Anne wasn"t so sure, but she kept her opinion to herself as she busied herself looking at a price tag. These clothes weren"t high end, but even so, she couldn"t afford them. She dropped the tag and moved to the next rack. She couldn"t remember the last time she"d bought something for herself. Necessities always came before desires, but someday . . .

Sam suddenly turned, breaking into her thoughts. "I"m not finding anything here either."

Anne bowed her head and sighed. "The only store left is one that handles used clothing."

Sam perked up. "Vintage?"

"I don"t know if you"d call it vintage," Anne replied with a chuckle, "but it"s the only store left."

Five minutes later, Anne found herself going through the dress rack at the used-clothing store with Sam.

Grabbing one of the garments, Sam held it against her body. The light lavender dress, covered with tiny, dark violet flowers, had a fitted bodice and a skirt that floated down to her knees.

"What do you think?"

Anne looked down at her shorts and T-s.h.i.+rt. "I"m not exactly a fas.h.i.+on plate-I think you"d better ask one of the clerks their opinion."

"You"re certainly tall enough to be in fas.h.i.+on," Sam answered with a grin. "You could"ve been a model."

Anne felt herself blanch and turned quickly away. "Oh, look at these," she said, swiftly changing the subject. She picked up a dark purple shawl, lying on a table near the dresses. "How would this look with that dress?"

Sam took the shawl. "Terrific. I"ll take it." She started to move away, but stopped. Moving to a rack of tops, she picked out an ice-blue tunic and held it up to Anne. "This looks great with your blond hair and blue eyes. You should get it."

"What? No," Anne said, with a shake of her head as she took the hanger from Sam, meaning to place it back on the rack. She paused and her fingers played over the slinky material. Silk, it had to be silk. She stroked the material with longing. She had never owned anything this nice.

Sam glanced at the price tag. "It"s a real steal-only seventy-five."

"Seventy-five dollars?" Anne quickly moved to hang the tunic back on the rack. "That"s about seventy-five more than I have to spend on something I"d probably never wear."

"I"ll buy it for you," Sam said, and grabbed the hanger from Anne. Turning, she headed for the counter. Anne"s hand shot out, stopping her.

"No you won"t," she stated in a flat voice.

"Why not?"

"I don"t need your charity."

"It"s not charity."

"Yes, it is."

"No, it"s not." Sam pulled away, still clutching the tunic. "I"m buying it, so quit arguing." Her face softened. "Look, I know I"ve been difficult. Getting this for you is a way to make up for it." She smiled. "Maybe then you won"t think I"m such a b.i.t.c.h."

Anne lifted her chin. "My regard can"t be bought."

Sam"s brows shot up and she eyed Anne with a smug look. "I know. And frankly, if it were for sale, I wouldn"t want it."

Chapter Fifteen.

I stroll along the lane, smiling at the people I meet. Vacationers. I lower my head so they can"t see the amus.e.m.e.nt on my face. They remind me of ants scurrying this way and that without purpose, looking for any morsel to cart back to the anthill. They try to make memories, try to find excitement, something that they can trot out once they"ve returned to their mundane existence to convince themselves that their sad little lives have some sort of meaning. But they"re wrong. Their lives have no pa.s.sion, and without pa.s.sion there is no life.

I lift my head, the walkers now safely away from me. My smile fades. That"s one thing I have to give her-at least she had pa.s.sion. Maybe it led her and those around her to destruction, but she did live her life. She didn"t run or hide from it. Not like Samantha.

Ah, Samantha-that little mouse, hiding away, thinking she"s safe. She wouldn"t know pa.s.sion if it hit her on the head. Oh, wait, that already happened, only it was a tire iron. I smirk. It"s too bad that she survived. It would"ve been better if her sorry life had ended then. But again, her life had already ended. It was over when she allowed her art to be stripped away from her. Since that time, as far as I"m concerned, she"s only been going through the motions, and her actions only show how powerless she is.

