After supper was finished, Sam and I washed the dishes as Father got the children ready for bed and Paddy went off on his own.
My hand touched Sam’s as I passed him a plate that needed to be dried, and the simple brush of our skin was like electricity as tension and awareness mingled between us.
He put the plate in the cupboard, and when he came back to the worktable, he stood a little closer to me as we finished our chores.
After checking on the children, who were in the bedroom that Hazel and I had shared the night before, we walked across the hall to our room.
Anticipation hummed through my body as Sam opened the door and let me precede him. The longing was so keen between us, I could hardly breathe.
The room was dark, and my heart was thumping wildly. The desire to be in his arms was unlike anything I’d ever experienced. There was something profound in knowing that I was his and he was mine.
“Do you remember that night I lay on the floor in your room?” he asked after he closed the door and slipped his arms around my waist. “After Bill foolishly tried to break into Bess’s Place?”
“How could I forget?”
“I didn’t sleep for a moment that night.” He drew me closer, and I went willingly. “I lay there and listened to the sound of your breathing, wondering what I would have done if something had happened to you.”
His arms were strong and gentle as he held me.
“And that was the moment I knew,” he said, lifting one hand to rest it on my cheek, “that I was in love with you. And from that day until this one, I’ve marveled that God brought you into my life, and I’ve wondered how I could possibly live without you, should that day come.”
I clung to the lapels of his shirt as he captured my mouth in a kiss filled with passion and longing. I responded, every part of my heart and soul melding with his as he deepened the kiss.
The sound of shattering glass downstairs tore me from the gossamer of fog that enveloped us.
Sam lifted his head and looked toward the door as more glass shattered.
He grabbed his gun and then said, “Go to the children.”
Panic filled my heart as he opened the bedroom door and disappeared.
I didn’t hesitate and ran into the children’s room. They were still awake and sitting up in their beds. Father stepped out of his room, fear in his eyes.
“What was that?” he asked.
“I don’t know. Sam went to look.”
There was a commotion downstairs, and then I saw a hint of light flickering off the base of the stairway.
“Fire!” Sam yelled. “Get the children out!”
Fire.
My heart fell as panic took hold. This wasn’t supposed to happen today. It was supposed to happen the day after my birthday.
“Hurry,” I told the children as they climbed out of their bed.
Father took Hazel’s hand as I grabbed Johnnie’s, and we ran down the steps.
“You asked for this,” English Jim yelled at Sam as the men circled each other. “You helped Rose run away, and I have a feeling you had something to do with Cole leaving, too. You’ll pay for my loss in income.”
“How will destroying my hotel pay for anything?” Sam asked as he sidestepped around a toolbox. Where was his gun?
Fire was already licking up the wall between the kitchen and the dining room, which had just been built that day. I frantically scanned the room and saw his gun in the far corner, making me wonder if Jim had hit it out of his hand.
“We need to put out the fire!” Father yelled.
“Where will we get water?” I asked, smoke already filling the room.
