A chill turned Lila to ice. Her first thought was Sam. He had been so totally opposed to the child-care center and still opposed it. Sam had been at the club late Sunday night. In addition to his opposition, he was in construction and a member of the TCC. He would know how to get into the alarm system. He was a take-charge person accustomed to getting his way. Could Sam have been the one?
She doubled her fist against her heart because she hurt over the thought that Sam might do such a thing. It would be a betrayal of trust, besides being unlawful.
“Do they have a clue who did it?” She closed her eyes, hoping she would not hear Sam’s name.
“Not that I know about. Nathan’s over there looking into it. Nathan is a smart man. He’ll catch who did this. They’ve already said it had to be a TCC member because no one else would have access to that room or the center’s alarm system unless it was the staff, and they aren’t at the club on weekend nights except for the security guard.”
“There are a lot of members who opposed the center, including my dad. My dad would never willfully destroy part of the club just to cause trouble. Dad is law-abiding. You’d think all the TCC members would be,” Lila said.
“I’m sure. It’s terrible because friends will be accusing friends. The vandalism goes against all the club stands for,” Lila said, thinking again of Sam and Josh Gordon. “My folks can account for their whereabouts last night. They went to bed early and were here asleep when I got home.”
“Don’t worry, Lila. I don’t think anyone will accuse your dad, and definitely not your mom. I don’t have a worry where she’s concerned and I don’t think it was a woman. This seems more like the work of one of the men who is bitter over women being allowed in and now, the last straw, having a child-care center.”
“I agree. It’ll be someone in that group. I hope Nathan finds him.
“Shannon, my dad, Sam and Josh Gordon, all of those men who fought so bitterly, they empowered the person who did this. That fight and the hard feelings afterward may be what pushed someone into this,” she said, thinking Sam couldn’t have done it. Basically, she thought he was really a good person, just had old-fashioned ways. Her first fears about him were gone.
“I imagine you’re right. The person who did it is probably friends with those who opposed the center and thinks he was doing them all a favor. I’ll see you later this morning. Are you still meeting with that rancher about the filming?”
“Bob Milton. Not until one o’clock. That won’t interfere with us. About the alarm, do you wonder what else the person might do?”
“We may have more vandalism with the children’s center.”
“Between this and Alex’s puzzling disappearance, some bad things are happening. And this last event means someone intends to prevent the center from opening.”
“I hate to leave Royal with a disaster hitting the children’s center, but Rory and I have plans. Anyway, I’ll see you at eleven at the club. Bye, Lila.”
Lila set her cell phone on the dresser and rubbed her forehead.
For the short time she had thought Sam might have sabotaged the alarm, she had more hurt than anger. There could only be one reason that the result was hurt. She had fallen in love with him.
Feeling forlorn and unhappy, she covered her face. She was in love and it was impossible. His attitude about the baby and her pregnancy had amazed her and won her heart, yet she was still torn, now more than ever, over his old-fashioned views, his determination to marry even though he wasn’t in love with her.
A TCC member had vandalized the alarm—that went against all the club stood for. Who could have done such a thing? Her doubts about Sam were gone. He wouldn’t do that any more than her dad would. But she still felt their arguments and bitter feelings had given resolve to whoever did it. The vandal may have thought the others would be supportive if he ever got caught.
In a way they couldn’t foresee, with their bitter fight over the center, those men had inadvertently contributed to what had happened.
This just brought back into focus Sam’s views and old-fashioned ways.
She had no control over her heart. She loved Sam and she was going to have to get over it. Moving mindlessly, she headed toward the kitchen.
She found her mother still in her blue velvet robe, lingering over her coffee. Her mom’s stylish bob was neatly combed. Except for a slight frown, she looked her usual serene self.
“Hi. I guess you’ve heard the news about the TCC,” Lila said, pouring a glass of orange juice.
“Yes, and I can’t believe it. Even your dad, who definitely opposes the child-care center, was shocked and upset. It worries him most that it has to be a TCC member.”