I"m near the cabin now and I stop and take stock. Yes, Samantha is weak, but I"m not. I"m strong. The weak exist as prey for the strong. And prey on her I will. She is worthless, but Lawrence Moore isn"t. The way I was treated was so unfair and I resent my forced retreat into a life I didn"t choose. I allow myself a sly smile. But with a man like Lawrence Moore backing me, no one would stand against me. If I could only figure out a way to take Samantha out of the equation.

A frown replaces my smile. I see a problem-a six-foot blond problem. Anne Weaver is gaining an influence over Samantha. And that just wouldn"t do. In order for any kind of a plan to work, I need Samantha to be dependent on me, not on Anne. So how can I squelch this?

An idea comes to me. I may not know Anne well, but well enough to know her vulnerable spot. Her son, Caleb. Caleb could be the tool to undermine Samantha"s trust.

Hmm. I turn and walk back the way I came. Not ready to go home yet-I need to think. The seed of a plan begins to take root, and I hum to myself as I consider the possibilities.

Chapter Sixteen.

When they arrived at the lake, Anne and Sam picked up Roxy and drove the short distance to Sam"s cabin. Anne hadn"t mentioned the tunic since they left the store and Sam hadn"t either. Sitting next to Anne, Sam slid her eyes toward her. She had surprised herself. The anxiety that she"d felt for so long hadn"t been present during their shopping. She"d had fun. Had Anne? Her whole att.i.tude over the tunic perplexed Sam. It was only seventy-five dollars, not as if she"d offered to buy her some designer bag for thousands. She really hoped that once they reached the cabin, Anne wouldn"t insist that Sam take it back.

Pulling up in front of the cabin, Sam gathered up her purchases and turned to Anne. "Greg"s well informed about dogs. How long has he worked for the animal shelter?"

Anne lifted a shoulder. "About five years."

"What did he do before that?"

"Um," Anne said, squirming, "he was a vet."

"Really? Here?"

"No, in the Cities."

"Does he have a practice up here?"

"No."

"Why not?"

Anne hesitated as she pushed the car door open. "You"ll have to ask him."

Getting out of the car herself, Sam opened the door for Roxy and, grabbing her leash, followed Anne. "You make it sound like it"s a secret."

"No, it"s not," Anne said, her voice short, "but it"s Greg"s story to tell, not mine."

Subject closed . . . together they walked to the cabin. Once inside, Sam carried her new clothes back to her bedroom with Roxy hot on her heels. She"d opened the closet door when Roxy wheeled and ran barking down the hall. Sam hurried after her. She rounded the corner to see Jackson and Fritz standing in the kitchen. Fritz"s face wore an amused look as he watched Roxy carry on while Jackson, his expression tight, admonished the dog to be quiet. Noticing Sam, Jackson pointed at Roxy.

"Get her to shut up, will you!" he exclaimed.

"Shh," Sam said with a snap of her fingers. The dog immediately stopped her barking and came to Sam"s side. Sam gave Jackson a triumphant look.

"You"d better teach her some manners," he grumbled. "We can"t have her carrying on every time we have guests."

Fritz chuckled and held out his hand for Roxy to sniff. She approached him cautiously. "I"m sure she"ll adapt, Jackson," he said. Squatting, he stroked her head. "Greg"s very particular about his strays and he wouldn"t have let Sam adopt this one if he hadn"t thought she"d provide a good home."

Jackson eyed the dog skeptically, while Sam felt a rush of grat.i.tude toward Fritz. It seemed that someone, other than Greg, had confidence in her.

"One thing about having a dog," Fritz continued. "No one will approach the cabin without Sam being aware of it."

"Lawrence isn"t going to like this," Jackson muttered under his breath, but Sam caught it.

She c.o.c.ked her head, her eyes drilling into him. "What did you say?"

"Nothing," he muttered, still staring at the dog. Suddenly his demeanor s.h.i.+fted and he lifted his head, smiling at her. "Did you have fun shopping?"

Okay, she thought, he"s making an effort. I will, too. Relaxing, she smiled back at him. "Yes, and I found the perfect dress for tonight."

