Chapter Twenty-Two
"Wow.. You weren't exaggerating about the mess."
Zachary sighed as he slid from Blaze's back. "No, I wasn't."
Samantha swallowed hard as she looked at the pile of burned rubble and ash that had at one point been a home. Not much was left. A few charred timbers, smoke-stained remnants of the chimneys, and fire ravaged bits of crumbling furniture here and there.
"We'll have to get that cleaned up to make room for the new house. We'll just put it in the same spot, we can hook it into the cellar that's already there and the well is close by. No sense in putting it in a new spot and having to dig new wells and cellars."
Samantha nodded at Zachary's logic. Zachary reached out and took her by her hips, pulling her from Athena's back and holding her close to him as his gaze remained locked on that pile of rubble and ash. Samantha sighed, laying her hand gentle on his stubble covered cheek. "We'll make it a home, Zachary. Our home."
Those brown eyes turned to her before he bent down and pressed a tender kiss to her brow. "Yeah."
"Well, let's get the horses put up and get to work sorting through the rubble," Samantha urged. "There may be some things in there worth saving."
Timothy had stayed behind in town to ride out with the wagons delivering the building supplies later in the day. Zachary had also talked to Joseph Anders and the man agreed to put together a team of eight men together to work for Zachary, not only cleaning up the old house but also building the new one.
With those eight men plus Zachary, Timothy, and Samantha, Joseph Anders had seemed certain they could have all the work completed in about two weeks time. Of course, then they would have to paint, decorate and furnish the house to make it a home but Samantha knew it would have to be something they took one step at a time—if she focused on everything that needed to be done, she would get overwhelmed.
Samantha followed Zachary to the barn and marveled at how different it looked. New boards had replaced the rotting ones, the hinges and latches were new and gleaming, it didn't seem like the same building.
"It could use some paint but Tim and I have been working hard out here," Zachary admitted. "We have this barn done, the other is almost done and the corrals have all been fixed up. We still have to get the stable fixed up for the horses we'll breed and sell and fix up the other outbuildings...."
"Zachary?" Samantha cut in to stop his out of character rambling. It was obvious he was desperate to not only impress her but also assure her that this would be a good home and ranch for them. His mouth slammed shut and he rubbed at the back of his neck. She smiled. "Your parents would be proud of you and the work you've done. And so am I."
He simply grunted but said nothing. Once they settled the horses into the barn with plenty of hay, water and a bit of oats, Zachary led her to the blackened ruins of the farmhouse. "I'm gonna get started digging a hole to bury all this in. Probably over behind the barn. We'll use the wagon and the wheelbarrow to haul loads and dump them."
"It's going to be a lot of work," Samantha admitted, feeling a bit overwhelmed by the sheer amount of charred wood they were going to have to move.
"You don't have to help with this, Sam. There will be plenty of folks here to help me." He smiled as he took her hand and pulled her into chest.
Samantha felt that quickening of her pulse and that breathlessness in her lungs as she pressed herself against his warm, hard body with those strong arms holding her in an embrace that was protective and possessive and tender somehow all at the same time. Her mind instantly went to the bath they had shared the night before and the way his fingers had expertly taken her to heaven before he had laid her down in the hotel bed and loved her body back to earth.
A low growl rumbled from Zachary's chest before he swooped down and captured her lips. For several long moments, Samantha simply allowed herself to stay lost in the heat of his kiss. With a groan, she pulled away, placing her hands on his chest to hold him back when he attempted to come toward her again.
"Work. We have work to do."
Those dark eyes flashed with hunger. "I'd rather work on lovin' you."
The ache that rocked through her core nearly had Samantha leaping back into her arms but she somehow managed to stand strong. They truly did have work to do and no real idea when Timothy and the crew from town would arrive. Samantha knew if she let Zachary get started on what he had in mind it would take him hours to finish.
She winked. "How about we focus on the work we need to do here and then tonight I'll let you wash my back again."
Zachary's brow rose as his tongue ran across his bottom lip. "It's gonna be warm tonight and there's a nice secluded spot where the river gets deep not too far from the house spot."
"Sounds like the perfect spot for a bath."
"Yes ma'am."
Samantha gave him one last quick kiss and nearly laughed at his grumbling when she pulled away. "Okay, so you were going to dig a hole. Do you have two shovels? I'll help."
Zachary shook his head. "I only have one. They're bringing a few more from town when they come."
Samantha looked around. "So, what do you want me to do?"
A shrug followed her question. "I already told you I brought you out here for company."
Samantha sighed. She knew his motives were not quite that pure. While she knew that Zachary did indeed want to spend time with her, he also wanted to be able to keep an eye on her. He couldn't protect her if she stayed in town while he worked on the farm. Given his past, and the enemy they had in common, she understood his overprotectiveness. And she wasn't going to complain. She happened to like Zachary's company—and being near him gave her a sense of security she had never felt before.
