Randall Riches (4 page)

“Then why was he there?”

“He was parked outside.”

The waitress returned with his cheeseburger and a chef’s salad for Sam.

“That’s all you ordered?”

She looked surprised. “Yes.”

“You and Brad had a thing going?”

“No. His wife died last month.”

“His wife? I don’t get it. Why was he there? And why did that mean you couldn’t go home?”

“He’d decided I should be wife number five.”

“His wife died a month ago and he’s already looking for his next wife?”

“Yes. And I didn’t cotton to the idea especially since it seems his wife died under suspicious circumstances. I slept in the truck so he wouldn’t find me.” She took a bite of salad. “He stayed until eleven the next morning, so I couldn’t get to my things until he left.”

“Why didn’t you call the police?”

“It was easier to wait.”

She continued eating as if they’d been discussing the weather. He sat silently, thinking about what she’d faced alone. Did it happen often? She was certainly attractive.

“I’m sorry,” he finally said.

“For what?” she asked in surprise.

“I was rude about you taking so long to pack. Where is your luggage, by the way?”

“I put it in your storage trunk in the back of the truck when I loaded your gear. I hope you don’t mind.”

“There was enough room?”

She nodded, but it was the smile on her lips that fascinated Rich.

“What’s funny?”

“Nothing.”

“So Brad is the reason you decided to leave town?”

She nodded again.

“But your friends—”

“I’d only been there since the last of February, Rich. It’s no big deal.”

“But what if you can’t find a job in Rawhide?”

She smiled again. “Don’t panic. I take care of myself. If I can’t find a job, I’ll move on.”

Once, when he’d been irritated with his parents, and even his twin, Russ, he’d wished he didn’t have a family, that he could be all alone. In his juvenile imagination, he’d thought that would be a good thing. Now, he ached for the woman across from him. No family. No friends. Totally alone, no one to rely on.

“That’s a tough life.”

She shook her head, still calm. “It was worse when my father was alive.”

“Worse? How?”

She sighed, then nodded at his plate. “You’d better eat your cheeseburger before it gets cold. Besides, I think you’re going to need another pill tonight.”

“No, I don’t. Two in one day is enough.”

“I’m not sure.”

He realized she’d distracted him from her strange answer. He couldn’t imagine life without his father and mother, his brothers, his huge family. They all lived on the ranch outside Rawhide. Well, actually, some of his cousins were down in Laramie attending college. But there were still a lot of Randalls around.

“When did your dad die?” he asked, after taking a bite.

“When I was sixteen.”

“So…last year?”

“You think flattery will get you whatever you want, don’t you?”

“It doesn’t hurt.”

“I guess not,” she agreed, but she didn’t say anything else.

“Okay, I’ll be more direct. How old are you?”

“None of your business.” She said the words pleasantly, but Rich could hear the steel in them.

“Why are you so secretive?” he demanded.

“Because you’re not a friend. I hardly know you. It doesn’t pay to tell your business to strangers. I’m driving you to Wyoming. That’s it. I’ll be on my way tomorrow after I get you home.”

He didn’t like the thought of that. She was too pretty and young to wander around without any protection. But she was right about him getting tired. He decided to talk to her about the dangers of her lifestyle tomorrow in the truck. They’d have plenty of time.

The waitress arrived with his pie. He ate it slowly, finding himself filled up on the cheeseburger. But he had to finish it after making a big deal about it to Sam.

As he took the last bite, the waitress returned with their bill. He was surprised but relieved when Sam didn’t reach for the ticket. At last, she was accepting his providing for her. Next, she’d agree to take a room.

Looking at the total, he called the waitress back. “You forgot to put her salad on the bill.”

“No, sir. She paid before you got here.”

He glared at Sam. “You did what?”

“Let’s not argue in front of everyone, Rich.” She
slid from the booth, thanking the waitress again. Rich noted she’d left some money for a tip.

He handed the waitress a twenty and told her to keep the change. He knew they didn’t do much business.

Then he hurried after Sam, catching her arm to stop her outside. “Why did you pay for your food yourself?”

“I told you I take care of myself. I handled it like that because I knew you’d make a fuss.”

“Woman, you’re trying my temper!”

“I’m tired, Rich. Just go to bed.”

“Come on, then. They’ve got enough rooms. I’ll get you one.”

“No. I need to save my money. I’ll sleep in the truck.” She pulled her arm out of his clutches and headed for the truck.

He stared after her, unable to believe she could be so hardheaded. Then she stopped and turned around, coming back to him.

“I forgot.” She pulled the pills out of her pocket and took one out. “Here’s a pill, in case your foot starts hurting. What time do you want to leave in the morning?”

“I suppose eight o’clock. We’re about eight or nine hours away. Unless you’re too tired to get up that early.”

