One sunny morning, Sam turned at the sound of a familiar engine coming up the road. When a 1920s-era Ford turned into Daphne’s driveway, he picked up a rag to wipe his hands and strolled out to greet her visitor. In the driver’s seat was a man whose silver hair did nothing to dull the gleam in his hazel eyes. Sam didn’t know how old Oliver Chesterton was, but he’d been the mayor of Liberty Creek for as long as Sam had been alive.
“Morning, Oliver. We’ve missed seeing you around here. How was your granddaughter’s Parisian wedding?”
“Posh and pretentious.” He made a sour face. “I would much rather have spent the last two weeks here, believe me.”
Sam took the hint and moved on to more pleasant topics. “It’s nice to see Sally out of sick bay and back on the road.”
“Not half as nice as it is to be driving her again. Modern cars might be easier to maintain, but they have no personality.”
Sam stepped in for a closer look at the mirror-finish burgundy paint. “Looks like Steve freshened up the color for you while he was doing her overhaul.”
“He did. It wasn’t cheap, but worth every penny, I’d say.”
Nate’s truck had suffered a few dings over the past several months, and Sam made a mental note to get an estimate on some light bodywork. He didn’t have the cash for it now, but once Daphne’s project was finished, he should be able to afford some minor repairs. “What brings you out this way?”
“Our lovely star, of course,” Oliver replied as he swung open the heavy half door and stepped out. Reaching behind the seat, he brought out the largest bouquet of flowers Sam had seen outside of a florist. “How’s she doing?”
“Demanding and ornery, with a heavy coat of sugar. Pretty much like usual.”
Oliver chuckled. “That’s good to hear. I was going to wait a while longer before coming over, but I’ve been dying to see her for myself. Do you think she’s up to having company?”
“I’d imagine so.”
“I haven’t met her summer guests yet. Is there anything I should know?”
“This isn’t like a board meeting,” Sam assured him as they went up the completed front steps to the restored set of double doors. “You don’t have to be armed to go in there.”
“I’m so glad to be done with those things,” Oliver grumbled while he settled the collar on his shirt. “Armed is the right word, believe me. All that posturing and maneuvering—I was only too happy to cash out my shares and pass the baton to my siblings. Now they hate each other instead of me.”
The regret in his voice was hard to miss. Being from such a close, loving family, Sam couldn’t imagine feeling that kind of bitterness toward any of his relatives. Apparently, even Oliver’s huge stockpile of money couldn’t buy him everything he wanted.
When they walked inside, they found Daphne sitting on the sofa in her cozy den, reading a mystery novel. Chase was stretched out on the floor with a toy magazine, and Sam was struck by how similar the two looked. Those Mills genes were pretty strong, he thought.
Daphne glanced up when he knocked on the casement, her face lighting up when she saw who had walked in with him. “Oliver! Did you come all this way just to see me?”
“And to deliver these,” he replied, holding out the huge bouquet with an even bigger smile. “I assume you have a vase somewhere.”
“The big ones are all packed away, but I’m sure Holly can find one. You’re a total dear, but you sent a lovely arrangement to the hospital. These really weren’t necessary.”
He crossed the room and set the flowers on a side table before leaning in to kiss her cheek. “Flowers don’t last long. Besides, knowing you, you donated them to the other patients on your way out.”
She actually blushed, and Sam had to smother a grin. The dapper widower had been alone a long time, and from the time Daphne had arrived in Liberty Creek, these two had been an item. While Sam wasn’t in a place for it himself, he still thought it was nice to watch two lonely people connect with each other like that.
“Well, I’ve gotta run into town and pick up a few things,” he said on his way out. “I don’t know how long I’ll be gone, but I’ll make up the time later today.”
“You don’t have to check in with me, Sam,” Daphne assured him graciously. “There’s no time clock here, and I trust you to do whatever needs to be done.”
Her unquestioning faith in him felt good, and he smiled as he turned to leave. Holly came up behind him unexpectedly, and he just about ran her down. She nearly lost her balance, and he braced her shoulders with his hands to keep her from falling. Once he was certain she’d regained her balance, he realized that he was all but holding her in his arms and took an awkward step back. “Sorry—this carpet’s so thick I didn’t hear you come in. Are you okay?”
