The Soldier's Sweetheart (13 page)

“The war?” she guessed. It was either that or his failed relationship with Haley, and he’d already talked to her about that.

The first firework popped in the sky, and Will flinched, despite the fact that he was clearly trying not to.

“Oh,” she said, suddenly understanding why he was so reticent about the fireworks. “I’m so sorry, Will. I wasn’t thinking.”

“I’ll live,” he said through gritted teeth. “I’m one of the lucky ones. I only have a mild case of PTSD.”

“Still, if you’d like to go, we could just call it an early night.”

Genevieve clapped in delight. “Oh, Daddy. Look at that one. It’s a red-and-green flower!”

“Your favorite colors,” Will said, kissing the top of his daughter’s head. “Cool, huh?” He smiled weakly at Samantha. “I can’t miss this, now, can I?”

“You’re very brave,” murmured Samantha, slipping her hand into his and giving it a comforting squeeze. His hands were so large, so strong, and yet for his daughter, he was exposing the cracks in his defense.

Samantha had never been more attracted to a man in her life. What was it about a man that was so incredibly appealing?

Whatever it was, Will had it in spades, and Samantha found her own defenses dropping. She leaned closer and threaded her fingers through his, lending him her strength.

He smiled tenderly down at her. His hands were no longer trembling.

Chapter Ten

W
ill bagged the last of Chance Hawkins’s groceries with his usual care and precision. Funny—helping the folks in Serendipity with their grocery shopping needs had become his favorite part of the job.

Working as a unit supply specialist in the Army wasn’t nearly as fulfilling as bagging cans of baby food and toddler treats. He’d take small-town service any day of the week. It wasn’t so much stocking supplies—it was supplying people. And not just with material goods, but with a friendly countenance and a helping hand.

He was beginning to recognize most of the folks who shopped regularly at the grocery, and he had the natural gift, which Samantha had complimented him on more than once, of up-selling to his neighbors. They always walked away with a candy bar and a smile.

He couldn’t imagine anything better than being here in Serendipity, working at Sam’s Grocery. He’d finally found his own little spot in the world, and he and his daughter had a real home at last. He had a sense of peace he’d never experienced before, knowing that what he was doing made a difference in people’s lives.

His work at the grocery. His side job doing carpentry for the Howells’ soon-to-be-opening bed-and-breakfast. He enjoyed helping them out with various and sundry jobs, and he was almost as excited as they were to participate in the grand opening of their new venture.

He was especially gratified by the community’s response to the Howell’s petition. It was an honor just to be a part of it. As for his time with Samantha—well, all he knew was that he’d never before experienced such strong emotions for a woman. It defied words.

For once, his life was wonderful. His daughter was happy, safe and secure.

Which would last for about five seconds, if Stay-n-Shop had their way.

He hated that some large, impersonal corporation was threatening to take everything he cared about away from him. From all of them.

The town council meeting was tonight at the Grange hall, and everyone was talking about it. As Will had suspected, most everyone had been anxious to sign their petition, and from what he was hearing, the council meeting was going to be full to bursting with folks wanting to give their opinions on the issue.

The only ones who’d recused themselves were the council leaders themselves, and Will wondered if they’d formed their own judgment on the matter already. Were they weighing both sides of the issue? Was it possible that the town council felt like the Stay-n-Shop could actually be a good development for Serendipity, economically speaking?

And what about Cal? Would he be leading up the offense at the town meeting? There was no doubt that the man was compelling and enigmatic. He might be able to sway the council members. The thought made Will feel sick to his stomach.

At the end of the day, they were Serendipity residents, and had been all their lives. That had to count for something. Small-town life was the status quo. It was what they lived and believed in and had always known. Sometimes change
wasn’t
the best thing. What was the old saying? If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it?

Sam’s Grocery wasn’t broken. It was a central part of folks’ lives in Serendipity and had been since the town was first built. Will firmly trusted that was the reason the town council would vote in favor of keeping Stay-n-Shop as far away from Serendipity as possible.

He wished he were a praying man. Maybe now was the time to start.

“Ready for the council meeting?” Chance Hawkins asked, as if reading his thoughts. Will realized Chance could probably see the tension on his face and guess where it was coming from. Will corrected his expression. He shouldn’t be frowning at customers, especially those as regular as Chance Hawkins.

