“I’m glad you did. I like them both.”
“They’re good people.”
Beth suspected Sam was good, too. Unfortunately, it was unlikely she’d have the chance to find that out for herself.
CHAPTER 6
Sam
Sam had a busy day Monday. But then every day was busy at the car dealership. As head of the service department, Sam took his responsibilities seriously. The owner once said that Sam was the best mechanic he’d ever known.
Sam had been with the GMC dealership for ten years and made a decent living. Not that he was going to be buying a yacht anytime soon, but then he was more interested in cars than he was in boats. At last count, he owned three vehicles, a truck and two classic cars that he tinkered with: a 1967 Dodge RT and a 1965 Chevy Impala. In addition, he did plenty of work on the side. He understood engines far better than he ever did women. Friends came to him with car troubles. There wasn’t a vehicle he couldn’t get back into running shape with the right parts. Even as a kid, he liked nothing better than to disassemble whatever he could find and then put it back together.
He finished up with his last car, handed the keys off to the owner, and closed down his station for the night.
Thinking of women, and the complications they brought into a man’s life, Beth came to mind. Actually, she’d been in his thoughts most of the day. For someone who’d recently had major surgery, she’d been remarkably alert. He hadn’t meant to stay more than a few minutes, and they’d ended up talking for the better part of an hour until she’d fallen asleep from exhaustion.
Sam couldn’t remember having that long of a conversation with a woman in…well, forever. Okay, not while he was sober, anyway.
It surprised him that she remembered him holding her hand at the scene of the accident until the medics arrived. Even then her eyes had followed him, silently pleading for him to stay with her. He wanted to, but the paramedics had moved him out of the way. He understood it was necessary, but he’d hated leaving Beth; hated letting go of her hand. Surprisingly, he’d felt the same reluctance to leave her while visiting her at the hospital.
He wondered how she was doing. He knew she was in a lot of pain, and the thought of her suffering troubled him. He’d heard the medical staff wanted her up and moving, which shocked him. That didn’t seem right. Forcing her to get up on her feet with a fractured hip and ribs made no sense to him. But then, what did he know?
Nichole had said she was going to stop by and check on her. Walking toward his truck, Sam reached for his phone and scrolled down his contact list until he found Nichole’s number. He wasn’t completely sure he had it and was grateful when he saw he did.
He hit the connection and waited for her to answer.
“Sam?”
Apparently, his name showed on her phone screen. “Hey, Nichole, how’s your friend?”
“Beth?”
“Yeah. You went to see her today, didn’t you?”
“I didn’t,” she returned, her tone filled with regret. “Matthew was fussy all morning and was running a fever, so I ended up taking him to the doctor. I spent a good part of the afternoon there and then I had to run to the pharmacy to get the prescription.”
Sam loved that baby and was immediately concerned. “What’s wrong with him?”
“Ear infection.”
“Damn.” Sam had those as a child and still remembered how badly his ear had ached. He ended up having tubes inserted after repeated infections.
“Don’t let Owen hear you say that,” Nichole teased.
“Tell him I owe him a dollar.” The way these dollars were adding up, Owen would have enough money to buy his own car by the time he was ten.
“Matthew’s on antibiotics and is sleeping now, but it’s been a rough day for us both.”
So Nichole hadn’t been in to see Beth.
“Did you call her?”
“No. I couldn’t, Sam, not with Matthew demanding all my attention.”
He hated the thought of Beth being in the hospital without visitors. She must be miserable, and the pain would feel all the more intense when she was alone.
“You could go see her,” Nichole suggested.
He could, of course, but Nichole didn’t know that he’d been up to visit once already. “I suppose.”
“If you do go, let me know how she’s doing and explain why I haven’t been by.”
“If I go,” he repeated.
“It wouldn’t hurt. She isn’t going to wrestle you to the ground and demand you marry her.”
“Very funny.” He tried to sound sarcastic, but he couldn’t keep the smile out of his voice. What he found amusing was that he discovered he actually liked Beth. She wasn’t anything like he expected. When he first met her she seemed plain, a little too vanilla for his liking and ever so proper. He didn’t view her that way after their conversation. She had a good sense of humor and was a caring person. He suspected there weren’t many people who would ask about the well-being of the other driver.
“I’ll find out what I can,” he said, giving in.
“You mean you’re actually going to the hospital?” Nichole sounded shocked.
“Don’t make a big deal out of it.”
“Okay, but thanks.”
Now that he thought about it, he wouldn’t mind making a return visit. If he was looking to make an impression, which he wasn’t, he’d go home, shower, and change out of his work clothes. He decided against it. He’d run in, check and see if she needed anything, and then report back to Nichole. That would be the end of it. The visit would put Nichole’s mind to rest and his own, too.
“I’ll be in touch,” he promised before he ended the call.
—
The hospital was out of his way, and it took him thirty minutes in traffic in what would usually take about twenty. All during the drive he berated himself, unsure why he was going. He was no Florence Nightingale. Normally he avoided hospitals, and other than this situation with Beth, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d voluntarily set foot in one.
