Chapter Eight

 

 

Kirby woke to the sound of a car pulling up. She had been in the half-sleep, half-awake phase. Grabbing her cane as she got up off the bed, she slipped on her robe and stepped out from her bedroom. She found Sam standing by the door with her hand poised to knock. A smile graced her lips.

“Good morning, Sam” she said after opening the door.

“Good morning, Kirby.”

“Come on in, I’ll make us some coffee.” Kirby made the coffee while Sam watched. “Did you have a good dinner last night?”

Sam rolled her eyes and sighed. “Let’s just say it wasn’t uneventful.” She had her hip against the counter and her hands in her pockets.

Kirby glanced over at her. “Don’t tell me your cousin made a scene?”

“That’s exactly what she did. Apparently, and these are her words, not mine, ‘the crippled woman next door is making a play on my woman.’”

“What?!? She actually said that?”

“Yeah. But nobody believed her. They’re all tired of her drama. And that’s what it is, too, just drama.”

“So, what did Beth say about it?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing?” She saw the look on Sam’s face and immediately knew what would have happened if Beth had said something. With the coffee brewing, Kirby took Sam’s hand and guided her to the living room. “Come sit with me and we’ll talk.”

They sat on the sofa next to the fireplace that had long ago burned away. There was a bit of a chill in the cabin, but Kirby didn’t restart the fire.

“So, I’m assuming the deputies didn’t see anything last night?” Kirby asked.

“Nothing to report. I guess you didn’t see or hear anyone.”

“Surprisingly, I went right to sleep,” slightly blushing.

“What is it?”

“What?”

“You’re blushing.”

“Oh” she gave a small laugh. “It’s nothing. I just missed having you here with me.”

“Oh, Kirby. I told you I would cancel and be here.”

“I know, but you needed to be with your family.” Looking into Sam’s blue eyes Kirby felt the stirrings of attraction. She’d felt them before, but they seemed to be stronger this time. I can see the love she has for me in her eyes. And I have to admit that I feel like I am falling for her, too. She quickly got up and asked, “Have you had breakfast yet?”

Sam got up, taking Kirby’s hand and turning her face to hers. “Kirby?”

Whispering, she said, “Please don’t look into my eyes.” She knew Sam would be able to see.

But it was too late. Sam caressed her cheek then leaned in for a kiss. It wasn’t a passionate kiss but a gentle kiss to show love. It was a kiss that was accepted by Kirby. And when it was over, Kirby knew she was right, indeed she was falling for this woman.

Sam caressed her face again before saying, “Let’s go make breakfast.”

 

†

 

“Are you ready for more coffee before we take this out to the porch?” Kirby asked. They had just finished making breakfast together.

“I’ll get it. You?”

“Yep,” Kirby said as she handed her cup to Sam. She grabbed both plates while Sam carried their cups out to the porch so they could enjoy nature while they ate. The morning was cloudy and had a slight chill in the air, but no matter what the weather was like, Kirby always sat outside to wake up.

“Looks like we might get some weather sometime today,” Sam commented. She set Kirby’s cup on the small table between the chairs, took a sip of her coffee, then set it on the table before taking the plate Kirby was handing her. “Mmm, this smells so good.” She took a bite and hummed.

Kirby gave a small laugh, took a bite of her own and did the same. She glanced over at Sam, smiled, and said, “You know, I have this several days during the week, but making it with you seems to make it taste even better.”

Sam smiled and blushed a little. She was surprised and felt she was making even more progress in getting this woman to fall in love with her. She had never met someone who made her want to spend the rest of her life with them. Yeah, there had been a few women she’d dated, and in high school there was Beth, but none of them made her feel the way Kirby did.

After eating a couple of bites, Kirby looked up at the sky and said, “I think you’re right about the weather. Do you think we’ll get some snow soon?”

“I think we might. It’s about that time when it starts.”

“I’m glad we cut wood the other day. I just hope it’s enough.”

“I’m sure it will be. If not, then I’m sure there’ll be a break in the snow when we can get out and cut some more.” Sam knew Kirby could do things for herself, but she loved helping out.

“Did you find any fingerprints that didn’t belong to either one of us?”

“No. They most likely wore gloves.” She sighed. “Could be anyone since we start getting skiers coming through about this time. But as far as I can remember, we’ve never had any issues with any of them. They just want to hit the slopes. What’re you thinking about?” Sam had been watching Kirby’s face.

“Just wondering if I’d said or done anything to make someone do this. Then I thought maybe it’s some of the kids.”

Samantha had wondered the same thing, especially since some of the high school boys had gotten into trouble during the summer when they broke into the bait shop and took some beer. The owner decided not to press charges since he’d known the boys all their lives. So, to teach them a lesson, she had put them into the holding cell for a day. Maybe they didn’t learn their lesson, but she was just speculating.

“Since they hadn’t come back last night, maybe having you all come out scared them away…hopefully.”

“Yeah, I’m hoping too. Maybe it was just kids. But it doesn’t mean we don’t want to find out who it was,” Samantha said, touching Kirby’s leg.

Kirby cupped Sam’s cheek and lightly kissed her lips. “Thank you, Sam.” When she gazed into Samantha’s eyes, she felt a tingle, which was a new development.

Sam cupped Kirby’s face and kissed her, not the light kiss Kirby had given her, but a kiss to show what Kirby was meaning to her. When it ended, she looked into the dark green eyes and could see what her kiss had caused. She smiled and said, “You’re welcome.”