A Hero For Holly Read online

  “You, my friend, are a genius.”

  “’bout time you noticed,” was all Dan said.

  ~~~~~

  Good grief but it was hot today, Holly mussed, yanking out yet another weed from around her tomato plants. It had been pretty bad yesterday too, but she hadn’t spent almost an hour mowing the lawn under the relentless glare of the sun. Nor had she been at this miserable weeding for another half an hour. Nope, that had been a ‘fun in the sun’ experience, not a ‘work-yourself-into-heat-exhaustion-on-your-day-off’ kind of day.

  Every year she promised herself that ‘this’ garden would be the last. It took too much time, and that was something she didn't have enough of anyway. But every year she planted another one because she loved the taste of home grown tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers. If her yard was bigger, she’d probably add corn. Lots and lots of sweet corn. But it wasn’t and most of the time she was okay with that. Like now.

  Bent over at the waist for too long, she straightened up and arched her back, rubbing a hand across the sore spot just above her hips. With the other, she pulled a hanky out of the pocket of her jeans and wiped her brow, imagining the cool shower awaiting her when she was finished.

  “Mom!” The blood curdling shout came from what sounded like the kitchen. Holly felt her heart rev into high gear as she dropped the hanky and took off at a dead run toward the house.

  The boys had been watching a cartoon when she’d last checked on them, and it hadn’t been all that long ago. Certainly not long enough for them to get into too much trouble. Please don’t let it be a broken bone, she prayed, rushing into the kitchen, and coming to an abrupt halt when she saw Billy holding the phone out to her.

  “What’s wrong? What happened?” she demanded, trying to catch her breath. Frantic, she spun around scanning the room for Zack. “Is your brother hurt? Where is he?”

  “He’s watchin’ the cartoon,” Billy told her amiably, shaking the phone her. “Sam wants to talk to you.”

  “Sam called?” she muttered, snatching the phone from her angelic faced son and saying, as quietly as she could manage, “You scared the life out of me because of a phone call?”

  “Well, Sam wanted to talk to you,” he repeated, then trotted back to the living room.

  Holly took a moment to calm herself before greeting her caller. She sure hoped that Billy hadn’t screamed bloody murder into the telephone. If he had, poor Sam would be needing a hearing aid.

  “Hello?” she finally managed, still slightly winded.

  “Are you all right?” was the first thing Sam asked. She managed a little laugh.

  “Figured out what happened, did you?”

  “It was kind of hard to miss. I’m sure I’ve permanently lost the hearing in my left ear,” he said with a chuckle. “I was afraid I’d have to call 911 to resuscitate you.”

  “I thought you might too.”

  “Well, I want you to know that my calling wasn’t quite the emergency Billy made it out to be. I did have a couple of things I wanted to talk to you about though. Do you have a minute?”

  “Take all the time you need,” she sighed dramatically. “I think my heart has had all the excitement it can handle for the day. The rest of the weeding is just going to have to wait.”

  “Holly, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt you in the middle of anything,” Sam murmured, sounding genuinely sorry.

  “Well, being scared half to death by my son aside, I have to say I welcome the break. I hate gardening.”

  “Okay then. First, Zack’s jacket was in the back of the van. I didn’t want you thinking we’d left it in Battle Creek.”

  “I hadn’t even realized it was missing yet,” she laughed, glancing out the window at the bright sun. “But I appreciate the warning. It might cool off enough so that he’ll need it sometime before Christmas. At least I certainly hope so.”

  “You and me both. I, for one, will be relieved when this heat wave breaks.” He paused for a moment. “Uh- There was another reason I called.”

  “Okay.”

  “I- Well, I’d like to thank you for all the help you’ve given me with the troop this year. Especially for yesterday. And I wondered- I don’t suppose you and the boys would like to come out here for supper today, would you?”

  “Today?” Holly asked, stunned at the invitation. Of all the things Sam might have had to say, an invitation to dinner hadn’t even crossed her mind.

  “Well, I understand if you’re busy already. I just thought it would be a chance for you to get waited on for a change. Maybe some other time?”

  “Oh- No, Sam, today would be fine,” she said quickly, hating the embarrassed tone in his voice, knowing she’d put it there. “It sounds like fun, and I’m sure the boys would love it.”

  “You’re sure?” he asked. “Because if it’s not a good time-“

  “If you really want us to come, we’ll be there,” she promised.

  “I really do. Uh- Is five o’clock okay with you?”

  “It sounds perfect. Thank you for asking us. Is there anything I can bring?”

  “Nope. I’ve got it covered. I’ll see you then.”

