expression started as a smile as he thought
about how he dragged Sammy home that first night, then quickly faded to a frown.
He had lived thirty years in this town and not so much as one woman of interest
had crossed his path until she showed up. What if thirty turned to forty and
forty to fifty?

They
ate most of their meal in companionable silence.

Mavis
said, “Can I ask you something?”

He
nodded.

“Do
you love her?”

He
knew the answer immediately, but hesitated. “I, um, don’t take change very
well.”

Mavis
smiled, “Your life has already changed. You’re just too stubborn to admit it
yet.”

“I
guess I am a little on the stubborn side,” he shrugged.

Her
expression turned stern. “I can tell you exactly what being stubborn makes you,
Mr. Williams. And that’s alone.”

He
stared into his coffee.

Alone.

It
was such a tiny word to hold what promised to be an entire lifetime of regret.

“Samantha
loves you, you know.”

He
shook his head. Mavis had no idea how things had been between them.

“If
she didn’t love you, she’d be in Boston.”

Taos
couldn’t afford to scare her off. He knew his best bet was to stay away. Mavis
probably meant well, but he’d already made up his mind how to approach this and
he was going to stick to it.

“Do
you remember how Samantha’s mother died?”

The
question surprised him. “Yes. She never got over Sam’s death.”

“She
died of a broken heart, Taos. And Samantha is headed down the same path.”

He
frowned. That wasn’t true. Was it? He thought about Claire, remembered her
sitting in that rocking chair day after day. Not eating, wasting away. Was that
what had been happening at the cabin? Surely not. Charlie or Darren would have
said something. He wasn’t about to let that happen to Samantha, and he suddenly
had a desperate urge to see her—and not from a distance this time.

Mavis
paid for her breakfast and then snapped her pearl-rimmed purse shut. “I must be
going.” She looked at him. “You should be going too.”

He
nodded and threw some money on the table. “Yes, I’ve got somewhere I need to be.”

Chapter 31

Purple
faded into a toasty yellow as the sun rose above peaks that were now capped
with snow. Samantha knew in her heart this had been a mistake. A big one. Sharing
the whole series of events with Mattie had made her realize how desperately she
missed Taos. She had been up since three o’clock, turning possibilities over in
her mind, trying to come up with a good solution. One that would dispel her
ever-growing depression, yet salvage some remnant of pride. Unfortunately,
there was only one way to fix this. Go home.

Her
bags were sitting by the door, waiting, ready to go. It was time for pride to
sit down and shut up for once. She would just go back and explain that she had
reconsidered. Maybe he had, too. If that didn’t work then there was always
groveling. She grimaced. Maybe groveling was too strong a word. Ladies didn’t
grovel, they pleaded. At least it sounded better. Yes, definitely. Tommy needed
her, and so did Taos if he would just admit it. If reason didn’t work, then she
would cook her heart out and crawl into his bed every night, whether he wanted
her there or not. It had worked the first time.

Mattie’s
head poked out of one room, her hair still cloaked in her pink cotton nightcap.
“I thought I heard you up. It’s awfully early.”

Samantha
nodded.

Mattie
cleared her throat. “It’s where you belong now, with your family.”

She
nodded again and pressed her fingers to her lips as they started to tremble. “Mattie.”

“Yes?”

“Thank
you so much for . . . well, everything.”

Tears
slid down Mattie’s cheeks. “You’re very welcome, sweetie.” She gave Samantha a
hug and disappeared to get ready for the day.

Samantha
heaved a big sigh of relief as excitement enfolded her.
Home.
She was
going home.

Breakfast
was an exhilarating experience. The two women talked, laughed, and shared their
hearts. Maple scones dripping with butter and strawberry crème crepes
disappeared as fast as Paul placed them on the table.

Samantha
popped another bite of scone into her mouth and savored the buttery treat. “Paul
certainly outdid himself this morning.”

Mattie
giggled a little.

Samantha
noticed a decided shift between Mattie and Paul. The way his eyes followed her
every move and how he touched her arm ever-so-softly when he spoke to her. That
clipped British tone softened almost to a caress when he spoke to Mattie these
days. She knew love when she saw it.

Samantha
had hardly slept a wink last night, and this morning she was very tired. Maybe
making the decision to go home relieved some of the anxiety she’d had the past
month. Paul and Mattie were at the kitchen table laughing about something and
she slipped into her room. A quick nap would do her good. She glanced in the
mirror at the dark circles under her eyes and frowned. Taos seeing her like
this wouldn’t be her first choice either. She sprawled out on the bed and
pulled a quilt over her shoulders. In a few hours she’d be in his arms, this
time for good.

Just
as Taos raised his hand to knock, the cabin door swung open. Mattie plopped a
hand on her hip, “About time you showed up.”

He
stepped inside and nodded a greeting at Paul. “Where’s Sammy?”

