~ ~ ~
Sam watched as Carter rode furiously up from the house to the road, his horse kicking up a cloud of dust in his wake that gently drifted away. He had been tempted to ride down while Carter and Kate’s father were speaking, but a grain of good sense had kept him up on the hill, perched atop Racer and enjoying the shade of a tall pine. No reason to go down there and cause more of a ruckus right now, he thought. A man like Carter wouldn’t take too kindly to seeing me around just now, even if I saved his fiancée from some trouble last night. All he cares about is his image, and it probably didn’t look too good to have her riding with me like that.
Sam kicked his heels and Racer started down the hill, breaking out of the shade into the bright sunshine. Beautiful day, he thought, admiring the rich colors that were laid out before him: the green waves of corn, softly swaying in the breeze; the brilliant blue sky, and the towering white clouds that carefully eased themselves across the sky. You get a day like this and you can’t help but be in a good mood.
Of course, a good mood was the last thing he’d been expecting after last night. When Jake and Kate had become overdue, Sam had taken Racer just to make sure that nothing was wrong. He trusted Jake to look after Kate, but then they were still pretty new around town. It wouldn’t hurt to all ride back together, and perhaps he’d even have a chance to talk to her again. It always seemed like it was easier to talk to women when somebody else was around to help take the pressure off, and with the easy banter that the siblings usually partook in, Sam would be able to fit in nicely.
Main Street was deserted as he approached, and the light was fading fast. There was no sign of their carriage, nor either of them, and Sam stopped Racer for a moment while he thought. The street appeared to be deserted; aside from a few horses tied up at the saloon, there was no movement to be seen in the light of the gas streetlamps. The mercantile’s closed. The tailor’s shop is closed. Did we somehow pass each other on the way? Maybe they decided to try a shortcut or something. They could still be out there somewhere lost, and it’s getting dark. He turned Racer and started back out of town at a trot. So much for a leisurely conversation.
Racer hadn’t taken more than a few steps when he heard a scream. He couldn’t be sure, of course, but he felt goose flesh all over as he whirled Racer around and kicked his heels hard. It had sounded like Kate. The horse nearly flew down the street, Sam’s head whipping back and forth, and as they passed the alley alongside the mercantile he saw a bunch of men in the shadows, crouching over something on the ground. Over somebody on the ground.
He brought Racer to a halt and had leaped off before the horse had even stopped; his club was in his hand and raised even before he’d entered the alley and found Kate at the mercy of the three diggers. The men fell like the cowards they were, and Sam had to restrain himself from hurting them worse than they got. He felt like he would burst from the rage that had appeared within, burning like a bucketful of hot coals in his chest, but he forced himself to leave them simply sleeping in the dirt. I’ve got to make sure she’s all right, he reminded himself as he went back to her.
She was fine. Physically, anyway. Of course she was upset—anybody would be—but he admired how quickly she got control of herself, considering the scare she’d just had. He had helped her up onto Racer, and as he mounted the horse behind her, she had collapsed into his arms.
Even now, as he rode toward the farmhouse, Sam couldn’t help but remember the feel of her body in his arms, her warmth, even her scent. A smile appeared on his face as he thought back to how he had cradled her against him, finally feeling the closeness that he’d ached for ever since she had strolled into his life. She had clung to him like a magnet, and at that moment he hadn’t cared how it looked. It may have looked wrong, but it just felt right. Had he slowed Racer slightly as he passed the saloon, knowing that all eyes would be on them? Perhaps he had. It was hard to say; there had been a lot on his mind at the time.
As they arrived at the house, Sam dropped from Racer’s back and took a deep breath. He’d wanted to drop by and say hello to Tom, hoping that his casual visit would prompt Kate’s appearance, but it looked like that wasn’t going to happen now that Tom had left Carter standing on the porch.
Still, I didn’t ride all the way down here for nothing, he thought, taking a deep breath as he climbed the stairs to the porch. Nothing unusual about me wanting to check on her. He knocked on the door and waited until he could see a blurry form moving down the hall, gradually becoming clearer and clearer until he realized that it was Kate who was opening the door.
“Good morning, Sam,” she said, barely meeting his eyes. She was pale and wore a simple dress, her hair pulled back in a ponytail instead of in an elaborate arrangement like she normally favored. She looked like she was exhausted, with her eyes pink and puffy, but he was also struck by how attractive she was even without all her normal preparations. She was perhaps even more beautiful than he’d known, and he had to fight the urge to take her in his arms again right then and there.
