Leather and Lace (Tempered Steel Book 2) (2 page)

Angel gasped as Sam raised his fist.

“Oh, that’s good. I can add assault to your list of failings,” Trevor smirked and stood toe to toe with Sam. “C’mon boy,” he murmured. “You know you’re dying to. Hit me. I dare you. Show me what a man you are.”

Sam shook with his rage, so close to giving in to this man’s taunts. Slowly, he lowered his fist and held up his hands. “No Sir. I apologize for my display of temper. My only excuse is that you were insulting my family. I cannot tolerate that. But I would never harm Angel. She would be under my protection, not my wrath.” He stuck out his hand waiting for Trevor’s acceptance of his apology.

Trevor looked at Sam’s hand and chuckled. He threw his drink in Sam’s face. “And that’s why you will never have her! You aren’t man enough to take what you want. You don’t have enough guts to stand up to me, how you going to make your way in the real world? Get out. Angel’s done with you. I see you near her, and your family will suddenly find themselves with all sorts of trouble.”

“Trevor!” Miranda gasped.

Sam shook with his rage as he swiped his hand over his face. He headed for the door. Angel knew he was determined to get away from Trevor’s condemnation, Miranda’s pity, and her tears.
Why didn’t he listen to her? They could have continued to see each other in secret.
Angel reached for him. He brushed past her, shaking off her hand as he rushed out into the night.

Angel didn’t hear from Sam for three months. He left her without a word of farewell. Heartbroken, she cried pitifully, and nonstop, until her mother threatened to call a doctor. Angel wouldn’t eat, hardly speaking to anyone, only answering Frankie’s calls.

Finally it was time for school to start. But Angel couldn’t go back to those snotty rich girls.
She just couldn’t!

“Please, Daddy, please. Just let me go to school here in town. I’ll do anything you say.” It was her only chance to escape from his personal prison.

And to find Sam.

Trevor’s eyes narrowed and he steepled his fingers under his chin. “All right. For now, you may start school in town. Unless you give me a reason to change my mind.”

It wouldn’t take much to change his mind, so Angel became the model daughter. Straight
A
student, community service leader, cheerleader and hospital volunteer. She was more talkative now. At dinner she listened attentively and made the appropriate responses. Trevor even eased up on the security he had tail her.

Miranda squeezed her hand each night before bed. “I’m so glad my Angel is back to normal.”

But Angel had fooled them all. She was wise to Trevor’s security, so she never gave him any excuse to think she was up to something. She joined in the activities, not to lift her spirits, but to have the excuse to leave the house. She knew she needed to mingle with the rest of the town if she was ever going to find out about Sam. She was going to get a message to him. She loved him. She didn’t care what her father said. She would follow Sam to the ends of the earth and back. She would not allow her father’s humiliation of him to kill their love.

“I will do whatever I can, call on every favor, whatever it takes, Sam Coalson, to prove to you and everyone that we belong together.” She whispered that vow every morning before she went to school and every evening before she went to bed.

****

After that fateful night when he had confronted Angel’s father, Sam decided the only way to make Trevor Devereaux change his mind was to beat him at his own game. He was going to leave Grafton and return a success. Then Trevor wouldn’t have any objection to Sam. He knew he should have explained his plans to Angel, but after his recent clash with Trevor, he couldn’t face her.

He also knew how she would react to his plan to leave town. She would want to go with him, and he couldn’t allow that. She needed to finish school, then college. She deserved better than living off the meager allowance the Navy allowed. Her father and he agreed on that. Angel deserved the best.

Sam was determined to become the best, and if that meant not being with her for a few years while he made a name for himself, then that’s exactly what he would do. He would wait forever for her if necessary. She was his Angel.

When Sam came home from basic training twelve weeks later, he had no idea he was coming home to a trap. A very well-meaning, you-two-should-be-together trap; but a trap, nonetheless. He believed he could buzz in and see the family, then leave. Maybe get a note to Angel, explaining why he left like he did.