"If I'm going to be here, I might as well be doing something."
Zachary sighed. His jaw tightened as he glanced toward the rubble. "You could..." he paused. "You could start picking through that mess if you want. See if there's anything that can be salvaged."
The pain she heard in his voice caused her own heart to ache. Zachary had burned that house for a reason and she didn't want to make him look through all the remnants of what he had been attempting to destroy.
"I can do that," she assured him.
His gaze finally returned to her. "You sure? You're gonna get filthy."
Samantha rolled her eyes. "I'm not afraid of working hard or getting dirty, Zachary. And, besides, we're washing off in the river tonight, remember?"
His calloused fingertips slid across the tender skin of her forearm. "Yeah."
Samantha sucked in a deep breath to steady herself, took a big step back and pointed toward the barn. "Go dig your hole. I'll see if there is anything worth saving before the men arrive to start hauling it away."
Zachary nodded and began to walk away. Samantha turned her attention to the house only to be stopped when he called out her name. "Sam? Be careful. There's probably nails. And it's not sturdy, you could twist an ankle. Hell, why don't you just let me do that and...."
Samantha placed her hands on her hips and fixed him with a glare. "Go dig your hole, Zachary Marston. I'm not helpless and I won't break."
"Dammit, woman, I'm just looking out for you," he muttered, rubbing his neck.
"No, you're being overprotective. Go."
With a grumble he turned and stomped off. Samantha felt a moment of guilt but pushed it aside. She knew that given all he had lost in his life, Zachary being protective over her was simply going to be part of their relationship—but there had to be limits. She wasn't a china doll and hard work wouldn't break her.
Deciding that she could tend to Zachary's wounded pride at the river later, Samantha focused on the job she had been tasked with.
***
Zachary stood straight and swiped his dirt covered forearm across his brow to clear the sweat. He'd been digging for a good two hours, and while the hole was coming along, it wasn't near big enough yet. But he needed a break. His shoulder was aching, the sun was hot, and he wanted to check on Samantha.
The damn woman. Getting angry at him for worrying about her. Zachary didn't see anything wrong with being cautious about her safety. Didn't she realize what he would lose if something happened to her?
Heaving out a sigh, Zachary hoisted himself from the hole he'd been digging and rolled his shoulder as he rubbed at the aching joint. His only consolation for the pain he was in, was knowing that the bastard who had shot him was feeding worms underground.
Coming around the barn, Zachary's eyes instantly sought out his woman. Her cream blouse and brown skirt were black with soot and her pale skin was streaked with ash. Zachary went to the barn, grabbed some tin cups from his saddlebags and made his way toward the remains of the house. "Come on, Samantha, it's time for a break."
Slowly she made her way out of the burnt remains. She pushed several sweaty red curls behind her ear and pointed to a pile of things she'd obviously pulled out to salvage. "I found a few things..."
Zachary shook his head. "I'll look in a bit. First, let's get you something to drink."
Taking her hand, Zachary led her to the well pump. He handed Samantha the tin cups before lifting the handle several times to welcome a spurt of cold well water. Samantha held them under the water, filled them, and then handed one to Zachary before pressing hers to her lips and downing it in several deep swallows.
Zachary watched her throat work as her lips pressed against the cup. He quickly cleared his throat, adjusted his gun belt and threw back his cup of water in one quick drink. That woman was temptation, and now that he'd had her body, all he wanted was more of it. But now was not the time. He could hear wagons approaching and voices on the breeze. He couldn't see them just yet but Timothy and the crew were arriving.
Zachary took Samantha's empty cup and tossed both down by the well pump. She let out a surprised gasp when he grabbed her arm and tugged her against him. He had something to say to the woman before they had an audience.
Wiping a bit of soot from her cheek, he pressed his forehead to hers. "I'm sorry I made you angry earlier, Sam."
"I wasn't angry," she assured him, her hands gripping his biceps. "I know you're overprotective...."
"Overprotective?" he grumbled. "I just want you safe."
"I know you do." Samantha pressed a quick kiss to his lips that left Zachary wanting more. Always more. "And if you'd have let me finish, I was going to say that your protectiveness is one of the things I love most about you."
Zachary smiled. "Is that right?"
Samantha laid her head against his heart and he wrapped his arms tight around her. "Yes. I haven't felt safe in a long time—probably since my mother died. But when I'm with you, I know it's the safest I've ever been."
Zachary swallowed hard against his rising emotions and buried his face in those dirty red curls, breathing in the lavender scent that still clung to them from the bath they had shared. "You are safe, Sam."