“Since you rescued me, I’m fine. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
He used to be acutely aware of his surroundings, but lately that hypervigilance had begun to fade, and he’d dropped to a more normal level of awareness. When it occurred to him that they were all waiting for him to say something, he said, “It’s not a problem. As long as you’re okay.”
Tilting her head, she smiled up at him. “Just fine. Honest.”
“Sam?” Chase tugged at his arm until Sam looked down at him. “Could I go with you?”
He wasn’t sure about it, but Holly gave him a subtle nod that told him she was fine with the suggestion. Studying Chase for a moment, Sam made a rotating motion with his index finger. “Let’s get a better look at you.”
The boy spun slowly, then came back to Sam with a hopeful expression. “I’m stronger than I look.”
“I guess we’ll find out, won’t we?”
“Yup.”
The kid was so upbeat about everything, Sam mused as they said their goodbyes and went out the kitchen door to his truck. It was too bad people couldn’t keep that happy-go-lucky nature as they got older.
Maybe that was why he enjoyed spending time with his neighbor’s nephew. It reminded him of a time when things were simple and easy, when the biggest problem he had was whether to walk to school or ride his bike.
He’d give anything to go back there, even for a little while. But everyone had to grow up sometime.
* * *
“Now, be careful,” Holly warned Chase, who stood with his hands on the grips of Daphne’s wheelchair Sunday morning. “This isn’t a race or a chance for you to show off what kind of tricks you can do.”
“You’re absolutely no fun at all,” Daphne scolded. Aiming a look over her shoulder at him, she went on, “We’ve been working on our wheelies, haven’t we, Chase?”
“Your—” Holly started winding up for a good old-fashioned dressing down, then eased off when she caught the impish glint in her aunt’s eyes. No wonder these two got along so well, she mused fondly. God had fashioned them from the same mischievous blend of characteristics. “Very funny. Now that I’ve recovered from my heart attack, can we please all just go to church?”
As if in reply, someone knocked outside, and she turned to find Sam framed by the kitchen’s screen door. As if that weren’t enough, his freshly pressed trousers and button-down shirt had a decidedly business-casual look to them. Not at all what he normally wore, and she let him in with a grin. “Wow, you clean up nice. Headed off to a business meeting somewhere?”
“Kinda,” he parried with a grin of his own. “Thought I might tag along with you guys this morning. If that’s okay.”
“We’re going to church.”
“I know.”
There wasn’t even a beat of hesitation in his voice, and his calm, steady gaze was a warm blue color she’d definitely enjoy seeing more often. Behind her, she could sense the heightened interest of her family in the unusual scene, and to avoid having them ask any personal questions, she quickly answered, “Then we should get going.”
In response, he pushed the door open, allowing them all to leave ahead of him. Then he pulled out his keys and locked the door behind them. It was the kind of thing the head of a family would do, and seeing it from him rattled her just enough that she stopped at the bottom of the ramp and stared at him.
“Can’t be too careful, even in Liberty Creek,” he explained, strolling down to join them near the car. Turning to Daphne, he offered his hand as if he was the gallant leading man in one of her films. She beamed up at him and let him settle her into the back seat, no fuss, no bother.
“Whenever I try to do something like that,” Holly muttered to him while she opened the trunk to stow the collapsed wheelchair, “she fights me tooth and nail every step of the way.”
Sam chuckled as he slammed the trunk closed. “I’m a guy, so it works better.”
“I suppose. Plus, she likes you.”
“Good to know.” Turning to Holly, he gave her blue dress and ivory heels an approving once-over. “You clean up nice, too.”
“Stop it, now. All this flattery will go straight to my head.” He laughed out loud, something she’d heard from him so rarely it startled her.
Her reaction must have shown on her face, because he stopped abruptly and said, “You’re looking at me like I’ve got two heads.”
“It’s just good to hear you laugh that way, is all.”
“It feels good to me, too,” he confided as he walked her toward the front passenger door. “I’ve spent a long time living in the dark.”
