Swallowing His Pride (11 page)

A fresh coat of paint in all the rooms and some upgrades on the hardware throughout the kitchen and bathrooms had impressed even Lynn. She’d come over the weekend prior and helped Sam sand down a few rough spots on the wood porch and put a weather treatment on. It appeared the quiet country was growing on her friend.

Lynn had even taken a ride in the little cart the mechanic had called a Mule, and Samantha had given her a proper tour of the property. The last stop had been to the creek that separated her land from her neighbors. She and Lynn had set up a date for drinks and sunbathing the next weekend.

Samantha took a deep breath, enjoying the balmy August night, then noticed a pair of eyes reflecting at the edge of the trees. They were too low to be a deer yet too big to be anything small like a raccoon or a possum. She watched, frozen, as they rose up. The eerie floating orbs came a little closer until she made out the huge shadow of the animal in the moonlight.

Fear shot through her at the sheer size of the animal now that it was upright and slinking from the woods. She had no clue what it could be and had no urge to find out. Quickly, she scrambled out of the swing and ran for the front door. Slamming it behind her, she dug her cell from her purse and hit Lynn’s number.

Lynn answered cheerily. “Hey, I was wondering if you were still up. I’m off and was thinking of bringing a movie over to watch.”

“Lynn, there’s something in the front yard!” Samantha’s voice was high, a fact that she could do nothing about, but she regretted how weak it made her sound.

“A person?” Lynn asked, instantly alert.

“I think it’s an animal.”

“You think?”

“Well, after it stood up and moved closer, I didn’t exactly feel like staying on the porch to find out.”

“Can you peek out the window and see if it’s still there?”

Samantha took a few deep breaths to calm herself some then slowly pulled the curtains aside. What she saw made her gasp and stumble back. “There’s a huge black cat out there,” she whispered.

“For crying out loud,” Lynn huffed. “A cat? You’re scared of a little cat?”

“Not little. It looks like a freakin’ panther, Lynn. It’s still close to the trees, just walking the edge, and I know it’s looking at the house because I can see its eyes reflecting.” She breathed faster now, her lungs not wanting to allow enough air in as a panic attack began. She was all alone. What if something happened to her? Would help even make it to her before she died? Would Lynn end up finding her mangled body out here one day?

Lynn, obviously picking up on the problem, lowered her voice to the soothing tone that always helped to bring Sam down. “Slow and easy, Sam. I don’t need you passing out and falling. Sit down somewhere and put your head between your knees. The cat can’t get into the house. You’re safe inside, and I’m on my way.”

A new wave hit Sam as she sat up straight and shouted, “No! He’s…out there. Don’t…come.”

“It’s no match for my SUV, so don’t worry. I’ll pull right up to the porch. I guess it’s a good thing you haven’t had your yard work done yet.” Lynn’s light tone was forced, and Samantha knew her friend was trying to brighten the mood. Just knowing she wouldn’t be alone much longer went a long way to calming her down.

“Okay, okay. Honk when you come down the drive. Maybe, that will scare it away,” Sam suggested.

“It’s probably just a bobcat in the shadows,” her friend guessed. “I figure it’ll be long gone before I get there, but you’re fine inside. I have my on-call bag in my car still, and I’ll bring it in with me to stay the night. I don’t have to go in tomorrow, so it’s no big deal.”

“Thank you.” Samantha knew what it meant for Lynn to stay over. As a physician, she valued her downtime. Sleep was a rare and precious thing when you didn’t know when you’d be called to deliver a baby. Countless times, their movie nights or shopping trips had been cut short by the sound of Lynn’s pager going off. Every time that happened, Samantha had once again been grateful she hadn’t chosen a medical profession.

She had a couple months off each year, every holiday at home to spend with family or friends and even a few weeks during the school year for spring and fall break to recharge before tackling the classroom again. Students always came back with the best stories and the biggest smiles, a fact that never ceased to warm her heart and left her longing for children of her own.

Lynn stayed on the phone, singing along to one of her favorite songs on the radio, until she finally parked right by the porch. Sam watched her swing around as she came in, shining her headlights over the yard as she did. It appeared the cat
had
left, but Samantha knew what she’d seen, and it was no bobcat.