“I think so.”

“Looked to me like you got a lot of signatures the other night at the Fourth of July celebration.”

“We did. Nearly everyone was ready and willing to sign our petition.”

Chance planted his black cowboy hat on his head and lowered it over his brow. “Of course they were. We’re a country town. And for Phoebe and me, and my aunt Jo, too, that’s the way we want to keep it.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

“We’ve got a babysitter lined up for tonight, so we’re all planning to be there at the Grange to support you.”

That
was an answer to a prayer Will had never actually prayed. The more people they had there in their favor, the better off they’d be.

“And thanks for digging out those little juice boxes from the back. My toddler, Aaron, won’t drink anything unless it’s out of a straw.”

“Glad to do it,” Will said as Chance tipped his hat and headed toward the door.

He
was
glad to do it, and happy to be right where he was. He whistled as he grabbed a broom to sweep the front porch. But as he stood on the rickety wood-planked sidewalk and stared down the street at the old, clapboard-style shops and businesses, he paused and wondered if everything he had here in Serendipity was about to go away, thanks to the Stay-n-Shop.

Could he stand it if it did?

If worse came to worst, he could give up the grocery, and his job, and even where he lived.

But he couldn’t give up Samantha.

He was too far gone and he knew it.

But he had no idea what he was going to do about it. The last thing a woman as remarkable as Samantha Howell needed was to be saddled with the likes of him.

Even so, he couldn’t get what Grandpa Sampson had told him out of his head. His words echoed as if they’d been thrown into the depths of a canyon.

He who finds a wife finds a good thing.

A wife? When had his heart and his mind turned from just surviving day to day, to finding the permanence he was so desperately seeking? Was there even the remotest possibility that he would have another chance at life, at happiness?

...and finds favor with the Lord.

There was the rub, for if God was present in the world, and Will was beginning to think He might be, Will knew in his heart that he didn’t deserve God’s favor. There was no way he ever would, for he could never make things right.

* * *

Samantha could not stop pacing. She had piles of paperwork to go through, but she couldn’t seem to sit still and concentrate. She was fidgeting all over the place, both in mind and body. She wouldn’t have a comfortable moment until the city council formally announced their decision to turn Stay-n-Shop away with a firm
no, thank you
.

“Ready to face the dragon?” Will asked, popping his head into the back room. He was wearing a determined smile and a baseball cap that shadowed his eyes, but she was certain she saw a twinge of doubt in his gaze. Whenever he was on edge, his eyes turned very nearly black, as they were now.

She remembered how mysterious—and frankly, intimidating—he’d appeared when she first met him. She hadn’t been able to figure him out back then. His stoic attitude had locked her out.

But now she could read him. She understood his body language—the way his jaw tensed or his brow creased when he was troubled. The clench of his fists that confirmed the words he could not or would not say aloud.

But there was the other side of him, too. The kind, gentle side. He didn’t often display it for the world to see, but she’d caught glimpses of the man he was deep down in his heart, and the man he could become—the smile on his face whenever Genevieve kissed his cheek, the adoration in his gaze when he called her Monkey and ruffled her hair.

And sometimes, there was something special in the way he looked at her and drew her into his world. Those were the moments Samantha loved most of all.

But the expression on his face now was sheer and complete resolve. Her heart sank.

“We aren’t going to win this, are we?” she murmured, laying a hand against his chest to feel the steady beat of his heart. He closed his hand over hers, pressing it to his chest.

His eyebrows rose. “Of course we are. We’ve talked about this. The whole town has got your back. Stay-n-Shop can’t fight everyone.”

“I hope you’re right.”

Will moved behind her and gently massaged her shoulders, rubbing his thumbs into the knots at her neck. His hands were large, warm, strong and supportive, all the things she needed right now.

Where would she be if Will had not come into her life?

He’d changed everything. He’d spurred her to action. He’d helped her make things happen. And although she was still facing her giant, she was no longer alone in her fight.

“Are we on the docket?” she asked him.

He chuckled dryly. “Honey, we
are
the docket.”

Samantha frowned. “If they cleared the agenda just to talk about this one issue, they must be anticipating that it will take some time.”

“If you ask me, it’s just a bunch of red tape,” Will responded. “They’re obligated to hear what Stay-n-Shop is proposing before they can officially send them packing. Word on the street is that many of the prominent businesspeople in the community are planning to attend the meeting in person.”

