Missionary Daddy by Linda Goodnight Page A

imagined Sam to be the woman he’d been praying for.
    His head whirled with a startling question: What would it feel like to hold Sam in his arms for real? To follow the dream that had begun on a faraway continent?

     
    Sam didn’t want to move. She longed to stand right here under the old shade tree with Eric’s side pressed to hers and her head on his strong, muscled shoulder. He smelled wonderful, like laundry soap and cotton candy with a tantalizing dollop of something entirely Eric.
    What had begun as a joke had taken on new meaning.
    The camera flashed, and Eric stepped away. Sam felt the loss bone deep.
    When Eric seemed unaffected, Sam decided she was full of nonsense today. Taking care of Gabriel had made her feel domestic, needy, as though her biological clock were ticking.
    Yeah, right. Her biological clock.
    She shook away the bitter regret. A busy mind had no time to dwell on what could never be. With a vengeance, she began reorganizing the wares inside the booth.
    “Is it okay if Jeremy and I go check out the rest of the picnic now?” Gina asked.
    “Go ahead. You’ve earned a break,” Eric said. “Just remember to come back and tell us if we’re missing anything great.”
    “Take a hot dog with you.” Sam quickly slapped together two dogs and pushed them toward the teens. “You’ve worked hard. You must be starved by now.”
    “Hey, cool.” Jeremy took both hot dogs in one long hand. “Thanks, Sam.”
    As the kids walked away, Jeremy offered one to Gina, who shook her head.
    The warning bells in Sam’s mind grew louder. Though she’d tried talking to Gina again, the result had been exactly zero. She’d considered calling the teen’s parents but they only knew Sam as a member of the notorious Harcourt family. And if she was wrong, everyone, including Eric, would be upset with her.
    But a nagging voice inside asked, What if you’re right?
    “You’re still worried about Gina, aren’t you?” Eric asked softly.
    She turned to find him watching her, brown eyes thoughtful.
    “Very. I know there’s a problem, even if you don’t believe me.”
    “Maybe I do.”
    She blinked, surprised. “But you said—”
    “I know what I said, but you’re not the hysterical type. You must have a legitimate reason for your suspicions.”
    She wondered when he’d decided that, but didn’t ask. Hearing the admission was enough—for now.
    “I’ve seen this kind of thing too many times in the modeling industry. Gina’s in trouble.”
    “What can we do?”
    “I don’t know at this point. She needs professional help, at least counseling and maybe even a treatment facility. I wish I knew her family.”
    “I know them. The Sharpes are good people.”
    “Would you consider talking to them about the situation?”
    He backed against the counter and crossed his arms, eyebrows dipped in thought. “You know more about this stuff than I do. I wouldn’t know what to say.”
    Sam sighed and stared up into the rustling leaves of the giant oak. A squirrel stared back and she couldn’t even muster a smile. Gina was killing herself and Sam was helpless to stop her.
    “Hey, don’t look so glum.” Eric gave her elbow a gentle shake. “I didn’t say I wouldn’t talk to the Sharpes. But I’d need help. Would you be there with me?”
    A weight lifted off Sam’s shoulders.
    “I’ll do anything to keep another girl from going through what I—” She stopped, bit down on her bottom lip, afraid she’d said too much.
    She had. Eric was far too smart and intuitive to miss the clues.
    His dark chocolate eyes searched her face, as understanding dawned. “You’ve been there, haven’t you? You’re coming at this from personal experience.”
    The lively noise of the picnic faded away as Sam considered how to answer. Across the way, a clown sold colorful helium balloons to a little girl with red ribbons in her hair. One of the balloons escaped and rose high into the sky. Sam looked up, following its