  ~~~~~

  I’ve got it covered.

  Had he ever uttered a more stupid statement in his life? Holly and the boys would be arriving in a couple of hours and from the looks of his kitchen, they’d be arriving to a disaster zone.

  After a flying trip to Meijer’s, where he bought enough food to feed a small army, he’d come home to find that he wasn’t quite as efficient as he’d believed himself to be.

  Par boiled chicken sat cooling on the stove, hamburger patties and several marinating steaks waited in the fridge, alongside a cheesecake he’d made from a mix. Not confident enough to give whipping up a homemade batch a try, deli potato salad was chilling in a serving dish on another shelf.

  He’d already scrubbed four baking potatoes and wrapped them in foil, ready to throw on the coals around 4:30. And ‘break and bake’ cookies, the source of the foul odor permeating the house, lay in a blackened heap in the waste basket.

  All he had left to do was finish the macaroni and cheese, cut up the mountain of vegetables he‘d washed, set the table … and deal with more dishes than he normally dirtied in a month.

  Yeah, he had it covered all right. Not. What in the world had he been thinking? Burgers and chips would have pleased the boys. It might not have been a romantic sort of supper. Not exactly. Well … not at all, but then he hadn’t invited her for a night of romance. If that had been the case, he would have taken her to an elegant restaurant—and it wouldn’t have included the boys.

  But could he just leave it at a simple dinner? No. He had to-

  “Holy smoke, what happened in here?” Startled, Sam whirled around to see Dan, Jess, and the baby in the middle of what had formerly been an immaculate kitchen. They looked stunned.

  “I was trying to impress Holly,” he admitted reluctantly, glancing down at his feet.

  “With the fact that you’re hopeless in the kitchen?” Dan asked, glancing at his wife. “You were right, sweetheart.”

  “And I can’t tell you how sorry I am that I was,” she answered with a grimace. Then she grinned at Sam. “We’re here to help.”

  “Thank God.” He wouldn’t have turned their offer down for all the money in the world. Jess walked over and sat Kate in his arms.

  “You and Uncle Sam go sit out on the porch swing,” she crooned to her daughter, pushing them toward the front door. “Dan and I will clean up in here first, and then we’ll see about finishing your dinner. We brought dessert,” she said, pointing to plates of brownies and gelatin squares sitting on the table.

  “I love you guys. You know that, don’t you?” Sam said sincerely, backing out of the kitchen as quickly as he could. They wouldn’t have to offer twice. “And I owe you big time.”

