Anything but Love

FIVE

“Thanks for picking me up, Sam.”

“No problem.”

“You didn’t tell anyone I was coming, right?”

“You asked me not to. Won’t take long for word to get out though. You know Sugar Creek.”

Yes, she did. A tight-knit community. The tourist element notwithstanding, everyone knew everyone’s business—mostly. Amazing that she’d maintained her ruse for an entire year. Then again, Rae had worked very hard at being invisible. She was done with that now. Ready to attack life as Reagan Deveraux. She intended to use her semicelebrity status and money to help the Cupcake Lovers and to resurrect Sugar Tots. But that wasn’t the only reason she’d returned to Sugar Creek.

Rae pulled up the fur-trimmed hood of her down-filled coat, shivering as a gust of frigid air blasted her face. February in Vermont.

“Colder than Los Angeles,” Sam teased as he relieved the pilot of her baggage.

“Just a little.” Juggling her purse and a rolling tote, Rae followed Sam across the tarmac to his truck. When she’d flown out of LAX, it had been in the low sixties. When she’d landed in Burlington it had been a brisk twenty-eight degrees. From there she’d rented a plane and pilot to take her to Starlight Field—a small airfield about thirty miles outside of Sugar Creek. It was dark now, after eight, and she’d wager the temperature was closer to twenty with a windchill of less. She didn’t mind the cold or the snow. She only wished she’d arrived during the daylight so she could’ve been welcomed by the beauty of the surrounding mountains.

“Let me take that.” Sam placed her tote in the backseat of his extended cab along with her two burgeoning suitcases.

“I’m sorry I made you miss the CL meeting tonight,” Rae said as Sam opened the truck door and helped her climb in.

“I’m not. I needed a break.” He shut the door and rounded the hood then climbed in, revved the engine, and cranked the heat. He did not, however, shift into gear.

Rae squirmed in her seat, shoved off her hood, and fastened her seat belt. “You’re staring.”

“Yeah. Sorry. Your hair.”

“Really short and really red. I know.”

“I like it.”

“Thanks.” She dragged an anxious hand through her cropped do and tried to acclimate to her new relationship with Sam. It had been easier long distance.

He’d been the only Cupcake Lover to write her back. Then again, she hadn’t included a return address on any of her letters and hadn’t openly invited a reply. It had been her way of putting the past to rest and moving on. Sam had gone out of his way and had finally obtained her PO Box information. His letter had been so kind and, at the time, she’d been in a bad place. His words had proved balm for her anxious soul. She’d felt compelled to call in response. They’d spoken a few times over the last two weeks, mostly to clear the air. But in those conversations they’d also struck up what Rae tentatively thought of as a friendship.

“You sure about this?”

Rae nodded. “Absolutely.”

“You don’t look sure.”

She shifted and, by the light of the moon on the dash, she caught the concern in Sam’s eyes. Concern and … a flash of desire. The latter was disconcerting. She thought they’d moved past that. They’d certainly discussed it. She’d made it clear she wasn’t interested in an intimate relationship. He’d said he had no intention of pushing. She thought that meant he’d given up the pursuit. Now she wasn’t sure. It was troubling and flattering at the same time. Sam didn’t have a problem with her being an heiress. And he wasn’t intimidated by her college degree. His confidence was attractive. If only she were attracted.

She searched his ruggedly handsome face wondering why she couldn’t have fallen for him instead of Luke. Sam was grounded and successful. He had two great kids—Ben and Mina—whom she adored. He’d been attracted to Rae even when she’d been doing her best to look as drab and frumpy as possible. That was admirable, right? They’d had a date, one date, but she hadn’t felt a spark. Not then, not before. Certainly not after. Mostly she’d felt awkward.

Kind of like now.

“I’ll admit,” she finally said. “I’m a little apprehensive about reconnecting with everyone.” Luke’s reaction to her ruse was a bitter pill she’d yet to swallow. Would others lash out in kind? “After all, I lied about who I was. Am.”

“You had your reasons.”

“Yeah, well.” She blew out a breath. “I’m glad you told me about Sugar Tots. I can definitely help there. And I think I know how to get the CL publishing date back on track.”

“I didn’t share our troubles expecting you to use your money to rectify things.”