He didn’t want to get involved or lead her into thinking he cared. Bottom line, he decided, he felt responsible for her. That was hard to explain, because there was no logical reason he should feel that way. He wasn’t the one who’d hit her. Just because he happened to be at the scene of the accident, he felt obliged to look after her. Didn’t make much sense, but it was what it was.
He found decent parking and made his way into the hospital. When he arrived on her floor, her door was closed. He stood outside, wondering what to do, and then decided to knock.
“Come in,” Beth called. Her voice sounded stronger than it had the day before, which was a good sign.
He opened the door and took a couple steps into the room, stopping abruptly. A woman stood on the other side of Beth’s bed. She looked like a poster child for Haight-Ashbury in the late 1960s with her tie-dyed skirt and her long, straight, salt-and-pepper hair.
When she saw him, the woman’s face lit up into a huge smile.
“Sam,” Beth breathed, clearly surprised.
“This is Sam?” the other woman asked.
Beth nodded.
Before he could acknowledge either woman, the older one hurried around the bed and enveloped him in a bear hug. “I am so happy to meet you,” she squealed, as though this was one of the greatest honors of her life. She gave him another squeeze before she released him enough to where he could breathe again. She leaned back, keeping hold of his upper arms. “I don’t know what Beth would have done without you,” she said, sounding close to tears. “She’s told me everything.”
Sam’s gaze shot to Beth, wondering what she could have possibly said to warrant this over-the-top greeting.
“How precious of you to come see her,” the woman gushed.
“Sam,” Beth said, gesturing toward the other woman, “this is my aunt, Sunshine.”
“Sam,” he said unnecessarily. “Carney,” he added.
Gripping hold
of his hand, she kissed the back of it. “Thank you. A thousand times thank you.”
“Ah…sure.” He fully intended to drill Beth and learn what all the gratitude was about.
“So you’ve come to see Beth. I was just leaving.” She turned back to her niece, kissed her forehead, and then swept out of the room, taking a dramatic exit, blowing them both kisses on her way out.
“That,” Beth said, “was my crazy, wonderful aunt Sunshine.”
“Wow, she fills up an entire room, doesn’t she?”
“She does.”
“Exactly what did you tell her about me?”
“Only that you helped me at the scene.” She swallowed. “Don’t get your nose out of joint.”
He widened his eyes. “My nose out of joint.”
She attempted a smile. “That’s something my dad says.”
He felt he should explain why he’d stopped by a second day in a row. He tucked his hands in his back pockets and remained where he was just inside the door. “Nichole sends greetings. She wasn’t able to get away. Matthew’s got an ear infection and she spent the day at the doctor’s office.”
“Poor Matthew. I had those as a kid, too.”
He felt awkward, the way he had when he’d first arrived the day before, bringing her the rose. That had been a last-minute decision. When he came into the hospital he saw someone carrying flowers. Thinking it might be expected, he felt bad knowing Beth probably didn’t have anyone to bring her flowers. A minute later, he saw the flower display in the window of the gift shop and bought the rose on impulse.
“I told Nichole I’d check in and see how your day went and report back,” he said, as a means of explaining his visit.
She shifted and grimaced. “It’s been a long day, but last night was the worst.”
“How so?”
“It’s so dark and quiet. The pain seems to be more cutting then. I slept in fits and starts most of the night. I don’t think I slept more than an hour at a time.”
“Hasn’t the doctor prescribed pain meds?”
“Oh yes, but I’m only allowed to take them every four hours and they hold me to the minute.” She grimaced for the second time.
“Are you in pain now?”
She moistened her lips and nodded.
“How long before you’re due for another pill?”
Her eyes went to the clock on the wall. “An hour.”
Sixty minutes can feel like an eternity when in pain. “Is there anything I can do?”
She met his gaze as if determining how serious he was. “Yes.”
“Name it.” Whatever it was, he’d find a way to help her.
“My aunt brought me my Bible. Would you read to me from the Psalms?”
The request shocked him and he raised both hands as if she’d pointed a rifle at him. “You want me to read to you from the Bible?” What had he gotten himself in for? “Sorry, babe, I don’t think so. I open that book and fire and brimstone will rain down from the heavens.”
Her face fell with disappointment. “You’re joking.”
He waved his hands. “Afraid not.”
She exhaled and he could tell she was utterly miserable. Closing her eyes, she gave him a sad smile. “Okay, I understand.”
Sam felt her frustration as if it were his own. He couldn’t believe he was actually considering this. Feeling guilty, he reached for the Bible, which was on the stand next to her bed. “Where do I look for the book of Psalms?” he asked, completely unfamiliar with the Bible.
She opened her eyes, which widened with surprise when she saw he’d taken the seat next to her bed.
“Open the book to the middle and you should be in Psalms.”
He did as she suggested, and sure enough he landed in Psalms. “Any particular one you want me to read?”
“Just start reading where you are.”
“Okay.” Sam drew in a breath and relaxed against the chair. “Psalm 5. Give heed to my words, O Lord. Consider my groaning.” He continued to read, finishing that Psalm and then going on to another. “A guy wrote these?” he asked, and noticed Beth was asleep.