What had been in her yard was more than twice the size of any feline she’d encountered outside a zoo. That thought did nothing to comfort her, because if there were no wildcats that size in the area then what the holy hell had been looking back at her tonight?

Lynn pulled up to the porch steps, and Samantha rushed out the front door. “Hurry up and get inside. I have no idea where it went.”

Her friend grabbed a small duffle bag from the backseat, snagged a movie from her console then slung her purse over her shoulder before finally exiting the vehicle. “Good thing I didn’t bring a horror flick with me. You’re strung pretty tight right now.”

“You’d be too if you’d seen the size of that thing.”

“Probably,” Lynn agreed.

The two went inside then checked every window in the house, looking for any signs of the glowing eyes that had seemingly disappeared.

“It looks like it’s gone now. Let’s just veg out and watch a movie for a while. After you relax a bit, you might be able to get some sleep.” Lynn got up and headed into the kitchen. “I’ll put the popcorn in the microwave. Do you want butter on yours?”

“You know it!” Already, Samantha felt calmer. Having another person with her just proved she needed companionship more than she’d thought. “Hey, do you think I should get a pet? Maybe an indoor cat to keep me company?”

“I know I’d want some company living way out here. At least with a cat, you won’t have to worry about whatever critters you have living outside getting ahold of it. A dog would have to be let out all the time and could run off after a wild animal if it came close enough to the house,” Lynn replied from the kitchen.

“Yeah, I’m not a big dog person anyway. I’ll check out the shelters this weekend and see what I can find. I’d like a cute kitten or two. Something young enough to bond with.”

“That’s a good idea. You don’t want to end up with an older cat that has its heart set on the great outdoors. It would be a bummer to get all the stuff for a cat just to have it dart out the door and disappear. Plus, there’s the cute factor. You have a strong maternal instinct. I can see it when you talk about your students. You’d bond well with a kitten.”

“I knew you’d understand.” Walking into the kitchen so they weren’t practically shouting to talk to each other, Samantha halted when the smell of the popcorn reached her. “Uh, Lynn, I think the popcorn is bad.” Her stomach roiled and pitched as her nausea ratcheted up. Sam turned and sprinted for the bathroom, promptly emptying her dinner into the toilet.

“Are you okay? You’re not sick are you?” Lynn asked from the doorway.

“I might be coming down with something. I’ve been nauseous for the last few days, and the smell of the popcorn just didn’t sit right with me.” Rising, Sam rinsed her mouth and brushed her teeth, all the while aware Lynn studied her from her post in the hallway. “Really, it’s fine. I think with all the stress of rushing to get stuff done on the house and getting my classroom ready I might have given myself an ulcer or something.”

“Uh-huh. When was your last period?”

Sam laughed. Of course, the obstetrics physician would expect pregnancy. “I’m late, but I’ve also been stressing my system lately. It will probably start in the next week or so.”

“Or you’re pregnant,” Lynn argued. “I’m getting you a pregnancy test in the morning. No debating about this either. You have never been sickened by the smell of food like that, not even when you had that nasty stomach flu, so just humor me.”

“Fine, but we might want to pick one up tonight. I’m not the best at holding my bladder in the morning.”

“Then pee in a cup.”

“Gross!”

“What? I didn’t tell you to drink it after. Just pee in a cup if you can’t hold it, and I’ll dip the stick in it when I get back. I get up way before you do anyway, so it shouldn’t be an issue. I’ll probably be back before you even open your eyes.”

Lynn had her there. With her shifts, Lynn was up before the sun most days, while Samantha enjoyed what Lynn referred to as banker’s hours. Sighing, she agreed to Lynn’s terms, and they returned to the living room, minus the popcorn, which had been stuffed into a large zip bag and tossed in the trash.

Ginger ale in hand, they watched the latest chick-flick Lynn had brought over, and blubbered like babies when the couple finally got their happily-ever-after.

* * * *

The next morning, Samantha woke to find Lynn gone. No doubt, she was off buying a pregnancy test. It was a good thing Samantha being knocked up wasn’t a possibility. She and Dylan had used protection that night, and other than him, she hadn’t been with any man besides her ex, so she was in the clear.