Poignant and brutally honest, those words drove into Holly’s soft heart with a swiftness that nearly knocked the breath out of her. His confession gave her a new perspective on what Brady had suffered through and just how difficult the end of his life had been. Staring up at him, she quietly asked, “Is that really how it feels?”
“Yeah.” Reaching out, he gently brushed a stray curl back from her cheek. “But I’m coming out of it now, thanks to you.”
“I didn’t do that much,” she protested, horrified by the thought of this courageous but still-recovering man coming to rely too heavily on her.
“I know, but you did the right things. I’ve got a ways to go still, but you got me started. I’ll always be grateful to you for that.”
His voice had a cautious edge to it, and she realized that it mirrored her own anxiety. She hated to dash his hopes, but she wanted to make sure he understood that there wasn’t a chance for anything romantic between them. Hoping she sounded sympathetic, she said, “Sam, Chase and I will be staying here just for the summer. Then we’re heading back to Boston.”
“I know,” he echoed with that half grin that was beginning to grow on her. “I wanted to make sure I said my piece before you go.”
“Okay, as long as we’re clear on where we stand.”
“Crystal.”
She heard no bitterness in his tone, and his eyes hadn’t lost the summery luster she’d admired earlier. So she smiled and slid into the soft leather seat, relaxing back into the kind of luxury she wouldn’t mind becoming accustomed to.
Daphne put down her window, and as they drove toward the church in the square, she waved at her friends, who called out her name and waved back enthusiastically.
“It’s kinda like traveling with the queen, isn’t it?” Sam murmured to Holly as he turned into the parking lot that was already near capacity. Fortunately, a handicapped spot was available near the front doors, and he expertly docked the large, elegant car that Daphne had dubbed “The Yacht.”
“You have no idea.” She cast a fond gaze back at the loving, generous woman who’d shown her so much of the world. “Daphne Mills never met anyone she didn’t want to know better, and they all feel the same about her. It’s the most incredible thing you ever saw.”
“I don’t know about that,” he said, giving her a look that finished his compliment without him speaking another word.
Holly felt her cheeks warming and focused on reaching back to fix Chase’s collar to give herself a reprieve. She wasn’t used to being admired, and certainly not by a man as impressive as this one. Military man, helpful neighbor, stalwart friend—there was a lot to admire in the tall contractor. A girl could do worse than losing her heart to Sam Calhoun.
Even before the last thought had fluttered through her mind, she dismissed it as foolish nonsense and mentally shooed it away. She had a son to raise and a future to plan. She didn’t have the time or the energy for anything that would distract her from rebuilding the life that had been stuck in a holding pattern for far too long. No matter how handsome that distraction might be.
By the way people were reacting to Sam’s presence in the quaint white chapel, it had been a while since he’d attended services there. Members of the congregation made a point of stopping to say hello, shake his hand or even embrace him. It was as if he was coming home again, and judging by the bewilderment on his face, that was how he felt, too.
“I see most of these folks all the time,” he murmured as he guided Daphne’s wheelchair toward a cluster of open seats in the back. “I don’t know what’s gotten into them.”
While her aunt proudly introduced Chase to the folks seated nearby, Holly said, “They’re happy to see you back in church. I think it’s nice of them to make a fuss.”
“Speaking of a fuss.” Chuckling, he nodded toward a lovely young woman hurrying toward them from the front row. She was wearing a cute upturned white hat, and as she got closer Holly could see that it was meant to disguise the fact that she was completely bald underneath.
When she arrived, her short run had left her out of breath, and Sam frowned as he caught her arms to steady her. “Okay?”
She nodded gamely, gulping some air before bathing him in a delighted little girl’s smile. “It’s so awesome to see you! I’ve been praying you’d come back.”
“Well, here I am. Holly and Chase Andrews, this is my baby sister, Emma.”
“I really hate it when he and Brian call me that,” she complained, even as she extended a slender hand to Holly. “I’ve been dying to meet you so I could thank you in person.”
“For?”
Emma sent her much-taller big brother an adoring look. “For making Sam smile again.”