  “Yes, you do. Now go so we can get this mess straightened out. Do you have
a can of Lysol? Because I hate to tell you this, but it really stinks in here.”

  ~~~~~

  “You’re what?” Jenna Taggart squealed into the phone. Holly now had something concrete in common with Sam. They would both be deaf in one ear from injuries sustained on the telephone.

  “You heard me,” she repeated. “Sam invited the boys and me to his house for supper.”

  “All right.”

  “He said it was to thank me for all my help.”

  “Yeah, and pigs fly. A gift card or bouquet of daisies says, ‘thank you.’ A dinner invitation says, ‘I want to get to know you better.’”

  “Do you really think so?” Holly asked uncertainly. While hope fluttered around inside her heart, she had to admit she’d been out of the game so long she wouldn’t know how to read the signs, even if they were posted on a billboard.

  “I know so. You forget I saw the two of you at the pine derby thing. The man is besotted with you, Holly. Trust me.”

  Holly supposed she should trust her best friend of the past eight years. Jenna Taggart was a voluptuous, beautiful woman, with the most amazing head of blonde hair Holly had ever seen. Which was probably why she had no shortage of dates. And why the odds of her being right about this dinner invitation scared Holly senseless.

  “Oh my gosh,” she said, panic lacing her words. “What would I talk to him about? Mostly all we talk about is the kids, and scouting things. What if I can’t think of anything interesting to say? What if he thinks I’m just the most boring woman he’s ever met? What should I wear?”

  Jenna chuckled and said,

  “Get a grip, girlfriend. You are not, I repeat not, a boring person. You’ll figure out something to talk about so stop worrying. As for what to wear, I’m going to guess since the boys were included, it’s probably going to be casual. Wear your pink linen slacks and that sleeveless white eyelet top.”

  “You think that would be okay?”

  “No, I think it would make you look like a slob,” came the sarcastic reply. “Yes, it would be more than okay. Not too dressy, but not overly casual either.”

  “Should I wear makeup?”

  “Some mascara and lip gloss. I hate to say I told you so, Holly, but I have to. If you’d listened to me all these years, you’d be used to dating again.”

  “I’ve been busy, Jenna. You know that. And there hasn’t been anyone that’s interested me until now.”

  “Well, I’m glad,” her friend said sincerely. “However, if you really are interested, I’d get a move on if I were you. Didn’t you say he invited you for five?”

  “Yes.”

  “Don’t panic, but it’s a little after four.”

  “I’ve got to go,” Holly gasped, slamming the phone down and rushing upstairs to her bedroom.

  CHAPTER 3

  Sam figured it probably made him look a little too anxious to sit on the front porch swing waiting for his ’date’ and her sons to arrive, but truthfully, he didn’t care. He was anxious. And thrilled, and excited, and scared. He was afraid he might be putting too much hope into the outcome of the evening, but he couldn’t help it.

  After Dan, Jess, and the baby had gone home, he’d changed clothes three times, finally settling on a pair of softly faded jeans and a white dress shirt, the cuffs rolled up a couple of turns, and the top two buttons undone. It seemed middle of the road enough to make Holly comfortable with whatever she chose to wear.

  Plus the jeans were amazingly absorbent, which was a good thing since his palms were sweating so bad he had to keep wiping them on his pant legs.

  What if she didn’t like him on a personal level? He admitted he didn’t have a whole lot of experience in the dating realm. Girls his age had always seemed to be a little too immature for his taste. But Holly, well Holly was more than perfect. He didn’t know what he’d do if she found him lacking in some area.

  He’d be finding out soon enough. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he rose to his feet when she pulled her jeep into the driveway. He took a second breath because the first one hadn’t calmed him at all.

  “Sam!” He couldn’t help but grin at Billy’s enthusiastic greeting, as he literally jumped from the vehicle and hit the ground running.

  “Hey, buddy.” Sam knelt and hugged the boy to him. “I’m glad you could come.”

  “Me, too. We was just watchin’ a movie, but this is way better.”

  “Hi, Zack.” Zack, following at a more sedate pace, came to a stop beside him. Sam could tell he was also glad to be here, but wasn’t as exuberant as his brother, so he just reached out and squeezed his shoulder. “I’m glad you could come, too.”

  “Well, Tyler wanted me to come over today, but this is okay, too, I guess.”

  “Tyler’s loss is my gain.” Holly had finally reached the porch and Sam took another steadying breath. “Hi, Holly.”

