Erin whispered. “But then I remembered Sam going through my stuff. I didn’t want to disappoint him. What a joke, huh? I’ve always been a disappointment to all of them. I’m not an addict. I need a break sometimes from my own head.” She turned away. “Leave me alone, Jenny. Make Daddy leave me alone. I want to sleep right now.”
“All right.”
With a nod, Jenny stood and opened the door. When it had shut behind her, Erin slid down the wall and curled up on the floor in the corner of the room. Her lip trembled, but she refused to shed a tear. Why she had expected things to be different this time, she had no idea. It was another way of setting herself up for disappointment, and there were more than enough of those already.
She had come back because she feared for her life, and in some corner of her mind, she supposed she still associated home and safety with her parents. Or maybe she wished it were so. Erin rubbed her eyes. She was rubbing away the scratchiness from lack of sleep. Yeah.
Chapter 3
Sam couldn’t shake the unhappy feeling hounding him as he pounded new fence posts into the soil and hammered up fresh boards. Evan’s call to find out if Sam had searched Erin’s duffel bag nagged at him. Had she taken something? He fought the urge to rush over there. She wasn’t his concern. Stoner had made that plain more than a decade ago. Sam wanted to shake some sense into Erin at the same time he wanted to protect her from whatever hell Stoner was no doubt giving her. And the fact he couldn’t get her off his mind bothered him. He swung the hammer even harder as he secured another board in place.
By the time his cell phone rang early in the afternoon, Sam had worked off most of his concerns. Then he saw it was the Richardson’s number and his gut twisted as he answered.
“This is Sam.”
“Oh, Sam. I’m so glad I caught you. It’s Catherine.” Relief surged through him. She sounded perfectly normal. Everything must be fine. “Tabby and Joseph will be here for dinner this evening along with Evan and Jenny. I thought I would invite you as a way to say thank you for giving Erin a job.”
“I don’t want to intrude on a family dinner.” It was a convenient excuse, because somehow Sam had the feeling the reason behind the invitation was far from a simple thank you.
“Nonsense. We’re all very fond of you.”
Sam grinned. That was doubtful, especially when it came to Erin and Stoner. In fact, he had a hard time picturing either one of them looking at him with gratitude about anything. “You need me to even out the numbers, right?”
Sam knew there was more to it than that, but it would give Catherine a convenient reason without having to admit Sam would provide a buffer between Erin and her family.
“Well…partly.”
He laughed, letting her off the hook. Besides, it would give him a chance to check on Erin. “I’ll come. Your cook beats my cooking any time. I figure you’ll tell me eventually why I’m really invited.”
After sliding his phone back in its clip, he returned to the job of fixing his fence. It was hard sometimes not to envy the Stoner Richardsons of the world. He had plenty of money to hire a crew to fix something like this. But Sam’s family had always been the poor neighbors.
Years ago, he’d resented that difference much more, but now, seeing everything that had happened with Stoner’s family and his political career, Sam’s envy had mellowed. Senator Richardson had certainly tumbled from the mountain top, opting out of a political career rather than facing exposure for some of his past misdeeds. Then there’d been the whole fiasco with Jenny and Evan’s relationship. Stoner’s interference there had split the two apart for more than a dozen years.
Sam shook his head. No. He no longer envied Stoner Richardson. Most of the time, except when he considered what having the kind of money the Richardsons had would allow him to provide for a family. He could
“All right.”
With a nod, Jenny stood and opened the door. When it had shut behind her, Erin slid down the wall and curled up on the floor in the corner of the room. Her lip trembled, but she refused to shed a tear. Why she had expected things to be different this time, she had no idea. It was another way of setting herself up for disappointment, and there were more than enough of those already.
She had come back because she feared for her life, and in some corner of her mind, she supposed she still associated home and safety with her parents. Or maybe she wished it were so. Erin rubbed her eyes. She was rubbing away the scratchiness from lack of sleep. Yeah.
Chapter 3
Sam couldn’t shake the unhappy feeling hounding him as he pounded new fence posts into the soil and hammered up fresh boards. Evan’s call to find out if Sam had searched Erin’s duffel bag nagged at him. Had she taken something? He fought the urge to rush over there. She wasn’t his concern. Stoner had made that plain more than a decade ago. Sam wanted to shake some sense into Erin at the same time he wanted to protect her from whatever hell Stoner was no doubt giving her. And the fact he couldn’t get her off his mind bothered him. He swung the hammer even harder as he secured another board in place.
By the time his cell phone rang early in the afternoon, Sam had worked off most of his concerns. Then he saw it was the Richardson’s number and his gut twisted as he answered.
“This is Sam.”
“Oh, Sam. I’m so glad I caught you. It’s Catherine.” Relief surged through him. She sounded perfectly normal. Everything must be fine. “Tabby and Joseph will be here for dinner this evening along with Evan and Jenny. I thought I would invite you as a way to say thank you for giving Erin a job.”
“I don’t want to intrude on a family dinner.” It was a convenient excuse, because somehow Sam had the feeling the reason behind the invitation was far from a simple thank you.
“Nonsense. We’re all very fond of you.”
Sam grinned. That was doubtful, especially when it came to Erin and Stoner. In fact, he had a hard time picturing either one of them looking at him with gratitude about anything. “You need me to even out the numbers, right?”
Sam knew there was more to it than that, but it would give Catherine a convenient reason without having to admit Sam would provide a buffer between Erin and her family.
“Well…partly.”
He laughed, letting her off the hook. Besides, it would give him a chance to check on Erin. “I’ll come. Your cook beats my cooking any time. I figure you’ll tell me eventually why I’m really invited.”
After sliding his phone back in its clip, he returned to the job of fixing his fence. It was hard sometimes not to envy the Stoner Richardsons of the world. He had plenty of money to hire a crew to fix something like this. But Sam’s family had always been the poor neighbors.
Years ago, he’d resented that difference much more, but now, seeing everything that had happened with Stoner’s family and his political career, Sam’s envy had mellowed. Senator Richardson had certainly tumbled from the mountain top, opting out of a political career rather than facing exposure for some of his past misdeeds. Then there’d been the whole fiasco with Jenny and Evan’s relationship. Stoner’s interference there had split the two apart for more than a dozen years.
Sam shook his head. No. He no longer envied Stoner Richardson. Most of the time, except when he considered what having the kind of money the Richardsons had would allow him to provide for a family. He could
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