Holly snuck a glance at him, wondering how the reserved contractor would respond to such a personal comment. Fortunately, he seemed to take it in stride and grinned back. “Reading sappy romance novels during chemo again?”
“Gran bought me a whole box of them at the library sale last month. They’re the best distraction ever invented. They keep me from staring at the clock, waiting for my session to be over. It takes for-ever.”
She stretched the description out in a way that reminded Holly of Chase. She’d never known anyone in treatment for cancer, but Emma seemed perfectly comfortable discussing it, so she reached into her old bag of hospital conversations for something to say. Noticing the filigreed silver-and-amethyst dangles bobbing from Emma’s ears, she said, “Those earrings are really pretty. I’ve never seen anything quite like them.”
“And you won’t,” she replied proudly. “I made them myself. Some of the other patients want me to make them jewelry, too, and I’ve started doing a few pieces at a time. Chemo can make you feel ugly, so it’s nice to have pretty things to balance it out.”
Emma’s positive attitude was inspiring, and Holly recognized Sam’s unrelenting determination in his younger sister. “How are things going?”
“Slow but fine,” Emma replied in a bright, chipper tone that matched the whimsical hat she wore. “We’ll know more in a few months. But I mostly came over to invite you, Daphne and Chase to lunch at Gran’s. And Sam, of course.” She lifted an expertly penciled-in brow at her brother. “Since it seems he finally decided to take a day off. Brian’s here for the day, and with Mom and Dad still out in Montana, Gran thought we could all use some family time. And a decent meal,” she added with a giggle.
“I’m not working at Daphne’s,” he explained, mischief glinting in his eyes, “but I’ve got other things to do. What’re you having?”
“Come by the house and find out,” she told him, flouncing a delicate shoulder as she sashayed back to rejoin the rest of her family.
Sam’s protective gaze followed her until she was safely seated. As she picked up a hymnal, he sighed. “Man, I’m really worried about her. I wish she’d slow down a little.”
“Some people do best when they’re busy,” Holly reminded him as they sat down in the row behind where Daphne and Chase had settled. “It keeps their minds off how terrified they are.”
“Sounds like the voice of experience.”
“That’s because it is.” Smiling, she nudged her son’s shoulder. “One foot in front of the other, right, bud?”
Turning, he explained to Sam, “That’s the first song I learned. It’s from my favorite Christmas movie.”
“Santa Claus Is Coming to Town,” Sam commented, grinning at the boy’s obvious surprise. “I liked that one, too.”
“I thought it was cool how he could do stuff the animals did and how he was nice to people for no reason.”
“Yeah, Santa’s a good guy.”
Chase gave him a long, curious look. “You know he’s not real, right?”
“No way.” Sam’s jaw fell open in a shocked expression that nearly made Holly laugh out loud. “Are you serious? No one ever told me that.”
Clearly not fooled, Chase rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Auntie D calls that overacting. It’s pretty funny, though.”
“Kid’s too smart for his own good,” Sam muttered to Holly, who had to admit there were times she agreed with him. “You’ve all been invited to my grandmother’s house for lunch after church, if you’re not busy.”
“What’s she having?” Chase asked, making them all laugh.
Sam laughed, holding up his hand for a high five. “Good idea to ask first. The other day I think I heard her say something about Yankee pot roast.”
The young Red Sox fan screwed up his nose in obvious disapproval, and Sam laughed again. “It’s just the name some woman gave her recipe a long time ago. She didn’t know any better.”
“She probably wasn’t a baseball fan.”
“Probably not.”
Fortunately, their mild female-bashing was cut off by the organist playing the opening chords of “How Great Thou Art.” Holly was a passable alto, but she was more than a little impressed by the tall bass standing next to her. Chase’s voice wandered through the chords, landing on an accurate note here and there. His efforts earned him an approving smile from Daphne, and once he took his seat again, she reached over the arm of her wheelchair to hug him briefly.
Up front, a man dressed in a simple gray suit strolled from his spot in the tenor section of the choir to stand behind a simple lectern at the front of the aisle. Sunlight streamed through the tall multipaned windows, brightening the age-darkened oak interior of the small church. The bottom sections of each window tilted in, allowing the sounds of birds inside. Holly had been in more impressive houses of worship, but none gave her the feeling of peace that she felt inside this quaint New England chapel.
