Sea Glass Island (21 page)

He watched her walk across the room, every bit the confident, powerful woman they all thought her to be. He liked knowing that there was a hint of vulnerability just below the surface. He could relate. That’s how Samantha made him feel, too.

* * *

Samantha smiled as Judge Masters, an old family friend, performed the brief civil ceremony. Gabi and Wade looked as if they were unaware of another single soul in the room. The only time they glanced away from each other was when Daniella whimpered in Samantha’s arms.

“She’s fine,” Samantha reassured them, rocking the baby to quiet her.

The judge gave a nod of satisfaction. “In that case, Gabriella, do you take Wade to be your lawful wedded husband?”

“I do,” Gabi said, a smile on her lips.

“And, Wade, do you—”

“Oh, yes,” Wade said, jumping in.

The judge gave him a scolding look. “Hey, I don’t have that many lines. You could at least let me finish the ones I do have.”

“I knew where you were going,” Wade countered. “I was anxious to get there.”

Judge Masters chuckled. “In that case, let’s wrap this up. I now pronounce you husband and wife.”

Daniella chose that moment to wave her little fist in the air and let out a full-throated cry. Wade immediately turned and reached for her.

“Is that you approving of me and your mom getting married?” he asked the baby, who immediately gurgled happily.

Gabi shook her head. “I swear that girl has him wrapped around her little finger.”

“Looks the other way around to me,” Samantha said. “It’s kind of wonderful to see how they’ve bonded. As far as Wade’s concerned, biology be damned. That little sweetheart is his.”

“It’s pretty amazing,” Gabi agreed. “We’re so lucky, me and Dani. We’ve got the perfect guy in our lives.”

Samantha hugged her sister. “I’m so happy for you.”

“Me, too,” Ethan said, joining them and slipping an arm around Samantha’s waist. “And I have to say there’s a lot to be said for this whole impromptu wedding thing. Much less stressful.”

“Don’t get any ideas,” Gabi warned. “This is what Wade and I wanted. Samantha has her own ideas.”

“Not the time,” Samantha protested as Ethan turned a little pale. She patted his hand. “It’s okay. This little run of Castle weddings has nothing to do with you and me.”

“You have to admit, they’re going to be hard acts to live up to,” he said.

Samantha shook her head. “No, they’re not. The whole extravaganza thing suited Emily. This simple ceremony was exactly right for Gabi.”

He regarded her with apparent interest, no hint of panic evident. “And for you? What’s your dream wedding?”

“Sunset on the beach,” she told him. “Maybe in Hawaii or the Caribbean.”

“Even here?” he asked. “I understand we have a fairly long stretch of ocean nearby. Couples come from all over to take advantage of the setting. Weddings are a big industry in this area.”

“True, but we did a location wedding in Hawaii once on a soap opera I was on. I got to go for the filming. My heart’s kind of set on a destination wedding.”

He nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Gabi’s eyes lit up. “Interesting. He said that without the slightest hint of hysteria in his voice. Could it be he’s resigned to his fate? Even eager?”

“Could we drop this, please?” Samantha said. No matter how calm Ethan seemed, she knew he was nowhere near ready for that kind of leap forward in their relationship. Neither was she.

“Even more interesting,” Gabi noted. “You’re the one who looks a little shaken, Samantha.”

“I just think we’re all getting way ahead of ourselves. You and Wade have been together for ages. Boone and Emily, well, they’ve been in love for years. Ethan and I have only been acquainted for a couple of weeks.”

Ethan’s eyebrow shot up. “Acquainted? That’s how you see things?”

She elbowed him in the ribs. “I’m trying to get you off the hook. You need to cooperate.”

Gabi was openly laughing at the squabble. “I must say you’ve given a new definition to getting acquainted in my book, too. I think I’ll do a quick survey of the crowd here to see what they think.”

“You do and you won’t live to have a honeymoon,” Samantha warned.

“You don’t scare me,” Gabi retorted. She grinned at Ethan. “She used to utter all these dire big-sister threats when Emily and I were annoying her. She never followed through on any of them.”

“Times change,” Samantha said. “I learned a few secrets about committing the perfect crime when I was hanging around all those soap operas.”