“That will be fine.” Then she walked away.

Rich stared after her, frustrated. He didn’t have a sister, but he had girl cousins. And he wouldn’t let any of them sleep in the truck when there were empty rooms available. But he had no choice. He could rent every
room available and it wouldn’t matter. Sam was going to sleep in the truck.

What was he going to do with her?

That was something else he’d worry about tomorrow.

Once in his room, he undressed and stretched out on the bed. His foot was throbbing. After a moment’s debate, he decided to take the pill Sam had given him. He’d cut back tomorrow.

After swallowing the pill, he reached for the phone and dialed home, wanting to give his parents warning of his imminent arrival.

His mother answered. “Rich! How are you?”

“Fine, Mom. I’m fine.”

“Don’t lie to me, young man. Gabe called us.”

“Ah. Well, I had an accident. I broke my ankle, but it will be good as new in six weeks.”

“Oh, dear. Is it painful?”

“It’s not bad.”

“Where are you?”

“I’m on the Utah-Wyoming border. I’ll be home tomorrow.”

“You’re not driving, are you? Gabe said your fiancée was with you. Have you got something to tell us?”

Rich rubbed his forehead. He was feeling very groggy. “Uh, no. Just Sam.”

“What?”

“Just Sam,” he said again. But he noticed he slurred his words.

“Rich? You don’t sound good. Are you all right?”

“Took my medicine.”

“Is—is that woman with you?”

“No, just Sam.”

“Tell him to take good care of you.”

“Yes, Mom. Gotta go.”

He replaced the receiver, falling into a deep sleep the minute he closed his eyes.

Samantha knocked on Rich’s hotel room door the next morning. She’d gotten the number from the man at the registration desk.

She didn’t hear any sound from inside. She pounded louder. “Rich? Are you all right?” Then she pounded again.

She decided to get the manager to open the door. As she was leaving, however, she heard a faint voice.

“Yeah?”

“Rich? Are you all right?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you awake? It’s seven-thirty. I’m going to the café for breakfast. Are you coming?”

“Uh, yeah. I gotta get dressed.”

He must’ve taken the pill she’d given him last night. He sounded a little fuzzy this morning. “If you know what you want for breakfast, I can go ahead and order for you.”

“Okay, coffee, a short stack, scrambled eggs, bacon.”

And there wasn’t an ounce of fat on him, she mar
veled. Not that she’d noticed, she assured herself. “Okay. Come as soon as you can so it won’t get cold.” Then she headed for the café.

The same waitress was on duty. “You worked last night and this morning, too?” Sam asked her as she sat down.

“I have to. My husband is sick. He lost his job. I’m the only one bringing in any money,” the lady said with a weary smile.

Sam gave her their orders. She brought a pot of coffee to the table at once along with two clean cups.

Sam poured herself some coffee. She didn’t often indulge, which made the times she did even more enjoyable.

She watched the waitress stop at another table. She often told herself she was better off without family. The waitress’s situation reinforced that decision. She tucked the thought in the back of her mind to pull out when she got low. Sometimes she felt so totally alone.

Rich came in, still looking sleepy, dressed in those split jeans and a clean T-shirt. And he still looked good.

“Morning,” she said cheerfully. But she didn’t say anything else. She couldn’t get used to having someone to talk to in the morning or she’d miss him tomorrow when she was alone again.

“Coffee,” he muttered, reaching for the pot first thing. “Thanks for having it here.”

“No problem. We have the same waitress as last night. She’s working a double shift because her husband’s sick and can’t work.”

He looked sympathetic. But instead of saying some
thing, he studied her. “Have you already paid for your breakfast?”

She frowned. “No, but I figured you understood now.” Darn, she should’ve taken care of it, but the waitress had distracted her.

“Ah. I’ll leave a really generous tip if you let me buy your breakfast, too.”

She stared at him. “She deserves a generous tip.”

“She won’t get one unless you cooperate.” He sounded stern, as if he might really act so badly. She couldn’t see any kindness in his gaze.

“That’s ridiculous!” she exclaimed.

“Your choice,” he muttered and sipped the hot coffee.

The waitress returned with a tray full of food. Most of it was Rich’s. Sam had ordered a bowl of oatmeal.

“I forgot to ask about the ticket,” the waitress said, as she put the food on the table. “Do you want it separated?”

Rich gave Sam a steady look, letting her know she hadn’t answered his offer. She slowly shook her head. “No, the gentleman will be paying this morning.”

With a nod, the waitress hurried away.

He smiled. “Good decision, Sam.”

“Shut up. Blackmail isn’t pretty!”

“I’m not sure the waitress would agree with you. I’d bet she’s got some babies to feed.”

