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“But you said—”
“Honey, Mom only had three kids, me and my twin brother Russ, and Casey, our kid brother. Everyone else is a cousin or an aunt or uncle. And Mildred and Red.”
“I meant, how many people would be at your home?”
“Well, they all live there, but most of the kids are in college now, so they won’t be home.”
“You all live together? The house must be huge.”
“It is. But a few years ago, we built the bachelor pad for all us guys. We still eat at the big house, but we have our own rooms in the pad.”
She stared down the road, not saying anything.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, his gaze on her.
“It’s a little overwhelming. I’ve dreamed about having family, but it never occurred to me that some people had a small country for a family.”
Rich chuckled. “It all started when Uncle Jake, the oldest of the four brothers, decided someone needed to marry so there would be another generation of Randalls. He did some matchmaking for his brothers, Brett, Chad and my father, Pete. Dad married my mom, Janie. She was a neighbor. Chad married Megan, a decorator from Denver, and Uncle Brett married Anna, a midwife-nurse. Then, the three wives turned the table on Uncle Jake and he married Aunt B.J. She’s a vet. And then they all had kids.”
“And they all live together? Didn’t any of them want their own place?”
“Nope. You know that expression about it taking a village to raise a kid? We had our own village. There was always someone around to keep an eye on us. And some of us learned the hard way that we had to mind any adult. Even in Rawhide, we couldn’t get away with anything.”
“So you left home and went to the rodeo so you could get away with whatever?”
“No. That wasn’t the reason.” His upbeat tone had changed to something darker.
His tale had been so happy, so perfect, his dark expression worried her. “What happened?”
He sighed. “It doesn’t matter.”
“You’re the one who started this conversation. Did you start hating your family?”
“No! But Russ got a girlfriend and I felt…left out. It’s juvenile, I know, but my feelings were hurt. Russ and I had always done things together.”
“That must have been difficult,” she said softly.
“Yeah. And I didn’t value my family because I guess I’d always taken them for granted. When I got hurt, I realized how much I missed them. I’m ready to go home. I can be happy for Russ. Abby is a nice lady.”
“Good for you.”
“Yeah, it’s good I finally figured out what’s important. Don’t you miss that?”
“What?”
“Not having a home, a family.”
“It’s hard to miss what you haven’t had.”
That raw statement stopped the conversation. She concentrated on her driving, hoping he’d sleep for a while. Her emotions were too raw, hearing about his family and his life, a life she’d dreamed of too many times.
RICH DIDN’T SLEEP.
He was concerned. He wanted to help Samantha. He really did, but he had no idea how he could do so.
Of course he’d ask his mother to find her a job. But even if they found a dozen jobs, Sam might not take them. In fact, she probably wouldn’t. He figured she’d leave Rawhide real soon.
Not seeing her wouldn’t take her out of his head. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. She wore no makeup. She pulled her hair back in a ponytail. Her clothes were well-worn and inexpensive. Her nails were short and unpolished. But she fascinated him.
His cousins, the girls, wore jeans and T-shirts, too, but they worked on their hair for a quarter hour, at least. Their nails were manicured and polished. Even their toenails. They had their ears pierced and wore different earrings all the time.
In their closets, they had dress-up clothes, too. Fancy shoes. He was beginning to suspect Sam didn’t have much more than he’d seen.
He wondered if she’d asked about the traffic near Rawhide because she was planning on hitchhiking back into town. As if he’d let her. But that worried him most of all. Keeping Sam safe. He didn’t want her running into another Brad, wanting her, taking advantage of her.
Maybe he’d ask his dad’s advice.
He wasn’t asking Uncle Jake. He’d suggest Rich marry the woman. He didn’t intend to marry for a long time. He was only twenty-six. His father and Jake had both waited until they were thirty or so. Brett and Chad had married earlier. Because Jake had done some matchmaking. He was still fond of playing those games.
Of course he’d gotten caught in his own trap. After all his brothers had married, their wives had conspired against him. Not that Jake complained. He and B.J. were perfect for each other.
Rich leaned his head back on the pillow and closed his eyes. He was a little surprised at how tired he was, since he’d slept over ten hours last night. But it would pass the time.
When the truck pulled off the road about three hours later, he woke up. First he checked his watch. Then he looked at Sam. “What’s up?”
“I’m getting gas. I hope you still have money.”
“Sure,” he said, frowning. Leaning toward her, he saw the gas tank registered half-full. “Is the truck driving okay?”
“Yes.”
“So you just wanted to fill up?”
“Yes. Is that a sin?”
“Nope, but—”
“I have to stop. Coffee goes right through me!” she snapped, her cheeks flushed.
He grinned. “Well, why didn’t you say so? I could use a pit stop, too.” He chuckled as she glared at him. So independent, but embarrassed about having to stop. She was a character.
When he returned to the truck, she was waiting for him.
“What are we going to do about lunch?” he asked.
She stared at him. “It’s not even noon yet.”
“In half an hour. They’ve got some barbeque sandwiches inside. We could get some and eat while we drive. Or there are some picnic tables under those trees.”
“All right, I can get them when I pay for the gas,” she abruptly said and held out a hand for money.
“Naw, I’ll get them. You stretch your legs.”
She opened her mouth to protest, but he stared her down. He wouldn’t let her get the sandwiches because he knew she’d use her own money to pay for hers. He headed back to the little grocery store. Inside he paid for the gas and four sandwiches. He added chips and cold sodas. Then he picked up a bag of Hershey’s Kisses. He’d bet Sam didn’t treat herself often. He added a couple of apples so he could say he chose healthy things.
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