The Family He Wanted by Karen Sandler

Author:Karen Sandler
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Silhouette
Published: 2009-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

The first few weeks of March, Jana saw so much of Sam that she would have thought they’d get tired of each other or start to bicker about stupid things. But those twentysomething days were like some kind of magical interlude. The last of her morning sickness had vanished. She’d never smiled so often, never laughed as much, never told so many really awful jokes in her life. All that time, she kept looking over her shoulder for her old companion, disaster, but so far he was a no-show.

Sam would work on his book for several hours starting early in the morning, while Jana and one or two of the teens would set up the display shelves or unpack merchandise that was arriving daily. Then he’d join her, helping the teens with the heavy work that he absolutely refused to let her do.

They’d all have lunch; then she and Sam would often spend the afternoon brainstorming ideas for the shop or plot complications for his book. Or they’d head down the hill to run errands, sometimes stopping for dinner and a movie before returning home. If she made him dinner at the apartment, they’d play cards afterward or watch some television.

With all the conversation that flew fast and furious between them, there was one topic of discussion they wouldn’t touch with a fifty-foot pole. That night at the ranch. Her in his arms. His kiss.

A part of her wondered if she’d imagined the whole thing. Another part, that wishful-thinking part, wondered what it had meant. Because although she’d burned from head to toe with the feel of his mouth on hers, there was something about his touch that had seemed…well, not chaste exactly. But not really sexual. There had been something more to it. Something deeper, more complex. Something she most definitely didn’t understand.

But he hadn’t shown even a smidgen of interest in a repeat performance. She told herself that was good, that the last thing she wanted was to follow in her mother’s footsteps. But some nights, as she lay in bed alone, the longing for Sam just about killed her.

Now, sitting at the apartment’s kitchen table, her feet up on the second vinyl dinette chair, Jana stared into her peppermint tea, replaying for the millionth time every moment of Sam’s kiss. She was alone this morning, the teens all too busy preparing for the big Easter carnival and egg hunt at the ranch. The fund-raiser was scheduled for Saturday, the 27th of March, and only two days away. The kids had been going crazy baking, building game booths and decorating. Jana and Sam had been able to get them a good deal on the decorations and game prizes, but Rebecca was insisting the teens do everything else themselves. Which left Jana out of the loop.

There were a few things she could have done downstairs this morning, but it just wasn’t the same without Sam. He usually showed up by noon; it was a quarter after.

She moved to the living-room window to watch for him to pull up out back.

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