“Morning,” he said. “I just wanted to check on you and see how you were.”
“Well, I guess I’m fine,” she said. “Just tired. I hardly slept last night.” She ran her hand over her face, as if suddenly remembering her appearance. “You’ll have to forgive me. I must look a fright.”
Sam snorted. “You look beautiful,” he said without thinking. He felt his cheeks immediately grow hot as Kate tried to hide the startled look on her face, stepping out onto the porch and pulling the door shut behind her. “I just mean, you know, other women must be jealous of you,” he said more quietly. “You look wonderful without even trying.”
Kate smiled slightly as she ran her hand over her hair.
“Would you like to sit down?”
“Well, I actually have some things I need to take care of,” he said. “I mainly just stopped over to see how you’re doing.”
“I’m fine,” she said. “Or at least I will be fine. Thanks to you.”
Sam watched as a solitary hawk drifted through the air, high over the fields. “Well, perhaps I’ll just sit a spell with you.”
Neither of them spoke for some time, simply sitting and enjoying the view as the morning sun warmed the fields below. “You know, when we first came out here I was afraid that I was going to miss the ocean,” Kate said. “I spent so much time on the water when I was growing up that I felt like it was a part of me.”
Sam smiled at the thought of a younger Katie running on a sandy beach. “I’ve never seen the ocean,” he said. “Honestly, it’s hard to imagine so much water. Do you still miss it?”
She looked at him and gave him a curious look. “You know, it’s the strangest thing,” she said. “I truly don’t.” She stood up and went to the porch railing. “Come over here, Sam.”
He went to her side and they watched as the crops swayed in the wind. “Look at that,” she said. “It’s almost like waves, isn’t it? And with the wind it almost sounds like the surf. Here’s my ocean.”
He glanced over at her. Her eyes had brightened and she was smiling. “It’s good to see you like this,” he said. “You look happy.”
She turned, and he saw her hand almost reach out for his before she thought better and brought it back to her side. Kate quickly drew her gaze away from his and returned to her chair.
“Sam, I have to thank you for what you did last night.” As she spoke her face was turned down, as if she were studying the floor of the porch.
“You already thanked me. You said so last night.”
“I know. But I can never really thank you enough,” she said, and when she raised her head he could see that tears had filled her eyes. It felt as if a cord had been tied around his heart and was being pulled tight.
Sam went to her and dropped down to one knee in front of her chair.
“Miss Taylor, there’s nothing else you need to say. I’m just glad you’re all right,” he said. “You are all right, aren’t you?” He searched
her face for some clue, some indication that he’d somehow failed her, but found nothing.
She nodded and pulled a handkerchief out of her sleeve, dabbing at her eyes.
“I’ll be okay,” she said, forcing a smile. The look on her face, her smile framed by streaks of tears, was almost enough to drive him mad. “And I think we’re beyond ‘Miss Taylor’ now, don’t you? Please call me Kate,” she said, and she leaned over to lay her hand upon his.
Her touch made him go weak, and he stood up quickly before he did something foolish, like taking her into his arms and smothering her with kisses.
“Well, it sure didn’t seem like your fiancé was very happy about how things turned out,” he said, turning away from her as if to study the fields.
“Edward was just upset about how things looked to his friends, his associates,” she said. “I’m sure he’ll calm down once I talk to him. I wouldn’t worry about it.”
I wasn’t particularly worried about it at all, Sam thought. He turned back to Kate. “Well, I suppose I should get going,” he said. “Time’s a-wastin’.”
Kate smiled warmly at him as she stood. “So what are all these things you’ve got to do?” she asked. “Today’s Sunday; you should have the day off. Speaking of that, why aren’t you in church?”
“Why aren’t you?”
Her smile turned into a broad grin. “Given what happened last night, we thought it would be best to recuperate here at home today,” she said. “What’s your excuse?”
“You think it’s easy going around rescuing damsels in distress? I’ve got to recuperate too,” he said. He turned to go, giving a click of his tongue to call Racer over to the porch steps.
“We’ll expect you for dinner at six,” Kate said as he climbed onto his horse.
“What’s that?”
“No excuses,” she said. “You’re joining us for a proper meal. Six o’clock.” The smile on her face had erased some of the fatigue he had first seen.
“Six o’clock,” Sam said, and he turned Racer to head up the hill; it was a hard fight to keep from spurring him into a gallop just out of sheer excitement.