Pastor Brown shuffled some papers on the lectern, frowning at the contents before folding them and tucking them in the interior pocket of his jacket. Resting his arms on the slanted top, he folded his hands and smiled at the congregation. “I think I’ll save that one for another time. You don’t mind, do you?”
Everyone laughed, and after they quieted down, he continued, “Early this morning, I was out in our garden, marveling at how plants come back year after year. During the winter, they go dormant, waiting for the right time to bloom again. Sometimes, the same kind of thing happens to people.”
Holly felt Sam stiffen beside her, and while the preacher didn’t look directly at him, she guessed that the former soldier knew exactly who this particular message was intended for. She couldn’t tell if he was pleased to be included in the impromptu sermon, but judging by his reaction, she suspected that he’d rather not be singled out this way.
“Life takes twists and turns that none of us can foresee. Some are wonderful, like falling in love.” Pausing, he smiled over at the choir director, who beamed back as if they’d just met yesterday instead of many years ago. Turning back, he frowned. “Some are horrible, and they challenge our resolve in ways that make us wonder if we can ever recover. In those times, our own strength isn’t enough to get us through. Fortunately, there’s someone watching over us who’s always there for us to lean on. All we need to do is put away our pride and ask Him for His help.”
Without a word, Sam stood and stalked from the church.
As she watched him go down the steps and turn onto the sidewalk, Holly realized just how difficult it had been for the former soldier to put aside his lingering anger and give God another chance.
Sam’s brave effort couldn’t have ended any worse, and she wondered if he’d ever be able to find his way back.
* * *
Sam was sharpening the blade for his table saw when a shadow appeared in the open doorway of his garage workshop. He didn’t have to look up to know who it was, and he growled, “Go away.”
“We missed you at lunch,” Holly said, ignoring his terse order and invading his workspace. Leaning against a hand-hewn beam that held up the roof of the old carriage house, she didn’t say anything more. He figured that if he stayed quiet long enough, she’d take the hint and leave.
But she didn’t.
After several minutes of stubborn silence, he finally angled a glare over at her. He’d been expecting disapproval, at best, so what he saw instead surprised him. Sadness clouded her beautiful eyes, and something in his chest tightened at the thought that he’d been the one to put it there. While he wasn’t accustomed to explaining himself to people, after all she’d done for him, he felt as if he owed her some kind of reason for his odd behavior.
The trouble was, he didn’t have one. So he went with the truth. “I just couldn’t stay, Holly. I tried, but I couldn’t do it. I begged God for His help that day, and Nate still died.”
“I know.”
“You’re the only one who does,” he reminded her as calmly as he could manage. “I wanna keep it that way.”
She gave him a long, assessing look. “For how long?”
“I don’t know,” he snarled, losing the precarious grip he’d had on his temper all day. Recognizing that none of this was her fault, he dredged up a more civil tone. “So, how was your pot roast?”
“Delicious, of course. Ellie told me she’s really proud of you for the step you took today.”
“Not that it mattered.”
“It did to her.”
With that, Holly turned on her heel and walked out, leaving him staring at her back. Ramrod straight, it reminded him that the slender Southern belle had a backbone of pure steel, and even his worst mood didn’t intimidate her in the least.
His family knew better than to tangle with him when he went into what Brian called his grizzly bear mode, Sam groused silently, tossing tools into their trays and slamming drawers shut hard enough to shatter what had been a quiet Sunday afternoon. Far from helping, the tantrum only ratcheted his frustration higher.
Desperate to escape from it, he briefly considered taking Nate’s truck out on some back roads before reason kicked in to warn him that was a very, very bad idea. Driving in his current state, he could hurt himself or, worse, someone else. Casting around for another solution, his gaze fell on an old ax leaning in a corner. Draped with cobwebs, it suggested just the kind of manual labor he was looking for, so he grabbed it and headed for Daphne’s jungle of a backyard.