“Okay, you two, stop fussing at each other,” Cora Jane said as she joined them. “This is a happy occasion.”

Gabi beamed at the reminder. “Yes, it is.” She met Samantha’s gaze. “I forgive you.”

“For what?” Samantha asked indignantly.

“Threatening me on the happiest day of my life.”

“Obviously I’m supposed to give you a pass for meddling, since it’s your wedding day,” Samantha grumbled.

“That would be nice,” Gabi agreed. “Especially since I only have your best interests at heart.”

“There,” Cora Jane said with satisfaction. “That’s the way it’s supposed to be. Now let’s go home and celebrate. Jerry’s already left to get the barbecue going.” She gave Gabi a stern look. “Your father has gotten you the bridal suite at his hotel on the beach. You and Wade will stay there tonight. Samantha and I will look after Daniella. No arguments, is that understood? And tomorrow Wade will move in, at least until you decide if you’re going to live in his house or find a new place of your own.”

Gabi enveloped her in a hug. “I’m glad one of us has this all figured out. I have to admit, I only got as far as picking today for the wedding.”

“The most important piece of the puzzle,” Cora Jane assured her. “And you can always count on family to have your back for anything else.”

Samantha knew that was true. And lately she’d come to count on it more and more.

* * *

The party for Gabi and Wade had wound up early, partly because Wade had been openly eager to get his new bride off to himself and partly out of respect for the early hours demanded of Cora Jane and Jerry to have Castle’s open just after dawn. Ethan took off, too.

“Do you think he looked awfully relieved to be getting away from here?” she asked her grandmother.

“Absolutely not,” Cora Jane told her. “He just saw that you’re going to have your hands full with Daniella since I need to get some sleep.”

“Sophia and I will stick around in case Samantha needs a hand,” Sam Castle volunteered. “At least until the baby’s down for the night.”

Samantha regarded him with surprise. “That’s not necessary, Dad.”

“We want to do it,” Sophia said, beckoning for the baby, then cuddling her in her arms. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had a chance to pamper a little one this size. Even the youngest of my grandchildren are in elementary school by now. The oldest is a senior in high school.”

Sam looked startled. “You must have been a child bride.”

“I was, and unfortunately my oldest daughter followed in my footsteps. When people lead with their hearts, some mistakes just can’t be avoided, it seems.”

Samantha had a feeling it was a topic Sophia and her father ought to be exploring in private, but she wasn’t about to leave them stuck with her job as babysitter. Instead, she turned to her father. “Maybe we could talk about that property,” she suggested.

To her surprise, Sophia’s eyes lit up. “Your father says you’re thinking of opening a playhouse. What a wonderful idea! You must be so excited.”

“Right now I’m more terrified than excited. I keep wondering if I’m biting off more than I can chew.”

“Don’t you dare think like that,” her father scolded. “If this is something you believe in, then you can make it happen. Sophia and I drove by the property earlier today. I think the location would work, but the house is in bad shape. Maybe we should get Tommy Cahill over there tomorrow to see if it can be salvaged. I can give him a call.”

Samantha nodded. It was the logical next step, even if she felt as if things were starting to move way too quickly.

“It’s too bad Emily’s not here,” Sophia said. “She’s an absolute genius when it comes to doing renovations on a tight budget. I wish you could see the miracles she’s performed with these safe houses.”

“She’ll be back next week,” Samantha said. “She can take a look then. I’ll definitely want her input.”

“But this is your project,” her father reminded her. “You need to be sold on the idea. Could be you’ll want to tear it down and start from scratch.”

“I don’t think I’ll have the budget for that,” Samantha said.

“You will,” her father contradicted. “It may make more financial sense in the long run. We’ll work it out.”

“Listen to him,” Sophia encouraged. “He’s very smart about these things.”

Samantha hid a smile at the faith Sophia clearly had in a man who’d been unreliable in so many ways for his family. Either she was starry-eyed, or this new leaf Sam had turned over ran even deeper than Samantha had realized.

Sophia glanced down at the baby in her arms. “I think she’s down for the count,” she whispered.

“I’ll take her up to bed,” Samantha said, reaching for her. “Thanks for sticking around.”

