Some Day Somebody by Lori Leger Read Free Book Online Page B

carpenter.”
    “I like working with wood... er ...lumber,” he added, cracking a grin.
    Carrie’s eyes sparkled with silent laughter. “Don’t ever stop trying to be funny, Sam. One day you’ll get it right.”
    “I’m forty years old.” He forced the tone of his voice into an exaggerated twang. “If it ain’t happened yet, chances are, it ain’t gonna .”
    “You big Redneck.”
    “Watch who you call a Redneck, Coon-Ass.”
    Carrie twisted her features in distaste. “Call me Cajun all day long, but never Coon-ass. Do you know the origin of that word?”
    He nodded. “It’s from the French word, conasse , a derogatory word the French used to describe people of a lower culture.”
    Carrie’s mouth opened in surprise. “I’m doubly impressed, Mr. Langley. With this,” she said, indicating the gazebo, “and the fact that you’re the first person since my dad to have answered correctly.”
    “Do I get an ‘A’ ?”
    She tapped her chin with her forefinger. “Let’s see. I may have to grade on a curve.”
    “How about a date?”
    “Maybe a B plus...” she began, before she stopped suddenly. “What did you say?”
    “I asked you for a date. You know, for answering correctly.” He stood and walked over to take a seat beside her. “How about it, Carrie? Is it worth dinner and a movie?”
     
    Carrie gazed at the sincerity in his face. “Oh...I...Ah,” she stammered, trying to shake off her surprise as her brain shifted into overdrive. All the reasons she shouldn’t flooded her mind, doing battle with her desire to say yes. Everything she’d seen of this man in the last few months told her Sam would be a good risk. Every thump of her heart reverberated in her chest, mimicking the three-pitch drums she used to play in high school.
    Sam raised his hand, his features tight. “Forget I said anything. I had no business thinking you’d be interested.”
    Carrie reached out to lower his hand, her voice strong and steady as she spoke. “Sam, look at me.” She waited until he lifted his gaze to meet hers. “It’s not that I’m not interested, but, there are things going on in my life right now that—”
    “No is good enough, Carrie. You don’t have to make excuses.”
    “I’m not making excuses, but your timing sucks.”
    Sam propped his elbows on his knees and clasped his hands together. “That’s a given.”
    She leaned forward until she could see his face. “My daughter, Lauren, is depressed about the divorce, and I’m worried about her. She’s been visiting the school counselor regularly, but between that and those damn phone calls—”
    “What phone calls?”
    “I’m sure it’s nothing...”
    “Is your ex threatening you?”
    “I don’t think it’s Dave. I’m not sure who it is. He never says anything. As a matter of fact, I don’t even know if it’s a he . I just know that...” Carrie’s voice trailed off as she remembered her early morning non-conversation with the mysterious caller.
    “It scares you?”
    “It does. And then, after the call,” She paused, not wanting to discuss this morning’s incident.
    “What?” Sam asked, stiff-backed and attentive.
    “Maybe it was coincidence, but our two dogs went crazy around three o’clock this morning, barking and snarling. I went out to check, thinking they had a raccoon or something cornered. Toto and Lucas were standing at the edge of the yard barking into the back pasture. When I called them, they both acted like they do in full protection mode, pacing back and forth in front of me, growling and staring out into the darkness.” She ran her hands over her arms, trying to shake off the chill at the memory. “I felt like someone was out there, watching me.”
    Sam opened his mouth to speak then closed it again. He pulled off his cap and ran a hand through his hair. “Well hell, I don’t know about you, but that sounds potentially dangerous. Maybe you need to get the hell out of there. I know that road you live on.