At least this way, he wouldn’t be a menace to anyone but himself. And any unfortunate trees standing in the way of the Japanese garden Daphne had admired in one of her magazines and promptly decided she wanted.
He had no idea how long he’d been at it when he heard the back door open and then close. Feeling much calmer now, he paused and glanced over to find Holly picking her way through the waist-high grass and thistle bushes, plate in one hand and the handle of a large thermos dangling from the other.
Realizing he must be a total mess, Sam reached into the back pocket of his jeans for the bandana he habitually carried. But today it wasn’t there. Exasperated and fuming when he left his place, he’d been too preoccupied to think of grabbing a clean one.
After setting the food down on a nearby boulder, Holly sat next to it and handed him the dishcloth she’d draped over her shoulder. “I thought you might want this.”
This woman had an uncanny ability to think ahead, and he took the towel from her with a sheepish grin. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. I figured you must be thirsty, so there’s ice water in the thermos. I don’t know what kind of sandwiches you like. I hope ham and cheese is okay.”
“It’s great. Thank you.” Mention of food reminded him that he’d missed lunch, and his stomach growled insistently while he wiped his face.
Apparently, it was loud enough for her to hear, because she smiled. “Sounds like I’m just in time.”
“You seem to have a knack for that.”
“Taking care of Chase keeps me on my toes. And now, there’s everything to do here besides. Being organized is the best chance I have of not losing my mind on a daily basis.”
“I can just imagine.”
Looking around at what he’d accomplished so far, she asked, “So is this where the Japanese garden is going to be?”
“Only if you like this spot.”
“I do,” she assured him immediately. “It’s exactly what I had in mind.”
If he hadn’t seen it for himself, he’d never guess that this calm, composed woman had been irritated enough with him earlier to storm out of his garage in a huff. Sam wasn’t sure if that meant she’d decided not to give up on him, or if she’d chosen to back-burner that incident for now. But he’d been raised to take responsibility for his actions, no matter how humiliating they might turn out to be.
Sitting on the ground to avoid towering over her, he looked up at her with what he hoped was a contrite expression. “Holly, I’m sorry for how I acted earlier. My reaction to the pastor’s sermon wasn’t your fault, and I never should’ve taken my frustration out on you.”
“You’re right.” The blunt response made his heart sink, but then she surprised him by smiling. “But you’re also forgiven. I know how it feels to be furious and not have anyone to blame.”
“I blame God,” he corrected her bluntly.
Her smile took on a melancholy character, and compassion softened her eyes. “That will change someday, when you’re ready.”
“You say that a lot.”
“That’s because it’s true.”
With that, she kissed his cheek and stood up to head back inside. While he wolfed down a meal he hadn’t even realized he needed, her gentle advice echoed in his mind. Knowing that someone understood the baffling shifts in his mood was so comforting, it amazed him. While other people had shown him sympathy and patience, Holly could actually relate to what he was going through. So when she told him that he’d eventually work his way through it and out the other side, he believed her.
Somehow, Holly had broken through the barrier he’d built around himself and shown him that he could absorb his devastating past and still have a future. He admired the young widow’s strength in picking herself up and moving beyond the senseless loss of her husband. Even more, Sam appreciated her being kind and tough with him at the same time. He didn’t know how she managed it, but her faith in him made him want to prove to her that he was worthy of her confidence.
He finished off his sandwich, then leaned back to admire the sunny afternoon that had seemed so bleak to him earlier. A pair of goldfinches swooped in to perch on neighboring branches of a grand oak tree, squawking at each other while a squirrel scampered up the trunk and disappeared into a knothole. Butterflies floated through the tall grass, lighting here and there before taking off again.
Now he understood why Holly had insisted on putting in a garden this far from the house. Peaceful but far from quiet, it was the ideal spot for someone to go when they needed a little solitude. He was no landscape designer, but when he closed his eyes he could almost hear the bubbling of the waterfall and pond she’d sketched out for him to create.
Even though he’d been skeptical of the idea at first, now he got it. And if he had to dig every foot of the thing by hand, he’d make sure this turned out to be the most exquisite Japanese garden in all of New Hampshire.