“I’m sure that will be a big concern to a lot of them. For a few minutes I wondered about Sam.”
“Sam would never do something like that,” Barbara said, and Lila shook her head.
“I don’t think he would, but some TCC member did this. Sam was bitterly against the center but says he’s not opposed to it any longer.”
“Sam’s a good man, Lila.”
“I know he is. I need to get ready. I’m meeting Shannon at the club.”
Lila went back to her room and stood there thinking about the failed inspection. She couldn’t stand worrying about it all day.
As she drove into town, she was angry that one of the men would stoop to trying to sabotage the efforts to get a child-care center open in the club. She barely glanced at the familiar surroundings.
As she crossed the parking lot, Sam climbed out of his car and turned to greet her.
He wore a dark brown suit and a lighter brown tie and as always, the sight of him affected her physically, giving her heart a jump. He looked handsome, cheerful, friendly, a side of him that conflicted with his determination, self-will and authoritative manner.
“Have you heard about the child-care center?” she asked without preamble.
His eyes narrowed a fraction as he placed his hands on his hips, pushing open his coat. “Yes, I have. Too bad, but that can be fixed without a major setback. It’s a temporary interference.”
Taking a deep breath, she watched him intently. “I know you have opposed the center from the beginning and argued to keep it from being accepted. You, my dad, a lot of others. The bitter campaign may have given this person the feeling he had the support of all of you.”
Sam’s blue eyes became glacial as he placed his hands on her shoulders. “Damn, Lila, when we argued against having the center, that was just democracy. I’ve opposed women in the club. I’ve opposed the children’s center. But there is no way in hell I would condone a criminal act.”
She gazed into his eyes and saw the anger. She was beginning to learn that Sam did not hide his emotions. His face was expressive, and he made no effort to keep people from learning how he felt. And right now he looked like a man telling the truth.
“You know, they say it has to be a club member,” she said.
“I know, and that’s depressing. I would have thought all the members were above that sort of thing.”
She knew he wouldn’t destroy property. Sam was smart enough, too, to know it wouldn’t stop the center from opening.
“Lila, let me take you to dinner tonight. I’ve missed seeing you,” he said.
Regret filled her as she shook her head. “Thank you, but there’s just no point in pursuing a relationship. You have your views and your ways. You’re an old-fashioned man with ideas about women and what you’d want in a wife. Our lives don’t fit together. Thanks, anyway. I’m meeting Shannon.” She walked past him.
He caught up and held the door for her.
“Maybe you don’t know me as well as you think you do, Lila.”
“I know what’s important to me. Bye.”
She walked away and he let her go. Her back prickled, but she didn’t glance around.
Sam walked into one of the empty lounges and closed the door. He wanted a moment to think about Lila. Looking out the window without really seeing anything, he thought about Lila’s accusations of being chauvinistic, old-fashioned, even more about her earlier declarations that he didn’t love her.
Why couldn’t she see that love could develop between them? He wanted to be with her. He wanted her in his bed every night. If she would move back to Royal, move in with him, marry him, he was certain love would come.
He shook his head. She would never move back to Royal. He had no doubts about that. The minute she had gone to college, she never looked back. Was she right? Were the differences between them too great?
How important was she to him? That was the question.
Restless, Sam stood and walked to the window. He had sent flowers, taken Lila out, but he hadn’t realized that the gulf between them might be permanent.
He wasn’t in love and she definitely wasn’t, but they were good together. The sex was fabulous and now they had a baby on the way. With or without love, they should get married, but she would never change her mind or settle for the life he would want his wife to have.
If she felt that way, pretty flowers or dinners out would not change her mind. It had to be a lot deeper than that.
Was he making a mistake, being too old-fashioned in wanting to get married? Was it a mistake to marry without love? He had been so sure love would come, but what if he was wrong? Was he trying to tie himself into a relationship that would make them both unhappy? He didn’t want a wife who was an ambitious career woman. He didn’t want a wife who lived in California while he lived in Texas.
