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  “What time do you need to be at the college tomorrow?” he asked.

  “My class starts at eight o’clock,” she said. “Lillian registered me online so I won’t have to spend time waiting in the office to do so.”

  “That’s good news.”

  “People are so nice here, Sam,” she said.

  He smiled. “Or maybe they’ve just taken a shine to you,” he said. He turned serious. “Now, listen to Dr. Sam . . . try to stay off your foot as much as possible, okay?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  He grinned and tweaked her nose. “I like the satin boxers, Annie.”

  She gave him a smug smile. “I know. You haven’t taken your eyes off them all night.”

  #

  Annie was almost asleep when the phone on the nightstand rang, startling her. It was Darla.

  “Oh, no, I woke you,” she said.

  “I hadn’t fallen asleep yet,” Annie said. “What’s up?”

  “Sam called and told me about your ankle. I wanted to check on you. Are you in pain?”

  “Not unless I do something stupid like try to walk on it. I’m just sorry that I can’t come in tomorrow. I hate leaving you in a lurch.”

  “Hey, I can handle it. Just as long as you can walk by the time the Okra Festival starts next week.”

  “I should be okay by then,” Annie told her.

  “I have another reason for calling,” Darla said. “Bo and I’ve talked about it, and we’ve decided to remarry.”

  “Oh, Darla, that’s wonderful!” Annie said, wanting to sound happy for her friend even though she had no idea if it was good news or not.

  “We want to tie the knot at the Okra Festival. Bo already contacted the people in charge, and they said we could do it Sunday afternoon in the gazebo on the courthouse lawn. They think it’ll be great publicity; they’re even going to have the band play the “Wedding March” for us.”

  “How romantic!”

  “And guess what, Annie? I’m going to wear your wedding gown.”

  “Correction; it’s your wedding gown.”

  “Then you won’t mind if I have it slightly altered?”

  “You may do with it as you wish.”

  “Bo asked Sam to be his best man not more than ten minutes ago. I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but Sam was the only person who visited Bo when he was behind bars. It’s because of Sam that Bo got out as soon as he did. Anyway, I was sort of hoping you’d be my maid of honor.”

  Annie was surprised at the request. She and Darla had only known each other a few days. “Oh, Darla, I’m touched,” Annie said. “But surely you have a best friend—”

  “She got married and moved to Ohio a year ago,” Darla said. “Now she’s expecting a baby in two weeks and can’t travel. What d’you say? Will you stand up with me?”

  “I’d be honored.” Annie was already wondering where she would find a dress.

  As if reading her mind, Darla brought it up. “You can go through my closet and choose anything you want to wear,” she said.

  Annie had a sudden mental imagine of her standing next to Darla wearing a dress with large sunflowers. “Um, that’s okay,” she said. “I want to buy something special for the occasion.”

  “Whatever you say, honey. Well, I’d better go. Bo is calling me from the other room.”

  Annie hung up the telephone and lay there for a moment, wondering where she was going to find a dress for Darla’s wedding. Perhaps she’d call the secondhand store and ask the owner to check and see if she had something suitable in her size for an afternoon wedding.

  It amazed her that she’d been in town only a short while and she already had a network of friends, each one unique in his or her own way. Winston Hartford would never approve of Darla and Bo, and he would find the ladies of the Pinckney Social Club quite laughable. He would make fun of Sam’s law office and used car business, as well as the Dixieland Café. He would view Sam as a shiftless fortune hunter trying to gain Annie’s affections and her inheritance because, heaven forbid that a man find her attractive and sexy.

  Of course, there was a good chance that Annie had lost whatever she had stood to inherit, she reminded herself. Oddly enough, she did not care, and she would tell her father as much when she saw him, because she knew, sooner or later, he’d show up on her doorstep. Nobody, his daughter included, was going to get away with making him look foolish, not only in front of his employees and customers but in the media as well. She was going to pay and pay big. But she was going to draw a line in the sand when it came to her new friends. They had done nothing to Winston Hartford, and Annie would protect them at all costs.