“We’ll see you in the morning,” her father said. “How’s ten o’clock?”

“I’ll meet you there,” Samantha said. “If Gabi and Wade haven’t turned up to take over with the baby, I’ll call to postpone.”

“They’ll be here,” Sam predicted. “I’m surprised Gabi hasn’t called a dozen times already to check on her.”

“She has,” Samantha told him, laughing. “Grandmother fielded the first half dozen, Ethan took a couple and I spoke to her at least twice before I told her I wasn’t answering the phone again.”

Sophia laughed. “I remember that stage. We all survive it. I’ll have to tell her that.”

“Please do,” Samantha said, turning for the stairs. “Good night,” she called back softly, but when she glanced their way, she noted they were gazing at each other in a way that suggested no one else mattered.

What, she wondered, was in this ocean air? The most unexpected love stories seemed to be unfolding all around.

21

A
s anticipated, Gabi and Wade arrived at Cora Jane’s just as Samantha was getting the baby fed.

“Some honeymoon,” Samantha commented when they walked into the kitchen.

“We’ll take a proper honeymoon later,” Gabi said, already reaching for the baby.

“When Daniella is in college, I imagine,” Wade commented, though his own gaze was on the baby, too.

“You do realize if this protective phase doesn’t wear off, your child is going to stage a teenage rebellion the likes of which this family’s never seen,” Samantha told them.

“This little angel?” Gabi said skeptically. “No way.”

“Just remember how you felt when Mom hovered,” Samantha said. “I fielded bitter complaints from you and Emily daily.”

Gabi stared at her and shuddered. “True, but I realize now that she was just making up for Dad being absent,” she said, the defense more automatic than heartfelt.

“It doesn’t change the fact that the hovering made you a little nuts,” Samantha said. “I’m just saying that even babies probably need their space.”

“Wait till you have one, then tell me that,” Gabi countered.

Samantha laughed. “Okay, you’ve got me there. I’ll probably be worse than you’ve even dreamed of being.”

“What’s on your agenda for today?” Gabi asked. “Do you have plans with Ethan?”

“No, but I am supposed to meet Dad and Sophia over at that property he owns to see if I could convert it into a theater. Dad was going to arrange for Tommy to meet us there.”

Wade’s eyes lit up at the mention of a renovation. Though he was making more money these days with his wood carvings that were shown in their new gallery, he still loved doing restorations and custom cabinetry. “What time?” he asked.

“Ten o’clock.”

“I’ll come, too,” he offered. “Won’t hurt to have another pair of expert eyes.”

“Great idea,” Gabi enthused. “I was going to take Dani to day care, then stop by the office for a couple of hours. We could all meet later for lunch at Castle’s. I can’t wait to hear what you think about that property. I’m so anxious to know that you’re moving forward and staying right here, Samantha. It’s going to be so great.”

“It will be,” Samantha agreed, finally allowing herself to get totally caught up in all the positives about making this move. “And meeting for lunch sounds like a plan. Wade, are you taking your own car, or do you want to ride over with me?”

“I’d better take my own car,” he said. “We’ll probably be heading in different directions at some point. I might even try to persuade my bride to play hooky from work after lunch.”

“There you go!” Samantha said approvingly. “The honeymoon phase lives on, after all. I’m so relieved.”

She caught the look between her sister and Wade and concluded she was intruding into that phase at this very moment. “I’m off to get dressed,” she said, but no one appeared to be listening. It was getting to be a pattern around here.

* * *

Ethan was relieved to find that he had a jam-packed schedule at the clinic Thursday morning. The afternoon would be taken up with a Project Pride field trip to Corolla to see the wild horses on the beach. With luck, there wouldn’t be a spare second in there for his mind to wander to thoughts of Samantha and that dream wedding she’d described.

As she’d talked, he’d found himself wanting to give her that. He wanted to be the man at her side when the sun slid over the horizon in a brilliant orange glow. He wanted to be the one starting a future with her.

And that had scared him to death. How on earth had he come so far so fast? Was this some kind of crazy Castle spell? Had he forgotten he didn’t believe in love? Had his memories of the pain it could cause faded, after all? He needed to figure all of that out, and he needed time and space to do it.

