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“I don’t need—”
He mumbled something under his breath in exasperation. “Will you cool it and listen to me? I know you don’t need my help, but maybe you’d be interested in what I have to offer.”
Sam clamped her mouth shut. Her arms were folded, and her eyes narrowed. He wouldn’t have been surprised to find that there was a piece of indestructible glass that had magically appeared between them. When she didn’t speak to him right away, he continued.
“What if I offered to take you in there, get you a couple new outfits, some new shoes, and a coat. We could get you a suitcase to put them in, too. Then I could help you get a job.”
Her brows shot up. “A job?”
“Yeah. I’m sure there are plenty of places around here that could use the help. Honestly, with two of my brothers moving out, I think we could use someone like you out at the ranch.”
Her lip curled into a sneer. “You think that with a snap of your fingers, you can change me? That you can bring me to a place like this, get me some new clothes, and just like that, I’ll be cured? My homelessness isn’t some plight that needs to be fixed.” With each sentence, her voice raised another octave. But it was when her face turned red that he realized his mistake. He shouldn’t have made the offer.
Maybe she would have been more open to it a few days down the road. But this was the first day they’d really spent together. It wasn’t even that he was trying to change her. He just wanted to help.
“Take me home.”
“But—”
“I said, take me—back. I’m not going to go on some shopping spree with someone who thinks they’re God’s gift to the world. I don’t need your help. I’ll graciously take the room you’ve offered for the night, and then I’ll leave.” Sam didn’t look at him after that.
Somehow, he knew that even if he tried to talk to her about what he was trying to do, she wouldn’t believe him. Or maybe that wasn’t the problem. She believed him, but she was offended that he wanted to change her.
Whatever the reason, it didn’t matter. Sam wouldn’t be swayed, and he couldn’t expect her to just go along with what he said because he thought it would be beneficial.
Who was he kidding? He wasn’t going to just sit here and be bossed around by the likes of her. She needed help, but she was being stubborn.
Henry pushed the door open, causing Sam to jump and stare at him with wide, unsuspecting eyes.
“Where are you going?”
He grabbed his hat from where it was on the seat between them and placed it on his head. Then he pointed to the storefront. “I’m going to get a few things in that store. You can come with me, or you can stay out here. I don’t much care one way or the other.” With that, he shut the door and strode to the entrance of the store.
Itching to stop and turn around if only to see whether she’d made a decision or not, Henry paused with his hand on the door handle. Then he shook his head. Looking back would most definitely make her dig in her heels harder than she already had.
Henry yanked open the door and went inside.
And immediately regretted it.
He glanced around the store that was clearly marketed toward women. He couldn’t see anything that resembled what a man in this town would want to wear. There were brightly colored clothing sections. On one wall was a selection of white and cream flowy outfits. In the back, at least, there appeared to be jeans and other options better suited to an active lifestyle.
“Hi! Can I help you?” A young woman approached him with a bright smile on her face. “Are you shopping for someone in particular?”
He glanced through the window at his truck, where he could see the silhouette of the exact woman he wanted to shop for. If only she would have followed him inside. Heaving a sigh, he turned to the woman and sized her up. His gaze trailed up and down her frame, and a grin spread across his face. “You’re actually pretty darn close to the same body type as who I’m shopping for.”
The woman hesitated, her smile less bright. “Sounds like you don’t know her size.”
“I don’t. But that shouldn’t matter, right? If you’re close enough and we get stuff that’s more…” He glanced toward the flowy clothing section. “Like that stuff over there. It would work, right?”
Her eyes followed his gesture, and when she returned them to him, she nodded. “Sure, those style choices tend to more easily fit different body types, within reason.”
He marched over to the wall and started pulling off shirts and dresses. He wasn’t sure what Sam was into. She might hate everything he picked out. But for some reason, that didn’t matter. Worst case scenario, he could bring back what she wouldn’t wear.
Most of what he picked out were lighter fabrics, so they could be worn in warm or cooler temperatures. When he headed toward the back, he picked out a couple pairs of leggings and one pair of jeans. Those were the only things he worried about.
After he checked out, he tossed the bags into the back of the truck and drove toward the store where he’d be able to get a hard-shell suitcase and a coat. Neither one of them spoke a word. Sam didn’t even insist that she wanted him to take back what he got.
That was the strange part. After all her insistence that she didn’t want help, he could tell there was a part of her that was curious. Maybe she simply wasn’t ready to accept the help that was offered.