She lowered her eyelids so he couldn’t see the tears pooling there. She never cried in front of anyone. She couldn’t afford to show a weakness. “I know.”

Having broken one of her rules, Samantha felt nau
seous. But she didn’t dare not eat. She’d learned that lesson the hard way. She had to stay strong.

There was no conversation after that. As soon as she finished, she slid from the table. “I’ll go load up Bella. You paid last night, didn’t you?”

“Yeah. But I’ll be finished in a couple of minutes and we can go together.”

She turned around and walked out, not bothering to argue with him. He’d thought he could control her, but he had another think coming. She’d only succumbed this morning for the waitress’s sake.

Of course, she wouldn’t know how generous Rich was, because she wouldn’t be there when he paid the bill. But, strangely enough, she trusted him to do what he promised.

When she pulled up in front of the café ten minutes later, Bella safely loaded, Rich strode out with two disposable cups of coffee.

He walked around the truck to the driver’s side. She reluctantly rolled down her window. “Yes?”

“I got you some coffee for the road. I need to collect my gear from the room.”

“Thank you. I’ll wait here.”

“Would you hold my coffee, too?”

She reached out and took it, settling it in the cup holder.

He started to walk away. Then he halted. “Oh, Paula said thank you.”

Then he hobbled toward his room.

While he was inside, she carefully backed the truck and trailer close to his door so he wouldn’t have to walk
far. Then she killed the motor and got out to unlock the storage trunk in the back.

When Rich came out, she was standing beside the door and reached for his bag.

“What are you doing?” he asked in surprise.

“Loading your gear.”

By the time he caught up with her, she was relocking the storage trunk. “Hop in. It’s already eight o’clock.”

“We’re not punching a time clock, Sam. If we leave at eight-thirty instead of eight, it’s no big deal.”

She ignored him. Turning the key in the ignition, she put the truck in gear and pulled onto the road. She didn’t touch her coffee until she had the truck going at top speed, where there would be no more shift changes. Then she removed the lid to her cup and took a cautious sip.

“They make good coffee,” Rich said, sipping his own cup.

Instead of commenting on the coffee, she asked, “How much did you give her?”

“One of the hundred-dollar bills. I told her I’d promised you. She wanted to come find you to thank you, but I told her it would embarrass you.”

Relief and gratitude filled her. She hadn’t expected him to be so generous. But she was pleased. It had been worth swallowing her pride. “Thank you.”

“You’re a strange woman, Samantha Jeffers. You didn’t want to let me pay for a bowl of oatmeal. But for someone else, you’ll accept a tiny bit of what you’ve honestly worked for. I owe you more than that, you know.”

“More than a hundred dollars?” she asked, staring at him before she turned her gaze back to the road. “For two days of driving? I don’t think so.”

“Airfare would’ve been a lot more. Probably five or six hundred. Plus they would’ve been shorthanded on the ranch.”

“Well, consider me paid. I don’t charge that much. How far is Rawhide from your place?”

“Fifteen miles,” he said, still thinking about what she’d said.

“Is there a lot of traffic on the road?”

“You worried about the drive?”

Sam didn’t want to tell him she was hoping to hitchhike into town. She figured he’s fuss at her. But she hoped to get there before closing time. If she was lucky she might even get hired at once.

“Why did you ask that?” Rich asked, drawing her attention.

“I just wondered.”

“You don’t have to worry about getting back to town right away. We’ve got lots of room. You can rest up a day or two. And have the best meals ever. Red and Mildred can’t be beat.”

“Who are Red and Mildred?”

“Red worked for our grandfather as a cowhand, but when our grandmother died, Red raised my dad and his brothers. When all the boys settled down, Red married Mildred. She’s B.J.’s aunt. She moved to the ranch when B.J. came to be our vet.”

“How nice.” She wasn’t sure why he was telling her
this, but it kept him from asking her any more questions.

“Yeah, she and Red had a double wedding with Uncle Jake and B.J.”

“B.J. is a woman?”

“Yeah, kind of like your name. If someone said Sam, I’d think he was talking about a man. Why, last night I— Uh-oh.”

Now he’d definitely caught her attention. “Uh-oh, what?”

“Well, I called home last night and my mom— That is, Gabe had called and told them I was—we were engaged. Mom wanted to know what was going on, but I’d taken my pill before I called. Things got kind of fuzzy. I don’t think I explained that we’re just acquaintances. I’m not sure. I can’t remember.”

“Well you should certainly know by now that I don’t want to marry you. I’ll explain to your mother as soon as we get to your house.”

“Hell, Sam, I didn’t say you did. I was trying to prepare you for our reception.” He glared at her.