  Chapter Eight

  Annie was ready and waiting for Sam when he rang the doorbell at seven-thirty the next morning.

  “How’s the ankle?” he asked. “I see you wrapped it. Good idea.”

  “It doesn’t hurt like it did last night,” she said. “I’ve used ice on it twice this morning. The bandage actually helps. I’m hoping by tomorrow I’ll be able to work.”

  “I’d rather you stay off of it for a few days, Annie,” he said. “Right now I can help Darla when she gets busy, but we’re going to need all hands on deck for the Okra Festival.”

  Annie was too embarrassed to mention that she needed to make a living in the meantime.

  “Does that go?” Sam asked, pointing to a purple, oversized tote containing two spiral notebooks.

  “Yes. I found it in the hall closet. It should be large enough to hold my books as well. I’m hoping Lillian won’t mind if I borrow it under the circumstances.” She smiled. “It was either that or use a pillow case.”

  Sam grabbed the tote, opened the door, and held his hand out for the house key. Annie passed it to him, and, with the help of her crutches, managed to get through the opening. She waited on the outside landing while Sam locked up. He returned the key.

  “We could shave off a lot of minutes if you’d let me carry you down the steps,” he said.

  Annie nodded. “I know, but I really need to get the hang of these crutches.”

  “Let me go ahead of you, then,” he said, “just in case I need to break your fall.”

  “Gee, thanks for your vote of confidence.”

  He and Annie were so focused on getting her down the flight of stairs that they did not hear Lillian come up. “Oh, dear, what happened to your foot?” she asked Annie.

  Annie paused and looked up. “I fell off Kazue’s bicycle last night,” she said.

  “Oh, my goodness!” Lillian came closer. “Is it broken?”

  “No, it’s just sprained. I skinned my knee and elbow too. Real attractive stuff, if I may say so.”

  “Why didn’t you call me?” Lillian demanded.

  “Sam saw the accident and brought me home,” Annie replied. “Luckily, your mother left a First Aid Kit and other medical supplies behind, including this Ace bandage.”

  “Do you think you should have a doctor look at it?” Lillian asked. She looked from Annie to Sam and back at Annie.

  Annie shook her head firmly. “No, it’s much better this morning. Sam is giving me a lift to school. By the way, thanks for taking care of the registration process.”

  “I’m so excited for you!” Lillian said. “Now, go out there and break a leg.” Her eyes suddenly grew wide, and she slapped a hand over her mouth.

  “It’s okay, Lillian,” Annie said with a chuckle, “and highly appropriate given the circumstances.”

  “You’ve got my number,” Lillian told Annie. “Call if you need me.”

  They said good-bye, and Sam helped Annie into the passenger seat of his Jeep. It took only a few minutes to reach the college. Sam parked as close to the main entrance as he could get, then helped Annie out. “Go on in,” he said, holding the door open so she could pass through. “I’m going to park the car.”

  Annie entered the building and immediately saw a set of double doors marked admissions. Her crutches slowed her down, but she was determin
ed to do what she had to do.

  A tall, angular woman wearing an old-fashioned beehive hairdo greeted her when Annie hobbled in. “Hi, I’m Annie Hartford, and—”

  “Good morning, Annie,” the woman said, giving her a warm smile. “I’m Betty, and I’ve been expecting you. Lillian did not mention you were on crutches.”

  “I’m nursing a sprained ankle,” Annie said. “Nothing serious,” she added.

  “I have everything right here,” Betty said, “including the books for each class. Your Accounting 101 class starts in fifteen minutes. You’ll have a ten minute break before your Introduction to Business Concepts begins, but it’s just down the hall. If you think you’ll need assistance getting back and forth to your classes, I can assign a student, but I have a feeling, as pretty as you are, you’ll get an offer or two without my help.”

  Annie smiled. “Thank you, Betty,” she said. “You just became my BFF.”

  “Hey, we girls have to stick together.”

  Sam came through the door as Annie was paying for her classes. Betty took a long hard look. “Hello, there, Mr. Ballard,” she said. “Are you considering taking a class?”