“I know that, Sam. You told me because you knew I’d care.” She smiled then. “Thank you for that.” At least someone had given her the benefit of the doubt. Sam hadn’t bought into the trust fund baby clichés assuming she was spoiled and manipulative. Someone who’d go slumming in Sugar Creek on a dare or a whim, just to see how the yokels live. Luke’s presumptions still stung.

“I know you have personal issues. Things you don’t feel comfortable talking about. I’m not a talker either,” Sam said. “But I am a good listener.”

He’d proven that on the phone.

“Just saying.”

Rae nodded then broke Sam’s gaze, swallowing past a lump in her throat. If only Luke had taken a more tolerant approach rather than pushing and badgering her into lashing back then closing down. She regretted how they’d parted. The ugly things she’d said. When they next spoke, she promised herself she would take the high road, no matter what. She couldn’t control Luke’s behavior, but she could certainly monitor her own.

“Where am I taking you?” Sam asked as he put the truck in gear.

“What? Oh. The Pine and Periwinkle Inn.” She’d made an open-ended reservation.

“How long are you staying?”

“I’m not sure.”

“An extended stay at a resort … could get expensive,” he said as he pulled out onto the dark country road. “The kids and I, we have an extra room.”

The lump in her throat swelled to the size of an orange. “Thank you but, not to sound pretentious—”

“Money’s not an issue. Right. So, just curious, and you don’t have to elaborate, but making due on what little you made as a day care assistant when you were used to an opulent lifestyle … that must’ve been a challenge.”

“There’s something to be said for living by your wits and seeing what you’re made of.”

Eyes on the road, Sam shook his head. “I was wrong about you.”

Her stomach clenched. “How so?”

“I didn’t give you enough credit. You’re a warrior, Rae.”

“Who’d of thunk it, huh?” She smiled a little. “Let’s just say I’ve decided it’s time to control life rather than allowing life to control me.”

Sam pulled into his driveway, struggling with a tangle of conflicting emotions.

Had he tipped his hand? Did Rae sense his stubborn infatuation?

He didn’t want to scare her off. He wanted to win her over.

When she’d stepped out of that private plane his heart had swelled. Yes, she was more polished than the last time he’d seen her, but the attraction went beyond her new sophisticated style. Through letters and on the phone they’d formed the kind of easy relationship he’d yearned for when she’d been living in Sugar Creek. Something had clicked between them—genuine friendship, he thought.

They could build from there.

Sam prided himself on being a grounded, rational guy. There was nothing sensible about pining for a woman who had no interest in him sexually. So he’d decided to get proactive. To woo her. Seduce her. Subtly. Based on mutual respect and common interests. Might take some time, but Rae was worth waiting for, worth fighting for. The perfect mother for his children.

Patience, he’d once told Luke, was not just a virtue, but a weapon.

The first step was to lure her back to Sugar Creek. He didn’t know a lot about Rae, but he knew she had a gentle heart. He knew her Achilles’ heel. Kids. He knew she’d be concerned about the lack of a local day care facility. And he knew she had a genuine fondness for every member of the Cupcake Lovers. He knew she missed Sugar Creek. She’d said so. So he’d given her a reason to return.

Sam flexed his hands on the steering wheel and stared through the windshield at his moonlit house, the home he’d built with his wife, Paula. The home in which their two kids now slept. When Paula had died, she’d taken a piece of Sam with her. She’d been his soul mate and he was damned sure he’d never love again.

Rae gave him hope. She made him feel. Yearn.

He’d once thought her a tortured soul. He still sensed she was damaged somehow, guarded. The soldier in him wanted to save her. But tonight he’d also gotten a glimpse of her fighting spirit. A quiet confidence. And under and through it all, that gentle heart. The entire package was a turn-on.

As for his hound-dog cousin, Luke had sworn to Sam that he didn’t have feelings for Rae. That she’d been upset that night and the kiss Sam had walked in on had been Luke’s lame way of trying to comfort her. Which sounded like Luke, balls on. The younger man viewed sex as a cure-all.

If Luke had lied, if he was hot for Rae, then he and Sam were going to butt heads in a big-ass way. He wouldn’t feel great about kicking the shit out of a family member—literally or figuratively. But he wouldn’t shy from it either. Luke had never made a serious commitment to a woman in his entire life.

Sam was ready to go all out.