The Chase by Jan Neuharth Page B

Kendall, who nodded and helped Samantha climb down off her lap. “That sounds delicious, Samantha. I wish I could stay for ice cream.”
    “Why can’t you?” Samantha asked as they walked towards the front door.
    Kendall glanced out the window and caught a glimpse of Jake waiting in her Jeep. “See that man out there, sitting in my car?”
    Samantha nodded.
    “He’s waiting for me to give him a ride somewhere.”
    Samantha looked out the window. “Who is he?”
    Kendall hesitated.
How should she explain who Jake was?
“His name is Jake and he’s your daddy’s friend. And he’s friends with Chancellor, too.”
    “How does he know Chancellor?” Samantha asked.
    Oh shit. That was a can of worms she did not want to open
.
    “Kendall,” Samantha said, tugging on Kendall’s dress. “How does he know Chancellor?”
    Kendall took a deep breath. She knew that Samantha would find out about Chancellor’s injuries at some point, so she might as well prepare her for it now.
    “When your daddy had the car accident, Chancellor was in the trailer, so he was in the accident, too. Jake helped take care of Chancellor.”
    “Is Chancellor okay?”
    “Chancellor is fine. He got a little bit hurt, but he’s at the horse hospital and they’re taking good care of him.”
    Samantha’s eyes grew wide with alarm. “Chancellor’s in the hospital, too?”
    “Yes, sweetie.”
    “But why is he in the hospital if he’s okay?” Her lower lip quivered, as if she were about to cry again.
    Kendall knelt down and put her arm around Samantha. “Samantha, I promise you that Chancellor is fine,” she said, forcing a reassuring smile.
    Samantha didn’t return Kendall’s smile, but at least she didn’t cry. She turned away and stared outside, leaning her forehead against the windowpane. “Is Jake a cowboy?”
    Kendall followed her gaze and saw that Jake’s cowboy hat rested on the dash in front of him. “Yes, he is.”
    “I’ve never met a real cowboy before. Is he nice?”
    “Yes.” Kendall supposed Samantha probably would think Jake was nice. Elizabeth had certainly seemed smitten with him.
    “Why’s he sitting in the car?”
    “It’s such a pretty evening, he wanted to stay outside,” Kendall said. The truth was, she hadn’t invited him in. Neither of them had spoken a word to each other since his outburst on the drive over.
    “Samantha, would you like to go outside and meet him?” Deb asked. “I met him when Kendall arrived.”
    Samantha turned away from the window and looked at Kendall. “Would that be okay?”
    “Sure.”
    “Can Emma come, too? I don’t think she’s ever met a real cowboy before, either,” Samantha said.
    “Of course she can.”
    “Let me go and get Emma from the playroom,” Deb said. “You two go on out. We’ll be there in a minute.”
    Kendall opened the front door and reached for Samantha’s hand. “Come on, sweetie. Let’s go meet your cowboy.”
    As they walked towards the Jeep, Jake opened the door and stepped out.
    “Jake, I have someone here who’d like to meet you,” Kendall said when they reached the vehicle. “Samantha, this is Jake. Jake, this is Samantha.”
    Jake held out his hand. “It’s very nice to meet you, Samantha.”
    Samantha smiled shyly and put her small hand in his. “It’s nice to meet you, too,” she said softly.
    “I told Samantha that you and Chancellor are friends,” Kendall said.
    “Oh, boy, are we ever.” Jake let go of Samantha’s hand and leaned back against the Jeep.
    “Kendall told me that Chancellor’s in the horse hospital but that he’s going to be okay,” Samantha said.
    Jake glanced at Kendall. “That’s right, darling.”
    The door to the house opened and Deb and Emma walked out. “That’s my best friend, Emma,” Samantha said. “I’m going to have a sleepover here because my daddy is in the hospital and my mommy is spending the night there with him.”
    “I heard about that,” Jake said.
    “Emma, this is