Sam and some old friends had been booze cruisin’ along the country roads, drinking beers and listening to the local gossip. After being away from home for so long, he was glad to be back and see the family, but somehow it wasn’t the same. He now found his friends to be rather immature and lacking in discipline. It irritated him that they could so blithely take for granted the opportunities that awaited them. As for himself, he couldn’t wait to get out in the real world and make his fortune. He just needed to be patient; at the end of the road was Angel.

He looked out the side window from the backseat when he noticed his friend, Harry, turning onto the road that led to the park. He could make out a glow from a fire near the ball diamonds. Sam decided as soon as the car stopped, he was taking off. This shit was illegal. The one thing he didn’t need was any hassle from the local sheriff.

The car stopped, and they filed out, making their way across the park to the crowd of people surrounding the bonfire. Sam held back until he noticed the local high school band was present. Homecoming! With a sigh of relief, Sam dumped his beer and headed to check out the fun.

Cheerleaders were chanting the school song above the din of voices. He made his way closer as a whisper of a familiar voice caught his attention. He remembered the beers he’d consumed and decided it was a trick of the alcohol and his damn imagination. One of the girls sounded like his Angel.

The crowd parted as he came closer. He caught a glimpse of the blonde cheerleader standing directly in front of him. He closed his eyes, opening them again trying to focus more clearly. It had to be the smoke from the fire he thought, because this girl looked just like Angel. It was impossible. Her father would never let her attend public school unless there was something in it for him.

The band struck up a popular tune and the girls began a dance routine, swaying their hips to the beat then circling the bonfire with high kicks. He felt Harry slap him on the back, exclaiming over their surprise. He still couldn’t take it in.

It was really his Angel.

His emotions were in conflict. He wanted to see her so desperately. She was what had kept him going in basic training. But the next time he faced her, he wanted to be successful. Someone her father would look up to, someone worthy of her.

Suddenly she was back in front of him, executing a complicated set of dance steps. Just before she turned back to the fire, she looked over her shoulder and winked at him. God Almighty, it was truly her! She wasn’t furious with him for leaving her without a word. She had understood. His heart flip-flopped in his chest then began to beat furiously. He tried to calm down, but he could barely resist the urge to grab her and run off into the night. He had missed her so damn much.

Sam devoured her with this glance, taking in every subtle nuance that emanated from her. She appeared thinner than before, and he wondered if she had been eating properly. The weight loss accentuated her cheekbones and gave her an air of frailty he hadn’t noticed before. She looked like she had been ill. Had she made herself sick worrying over him?

Her uniform was a short skater’s dress in pale blue. It accentuated her long legs. The top, however, was at least two sizes too big. The bodice gapped even though it was crisscrossed in the back. The straps came forward to snap in front and when she shimmied, the front gapped. Sam noticed several pairs of male eyes on her and frowned.

But she was still beautiful, even though she was probably freezing her butt off in that thing. He mouthed “
Cold
?”, when she turned around to him again. She nodded. He zipped up his leather jacket then snuggled deeper in exaggeration. She stuck out her tongue at him. He laughed, enjoying the sight of her body writhing to the music. She suddenly lifted her arms above her head in an exaggerated move and the snaps of her dress popped. The too big bodice fell to her waist, and to Sam’s amazement, she was naked underneath. Sam stared at the pink and cream perfection revealed to him. He remembered those beautiful breasts. How they fit in his hands perfectly.

Laughter and hoots from the crowd mingled with the music from the band, which continued to play, oblivious to her embarrassment, bringing Sam’s attention back in focus. He glanced up, looking into Angel’s eyes, awash with humiliating tears. The fact that her control was about to shatter, galvanized him into action. With a fierce frown to the crowd, he crossed the space separating them, unzipping his jacket and shrugging out of it. He reached around her, covering her with his jacket and slipping her arms into his sleeves before zipping it up. He gently wiped her tears from her cheeks.

“I missed you. I love you.” she whispered those hauntingly beautiful words.

He couldn’t help it. He kissed her softly on the lips. “Go get’em Angel, baby.” Then he calmly walked back to the edge of the crowd. She lifted her chin, and with the air of a queen, she finished the dance routine much to the approval of the assembly.

