Page 40 of If the Boot Fits

Unable to sit still a moment longer, Samantha lunged off the sofa and paced to the edge of the rug. She spun around with enough zeal to bell out her skirt as she pointed a finger at her father when he rose from his chair. “It’s your problem because as long as the older and wiser men of our society turn a blind eye to the bad behavior of their young protégés, nothing will change. Someone has to take a stand and demand integrity.”

She curled her hand into a fist and pounded it against the flat of her hand. “Why is it that when a man and woman have relations outside of marriage, the woman is a harlot, but the man is simply ‘sowing his wild oats’? Why is the woman’s reputation destroyed while the man escapes unscathed? Why is raising the child born from this union solely the responsibility of the woman when the man is equally responsible for the child’s existence?”

“Cool your kettle,” her father snapped. A muscle in his jaw twitched.

“‘Cool my kettle’?” That’s all the response he could manage? Samantha stalked forward. “What if it had been me, Daddy? What if Leroy Thompson had gotten me with child? Would he still be working for you?”

“He’d not be workin’ for anyone ’cause he’d not be breathing.”

The grumbled response injected her with hope, even though she knew he’d never actually harm another person.

She halted in front of her father and looked up at him, silently pleading with him to understand the severity of the issue. “Because what he did was dishonorable.”

Hard blue eyes stared down at her. “No, because what he did hurt my little girl.”

Samantha laid a hand on her daddy’s chest. “Ida Mae is someone’s little girl, too. It shouldn’t matter if she is personally connected to you or not. The crime is the same. If you would punish Mr. Thompson for hurting me, then you should punish him for hurting Ida Mae.”

“I’m not Ida Mae’s father, Sam. It’s not my place to get involved.”

Samantha’s hand fell away from his chest as her hope deflated. “I wish you were her father,” she said softly. “Then she’d have a safe place to raise her child instead of being kicked out the house with no way to support herself.”

Her father groaned and strode over to his desk. Bracing both hands on the mahogany surface, he leaned into the wood and shook his head. “You’re putting me in a tough spot. I can’t fire a man simply based on a woman’s accusation. If I confront him about it, he’ll deny that the child is his, and there’s no way for me to prove him a liar.”

Samantha balled her hands into fists. If only Leroy had admitted his guilt when Ida Mae confronted him. Then Samantha could’ve corroborated her friend’s side of the story. But the shifty skunk was too slippery for that. “I overheard him admit to . . . having relations with Ida Mae.” Speaking about it brought heat to her cheeks. “But he insisted he wasn’t Jimmy’s father. His tone was so smug, though, I know he was lying.”

Her father pushed away from the table and pivoted to sit on its edge. “Women’s intuition ain’t proof, Samantha. And even if he did admit to fathering the kid, I still wouldn’t have cause to fire him. Leroy’s actions weren’t moral, but they weren’t criminal, either. And while I agree that it’s unfair for Ida Mae to bear the consequences alone for a sin they both participated in, the truth is that she chose to give herself to a man not her husband.”

“Someone’s got to change things, Daddy.” Passion flared in Samantha’s breast. She flung her arms wide as she begged him to be part of the change. “Men have been covering for the sins of their brothers since Bible times. Look at the woman they dragged to Jesus. Scripture says she was caught in the very act of adultery. The very act. That means the man had to have been there. Yet they didn’t drag him to Jesus for punishment, only her. These were religious men. Pharisees. Men leading the church of that time. Men who knew adultery was just as sinful for men as for women. Yet they ignored the man’s sin and publicly disgraced the woman. They picked up stones to take her life. They would have killed her and thought themselves justified, their self-righteous fervor blinding them to their hypocrisy. Thank God that Jesus stopped them.” Her arms flopped back to her sides as she moved toward the desk. “If society is going to punish the woman, it should punish the man, too.”

“I’m not society, Samantha. I’m just one person.”

“But you’re a person in a position to take action. Someone who can demonstrate that integrity matters.”

How could she convince him? How could she make him see how important this was?

Then she saw it. The photo frame standing on the desk next to his hip. It faced away from her, but she knew the image by heart.

“What about Clint?” she blurted. “Do you want him influenced by men who think nothing of seducing women and leaving illegitimate children in their wake?”

Her father jerked to his feet. “Enough of your speeches. You see everything in black and white, right and wrong. But things are rarely that simple. You’re fighting for your friend, and I appreciate that, but there are layers to this that are more complicated. I might have the power to fire an employee on a whim, but doing so would undermine the trust I’ve fostered with all my other hands. If a man does his work well, his job should be protected unless there is proof that he broke faith with his employer. I need concrete evidence of wrongdoing before I can take action against him.”

“But—”

“There has to be a check in place, Samantha. I’ve seen the way Leroy flirts with the ladies, so I’m disposed to believe Ida Mae’s story, especially with you vouching for her, but what’s to keep someone who bears a grudge against one of my men from concocting some outlandish lie to sabotage his employment? What if someone accused you of stealing things from the houses where you tutored students? Wouldn’t you want the parents you worked for to seek proof before taking action against you? Our justice system is predicated on the idea that we must presume innocence and only find a person guilty when evidence proves him to be so.”

Some of the wind fell out of Samantha’s sails. She didn’t have any proof. Only Ida Mae’s word, which would be cancelled by Leroy’s lies. It was just so unfair!

“What about the love shack?”

The sound of Clint’s voice spun Samantha toward the hall. Her brother pushed open the door that had only been halfway closed and took a step into the room.

Good heavens! Had he overheard their conversation? Fire blazed in Samantha’s cheeks. She should have ensured the door was closed. He was far too young to be exposed to such talk. Mercy. Mother would be horrified. Not only had her daughter initiated a conversation that was completely improper for any unmarried young woman, but she’d exposed her innocent baby brother to it as well.

“Clint!” She scurried forward and tried to shoo him from the room. “You shouldn’t be here.”

He sidestepped and skewered her with a dark frown. “It’s Three Cedars business. I have every right to be here. How else am I supposed to learn to be a good manager?”

“But you’re too young to understand—”