A Small Town Thanksgiving by Marie Ferrarella

Author:Marie Ferrarella [Ferrarella, Marie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2013-11-20T08:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

The moment Sam walked into the dining room Miguel was on his feet and headed straight for her.

“Ah, there you are. I was beginning to think you had gotten lost,” the patriarch said to her, warmly taking her hand between his as he uttered the greeting. Then, releasing it, he took her elbow and gently guided her to the table, which was set for four. “You cannot neglect yourself this way time and again,” Miguel chided kindly. “You must eat, otherwise how can you keep up your strength to do all this work?”

Sam laughed as she took her chair, then expressed a twinge of surprise when Mike pulled it out for her. When she was seated, he pushed the chair in for her, as well. This wave of politeness was new. Obviously this was due to his father’s prompting, she thought.

Their eyes met for a brief instant as Mike went to take his own seat.

What she saw in his eyes made her change her mind. Maybe Mike’s father hadn’t had anything to do with Mike’s change in behavior. Maybe that kiss, coming out of nowhere, was responsible for the difference.

Did this mean that he intended to repeat that encounter?

God, she hoped so.

Belatedly, Sam realized that she hadn’t responded to what her host had just said to her. “It’s not as if I’m doing some kind of heavy physical labor, Miguel,” she reminded him tactfully. “It’s just reading.”

They both knew it wasn’t “just” anything. He looked at her knowingly. “Using the mind for all those hours can be very tiring.”

“Yeah, just look at Mike. He almost never tires himself out thinking about anything,” Ray offered, laughing at his own joke.

“Mike keeps the books, doesn’t he?” Sam asked casually.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the surprised expression on Mike’s face. That was when she realized that she had to sound as if she was coming to his defense. What had prompted her to do that? It wasn’t as if the man couldn’t defend himself. But then, maybe he wasn’t inclined to offer any justification that wasn’t already duly recognized and noted.

“Well, it sounds like Samantha put you in your place, Ramon,” Miguel observed, a deep, appreciative chuckle accompanying his words.

In response, Ray shrugged somewhat self-consciously, doing his best not to appear that way.

“Doesn’t take much to work on the books,” he protested, then complained, “I don’t do it because you won’t let me.”

“And there’s a good reason for that,” Mike deadpanned, joining in. “You don’t let someone who thinks one plus one equals eleven work on the accounts, unless you think that risking bankruptcy is a good idea.”

Ray bristled. “Don’t listen to him,” he told Sam. “He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

She realized that Ray was embarrassed and she was quick to try to remedy the situation. Smiling at him, Sam said, “That’s all right, not everyone is good with numbers. I’m sure you’re not as bad as he thinks—and possibly not as good as you think,” she added.

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