nine

The next few weeks flew by for Samantha. Most of the regulars at the restaurant had quit asking to either see her home or come courting, and for that she was very grateful. But every now and again, someone new would come in for a few days, and it would all start up again.

Mrs. Miller had told her they all thought Ben Thompson was courting her.

“He isn’t. Not that I know of anyway. I think he feels responsible for saving my life.”

“What would you think if he did ask to court you?”

Samantha shook her head. “I’m not sure. I haven’t been looking for a husband, and to be truthful, what I’ve seen of marriage besides with my own parents, Faith and Gabe, and you and Mr. Miller hasn’t been great. I want what all of you have, and well, I’m not sure that Ben isn’t still pining for his Molly.”

“Oh, a part of him will probably always love her. But that doesn’t mean he can’t love another woman, Samantha. And I sense that Ben longs for a wife again.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

“But. . .I. . .”

“You’re still unsure about things. That’s understandable. But there are many good marriages out there, Samantha. I’d like to think there are more good ones than bad.”

“I suppose I’m not sure how good a wife I’d make. And from all accounts, Molly was a wonderful wife and mother. I’m not sure I could live up to her memory.”

“I’m sure you’d make a fine wife. Ben doesn’t seem the type to compare.”

“But how do I know? How can I be sure?”

“I think you take it to the Lord, Samantha. Ask Him to guide you and help you to know.”

Samantha realized that was the best advice she could receive and that she should have been praying about it long before now. “Thank you, Mrs. Miller. I appreciate being able to talk to you about this. Faith is wonderful, but she’s Ben’s sister and—”

“No need to explain, Samantha. You come to me any time. And for what it’s worth, I think Ben Thompson is sweet on you, and it doesn’t have a thing to do with saving your life.”

“You think so?”

“I do. It won’t surprise me one bit if one of these days he asks to court you for real. You might think it over so you have an answer when he does.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Samantha wasn’t sure Mrs. Miller was right about Ben wanting to court her, but the very idea sent her pulse to racing as she headed for home with Matt. If she looked a little flushed, she was glad the young man didn’t mention it.

As Hope had been doing off and on since the first time she’d asked for help, that afternoon she brought more math problems to Samantha. Hope was bringing home better grades, and Samantha was very happy to have helped with that.

When Hope went upstairs to finish her work before coming back down to set the table, Faith turned to Samantha. “You know, you’d make a very good teacher. Have you ever considered that?”

“I have. In fact. . .” Samantha didn’t want to lie. But she didn’t want to go into why she’d left Kansas either.

“You are a teacher, aren’t you, Samantha?” Faith asked, turning from the stove.

“Yes. I taught in Kansas for several years before I came here. But when I came to Guthrie, the school year was already in session, and well, I didn’t figure they’d need a teacher.” That was true enough. Hopefully Faith wouldn’t ask anything about why she had left.

“Oh, I’m sure they’d be glad to have an experienced teacher, Samantha, especially for next session. I’ve heard one of the teachers is getting married.”

“Really?” Samantha could not deny that she really missed teaching. Her biggest fear was that somehow her former principal had started a campaign to ruin her reputation all the way to Guthrie, even though he had no way of knowing she’d come here.

“Really. I’ll do some more checking. It would be so much easier on you.”

“Well, that’s for sure. I’d still be on my feet some, but nothing like at the restaurant.”

“And you’d have complete weekends off, and holidays, too—spring and fall breaks.”

“I know.” It was one of the things she’d always loved about teaching. “Maybe I’ll apply for a position, if you find out they want someone.”

“I’ll see what I can find out first thing tomorrow.”

“Samantha, dear?” Mrs. Warner peeked her head around the kitchen door. “There’s a gentleman here to see you.”

“A man to see me?” Samantha couldn’t imagine who might be calling. She’d refused all offers to do so since she’d been working for Mrs. Miller. Suddenly her heart seemed to stop beating. Surely Principal Jennings hadn’t found her here.

“Yes, he appears to be your age and quite good-looking—through these old eyes of mine, anyway.”

Samantha breathed a sigh of relief. It couldn’t be her old principal. He was at least fifteen years older than she was. But manners insisted that she see who was at the door, and she hurried down the hall to find out who was calling. She was a little surprised to see Darrell Magee, a young attorney who’d been coming into Miller’s Restaurant for the past month. He hadn’t actually asked to court her. It appeared he was so confident that he didn’t feel he had to ask.