His eyebrows raised in surprise. "Really? I wouldn"t have thought there"d be much of a selection around here."

Sam"s irritation sparked. "Why? Because we"re not in the Cities?"

Before Jackson could answer, Fritz broke in, turning to Anne, leaning against the counter. "Are you available tonight?"

Sam grinned. Anne was invited.

"See? Aren"t you glad-" she began.

"Megan can"t help serve tonight, so I"m shorthanded," Fritz interrupted, das.h.i.+ng Sam"s excitement. "Would you be able to come at six?"

Anne opened her mouth to answer, but Sam didn"t give her a chance. "Fritz, I invited Anne to accompany us," she said, smiling sweetly. "You said *the more the merrier," didn"t you?"

"Well, yes-"

Sam crossed to Jackson and linked her arm through his. You"d better back me up on this, she thought, keeping her attention on Fritz. "I haven"t been out much and I tire easily," she explained. "With Anne there, Jackson can enjoy the party without worrying about me. Isn"t that right, dear?" she finished looking up at him.

Jackson hesitated, then looking down at Sam, he smiled. "I always worry about you, darling, but I think it"s an excellent idea," he said, returning his attention to Fritz. "Not for my sake, but for Sam"s. She hasn"t had a chance to get acquainted with that many people around the lake, so I think having Anne at her side will make her more comfortable." He turned on a charming smile. "That is, if you don"t mind?"

Pleased and grateful for his support, Sam gave his arm an affectionate squeeze.

"Of course not," Fritz said graciously. "It will be fun having you as a guest, Anne."

"Thank you, Fritz," Anne replied, shooting Sam a knowing look. Shoving away from the counter, she glanced at the clock. "I"d better get home."

"I think I left one of Roxy"s toys in the backseat," Sam said smoothly. "I"ll walk you to the car."

Once they were off the porch and out of earshot, Anne whirled on her. "Why did you do that? I"ve never been to one of Fritz"s parties as a guest."

Sam snorted. "It"s about time that you were, then."

"I don"t move in Fritz"s social circle," Anne argued.

"Greg will be there, won"t he?"

"If he doesn"t change his mind at the last minute," Anne grumbled.

With a wink, Sam gave her arm a friendly poke. "Make sure he doesn"t." Her tone grew serious. "Please come-I haven"t been among strangers for a long time, and it would be nice to have at least a couple of friendly faces there."

"Jackson will be with you."

Sam shook her head. "Jackson"s like a b.u.t.terfly at these things-flitting from group to group. And now . . ." Her voice trailed away as her attention moved down to her leg. "I don"t know if I"m up to that."

Anne stopped at the car and placed her arms on the roof. "Okay, I"ll go, but I"m going to be nervous the whole time."

Sam chuckled. "Good-we can be nervous together."

In the bathroom, Jackson stood in the doorway watching Sam as she applied her makeup. His eyes met hers in the mirror. A lazy smile lit his face, and in the mirror, Sam saw that he was holding both hands behind his back.

Pus.h.i.+ng away from the door, he strolled toward her.

She turned and returned his smile. "What?" she said with a teasing note in her voice.

He took a strand of her short hair and rubbed it between his fingers. "It"s been a long time since we"ve gone to a party." Withdrawing his other hand from behind his back with a great flourish, he presented Sam with a long, black velvet box.

"Jackson," Sam said with a sigh, "you didn"t need to buy me a gift."

"I thought the occasion needed a little something special."

Quickly Sam opened the box and her eyes widened. A bracelet made of tiny interlocking gold leaves nestled inside. Sam held it up to the light with trembling fingers.

"The pattern is so delicate," she gasped. "It"s gorgeous."

Jackson took the bracelet from her and fastened it on her wrist. He finished by pressing a kiss to the soft skin above the clasp.

"Thank you," she said with a quick peck to his cheek.

Pleased, he smiled more widely. "Do you remember last fall, when we were at my old house, going over the restoration plans with the contractor?"