She didn’t want to think about the kind of reception she might receive if they were engaged, and his parents liked that idea. But as it stood, she would probably face some hostile people, especially his mother. “How many in your family?” she asked.

“Mmm, twenty-one, I think.”

She gulped and turned to stare at him. “Twenty-one? My, your poor mother.”

He, in turn, stared at her. “Why?”

“Well, having that many children would—”

“No, you’ve got it wrong. Mom only had three kids.” He chuckled. “Wait till I tell Mom that one.”

“But you said—”

“Honey, Mom only had three kids, me and my twin brother Russ, and Casey, our kid brother. Everyone else is a cousin or an aunt or uncle. And Mildred and Red.”

“I meant, how many people would be at your home?”

“Well, they all live there, but most of the kids are in college now, so they won’t be home.”

“You all live together? The house must be huge.”

“It is. But a few years ago, we built the bachelor pad for all us guys. We still eat at the big house, but we have our own rooms in the pad.”

She stared down the road, not saying anything.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, his gaze on her.

“It’s a little overwhelming. I’ve dreamed about having family, but it never occurred to me that some people had a small country for a family.”

Rich chuckled. “It all started when Uncle Jake, the oldest of the four brothers, decided someone needed to marry so there would be another generation of Randalls. He did some matchmaking for his brothers, Brett, Chad and my father, Pete. Dad married my mom, Janie. She was a neighbor. Chad married Megan, a decorator from Denver, and Uncle Brett married Anna, a midwife-nurse. Then, the three wives turned the table on Uncle Jake and he married Aunt B.J. She’s a vet. And then they all had kids.”

“And they all live together? Didn’t any of them want their own place?”

“Nope. You know that expression about it taking a village to raise a kid? We had our own village. There was always someone around to keep an eye on us. And some of us learned the hard way that we had to mind any adult. Even in Rawhide, we couldn’t get away with anything.”

“So you left home and went to the rodeo so you could get away with whatever?”

“No. That wasn’t the reason.” His upbeat tone had changed to something darker.

His tale had been so happy, so perfect, his dark expression worried her. “What happened?”

He sighed. “It doesn’t matter.”

“You’re the one who started this conversation. Did you start hating your family?”

“No! But Russ got a girlfriend and I felt…left out. It’s juvenile, I know, but my feelings were hurt. Russ and I had always done things together.”

“That must have been difficult,” she said softly.

“Yeah. And I didn’t value my family because I guess I’d always taken them for granted. When I got hurt, I realized how much I missed them. I’m ready to go home. I can be happy for Russ. Abby is a nice lady.”

“Good for you.”

“Yeah, it’s good I finally figured out what’s important. Don’t you miss that?”

“What?”

“Not having a home, a family.”

“It’s hard to miss what you haven’t had.”

That raw statement stopped the conversation. She concentrated on her driving, hoping he’d sleep for a
while. Her emotions were too raw, hearing about his family and his life, a life she’d dreamed of too many times.

R
ICH DIDN’T SLEEP
.

He was concerned. He wanted to help Samantha. He really did, but he had no idea how he could do so.

Of course he’d ask his mother to find her a job. But even if they found a dozen jobs, Sam might not take them. In fact, she probably wouldn’t. He figured she’d leave Rawhide real soon.

Not seeing her wouldn’t take her out of his head. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. She wore no makeup. She pulled her hair back in a ponytail. Her clothes were well-worn and inexpensive. Her nails were short and unpolished. But she fascinated him.

His cousins, the girls, wore jeans and T-shirts, too, but they worked on their hair for a quarter hour, at least. Their nails were manicured and polished. Even their toenails. They had their ears pierced and wore different earrings all the time.

In their closets, they had dress-up clothes, too. Fancy shoes. He was beginning to suspect Sam didn’t have much more than he’d seen.

He wondered if she’d asked about the traffic near Rawhide because she was planning on hitchhiking back into town. As if he’d let her. But that worried him most of all. Keeping Sam safe. He didn’t want her running into another Brad, wanting her, taking advantage of her.

Maybe he’d ask his dad’s advice.

He wasn’t asking Uncle Jake. He’d suggest Rich
marry the woman. He didn’t intend to marry for a long time. He was only twenty-six. His father and Jake had both waited until they were thirty or so. Brett and Chad had married earlier. Because Jake had done some matchmaking. He was still fond of playing those games.

Of course he’d gotten caught in his own trap. After all his brothers had married, their wives had conspired against him. Not that Jake complained. He and B.J. were perfect for each other.

Rich leaned his head back on the pillow and closed his eyes. He was a little surprised at how tired he was, since he’d slept over ten hours last night. But it would pass the time.

When the truck pulled off the road about three hours later, he woke up. First he checked his watch. Then he looked at Sam. “What’s up?”