  He pointed to Annie. “I’m with her.”

  “I see.” Betty gave Annie a receipt. “You’re all set,” she said. “Looks like you have everything you need.”

  Annie could see she was trying not to smile. Sam grabbed her tote; the added books weighed it down. They stepped into the hallway, and Annie checked her schedule for the room number of her first class. “I don’t have far to walk, it’s just a few doors down. My second class is across the hall.”

  “What time should I pick you up?” he asked.

  “The classes are back-to-back. I’ll be out by twelve-thirty.”

  “Well, at least let me carry your books to your first class, Miss Hartford.”

  “Why, thank you, Mr. Ballard.” She chuckled.

  “What?”

  “I feel like a kid again. I can’t believe I’m actually going back to school to learn something I can use in the real world.”

  Once they reached the door to her classroom, Sam gave her a pep talk. “Now, don’t be nervous,” he said. “I know it feels scary, what with it being the first day—”

  “I’ll probably be the oldest one in the room.” Annie had barely gotten the words out of her mouth when a white-haired man approached the door. He glanced at them curiously before going inside. “Maybe not,” Sam said.

  “Well—” Annie raised her eyes to his, and their gazes locked. “I suppose I’d better go in.” But she realized she had no desire to leave Sam at the moment.

  “Okay, listen,” he said quickly. “I’ll pick you up outside your second class. How ‘bout we grab lunch afterward?”

  Annie’s smile was sincere. “Thank you, Sam.” Without stopping to think about it, she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. He smiled and handed her the tote.

  Annie realized Sam was watching her. She squared her shoulders, but the walk from the door to the teacher’s desk was a long one, not because of the crutches but because she could feel everyone’s eyes on her; hear her father’s voice telling her she had no business getting an education; her job was to marry well and be an asset to her husband for the good of Hartford Iron and Steel.

  The white-haired man happened to be the instructor, Mr. Barnwell, who accepted Annie’s admissions slip and told her to sit where she would be most comfortable. “You’re behind by two chapters, Miss Hartford,” he said, “but you shouldn’t have any trouble catching up as the first chapter is a pretty basic introduction to accounting. If you have questions, you can discuss them with me after class.”

  Annie smiled and thanked him, then looked for a place to sit. She resisted the impulse to hide out in the last row; instead, she took a seat at the very front. To some it might not seem like much, but to Annie it was one more instance of her taking charge of her life.

  Class began. At some point she realized she was so engrossed in the lesson that she was no longer nervous.

  Sam was waiting outside Annie’s second class when she came out. A good-looking young man was carrying her tote. He paused at the sight of Sam and shot Annie a questioning look.

  “Thank you for helping me, Nelson,” Annie said sweetly. “You can just give the tote to my uncle.”

  The boy did as he was told, nodding at Sam quickly before returning his attention to Annie. “Take care of that ankle,” he said, and headed down the hall.

  Sam did not look happy. “Uncle?” he said.

  Annie grinned. “I was joking.”

  “You actually thought it was funny?”

  Her smile faded. “Obviously I was mistaken.”

  Sam started down the hall ahead of her. He wasn’t sure why he was so annoyed, only that he was. Annie tried her best to catch up with him so she could explain.

  “Hey, you don’t owe me an explanation,” he said. “I certainly wouldn’t want to cramp your style, what with you surrounded by all those young studs.”

  “Sam, you are overreacting. I was just having a little fun with you, that’s all. If it was in bad taste, I apologize. I would never intentionally try to insult you, what with all you’ve done for me.”

  “Oh, so you’re being nice to me because you feel indebted?”

  Annie felt like they were speaking different languages. “Perhaps I was feeling a bit giddy because I was finally able to do what I’ve wanted for years. I learned a lot today,” she added.

  Sam did not respond.

  “Okay, listen up, Ballard,” she said. “I’ve apologized. If you choose to stay angry with me that’s your choice, but you’re not going to ruin this day for me.”