Her tearful entreaty had pierced his soul and made him realize all that stood in the way of their love was his pride. His eyes met hers in silent communication. He nodded in acceptance and she smiled, knowing that he had sealed his fate with hers. From now until forever, he was bound to her. Her father could go to hell.

Chapter One

The oppressive August heat hit Angel like the slap of the devil’s hand as she stepped out onto the front porch of Merrywidows, her exclusive lingerie boutique and home. She noticed the paint peeling off a corner of the gingerbread which decorated the sprawling Victorian townhouse. She would need to paint soon. Gone were the days that she sat on this front porch, swinging idly on the wicker swing as she watched her grandmother’s hired hand, Jacob, paint the trim. Jacob had been gone for five years now; her grandmother for seven. Angel sorely missed them both.

She shivered as “a ghost walked over her grave” and smiled softly as her grandmother’s quaint term flitted across her mind. For the past two weeks, she had been on edge.
No, correction,
since Mac and Dixie’s wedding, when Sam had followed her out to the parking lot, and kissed her senseless with passionate anger. That’s when she had started having trouble sleeping. And now, she was as jumpy as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs.

The skirt of her brown print halter dress waved slightly against her tanned legs as she stepped off the porch and headed for the wrought-iron fence that enclosed the beautiful flower garden making up her front lawn. Opening the rickety gate, she glanced down Main Street to the Grafton Bank’s time and temperature sign.

“Whew!! Not even 8 o’clock in the morning and it’s already 90°. I can hardly wait for autumn,” she murmured to herself as she made her way across the street, her honey blonde ponytail swooshing rhythmically against her bare back. She paused to chat now and then along the way. Everyone knew everyone in this small community. And they knew everyone’s business as well.

Angel opened the door to the post office and blessed the coolness that greeted her as she stepped into the quiet interior. Her gaze quickly adjusted to the dim interior. The muted whizzing of the antiquated mailroom machines could be heard through the incoming mail slot as she walked toward the door that led into the main lobby. Turning the handle, she heard the unmistakable voices of the two busiest busybodies in town.

“It was terrible, Juanita. The whole place went up in flames. There’s nothing left,” Maisy Malone stated emphatically, her blue gray hair bobbing up and down on her ample head.

“I’m sure Ginny and Hank are just devastated,” Juanita Casper whispered in a shocked voice. “Was anyone hurt?”

“There were three of them boys trapped inside. Mac went in after them. It’s a miracle no one was killed. I heard the fire departments from the entire county were there last night.”

Angel stood frozen in place, her hand on the doorknob, terror holding her captive as the words penetrated her numbed brain. The Coalson’s were in trouble. They had had a fire last night.
Sam could be hurt!

Angel pushed her terror aside as she shoved open the door and confronted the two women. “Hello, Juanita, Maisy. I happened to overhear your conversation as I was coming in. Did you say there was a fire at the Coalson farm last night?”

Angel tried to keep her voice only mildly curious. If these two women ever suspected the extent of her feelings for Sam after all these years, word would spread all over town in a matter of minutes. She would be considered the town laughingstock. And Sam would have another reason to never forgive her.

“Was anyone hurt in the fire at the farm?”

“Why Angel, dear, how are you? I haven’t seen you since the night of Mac and Dixie’s reception. I’ve been meaning to come over to your shop to purchase a shower gift for my niece, Tonya. Do you think you might have something… appropriate?” Maisy asked. The look she gave Angel said it was highly doubtful. Juanita sniffed in obvious disapproval. Neither woman had been able to find a good excuse to go into her shop, deeming it highly improper to be seen in such a scandalous place. Both were extremely curious, though.

Angel bit the inside of her cheek to keep from telling the old bat that she had plenty of perfectly beautiful gowns but none that they would deem fit for her niece. She didn’t carry flannel. But a customer was a customer, so she mustered a smile and shook her head. “We have a fine selection of lace and satin gowns with matching robes. They come in a wide variety of sizes and colors. Of course, I can special order anything you like. The internet is a wonderful way of finding just the perfect gift.” There, that sounded diplomatic enough without referring specifically to the old woman’s attitude.