Zachary glanced up and realized the wagons had come into view. He sighed. "Time to get back to work."
Taking her hand gently, Zachary led her to the wagons as they came to a stop. Timothy jumped down, his laughter filling the air. "Samantha, well look at you all pretty in soot."
"Don't worry, Tim, by the end of the day we'll match."
He batted his lashes. "You think I'll be as pretty as you?"
Chuckles came from the men getting off the two wagons. Zachary stepped forward. "Back behind the barn I have a hole started. It still needs to be made quite a bit bigger to hold the mess. Half of you can take care of that and the other half can start unloading the wagons. We'll need them to haul things to the hole."
"And what are you going to do?" Timothy asked, as the rest of the men split off to do as Zachary had ordered them to—they were clearly eager to earn their five dollars a day.
Zachary pulled off his hat and wiped his arm over his brow. "Samantha pulled some things out of the ashes. I'm gonna look through what she found, figured out if it's worth keeping, and then we'll help y'all with whatever needs done."
Timothy frowned a moment and Zachary thought it looked like he wanted to ask something. He wondered what was keeping his usually overly inquisitive friend from simply saying what he wanted. Timothy glanced toward the pile of things that Samantha had set aside and scratched at his jaw. After several moments of awkward quiet, Timothy nodded. "Alright then, y'all have fun with that."
Zachary didn't miss the way Timothy's green eyes would no longer meet his as they stood there. His best friend suddenly seemed sad and distant. What was wrong? "Tim, you okay?"
Just as quickly as that sadness had appeared on Timothy's face, it was gone and he smiled. "Of course. Let's get to work. You aren't paying me to stand around."
"What was that about?" Samantha whispered once Timothy walked away.
Zachary scratched at his thick black hair before plopping his hat back over it. "I have no idea."
"Do you.." Samantha chewed her lip. "Do you think he wants to help you look through those things?"
His first instinct was to say no but he swallowed that response down and looked at his friends retreating back. "Should I have asked him?"
Samantha laid her hand on his arm. "I'll go get him and then I'll go in the barn and grab a snack from the saddlebags and rest a while until you're done."
"You don't want to go through what you found with me?" Zachary asked, his jaw tensing.
She let out a sigh, rose on her toes and kissed his jaw. "It should be you and Timothy. From what you've told me that was Timothy's family too and you're more brothers than friends. I didn't find much but there are a few things that might mean something to him—to both of you."
Zachary knew Samantha was right and he felt ashamed for not realizing it himself. Timothy had lost a family that day too and Zachary had never once asked the other man if he was okay. Hopefully, Timothy would forgive him for failing as a friend the last five years. He would make a conscious effort to be a better one.
Pressing a gentle kiss to her dirty brow, Zachary swallowed hard. "Thank you, Sam."
Her arms went around him and she rested her head against his dirt covered vest.. "You're welcome." Pulling away, she took a step back. "I'll go get Tim."
Zachary pulled a cigarette from his pocket and lit it, taking several long, slow drawls off it as he stared at the blue expanse of cloudless sky above him. Footsteps signaled Timothy's approach. "Hey, Zach. Sam said you needed me. Is something wrong?"
Zachary tossed down the cigarette and killed it under his boot. "Wanna help me look through that pile of stuff?"
Timothy's throat bobbed as his gaze went to the pile of charred belongings. "Really?"
Zachary reached out and gripped Timothy's shoulder. "I reckon you have a right to. They were your family too, Tim. I'm sorry I haven't been a good friend since that day."
Redness surrounded Timothy's green eyes. "I couldn't imagine going through what you went through and seeing what you saw, Zach. I'm sorry I didn't just come home with you that day. I should have just come home with you and you wouldn't have had to go through that alone."
Zachary's released his hold on Timothy's shoulder as his fists clenched and his jaw tightened. Images of that damn day flashed through his mind. He shook his head to clear them and took a deep breath. He'd never realized that Timothy blamed himself for anything or carried guilt over what had happened. "I wouldn't have wanted you to see it. There wasn't anything pretty about what happened to all of them."
Zachary stiffened when Timothy suddenly jumped forward and wrapped him in a hug. He felt emotion rising in his throat, but he fought it down and simply patted Timothy's back twice. Slowly, Timothy pulled away and swiped at his face, cleaning the tears that had stained his cheeks. Tears that Zachary chose not to mention—He had cried quite a few of his own since that day five years ago so he wasn't going to judge the man.
"Well come on then, Zach. Let's go see what we can find and share some stories about the best folks I've ever known in my life."
A/N: Brotherly bonding and healing. Samantha knew what her boys needed. I hope y'all enjoyed the chapter! I love reading your thoughts and comments so let me hear them!