AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Listen to her, pet,” Bathsheba said. “Donella’s motherwasactually dicked in the nob, so she knows the signs.”
Samantha’s jaw almost hit the floor. “Your mother was . . .”
“Yes.” Donella lifted her eyebrows at Bathsheba. “Although we generally preferred to use less colorful terms.”
Bathsheba wrinkled her nose. “I thought our lass needed a bit of a jolt to pull her back from the edge.”
“I’m so sorry about your mother,” Samantha said to Donella.
“The poor old gal tried to kill Donella’s cousin,” Bathsheba said with her usual bluntness. “Luckily, the shot went wide and hit Donella instead.”
Samantha goggled at her. “That doesn’t sound very lucky to me.”
“It was just a graze,” Donella explained before leveling a stern look at Bathsheba. “And hardly the point.”
Bathsheba waved a hand. “Then you’d best explain the point, so she truly gets it.”
“The point is, dear Samantha, that you are not mentally unstable,” Donella said. “I realize that, at times, you may worry that you could be unwell. I used to think the same about myself when I was feeling melancholic or lonely.”
“Surely not,” Samantha protested. “You’re so utterly sane.”
“As are you. But there will always be mean-spirited people who gossip or accuse, and those voices can be hard to ignore.”
Samantha thought about that. “How did you learn to ignore them?”
“I listened to the people who loved me.” She grinned. “One person, in particular, told me I was daft to believe such nonsense.”
Bathsheba laughed. “That would be Logan, of course. Quite an interesting way of making his point.”
“It was, but it was convincing precisely because he mocked both the accusation and the accusers. Which brings me to my next point,” Donella said, raising her eyebrows at Samantha. “Did Braden in any way suggest that your actions indicate hysteria or an unhealthy obsession?”
Samantha shook her head. “No. And he believed me from the start, too. Although I will admit that he was quite fashed that I was going to Old Town by myself.”
“Typical,” Donella said. “Kendrick men are very protective of their women. Even now, Braden is doing everything he can to keep you safe from both physical harm and gossip.”
“But . . . but I’m not his woman,” Samantha managed to sputter.
Donella frowned. “Are you sure, dear? Because he’s been very blunt that we’re to do everything we can for you. When Kade made an exceedingly mild objection that perhaps five days was not enough time for him to prepare for a concert, Braden actually yelled at him. He said—and I’m quoting here—tobloody well start practicing. Since Braden never raises his voice, we were all quite astonished.”
“That sounds very promising,” Bathsheba said with approval.
Samantha could feel the blush go right up to her hairline. “Oh, dear. It’s actually very . . .”
She was about to say embarrassing before realizing that it was thrilling that he felt so strongly.
But then grim reality reared its head, and she remembered what she owed to Roger. What she owed to Braden, too, because whatever he might feel, or whatever she might feel, anything beyond friendship was impossible. She was too damaged, and a man like Braden Kendrick deserved so much more than she could ever give him.
She dredged up a smile. “You’re both so kind. I’m afraid, though, that what you’re suggesting is out of the question.”
“Oh, why is that?” Donella calmly asked.
“I’m not fit—” She stopped to correct herself. “I’m not looking to get married again. I loved my husband, and he was more than I could ever deserve.”
“Samantha, no one’s life is ever beyond redemption,” Donella said. “Or restoration, for that matter. Joy is entirely possible.”
Those gently uttered words sliced through her heart like a stiletto blade. It took her a moment to recover. “I don’t know if I believe that.”
Bathsheba leaned forward, her expression earnest. “Darling, you didn’t know me as I was years ago. I wasunredeemable, and I don’t use that word lightly. I didn’t start out that way, but time and circumstance made me so. I became a bad person, and I hurt people—good people. Compared to me, you’re an absolute saint.”