Not too much time, though. In his heart, he knew he couldn’t leave Samantha in suspense for long. Her own doubts would creep in, and what they’d found could be tainted, maybe even destroyed, if she thought he’d never make the necessary leap into the future she so clearly envisioned.

So, today, he’d have his space. Maybe tomorrow, too. And then he’d know, though how he expected to find certainty amid his own doubts was beyond him.

“You okay?” Pam asked, regarding him worriedly from the doorway to his office.

“Great,” he said, standing up. “Who’s next?”

Pam hesitated, then said, “Before you see your next patient, you probably need to see this. It may come up.” She handed him the local weekly. “Front page.”

He stared at the image of Samantha in his arms at Boone’s bachelor party, that awful cake behind her, then read the caption describing her as a stripper. He muttered a colorful expletive.

“I’ve already had a couple of people call to ask about that,” Pam said. “I thought you should know there could be repercussions. You know how some people are, always eager to spread a little dirt.”

Ethan didn’t want to believe his nurse could possibly be right, but he knew better. And if not for him, this kind of publicity could be very bad for Samantha’s plans to establish a new career here in Sand Castle Bay. He wondered how long it would take her to decide that this wasn’t the place for her after all.

“I can’t deal with this now,” he muttered.

“It’ll blow over,” Pam said in an attempt to reassure him. She regarded him worriedly. “Maybe I shouldn’t have shown it to you.”

“No. I needed to see it,” he told her, then added briskly, “Now let’s get started. We have a busy morning.”

“You don’t want to give Samantha a call?”

“Later,” he said tersely.

Pam looked as if she wanted to argue, but instead she sighed, handed him a file, then rattled off the information on the patient’s vitals that she’d gathered already. Ethan nodded, then plastered a smile on his face as he opened the examining room door.

From that moment on, his morning went exactly according to plan, with not a spare moment to be found. Only one problem. Samantha managed to creep into his head just the same, along with this new complication that seemed likely to doom their relationship. He’d always been a local golden boy, thanks first to his high school sports success and later to his war hero status. But he’d seen the flip side. He knew the damage negative press could do in a small town. Samantha, despite her relationship to Cora Jane, wasn’t a local. Folks wouldn’t cut her the same kind of slack they might cut him. And if that killed her plans for a new professional future, where would that leave the two of them?

Maybe it was time to admit defeat after all, cling to his last shred of pride and set her free to go back to New York where she belonged, where a story like this would barely register on anyone’s radar.

That was definitely the smart thing to do, the safe thing, he concluded.

But his heart didn’t seem all that happy about the decision.

* * *

Samantha showed up at the emergency clinic at lunchtime with a picnic basket filled with all the things her grandmother assured her were Ethan’s favorites. She’d begged off from the lunch at Castle’s, eager to share her news about her father’s property with Ethan. Her head was reeling, filled with exciting possibilities for the renovations.

When she walked in the door, she was greeted with a smirk by the receptionist at the front desk.

“You must be Samantha,” the twentysomething woman said. A name tag indicated she was Debra. “You don’t look like a stripper.”

Samantha paled. “I’m not a stripper. Where did you get that idea?”

“That’s what the paper said.”

Samantha felt a cold chill spread through her body. There was only one reason anyone would label her a stripper, the incident at Boone’s bachelor party. What on earth had made her think no one would ever learn the humiliating details of that night? While she doubted anyone had brought a camera to record the night’s events, every single person there had probably had his cell phone out seconds after Ethan had pried open that catastrophe of a cake, and she’d popped out in her revealing bikini.

“The paper?” she echoed with dread.

“Sure thing,” Debra said happily, clearly delighted to be the bearer of bad news. “Boone’s a big deal around here, and this wedding of his is getting wall-to-wall local coverage. If you ask me, though, that picture doesn’t do you justice. You’re much prettier. I think they caught you at a bad angle. And the lighting was all wrong.” She beamed. “I’d have done a much better job with that.”

Samantha’s knees felt as if they might give way. Though it was pretty clear what had happened, she kept trying to make sense of it. “There’s a picture in the paper?” she asked to be sure.

