âI want to go.â
Samantha closed her eyes as the little girl was pulled away. Her arms slipped to her sides and Remington saw the tear trickle down her cheek. He reached for her hand and she laced her fingers through his. Mrs. Baker gave him an apologetic look.
âThank you all for coming. I do hope you can come back again.â
âWeâll make it a regular visit, if thatâs okay with you.â Remington pulled John up to his side.
âWeâd love that. Iâll give you a call.â
She walked away, rounding up the children and herding them inside. The workers helped, taking smaller children by the hands.
âAre you okay?â he asked as they headed for the back gate.
Sam nodded. âIâm good. I just didnât expect that.â
âNo, of course you didnât.â
They reached the driveway where his truck and trailer were parked. He gave her the lead rope for John Wayne as he opened the back of the trailer. Sam led John to him and the little horse stepped right in, heading for hay and water that were always waiting for him at the end of an event.
It didnât take five minutes to put away their props, close up the trailer and head out of town. They were driving when Sam spoke up.
âIâm sorry for being so emotional,â she apologized.
He glanced her way and saw that she was looking out the window. âNo need to apologize. I get that way, too.â
âDo you?â
âOf course. How could a person not get emotional, seeing those kids and hearing their stories?â
âYouâre a good man, Remington Jenkins. And Iâm sure youâre a wonderful pastor.â
âThank you. I think thatâs a compliment.â
âIt is.â
âThen youâll come sometime, to Countryside? Iâll let you sit in the front pew and make fun of me.â
âOh, thatâs tempting.â
âBut no?â
âMaybe someday. When youâre least expecting it.â
He drove a little while without talking, then he had to ask. âThe little girl, Jalee. She reminded you of yourself?â
There was a long stretch of silence on that long stretch of road.
âYes,â she said. âThat little girl reminded me of myself. I know how it feels, to want a mommy to hold on to. A mommy who isnât there. But that little girl has Mrs. Baker. Iâm so glad she does.â
âHave you considered seeing your mom? Gus said sheâs in Dallas in a nursing home. Duke found her?â
âYeah, sheâs in a home. She has dementia. And of course everyone thinks I need to see her. I need closure. But I donât. Iâm fine. I donât need to work through this.â
He disagreed, but he wasnât going to tell her. He guessed she probably knew she was wrong. âI would go with you, if you wanted.â
âI donât need someone to go with me.â
âOkay.â He left it alone. He was starting to see a pattern emerging. Sam the invincible, pushing everyone out of her life.
They drove a little farther as he tried to find the best way to break through the walls sheâd put up. âWhat happened, Sam?â
âWhat?â
âAfter you left. What happened? I know it hurt because I lived it, too. But why the anger?â
âIâm not angry, Rem. Iâm really just...â
âShut down?â
She shrugged a shoulder. âMaybe. No. I donât know. One day Iâm happy and living my life. And the next Iâm on a plane to an aunt who decides I need an altogether different life. Even my faith wasnât the right faith. I was a sinful, willful child, who needed to realize that God would probably forgive me, but it was going to take hard work on my part.â
âSam, she was wrong.â
âI know,â she said, her voice soft. âBut it felt as if she was right.â She pointed to an abandoned feed store. âYou should pull in