“That makes me even more nervous. It’s going to be all I can do to keep it together while I counter the corporation’s arguments, even without having half the town present to see me falter and fumble.”

“They’ll all be there to support you. And to watch you win.”

She folded a piece of white paper into a small box and then flattened it onto the smooth oak desktop with her palm. She only wished it was as easy to crush the big-box store. “You make it sound like a sure thing.”

“That’s because it is, honey. It is.”

* * *

That evening, the Howells gathered at Samantha’s parents’ house so they could all travel to the Grange hall together and enter with a united front and one purpose in mind.

Winning the war.

Samantha put on her best Sunday clothes, a soft white cotton dress dotted with a colorful variety of Texas wildflowers in purple, blue, red and yellow hues. She imagined she would look like a country bumpkin up against the slick corporate lawyers in their New York suits made by designers Samantha had neither heard of nor cared to know.

They were probably counting on that—the intimidation factor, the big-shot businessmen sanctioning their presence in the tiny country town.

What they didn’t realize was that
she
was the one with the hometown advantage here. Surrounded by Serendipity folk, the Stay-n-Shop representatives wouldn’t fit in. That realization made her feel a little better.

She thought of Cal Turner with his slicked-back black hair, deceitfully charming smile and forceful intimidation tactics, of how he’d tried to force her hand and make her sign papers to make her family legacy go up in smoke.

Now Cal Turner was bringing friends.

Well, she had friends, too.

She glanced once more in the mirror to check her appearance, added a brush of pink gloss to her lips and decided it was as good as it was going to get. She hurried to the living room, where Will was waiting, dressed in a white cotton shirt and black slacks. He’d even gone so far as to wear a necktie, although he kept fidgeting with it as if it was choking him.

She saw him first, and she knew without a doubt the moment he realized she was in the room. He stood abruptly, his eyes wide with admiration. His appreciative gaze took in her white summer sandals and her cotton dress.

He gave a low wolf whistle and brushed his hair back with the palm of his hand.

“Wow.” It was only one word, but it was enough.

Samantha shook her head playfully, but inside her heart was pounding in response. Who needed a bathroom mirror when she could see herself so much more clearly—and honestly—in Will’s appreciative gaze?

“You clean up very nicely yourself,” she teased, giving him a backhanded compliment that she meant with her whole heart. “I can see you’ve ironed your shirt.” She ran a finger down the carefully pressed crease from his shoulder to his wrist. “You know what they say about men who wear ironed clothes?”

Will arched a brow. “Enlighten me.”

“Either they’re in the military, or they still live at home with their mamas.” She was grateful for this small snippet of conversation that didn’t have anything to do with Stay-n-Shop. Will seemed to understand that she needed that brief step back, and he played along.

“I see. Really? Do
they
say that?”

“Absolutely. And seeing as you don’t live at home with a woman pampering you and seeing to your every need,” she continued coyly, walking slowly around him and enjoying the view of his strong jaw and broad shoulders, “you must have been in the military.”

Will shook his head and chuckled again. “Well, that must have been an awfully difficult conclusion for you to arrive at, since you’ve known I was an ex-soldier since the very first time we met.”

Samantha’s heart was beyond warm. It was glowing like the glimmer in Will’s eyes. He was
teasing
her. He had progressed so incredibly far from that poker-rigid man she had first met.

“Samantha,” he murmured huskily, reaching for her hand and turning her toward him, stepping forward so they were face to face, so close she could feel the brush of his breath on her cheek.

“You and your theory got one thing wrong,” he whispered close to her ear.

“Yeah? What was that?” she asked through the hitch in her throat, her voice suddenly unable to function beyond a whisper.

“I
am
home.”

His words struck her with the force of a hurricane, yet it was everything he couldn’t say—all of the emotion burning in his eyes as he continued to hold her gaze—that sealed the deal for Samantha.

He reached for her other hand, his touch all at once strong and gentle.

This man belonged in her life. And after this whole mess with Stay-n-Shop was over and their lives were back to normal—or at least the new normal—she would tell him so.

Will’s forehead met hers, his luminous brown eyes glittering with unspoken promises. “Samantha, I—”

Grandpa Sampson appeared in the doorway and cleared his throat. Will jumped back, clasping his hands behind him.