  “Hi, Sam.” He wasn’t sure how to fill the awkward silence.

  “Why don’t we head inside and get out of this heat?” he finally suggested. The situation must have felt strange to the boys, too, because he’d never heard them this quiet for this long. “My air conditioner has been working overtime today.”

  “Ours, too,” Holly said brightly, helping to get them past the initial discomfort. “On days like today I’d like to send a thank you note to whoever invented it.”

  “Not much of a summer lover?”

  “Not on days like this, no. I like doing things outdoors, but when it‘s so bad you can sympathize with a Thanksgiving turkey, it’s just too hot.” He chuckled and held the door open while she and the boys stepped inside.

  “Hey, Sam, can we play video games?” Zack asked, making a beeline for the entertainment center.

  “That’s up to your mother, son.”

  “Mom?”

  “For a little while, I suppose. But be good,” she warned. “You respect other people’s things.”

  “Duh,” accompanied the roll of eyes sent her way. “We know, Mom. We’ll be careful.”

  “Good. And stop saying ’duh,’ okay?”

  “Would you like something to drink?” Sam asked, leading the way to the kitchen. “I’ve got sodas, iced tea, coffee, juice and water.”

  “Iced tea would be perfect, thanks.”

  “Coming right up. Have a seat,” he told her, indicating the bar stools set neatly at the counter. In short order he joined her, setting two glasses down in front of them.

  “Your house beautiful,” she told him, taking a sip of the refreshingly cold beverage. “You designed it yourself, didn’t you?”

  “I did,” he answered, surprised. It must have shown because Holly added,

  “Jess mentioned it once when she was at McGinty’s. You’re a very talented architect.”

  “Thank you,” Sam said, feeling his cheeks flush with pleasure. And a little embarrassment. He’d never been comfortable accepting compliments and, being a brainiac, there’d been plenty of them through the years. But it made him feel good that something he did impressed Holly. And that she remembered it. “Would you like to see it?” he asked nervously.

  “I’d love to,” she said, getting to her feet.

  Not quite sure how to proceed, Sam decided to take advantage of the situation and lightly put his hand on her back to guide her through her future home. If God smiled on him anyway.

  Holly made it clear that she thought the rest of his house was just as beautiful as what she’d seen so far. The rooms he’d come to think of as Zack’s and Billy’s had been first on the tour. Not much beyond a twin bed, matching dresser and desk in each but when he’d had everything decorated about six months before, it had been with them in mind. They could choose the decor they wanted later.

  But the master bedroom, which she seemed awed over, was finished. Holly had been his inspiration in here, going by the tasteful way she’d decorated McGinty’s, and her own home.

  It hadn’t taken a genius to see that
she favored a few specific colors, and so he’d chosen things in those she loved. From the green and mauve comforter on the king sized bed, to the green chairs flanking the fireplace that took up most of one wall, to the eggshell draperies at the two sets of French doors that led out to a balcony and master bath.

  “Oh my,” Holly gasped when she stepped into the huge bathroom. The sunken bathtub was more than big enough for two people, as was the glassed in shower stall. Plum and pale gray marble covered the floor, and plush, huge plum colored towels hung neatly from gold towel racks. “Sam, this is wonderful.”

  “Thank you,” was all he could think to say. Did she like it well enough to give up her home in town one day?

  “I guess I read too much,” she said with a laugh. “Books would have you believe that all bachelors decorate with browns, dead animals, and leather furniture.”

  “I wanted a home,” Sam told her, leaning against the edge of the sink and smiling down to where she knelt near the edge of the tub.

  “Well, you’ve certainly achieved that.”

  “Holly?”

  “Yes.”

  “I-” Maybe this wasn’t a good time. After dinner might be better, but the boys were occupied now, and if he didn’t take the bull by the horns, Boy Scout outings might be all they ever had. And he wanted more. So much more.

  “Sam?” He realized he hadn’t said anything for some time. Finally he walked and knelt down beside her.

  “I’ve-” He took yet another deep breath and, as with all the others, they didn’t help one bit. “I didn’t invite you and the boys over today just to thank you for your help.”

  “You didn’t?” she asked softly?

  “No. I like you, Holly. I mean I really like you. I have for a long time. And I wondered if maybe you might be interested in being more than just friends.” There. He’d finally said it.