“She’s probably a little leery of you.”
“She shouldn’t be. I’ve done nothing but work my tail off for that committee.”
Sam stroked Libby’s hair and brushed the end of one long tress against his cheek. “Maybe she wonders about it like I do,” he said.
“About what?”
“About your dedication to that committee.”
He felt Libby’s body stiffen. She slowly pushed up and twisted around to face him. “Why would you say that?”
“Because of the proximity to Gwen.” He shrugged. “I guess I wonder if you are really over that part of your life. If you have turned the page, so to speak.”
She looked surprised. “Sam . . . of course I have. Isn’t it obvious?”
“It’s obvious that you want to,” he said sincerely. “But it’s a big turnaround in just a few weeks.”
Libby leaned back. “Don’t you trust me?”
He didn’t know how to answer that. He wanted to trust her. He wanted more than anything to trust her completely. He needed to trust her. “Yeah,” he said. “I do.”
And that’s what scared him.
Libby pulled herself up and kissed him. “Good. Because you have nothing to worry about. Even if I saw the kids, I wouldn’t do anything.”
She kissed him again, but something in her statement registered in Sam’s mind. And as Libby’s mouth began to move down his body, her fingers following the wet trail, he knew something was off in that statement. But his thoughts were lost in a haze of flesh and kisses, of fragrant skin and soft, dark hair, and it wasn’t until the next morning he realized what it was that bothered him. Even if I saw the kids, I wouldn’t do anything . . .
Sam had not mentioned the kids. Libby had. And that statement sounded as if she had thought about seeing those children.
He tried to give her the benefit of the doubt. To his dismay, he couldn’t do that completely.
Sam was also worried that Libby’s sister Emma was going to disappoint her. That she’d been in contact with the elusive Emma was a surprise to everyone. One evening as they had dinner with Luke and Madeline, Libby announced that Emma was coming to help her.
Madeline had almost spilled her wine when Libby said it. “What?”
“I called her,” Libby said. “I really want this race to be a success, and Emma knows how to organize them.”
“You called her and asked her to come help you and she said yes? Just like that?” Madeline asked.
“I know, I was surprised, too,” Libby said. “I thought it was worth a shot—”
“I mean, we’ve been struggling here, needing her help, and out of the clear blue, she decides to come help with the race?” Madeline continued incredulously. “That is . . . so wrong.”
“It’s a fundraiser for Leo’s van,” Libby reminded her.
“That’s great, Libby,” Luke said, and looked meaningfully at Madeline.
“I know, but . . . but we have needed her and she couldn’t care less.”
Madeline seemed bothered by it all night.
Later, when Sam drove Libby back to his house, he asked, “So what’s going on with Emma? Why is Madeline upset?”
“Oh,” Libby said, with a flick of her wrist. “Emma is . . . Emma. She and Madeline didn’t exactly hit it off when they first met.” She smiled ruefully. “She’s a very hard woman to understand, so I don’t blame Madeline for that. But I don’t take it as personally as Madeline.”
Libby’s attitude was short-lived. As the days piled on top of one another, and Libby couldn’t get Emma on the phone to firm up her plans to come, Libby began to take it personally, too. Emma’s silence was hurtful, and while she didn’t say it, Sam could see that Libby was bewildered by it.
He hesitated to ask about the race, but finally asked one night as they were cleaning the kitchen at the ranch. “How is the race shaping up?” he asked.
“Ugh,” she said with a shake of her head. “It’s harder than I thought it would be. I could really use some help.” She tossed down the rag she was using to wash dishes. “I don’t understand why Emma won’t call me back.”
“You might have to accept that she’s not coming,” Sam suggested, but the moment the words left his mouth, he saw the flash of emotion across Libby’s face.
“She’ll come,” she said. “Maybe I wasn’t clear enough about the time line.”
“Is there some way I can help?” he asked.
“Really?” Libby asked hopefully. “I really need to do this, Sam. They think I can’t. They think that I’m nuts.” She pressed her lips together and shook her head. “It’s a great idea, right? And I think it’s the only thing we’ve got to raise enough money in a short amount of time.”