He didn’t see how love could come without really getting to know each other. And with Lila, that would mean a long-term relationship, which wasn’t going to happen with him in Royal and her in California. In two days she would be working and he wouldn’t see her. In a few weeks she would go to California and he probably wouldn’t see her until Christmas, if then.
He clenched his fists and thought about their baby. A baby needed a family. Maybe it was an old-fashioned notion, but he felt that with his whole being.
He was going to have to let go. Lila would share their baby, but he needed to face reality. Lila wasn’t the woman for him. She didn’t want to change and he didn’t want to change. The differences between them were huge.
His decision brought him no peace. He hurt and he missed her. “You’ll get over this,” he said aloud to himself, knotting his fists and taking a deep breath. “Forget her.”
How long would it take to get over her? How long would it be before she didn’t occupy his thoughts through his waking hours? With a baby on the way, it seemed impossible to think he could forget her. She was going to be the mother of his child. However long it took, he was going to have to let her go.
* * *
When the movie people arrived Wednesday morning and Lila vanished from his life, Sam told himself it was for the best. Twice he couldn’t resist calling her. Most of her work was in surrounding counties and the only contact he had with her was a brief snatch of conversation.
The second time when she answered her phone, she sounded breathless. “Sam, I really can’t talk. They’re ready to shoot a scene and they had a quick huddle about it and decided they wanted the child in the scene, so I have to find a child’s bed, either an old-time wooden one or iron, preferably iron.”
“Can I get it for you?” he said, heading toward the parking lot and his car in case she said yes.
“There’s one store outside of Royal—Buttons & Bows, sort of a flea market. They’re looking through their stuff and will call me back. There’s one on the highway to Midland I’m going to look at. I’m sorry I can’t talk, but someone is driving me and I’m calling places. I’ll get back with you later.”
“Sure, Lila,” he said, knowing she would not and he would not call her again.
A week later, his first reaction was surprise when she called him at his office. His heart skipped a beat at the sound of her voice and he gripped his cell phone tightly as if he could hang on to her.
“Sam, sorry to interrupt your business day. I have a request. The director would like to meet you and I wondered if we could possibly come by your office briefly this afternoon? We should be finished by six—would that be too late?”
His pulse jumped and all he could think about was seeing Lila. “Whatever time you want will be fine. My appointments were earlier, so I’m free. Josh isn’t here this afternoon.”
“Doesn’t matter. Roddy just wants to meet you because of the hotel in Amarillo that you built.”
“Would you rather take him to the TCC?”
“Not really. I think he will enjoy seeing your office,” she said, talking faster than usual, and he suspected she would end the conversation soon and get back to work. “He isn’t friendly with strangers, but he was impressed by the hotel you built in Amarillo because on his first trip to Texas he stayed there. His name is Rodman Parkeson. He’s a little brisk and abrupt—I’m warning you now. He’s thinking about building a new house in California and I think he wants to talk to you about construction. We won’t take much of your time.”
“You can have all my time you want, Lila,” Sam said, unable to keep a hoarse note out of his voice. “I’ve missed you.” He was telling himself to let go, yet wanted her badly.
“Thank you,” she replied briskly, making him wonder if she was with other people or really didn’t care. “See you around six.”
She was gone and he missed her. He didn’t want her going back to California soon. He thought about the end-of-summer party at the TCC—that would be his last time with her, perhaps for a long time. He rubbed his forehead, hating to think about her leaving Texas yet telling himself it was for the best. When would he stop hurting over her?
He got up, moving chairs slightly in his office, pausing to look around and think how it would appear to a stranger. The dark oak walls still appealed to him and his hand-carved walnut desk was free of clutter. He wandered through the reception area and outside, standing on the porch.
The redbrick Greek Revival building was on a large shady lot. He and Josh had built it to look like a gracious Southern mansion, but it was a practical office that met their needs. The front porch had rocking chairs and the yard held beds of multicolored flowers. A redbrick walk ran from the parking lot to the front door.