  They had reached the main door leading out. Sam held one open so she could exit. Annie was glad to see his car parked beside the curb. Without a word, he opened it for her.

  They rode in silence. When Sam passed her apartment, Annie didn’t bother to inquire where they were going, since he’d invited her to lunch earlier. In all honesty, she would have preferred going home and propping her foot. A few minutes later Sam parked in front of the Dixieland Cafe. “We’re having lunch here?” Annie asked, thinking it odd since Sam had lunch there almost every day.

  “You have a problem with that?”

  “Of course not,” she said.

  Sam climbed out of the car and helped her manage her crutches so she could exit the passenger’s side. He walked beside her to the front door and opened it.

  She came to a sudden halt at the sight of Darla holding a cake with the word, “Congratulations,” scrawled across it. Lillian, Kazue, Ira, Cheryl, and even Flo and Patricia stood near Darla and yelled, “Surprise!”

  “What’s all this?” Annie said.

  “We’re celebrating your first day of class,” Darla said.

  “And we have presents for you,” Lillian told her. “Look, crayons and glittery stickers, and paste, and—”

  “We shouldn’t have to tell you this,” Ira said, “but you are not allowed to eat the paste.”

  Annie could not believe all the gifts on the table, just little things that hadn’t cost much but were priceless as far as she was concerned.

  Flo and Patricia gave a proud smile as they handed Annie their gift, a Barbie lunchbox.

  Annie was so genuinely touched it brought tears to her eyes. She turned to ask Sam if he knew about the party, but he had slipped out the front door. She watched him climb into his Jeep and pull away from the curb.

  “What’s his problem?” Darla asked.

  Lillian shrugged. “Who knows? Poor guy,” she added. “He’s probably sick of being around all this estrogen.”

  #

  Sam knew he had been rude by walking out on Annie’s little party, but he had not been in the mood for socializing. Even so, he kept looking up from his desk, hoping to catch a glimpse of Annie. Okay, so he had overreacted when she had referred to him as her uncle in front of the college guy who couldn’t seem to take his eyes off
her.

  Sam hoped Betty from the front office did not tell Annie that he had been sitting outside her second class for half an hour waiting for her to come out. He felt she had punched him in the gut by calling him her uncle, mainly because he feared that’s how she felt. Perhaps she wasn’t attracted to him. If that was the case, he needed to back off.

  Correction: He should never have gone there in the first place.

  The door to the Dixieland Cafe opened, and Lillian stepped out, holding it open so Annie could exit with her crutches. Kazue and Ira followed behind carrying a bag with her gifts. They helped her into Lillian’s car.

  That meant he didn’t have to run her home. Good. He had better things to do with his time. A pickup truck pulled onto his car lot, and a couple got out. Sam watched them, trying to decide if they were looking for a lawyer or a good used car. Finally, they made their way to a newer-model truck sitting on the front row. Sam shrugged out of his jacket, rolled up his shirtsleeves, and went to work.

  #

  Annie sat in the overstuffed chair in her apartment, her foot propped on a cushion on the matching ottoman, the ice pack pressed against her ankle. Not only was her ankle sore from being on her feet all morning at school, she was tired from struggling with crutches.

  Even worse, she was still down in the dumps after her spat with Sam. The fact that he had become so upset over her silly joke made her wonder what was really going on between them. Had she mistaken his kindness for friendship when there was more to it?

  A knock at the door made her jump. She pushed herself up, and hobbled to the door. She checked the peephole and saw Sam. She unlocked the door and opened it. He held up her tote.

  “You left this in my Jeep,” he said. “I figured you might need it.” He handed it to her.

  “Thank you,” she said. “I was so tired when I got back from the restaurant that I completely forgot. May I offer you something? A cup of coffee?” she asked. “Iced tea?”

  He did not respond. Instead, he stepped inside and pulled her into his arms. Annie was too stunned to do much about it, the next thing she knew he was kissing her. She dropped the tote as his kiss deepened. She sensed an urgency as he pulled her against him. When he finally released her and backed away, Annie had to grab the chair to keep from falling.