“Sleeping.”

He
frowned. It wasn’t like her to sleep during the day. But if she was the having
the same problem sleeping at night that Taos was, it made sense.

“What
are you doing here?” Mattie asked, as she tried to hide a smile.

He
thought for a minute. “I came to get my wife.”

Mattie
grinned at Paul then stepped aside.

Taos
cracked the bedroom door open a bit. Golden hair spilled across a bright white
pillow.

He
sat quietly in the chair next to the bed and watched her sleep. She was turned
toward him, with one hand resting on the pillow. She looked so beautiful, but
he could see the shadows under her eyes. She didn’t look well, and he knew
Mavis had been right. He couldn’t wait one more minute. Now how was he going to
convince her to come home?

Taos
reached over and ran one finger softly along the back of her hand. He would not
leave without her. He dropped his hand away from hers and exhaled his
frustration.

The
only thing he really knew to do was hold her close and show her he loved her.
That he understood and that was the only thing he’d ever done right with her.
He set his hat on the dresser, then removed his coat and boots. Carefully he
slipped under the blanket. The minute he touched her, she rolled into his arms
and his soul leapt to life. It was as if he hadn’t really had a pulse since she
left.

Samantha
looked up at him. “I need to say some things to you.”

He
stilled, “Like what?”

“I
love you and I want to go home.”

His
heart jumped up and flipped over, while his mind filled with caution. Nothing
with this woman was this easy.
Stay calm.
“I came to take you home.”

She
nodded. Why did she still look so sad like it was some kind of death sentence? He
just did not understand her. She wanted to come home. He wanted her to come
home. Why was he the only one happy about it?

“You
don’t seem too excited.” Maybe she thought she was stuck with him now.

“I
only left because I wanted . . .” Her voice trailed off.

“What?
What did you want?” God knows he had no clue.

“I
just wanted you to want
me.
I wanted you to come after
me
and
take
me
home.”

He
suddenly had the urge to strangle her. “That’s what this is about?” He shook
his head. “I can’t believe you left me and came over here for a month because you
don’t think I want you. That is ridiculous!”

Her
temper flared, “Why is it ridiculous to want to be loved?”

“I
do love you!”

She
stared, stunned. “Why didn’t you say something?”

“Why
didn’t
you?
All you’ve ever done is yell at me and run off. Is that
supposed to be love?”

“Yes.”

Blood
pounded in his ears and he dropped his head into his hands. “This is not how I
planned for this to go.”

“You
had a plan?” She flashed him that smile. The one that held a lot of promises.

He
felt heat flow through him.
How did she do that with just a smile?
He
pulled a small velvet bag with gold tassels out of his pocket. “I got you
something.”

Samantha
took the delicate bag and ran a thumb across the velvet. “You were going to
bribe me?”

“Well,
not right off.”

Her
eyebrow popped up.

“See,
first I was just going to try some big speech.”

She
chuckled.

“Yeah,
exactly,” He pointed to the bag. “That was my backup plan.”

“And
if this didn’t work?”

“I
was going to tie you up and carry you off.”

“And
if I called for help?”

“Oh,
don’t worry. I was planning to gag you too.”

She
poked his ribs and opened the bag, holding her hand underneath to catch what
she poured out. A ring tumbled into her palm. She gasped. It was exquisite: diamonds
and emeralds set into a wide gold band.

“You
never did get a wedding ring.” He watched her slide it onto her hand and wiggle
her fingers. The light made the stones sparkle.

“What
if none of your plans had worked?”

“I
would have begged.” He looked into her deep green eyes. “I can’t even breathe
without you.”

“I
missed you so much.” She kissed him softly. “Promise me you will never let me
go.”

He
smiled. “Now,
that
I can do.”

He
wrapped her in his arms and covered her mouth with his, kissing her for all he
was worth. He wanted Samantha to know she had every bit of love he had to give,
now and forever.

Epilogue

Shortly
after Taos carried Samantha back home, Mattie and Paul left for an extended
tour of Europe and married in London before returning to Boston. To hear Mattie
tell it, theirs was a love for the ages, and Samantha was delighted for her.

A
few months later, Mattie sent a newspaper clipping from Boston with the
headline “Littlest Gunfighter in the West” and a story that contained the
exploits of one Tommy Williams. It told how he’d save his whole family with one
shot in the wild and wooly New Mexico Territory at the tender age of seven. The
story made Tommy a bit of a celebrity in River City, and he loved every minute
of it.

Taos
and Samantha quickly settled into life on the ranch. Large snow accumulations
that winter eased the drought, and by spring their grassland was supporting a much
larger herd. Madeline Elizabeth Williams was born that spring, one of four
children Taos and Samantha would eventually raise on their ranch. To Tommy’s
disappointment, three of those four children would be girls.