“Good evening, Miss Carter. I hope I haven’t come at a bad time.”

Samantha didn’t consider just before supper to be a good time to call, but she only asked, “What can I do for you, Mr. Magee?”

The man turned his hat around in his hands and gave her a self-assured smile. “Well, I was wondering if you’d like to go for a walk with me. There’s an ice-cream parlor downtown, and I—”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Magee, but we are about to sit down to supper, and well, even if we weren’t, I’d have to say no. Thank you for your invitation, though.”

He looked at her as if he couldn’t believe she’d turned him down. “Are you quite sure, Miss Carter?”

“Why yes, I am. I am not used to gentlemen calling on me without getting permission first, Mr. Magee. And at present, I’ve given no one that permission.”

“That’s what I’ve been told. But I wagered that they were wrong. I guess I lost.”

“You wagered on whether I would go walking out with you?”

“Yes, ma’am, I did. Will you reconsider? I’d be very beholden to you.”

“No, sir. I will not. Good evening.” Samantha showed him to the door and slammed it shut behind him. The gall of the man!

❧

Ben headed toward Guthrie, fully aware that he’d lived from one weekend to the next over the last few months. Sam wasn’t letting anyone court her, but from what Mrs. Miller had told him, it didn’t stop any of the men who came into the restaurant from giving it their all. And when one man gave up, another quickly came to take his place. He’d come to realize that there always would be another man in line, especially with a beautiful single lady like Samantha.

And while he left Guthrie at the end of each weekend relieved that she hadn’t given anyone any encouragement, by the end of the next workweek, he’d convinced himself that the situation might have changed while he was gone. He didn’t breathe easy until he’d sat in the café awhile and seen for himself that she didn’t seem taken with anyone.

Deep down he knew that if anyone had come calling for her at the boardinghouse, Faith would be sure to let him know. He should be able to relax and know that both Mrs. Miller and Faith would look out for his best interests. . .even if he hadn’t come right out and told them about his feelings for Samantha. Mrs. Miller had made it clear he was hiding nothing from her, and he was pretty sure his sister knew how he felt about Sam, too.

Still, Samantha hadn’t given him any real sign that she was looking to be courted, and he was beginning to wonder if maybe he should give her more than a hint that he was falling in love with her—so far what he’d thought he was hinting had seemed to have fallen on deaf ears. Or was she ignoring his hints so that she didn’t have to come out and say she wasn’t interested? He hoped not. He really thought Sam was more forthright than that. More than likely, he wasn’t doing it right. But he’d better learn. Maybe it was time to ask his sister how he should go about it.

Before long, he’d be too busy to go into Guthrie on Thursday nights. And once harvest was upon them, he might not be able to make it in on weekends at all. His crops were doing well. They’d had the right amount of rain and sun, and he figured he’d have a bumper crop of cane and sweet corn.

But if he didn’t get in until Friday or even Saturday, someone else might catch Sam’s eye and have more of a chance to make his case without Ben in the picture. Maybe he’d talk to Faith this weekend.

He spurred Rusty on toward town. His faithful horse could get there with his eyes closed by now—or at least with Ben’s eyes closed. He had no doubt that Rusty would deliver him to his sister’s back door no matter what the weather or the condition of his rider. But as they rounded the corner, Ben sat up straight at the sight of a man not much younger than him hurrying up the front walk. Was he too late, after all? Had Samantha allowed some new man to come calling?

He slipped off Rusty’s back as soon as his horse stopped in the backyard and barely took time to tie him to one of the hitching posts before hurrying inside his sister’s kitchen. When he opened the back door, it was to find his sister and Mrs. Warner at the door leading into the hall. They both jumped when he shut the door, but when his sister saw it was him, she put a finger over her lips, and he froze right where he was.

He was certain they were eavesdropping on the conversation at the front door, and since Samantha wasn’t there and his daughter was too young for callers, he could only surmise that the man he’d seen earlier had indeed come calling. Ben wasn’t prepared for the surge of jealousy that flooded his being at the very thought that someone had caught Sam’s eye. Suddenly Faith hurried back to the stove, and Mrs. Warner quickly sat down at the kitchen table.

