Page 31 of More than a Memory
“Bye,” she called after him, feeling sad to see him go.
“I’ll leave you two love birds alone now,” Annie said to Darcy and Sam. “Where are your car keys?”
Darcy reached into her vest pocket, found the keys, and tossed them to Annie, who caught them easily.
“Sam, can’t thank you enough. You will never know how much I needed this. By the way, if you happen to know of any other handsome cowboys, who are single, give them my number,” Annie said, giving him a dazzling wide smile as she hopped into Darcy’s car and drove away.
14
“I think she is doing much better. Really, Sam, I know we have both thanked you, but this was an absolutely perfect day.”
Darcy slipped her arms around his waist and gave him a big hug, resting her cheek against his chest. She could feel his heart beating in a strong, steady rhythm.
“Let’s head over to the house so I can cook for you.”
“What are you fixing?” she asked.
“My specialty, marinated chicken thighs and zucchini on the grill, and twice-baked potatoes. I’ll have to let Mimi and Bella out first. Bella was not too happy to be locked up in the house while we went riding. She wanted to go along. When we go out on shorter rides, she comes with us, but the trail we took today would have been too much for her,” he explained.
They wandered hand in hand over to the farmhouse. He opened the back door and waved her inside. Pretty typical bachelor pad, Darcy observed. The bare necessities with no frills or knickknacks to speak of. He did have state-of-the-art appliances and an extra-large eat-in kitchen. The basic bones of the house were good, it just needed the feminine touch.
“Welcome to my humble home,” Sam said. “I’ve imagined this a million times and you’re finally here. Part of my vision is you sitting right here on this bar stool,” he said, pulling it out for Darcy and patting the seat, encouraging her to sit there, “then me leaning in for a kiss, like this,” kissing her, “then you, watching me lustfully as I prepare our dinner,” he finished, grinning happily.
“Hmmm, so I guess in order to fulfill your vision I’ll have to begin staring at you lustfully. That could be a bit of a stretch,” she teased.
“Oh really?” he said, dipping her precariously from her perch and landing a passionate kiss against her surprised open mouth. “I’ll try to make it a little easier for you,” he said against her lips as he thrust his tongue deep inside.
She hung on to him for balance and, as she dangled on the edge of her stool, could do nothing more than submit. They were both hungry for one another. She greedily sucked on his tongue, drawing him in further. He broke off to look intently into her flaming emerald eyes, then satisfied with what he saw there, Sam kissed her eyelids then landed once more on her warm, moist voluptuous lips.
“Well, I guess I’m satisfied that you’ve captured the lustful look,” he said confidently.
“Don’t look so pleased with yourself. Now I have to sit here cooling my heels while watching my man cook.”
Sam suddenly stood stock-still, like he had been zapped by lightning. Hearing her casually say “my man” pierced his heart more deeply than she could possibly know. Not wanting to spook her, he forced himself to act just as casual as he began to fix the dogs their meals before beginning on their dinner.
“Would you like a beer or glass of wine?” he asked.
“Sure. A beer sounds great.”
He reached into the fridge and pulled out two green bottles and popped the caps off using a built-in bottle opener. He passed a beer to Darcy and she took a long swig, wiping her sleeve across her mouth to catch the dribble on her chin.
“Very refreshing. Beer just seems to be the perfect beverage to cap the perfect day,” she commented.
“I agree!”
He began to skillfully whisk ingredients together for the marinade, then tossed the thighs into the mix. Taking out two mammoth potatoes, already baked, from the fridge, he scooped the meat out of the potatoes into a bowl in preparation for the “twice” part of the bake.
Darcy wasn’t sure if she was lusting more for Sam or the food. It was probably a toss-up at this point.
“When did you take up cooking?” she asked.
“Well, when my parents were killed, Casey and I were still in high school. We kind of got thrown into the fire and had to figure out how to survive. Our mom’s sister, Aunt Betty, put her life on hold and moved in with us until we both graduated so we wouldn’t have to move, but everything we knew of our life was over. It was like our story completely stopped and then became something entirely different. We were different. After we lost them, our lives became a before-and-after. Before our parents died, and after they died, like a brand-new book with new characters. We were in shock the first year. It became harder when the shock wore off. The long version of how I came to be the chef extraordinaire that I am today,” he finished, trying to lighten the mood.
“I’m so sorry. That must have been tough. We all have a story, don’t we?” she said quietly. “Thanks for sharing, Sam.”
“You make it easy, Darcy. You’re a good listener,” he replied.
After finishing the potatoes and zucchini prep, he suggested Darcy join him on the deck while he fired up the grill. They stood together, admiring the peaceful view of the horses grazing out in the pasture. Darcy reached for Sam’s hand and held it tight. She wanted to hold onto him and this moment for dear life. She was so afraid she was going to screw up and lose something precious, but was equally afraid to dive in. She had a longing deep inside she had never felt before. A physical ache that both scared and compelled her to open to what was being offered by this beautiful man standing here beside her.