He continued reading silently and found the answer to his question. At the top of the Psalm it read A Psalm of David. Sam didn’t know a lot of Bible stories but distinctly remembered hearing about David and Goliath. He wondered if this was the same David who’d written these Psalms. He started flipping pages and eventually happened upon the passage with a little help from the footnotes. He turned to First Samuel and silently read of when David defeated the giant, losing himself in the story.
When next he looked up, he found that Beth was awake and studying him, her look curious.
“My reading put you to sleep,” he said, a little embarrassed to have her finding him still reading her Bible. He’d found several places where she’d written notes in the margins. He didn’t know people did that sort of thing. It was like he’d flipped open the pages of her diary.
“Your reading relaxed me. Thank you.”
The nurse came in with her pain meds. Beth swallowed them down with a glass of water and let out a deep sigh.
“I happened upon the story about David and Goliath,” he said. “There were a lot of details there that I didn’t know.”
“Like what?”
Sam grinned. “Like King Saul wanting David to wear his battle armor. I could just picture David trying to walk in all that cumbersome gear. It sort of cracked me up. He was young, too.”
“A teenager.”
“Brave of him, but then he was promised the daughter of the king if he succeeded.”
“Good incentive, don’t you think?” she teased.
“Depends on the daughter,” Sam returned.
Beth laughed softly. “I guess it would.”
“Did David ever get his prize?” He was curious to know if the Bible mentioned that.
“He did. Saul kept his word and gave David his daughter Michal, but, you know, those arranged marriages don’t always work out.” She held his look for a moment and then smiled. “It’s sort of like being coerced into meeting a strange woman at a friend’s house for dinner.”
Sam barked a laugh. “True.”
“Thankfully, you weren’t stuck with me for life the way David was with Saul’s daughter.”
“A terrible fate for sure.”
“Really?” she asked, mocking him. “What about poor Michal, who didn’t have any choice in her husband?”
“Yes, poor girl forced to marry a hero. It must have been tough.”
“You have no idea.”
Sam resisted the urge to smile. He’d rarely had a time with a woman like this. A woman like Beth. He enjoyed their banter.
“Can I do anything else for you?” he asked when he saw that the pain pills were kicking in and her eyes were growing droopy again.
“Nothing, thanks.”
“I’ll call Nichole,” he said, making his way to the door.
“Tell her not to worry about coming to visit.”
“Will do.”
He headed for the door when Beth stopped him. “Sam.”
He turned, finding he was reluctant to leave her.
“Thank you. Really, thank you. I’m glad you came back.”
“My pleasure, my lady.” He raised his hand to his forehead and saluted her as if he was a troubadour.
“Sam?”
“Yes.”
She hesitated. “Would you…?”
“Would I what?”
She shook her head and looked embarrassed.
“What is it? Do you need me to bring you something?” He’d do whatever it was she needed and be happy to be able to help.
“Do you think you’ll come back again?” Her gaze held his, as if she was afraid of his answer. “I shouldn’t ask you that…please don’t feel…”
“I wouldn’t mind at all.”
“You’re sure?”
He nodded. It was the truth. He actually looked forward to it.
CHAPTER 7 r />
Beth
Beth eyed the single red rose on the stand next to her hospital bed and thought about Sam’s latest visit. In a moment of weakness, she’d asked him if he wouldn’t mind stopping by again. Somewhat to her surprise, she found that she liked Sam and enjoyed his visits. He’d impressed her with his willingness to read her Bible even when it made him uncomfortable. His subtle sense of humor amused her.
The contrast between Sam and the men her mother found suitable was striking, and by more than appearances. He was genuine and honestly cared about her. He’d stayed with her at the scene of the accident and had gone to the hospital and had visited her not once but twice. She couldn’t imagine any of the pretty boys she’d dated doing any of that. Certainly not Kier, who lived off a healthy trust fund and had never held a job, something he seemed proud of. Beth viewed these prospective husbands her mother pushed her to date as weak and spoiled. She couldn’t understand why her mother saw any one of them as a good match for her. As for her father, he seemed oblivious to what was happening. Not until their talk before she moved to Portland did she realize how unaware he actually was. Beth knew she would never find happiness with any of the men her mother pushed her into dating. Ellie Prudhomme was Kier’s staunchest advocate. Beth cringed at the thought of the self-centered, egotistical man. Even now she couldn’t understand what her mother saw in him.
Beth was reluctant to admit that when she’d first met Sam she’d seen him through her parents’ eyes. And yet Sam was everything Kier would never be. She liked that he was strong physically and that his strength didn’t come from working out in a fancy gym. There didn’t appear to be a spare ounce of fat on him, and while he could be a bit gruff and unconventional, she’d seen a gentle side to him at the accident and then again last evening when he’d sat by her bedside and read to her.
Knowing Sam intended to visit again helped her through the long, tedious hours being hospitalized. Although it was early afternoon, she was already looking forward to seeing him. He’d been the bright spot in her day on his last visit, staying until she was so tired she could barely keep her eyes open.