But when Sam pushed open the kitchen door and he saw the stormy expression in her eyes, he began to breathe a little easier. If she cared about that suitor, surely she wouldn’t look so angry.

“How dare the man!”

Ben was still over by the back door, and he didn’t think Sam had seen him yet. He couldn’t help but think how pretty she looked all flushed and in a temper. He was very glad her anger wasn’t directed at him.

“Who was it, and what did he do?” Faith asked.

“His name is Darrell Magee. He’s an attorney and has been coming into the restaurant for the past several weeks. But never once did he ask to come calling. He just showed up—as part of a wager, I might add!”

Faith gasped. “They had a bet on his chances of seeing you?”

“Evidently so.”

“I’m sure you turned him down,” Mrs. Warner said.

Ben was certain she and his sister must have already heard what was going on. But of course they weren’t going to say so.

“I did. He’ll not be coming back. At least he’d better not.”

All Ben could think of was that she’d turned the man down. Thank You, Lord. “Would you like me or Gabe to have a talk with him?”

Sam started. “Ben! I didn’t know you were here.”

“You were busy putting that gentleman in his place.” He couldn’t help but grin. At least his fears that someone had caught her eye were laid to rest. . .for now, anyway. “I’ll be glad to tell him not to bother you again.”

“Thank you, Ben. But I’m hoping I took care of it.”

He hoped she had, too. Because if not, he’d make it quite clear to Mr. Magee that he wasn’t to bother her again. “Well, if you change your mind. . .”

Gabe and Matt chose that moment to come into the kitchen from outside.

“Who was that man we just saw leave?” Gabe asked. “Is something wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong, Gabe.” At this moment everything was right. But Ben had made up his mind. He was going to talk to his sister as soon as he could get her alone. He wanted to find out if she thought he had any chance at all with Sam. And if she believed he did, he needed to find out how to make sure she was right. Because he didn’t want to take a chance on losing her to the next man who decided to come calling on his own.

❧

“It was only an unwanted suitor calling on Samantha. But she took care of it,” Faith said, as she pulled roast chicken out of the oven.

“I’m surprised we haven’t had more of them show up,” Gabe said. “I’ve been prepared to run them off. Guess I didn’t get home in time. I’m sorry, Samantha.”

“Until tonight, I’ve let any of those asking to walk me home or come calling know I wasn’t interested. This man fell prey to a wager, which made it worse than if he’d come calling on his own.”

“I’m glad you sent him packing,” Ben said. “The kind of man who makes a wager on whether a woman will let him court her or not isn’t all that noble in my opinion. You be sure and let one of us know if he keeps bothering you, all right?”

Seeing Ben standing there, such a contrast to the man she’d turned away, made Samantha realize that he was the one she’d been measuring all other men by ever since she’d come to Guthrie. And none of them came close. “I will,” she promised.

Her face flushed, remembering the conversation with Mrs. Miller. Something in the way Ben was looking at her made her wonder if it was possible her employer was right about Ben being sweet on her. Could Ben think of her as more than the woman who’d tried to pass herself off as a young man, the one he’d saved from a fire? First impressions were hard to get around.

For Samantha, he would always be special because he saved her life. Her heart never failed to give a little twist when she thought back on that day.

But over time Ben had become special to her for many other reasons: caring enough about her to have his son see her home, voicing concern over how difficult she found her work, offering to come to her aid about anything—even talking to an unwanted suitor. Ben Thompson had wound his way into her heart, and she was pretty sure no other man could take his place.

Yet based on what Faith had told her once, Ben was ten years older than she. From time to time, she’d wondered if he thought of her as a child he had to protect. She never wanted him to think of her in that way. But if he thought of her the way Mrs. Miller said he did, wouldn’t he have let her know. . .asked to court her?

Then again, he saw her each time he was in town, so there’d be no need to ask to come calling. He could talk to her whenever he wanted. How had he gone about courting Molly? He’d said they’d known each other a long time. Maybe he didn’t remember how to actually go about courting after all that time and having had only one woman in his life. Samantha’s heart leaped with hope. Maybe he did care but wasn’t quite sure how to go about letting a woman know he was interested. And how could she go about finding out without coming right out and asking?