Behind the office were the workings of the construction company with steel sheds for lumber, metal buildings for equipment. There was a garage for trucks and another building for the machinery.
The day seemed twice as long as usual, but finally at six his phone rang and Lila said they were on the office porch.
Sam strode out the front door, taking a deep breath at the sight of her. With her hair twisted and pinned up behind her head, she looked more businesslike. She wore navy slacks and a sleeveless matching blouse with navy pumps. All his intentions to forget her and get over her vanished. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and kiss her. Instead, he offered his hand. “Lila,” he said, gazing into her wide green eyes, which told him nothing about her feelings.
Her hand was warm, dainty, and he hated to release her. “Sam, I want you to meet Roddy Parkeson. Roddy, meet Sam Gordon, half owner of Gordon Construction.”
With an effort, Sam tore his attention from Lila to extend his hand to a stocky man with thick curly brown hair streaked with gray. His dark brown eyes were sharp and alert. He gripped Sam’s hand briefly in a solid, quick handshake. “I’m happy to meet you,” he said, looking around. “This office is as fantastic as your hotel. I was enjoying myself looking at this porch. This is marvelous—a beautiful addition to the town.”
“Thank you. Feel free to look all you want. If you’d like, I’ll show you inside.”
“I’d like that. My dad was in construction and I worked in it off and on when I was a kid,” Roddy said while Sam held the door for Lila and Roddy and they entered the cool lobby. Sam guessed the director to be in his forties, and he was short enough that Sam could easily see the top of his head. Roddy’s nose was crooked as if broken sometime in his past and Sam noticed thick hands that looked as rough as some of the local cowboys’.
“My dad was hired to work in the film business, so that’s where I’ve always been, but I can recognize sound construction and I know the kind of architecture and buildings that I like,” he continued as Sam directed them to his office. “That hotel you built in Amarillo was excellent. And this is a fantastic office. I’m from L.A., but I had a great-aunt who lived in Natchez, Mississippi. How I loved those homes.”
Sam nodded, wondering whether he had heard Lila correctly when she had said Rodman Parkeson was brisk and abrupt. He had talked constantly since being introduced. Sam looked at Lila, who smiled faintly. As Roddy circled the room talking about construction and looking at crown molding and the hardwood floor, Lila leaned close and whispered, “You’re a hit.”
Sam didn’t answer. He crossed the room and tried to focus on Roddy’s conversation, finding it difficult to take his gaze away from Lila.
Roddy spent an hour looking at the Gordon office and sitting on the porch talking to Sam and Lila.
“If you have time, Roddy, we could drive out to my home. I can grill some dinner and show you my house if you want to look at more construction, or we can just sit and talk over Texas steaks.”
“Texas steaks and your home would be great,” Roddy said, standing.
The evening was enjoyable while at the same time frustrating because Sam wanted Lila to himself. When they finally headed for her car, they stood on the drive talking for another twenty minutes before Roddy walked around to the passenger side and climbed inside.
“You were really a big hit with him. He doesn’t usually talk to strangers or take time like this when he’s away on a job. Thanks, Sam, for all your hospitality.”
“A nice guy,” Sam said. “We still have a date for the end-of-the-summer party.”
“Yes, we do. Night, Sam, and thanks again.”
He opened the door for her and closed it when she was seated. Stepping back, he watched them drive away. “So much for trying to forget her,” he said under his breath. If he married her, this was the way his life would be—watching her drive away to go back to her career. He didn’t want that life, but he couldn’t stop wanting her.
“Dammit,” he said, kicking a pebble with the toe of his boot.
* * *
To his relief, finally the last Thursday of August came. As suddenly as the film people had come, they left Texas to return to California. Lila would fly out Monday morning and be gone. Each time he thought of her leaving Texas, his insides clutched. He hurt, and the knowledge that he needed to get over it didn’t diminish the feeling of loss.
Sam called Lila to ask her to dinner Thursday night. “Lila, I’ve had time to think about all you’ve said and I’ve had a chance to see how demanding your career is. I think we need to talk.”