“Uh-huh. Haven’t you seen it?” Debra grabbed her copy and shoved it in Samantha’s direction.

It struck Samantha that Debra seemed a little too pleased to show Samantha the humiliating photo. In fact, her attitude bore all the traits of a jealous woman eager to get revenge on the competition. That, however, was something Samantha would have to explore another time, not in the middle of a very real crisis.

Samantha stared at her image. On the front page, no less. At least it was a local weekly. The bachelor party must have squeaked in right under their deadline. It was probably much more titillating than the wedding itself would have been.

“Oh, sweet heaven,” she murmured as she saw herself being scooped out of that ridiculous cake by Ethan, who looked as if he had all sorts of preferably dire fates in store for her. This was not a hero rushing to the rescue. It was a man operating on his last frayed nerve. He had been awfully testy, now that she thought about it.

Panic set in. Ethan had wondered about skeletons in her closet. Apparently he was going to be caught smack in the middle of this particular one. That night might have been totally innocent, but the newspaper’s spin sure made it sound otherwise.

“Where’s Ethan? I need to see him.”

“He’s off this afternoon. He’s always off on Thursday afternoon. It’s his day with the kids.”

Samantha stared at her blankly before it dawned on her that Debra was referring to the kids he worked with. She just hadn’t realized which day he’d designated for the outings.

“Of course. I should have remembered,” she mumbled.

It was clear, though, that Debra wasn’t buying her quick attempt at recovery. The girl gave her a pitying look that said she couldn’t possibly mean much to him if she didn’t know about his schedule.

“Surely he’s mentioned Project Pride,” Debra said, though the gloating in her voice suggested a level of superiority that she knew things that Samantha did not. “Today they’ve gone to see the wild horses up at Corolla.”

“I see,” Samantha said, though she didn’t see anything. She gestured toward the picnic basket. “Just give him that when he comes in and tell him I stopped by. Tell him we need to talk.”

The receptionist suddenly looked vaguely guilty for having given her such a hard time. “Won’t the food spoil? Maybe you should drop it off at his place later. Or you can meet the van when they come back from Corolla. That’s probably better. It should be here about five.”

“Sure,” Samantha said, eager to get away. “I’ll come back.”

Or not. Maybe today wasn’t the best time to see Ethan, after all, not with everyone in town probably ragging on him about that newspaper photo. She’d be lucky if he ever spoke to her again.

Another thought suddenly struck her. This was exactly the sort of thing that Regina Gentry had worried about when she’d warned Samantha that her behavior needed to be above reproach. That blasted picture and its implications could be just enough to sabotage all the plans she’d been starting to make for her future.

And if they were ruined because she’d done a stupid favor for her sister, Emily was going to be overcome with guilt when she found out. Just one more wrinkle in an already strained relationship that had finally started to heal.

* * *

Though she told herself at least a dozen times to stay away, at five o’clock Samantha was sitting in her car in the parking lot outside the emergency clinic when a large van pulled in. A half dozen parents milled around nearby, obviously awaiting its arrival, but none of them paid the least bit of attention to her.

As soon as the bright red van adorned with a Project Pride logo pulled to a stop, double doors on the side opened and a ramp was lowered to accommodate two wheelchairs and their passengers, who looked to be no more than ten or twelve. Next, three boys scampered down, one wearing a heavy leg brace, one on crutches and one walking with an awkward, stiff gait. What really distinguished them, though, and made Samantha’s breath catch in her throat, were the beaming smiles on their faces and their exuberant shouts as they caught sight of their parents. Words tumbled out in a rush as they tried to top each other with stories of the day’s adventure.

Ethan stepped out of the van next, a cherubic girl with a halo of curls in his arms. Samantha bit back a gasp when she saw that the younger girl was missing the lower part of her right leg.

Samantha got it all then. Sure, she’d heard about the kids he was determined to inspire, but she hadn’t really understood the depth of his passion.
This
was everything that mattered to him. It was what he’d meant by saying he cared about far more than the healing powers of medicine. This was the way in which he wanted to make his life matter, showing these kids that nothing could stop them from achieving their dreams.