“The fire wasn’t at the farm, dear.” Juanita frowned her way. “It was at the construction company. According to Chad Atkins, he was over at Kate’s Café when the call came in, he said one of the brothers barely made it out alive; had to be resuscitated by the emergency crew. The firefighters and Mac got him out in the nick of time.”

“Are you all right, Angel? You’re turning quite pale, dear,” Maisy commented with a shrewd look in her eyes. “You wouldn’t be worrying about that Sam Coalson, would you? Now there’s a bad seed if I ever saw one. I don’t care that he’s been in the Navy these past years. Or so they say. God knows only what he was doing. We can only hope he’s learned something there. You still aren’t carrying a torch for him, are you, dear?”

Angel murmured an appropriate excuse as she turned and walked out of the post office without even answering the woman’s question. As soon as she was out of sight, she started running for her shop. She flung open the door. “Frankie! I need you! Where are you?”

“Whoa there, Angel. Where’s the fire?” Mary Frances Cavanaugh, reached out to steady her a she flew down the hall toward the kitchen.

“The Coalson’s. I’ve got to go. Have you seen my car keys?” She panted as she ran from room to room, flinging pillows and stockings and garters in the air.

Frankie grabbed her to hold her still. “What about the Coalson’s? Slow down and tell me.” She searched Angel’s tear streaked face. “What has that damn Sam done now?”

“Why, oh why, does everyone continue to pass judgment on Sam!” Angel raged. “It happened fifteen years ago and my father was behind it. You know that!”

She realized she was yelling at Frankie. She quickly pulled her in for a hug. “I’m sorry. I’m just so upset. There was a fire at the construction company last night. Three people were injured. I just know Sam was one of them. I’ve got to get over there.” She spotted Frankie’s car keys on the kitchen table and grabbed them. “Please, can you meet with Bob? He’s due at eleven to bring new samples of the holiday collection.”

Frankie nodded but halted her at the door. “Angel, don’t do this. What help can you give? You’re only setting yourself up for heartache. The Coalson’s may have forgiven you, but you sure as hell know Sam hasn’t. And, honey, I don’t think he ever will. Please, just let sleeping dogs lie.”

“I can’t. I have to make sure he’s okay.” She slipped out the door.

Angel raced up the hill to the bluffs that overlooked the Mississippi River. As she neared the construction site turnoff, she could see the smoke drifting in the morning sky, reaffirming the fact that the old barn had indeed burned last night. She began to shake as the horrible possibilities flashed over mind, but she willed herself to remain calm. She didn’t think she was ready to see the devastation the fire had caused. She turned the car down the lane a short mile away that led to the Coalson farm. At the fork in the road, she veered right, away from the construction offices.

She slowed down to avoid the numerous small potholes the pitted the old gravel road. As she neared the farm house, she could see a lone figure sitting on the front porch railing. His chest was bare in the heat. She could almost feel the play of muscle beneath her hand. Sam tipped his head back in lazy fashion as one bare foot dangled from the railing and the other supported his weight. His jeans hung low without the aid of a belt. The porch shadowed his face, but Angel felt the tension leave her body. He looked like he didn’t have a care in the world. He wasn’t hurt, thank God. She got out of the car and slowly made her way to him, unsure of how to proceed, but determined to check on him.

“Well, if it isn’t the Angel of Mercy. Have you come to administer to the weak and injured? I’m afraid you’re a little too late. Everyone’s been patched up. Of course you can always kiss the boo-boos, can’t you?” Sam drawled as he shifted position on the railing.

Angel felt a blush heat her cheeks at his words and started to turn away. This was obviously a mistake. She was getting nowhere with him. She saw him wince as he moved and she turned back. “Were you really hurt?”

“Yeah, I’m in a lot of pain. Do you think you can help me?” he drawled as he passed his hand across his brow.

Angel immediately became solicitous. “Where are you hurt?” She ran up the front porch steps. She looked him over, searching for injury.

