The Soldier's Sweetheart. Deb Kastner

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      The bell rang over the door and her parents entered, their faces eager with anticipation. They rushed forward all at once in a gibber of exclamations, trying to be heard over each other to be the first to welcome Will to Serendipity.

      Samantha reached for the Stay-n-Shop missive and tucked it under the counter.

      “You must be William,” her mother said, stepping forward to embrace the poor man, who looked dreadfully uncomfortable with the public show of affection. He froze at attention like a statue, his arms stiff at his sides.

      Her mother, with bountiful curves and a frizzy head of blond hair, was a good foot shorter than Will. At her tallest, she didn’t even reach the middle of his chest, but that didn’t stop her from exclaiming loudly and squeezing him in what others might consider an excessively friendly manner.

      To Samantha, it was just her mother being her usual outgoing, jovial self, not noticing how uneasy she was making Will and chattering on as if nothing was amiss. “Seth has told us all about you. We’re so delighted you’ll be staying with us.”

      Seth had told them about Will? And he’d be staying with them?

      Two more shockers in a long day full of them.

      Just lovely. Not only had Seth somehow arranged for Will to have a job at the grocery—apparently with her parents’ knowledge and concurrence, and without a word to her—but now he’d be staying with them, whatever that meant.

      Happily, whatever they were referring to, it didn’t involve her, not directly anyway, since she lived in her own apartment close to the store. Her parents’ house was empty most of the time, as they were working on their retirement dreams—building a bed-and-breakfast. They’d recently purchased some land along a gentle creek and were renovating several old cottages situated close to the water, but the cabins weren’t yet ready for habitation. Seth’s room was vacant, but surely her brother would never agree to such an arrangement. Many of his personal belongings were still in that room, untouched, souvenirs from his boyhood saved like a time capsule for when he was home on leave.

      “It’s good to meet you, son,” her father said, extending his hand to Will.

      “Thank you, sir,” Will answered, clearly more comfortable with her dad’s welcome than that of her over-affectionate mother.

      “It’s Samuel,” her father corrected in his typical booming bass. “And my wife here is Amanda. The only ‘sir’ around these parts is my pop, Grandpa Sampson, whom you’ll meet later, after you’ve settled in. We’re glad you’re here, and we’re grateful to God for your help, both in the store and with our cabins. They’re in dire need of repair before we can offer them to guests.”

      “I’m happy to be able to help you folks out and appreciate your offer of lodging, at least until I can get permanently settled.”

      So that’s what it was, then. Room and board in exchange for his carpentry skills. Not such a bad idea, though she still wondered why no one had bothered to mention to her that Will was going to show up at her doorstep and demand a job.

      Okay, maybe that was putting it a little harshly. Will hadn’t exactly burst in and demanded a job. More like he’d simply assumed it was there—which, apparently, it was.

      A simple “you’ve got a gorgeous ex-Army guy coming to work for you” would have been nice.

      Samantha chuckled at her private joke. After the day she’d had, she either had to laugh or she was going to burst into tears. This was a lot to take in, and in a short time, too.

      She pinched her lips, fighting the emotion surging through her chest, trying to sort out the mixed-up messages her heart was sending her brain and working not to give in to the indignant sense of betrayal she was experiencing.

      Had everyone purposely kept her in the dark?

      That stung more than she cared to admit. Why would her brother—never mind her parents—keep something this momentous from her? Did they not trust her? Did they think she wouldn’t welcome Will with open arms?

      She glanced at her parents, now speaking in soft tones with Will, and wondered if anyone would miss her if she slipped out of the store for a few minutes. She needed to vent to someone, preferably Alexis and Mary, whom she was certain would see her side of this situation.

      She pulled out her cell phone and used her thumbs as she texted: Gorgeous ex-Army guy just walked in.

      That should pique their curiosity. If she knew Alexis and Mary, they’d show up at the grocery faster in the hopes of meeting an eligible bachelor than if she’d told them it was a 911 emergency.

      She gazed toward the glass door, focusing on the sunshine. The sun always reminded her of her faith and it generally gave her peace.

      And it did, for a moment, until she caught the hint of movement from behind the candy aisle—and an adorable little girl appeared.

      * * *

      Will followed Samantha’s gaze to where his four-year-old daughter, Genevieve, was peeking out from behind the candy aisle. All he could see of Genevieve from where he was standing was the thick mop of black curls that she had inherited from her mother and the large, inquisitive brown eyes that were very much a reflection of his own.

      The scene would have been cute, he supposed, from virtually any other person’s vantage point—a curious yet clearly shy little girl hanging back to see how the adults responded before announcing her presence.

      She was a little darling, and she stole Will’s heart every time he looked at her, but the little girl’s gaze also caused him a moment of sheer panic.

      He was this child’s father. She depended entirely upon him, and he hadn’t given her any reassurance in this new and unfamiliar situation.

      His throat closed and burned from the effort of withholding the onslaught of emotion. It was difficult to breathe, and his pulse roared in his head. Shame burned his cheeks. In all the confusion, he’d forgotten to introduce Genevieve.

      She’d held back when they’d first entered, and he’d allowed her to stay near the door, thinking it would be easier for her if he served as point man. He supposed he’d expected her to come forward once he’d introduced himself to the management, so to speak.

      Instead, she’d hidden in an aisle and stayed there—probably waiting for him to reassure her that everything was all right.

      Which, to his chagrin, he had not done.

      She was a furtive little thing—Seth’s parents hadn’t even seen her when they’d entered the store. But that was no excuse on his part.

      This was not at all the impression he was trying to create with the Howells right off the bat, and most certainly not the way he wanted to treat his daughter. The fact that he felt entirely incompetent as a father was one thing. But he didn’t need to display his inadequacies for the whole world to see.

      Meeting Seth’s older sister had really thrown him for a loop. Seth was a good-looking kid, so it should have been no surprise to him that his sister was an attractive woman. Samantha had straight, thick black hair cut in an appealing pixie style that showed off the endearing curl of her ears. She shared her brother’s enormous cobalt-blue eyes, СКАЧАТЬ