God, that would be a nightmare scenario though, to have a guy, who’d made it pretty damn clear he didn’t want to see her again, be the father of an unplanned pregnancy. Sam shuddered. Ugh, talk about nightmares. She’d left him her phone number and had even waited near her phone for the first week she was back, like some lovesick fool. Too bad, she’d been pining after a guy who didn’t return her feelings. It still stung, but what had she expected? A proposal? Yeah, right!

A twinge in her lower belly signaled her bladder’s need for relief, and she grabbed one of the little paper cups from the dispenser in the bathroom, knowing that Lynn would have her head if she didn’t give the crazy woman some urine to test when she got back.

After making her deposit and placing it on the counter, Sam grabbed a quick shower and prepared for work. With any luck, she’d be gone before Lynn came back. Lynn had a key to the house, so it wasn’t as if she couldn’t get her stuff and perform her needless test. It was nearing seven and she had a long drive to get to school so Sam sent a quick text to Lynn before she grabbed a granola bar and headed off.

Her day proved to be one of the worst in her life when she was called into the principal’s office, and he proceeded to explain that, due to budget cuts, they would have to let her go. Something about being the last one hired in making her the first one to be laid off. In truth, her brain had stopped processing what he said about five words past him firing her.

What the hell am I going to do now?
she thought as she walked out to her car, a pitifully small box in her arms containing the few personal items from her desk. She still had some money saved up in the bank, but over a thousand of that would go to the landscaping being done today. She’d have to really cut back on what she was having them do. The oak tree’s limbs had to be cut down and there was no way she could do it herself, so that one they would get paid for. As for the rest? It looked as if Sam would have plenty of time to do her own landscaping. She would just purchase the materials from the company.

All the way home, her mind whirled with thoughts of what she could do for a job. The principal had kindly informed her the substitute teacher list was full, and no schools were hiring after the year had already started because they were all in the same boat with the cuts being made. That left her with few options, so she stopped to get a newspaper to scour the classifieds when she got to the house.

The problem with that was all of the nervous energy filling her and needing release. Since it was broad daylight and the workers were due to show up at any time, Samantha parked, ignored Lynn’s vehicle still in her driveway and marched to the spot where she’d seen the cat the night before.

“I may be unemployed, but I’m not crazy,” she muttered to herself. Looking around for any signs of disturbance, Sam finally discovered some footprints—and
big
ones, too. “Holy crap!” she whispered.

Wanting to show Lynn what she’d found, Samantha knelt then took a quick picture with her cell phone while holding her hand next to the humongous paw print. She looked to the side, saw the tracks skirted the tree line then followed them into the woods. After a few minutes of being alone and realizing that she could no longer see her house, Sam decided maybe coming out here to investigate on her own hadn’t been such a good idea.

“Sam?” That sounded like Lynn calling for her, but then Sam heard a somewhat familiar male voice calling her name as well. The landscaping company must have arrived, and Lynn had obviously seen her car.

It would seem the time had come to break the news to the guys that she would only be hiring them to trim the tree. She hoped they’d understand. Her situation just didn’t allow for any unnecessary expenditures. Removing the tree limbs scraping against the roof was a must before they damaged something, so at least she wouldn’t be sending them off without doing anything.

“Samantha, where are you!”

Uh-oh, Lynn sounded a little freaked out.

“I’m here. I was looking at the tracks from last night.” As soon as the words left her mouth, Sam regretted them.

“Are you
insane
?” Lynn shrieked, the sound of her running footfalls drawing closer.

Samantha quickened her steps and was just clearing the trees when her foot got hung up on a root. She pitched forward, arms flailing as she watched the ground race toward her. A strong arm caught her around her waist.

“I’ve got you.” His voice sounded familiar, and Samantha turned to find Liam standing at her side. “Are you okay? Nothing’s hurt?”

“I’m fine, thank you. What are you doing here?” She really wanted to ask if Dylan was there too but didn’t want to come across as desperate. As nonchalantly as possible, she tried to glance around to see if he was anywhere nearby, but Lynn nearly barreled into them when she came crashing into the woods. “Lynn, calm down,” Sam exclaimed.