“Here.” Sam smiled and pointed to his groin. She could see his erection tenting his jeans. “Still want to help?”

Angel stiffened in outrage. “You bast…”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Careful there, Angel baby, you wouldn’t want to tarnish that halo, would you?” He hefted himself off the railing and came to stand next to her.

She stepped down from the fury in his eyes. He towered over her, and she knew he was enjoying his control. She lowered her eyes against his condemnation.

It had been like this since he had strolled back into town a few months ago. He never gave her a chance to explain her actions so long ago. She had tried, on numerous occasions, but she was either met with stony silence or snide innuendos that he would welcome her back as a sexual release.

He was so different from the boy she had dated in high school. He had been a bit of a loner, but not like this. Not this hard, dangerous man that stood before her. And yet she wanted this man even more. She shivered even as the sweat trickled between her shoulder blades. Hell wasn’t full of fire; it was full of icy numbness. Hell was in Sam’s eyes. God, how could she want him when he looked at her like dirt?

“Is Ginny here? I want to know if there’s anything I can do.” She lifted her chin. She wouldn’t be deterred. The Coalsons had forgiven her long ago. They were her friends.

“Everyone went to town to see Chance. There’s no one here but you and me. Kind of cozy, don’t you think?” His eyes grew slumberous. “I told you what you could do. If you’re interested, follow me.” He turned toward the door and heard her gasp in surprise.
Son of a bitch!
He’d forgotten about his back. The burns weren’t serious but the bandages that covered most of his back prevented infection.

“Sam?” The tearful entreaty almost undid him. How easy it would be to take her comfort. But the price he would pay would be his soul. He had given her in his heart once upon a time, and she had ruthlessly trampled it. He hardened his heart against the moisture in her eyes.

“To hell with your tears, Angel; to hell with you. I don’t need your help. I’ve got along just fine for the past fifteen years without you,” he growled.

He opened the screen door and walked inside never looking back.

“I still love you, Sam.” she whispered.

Dammit!
Sam heard Angel as he peered through the living room window. Her lips moved, and he remembered how soft they felt against his. He thought back to the night of the reception.

He’d seen Angel leave the festivities with the bouquet of roses Dixie had thrown to her clutched in her hands. He had followed her out to her car using the excuse of seeing her safely ensconced within the vehicle. He couldn’t explain the need; maybe it was the wedding. He had
needed
to be with her that night.

He loved the way she looked in her simply cut blue dress. It was clinging to her every curve, making Sam hard. He glanced down at her ass, mesmerized by the gentle sway and bounce accentuated by the clinging fabric. He had been helpless to ignore her charms.

Sam had caught up with her as she started to open the door. He had startled her, he realized, as he took in her wide-eyed expression and parted lips. He could remember the feel, the taste of her sweet lips. Before he could give himself an excuse to move away and before she could protest, his lips claimed hers. He wanted to be gentle, but the shock of her sweetness after all these years sent his passion into overdrive, and he growled his need as he pulled her closer. He devoured her heavenly nectar, plunging his tongue into her warmth, demanding that she acknowledge that this, at least, had been honest and true with them. He lifted his mouth from hers and someone laughed in the background. The spell had been broken.

Sam came out of his reverie was a curse upon his lips. “Damn her! And damn me for still wanting her!” He stormed through the house looking for a cold shower.

Angel managed to make it to the car before the tears began to fall in earnest. She knew Sam watched her from the window. She felt his eyes upon her as she walked back to the car. Knowing she couldn’t go to back to the shop and Frankie’s prying eyes in this condition, she headed down the lane to the old flood road which ran along the Bluffs and emerged on the back road to the state park. She found an isolated parking area offering a panoramic view of the rolling hills of farmland below. She turned off the ignition and let the tears fall. She cried for the young man she had fallen in love with and who her father had destroyed. She cried for the young woman she had been, so innocently trusting in their love. But most of all she cried for the love she so desperately needed and Sam so stubbornly denied. “Oh God, why did he have to come back here?”