Chapter 16
Sam
Samuel Allison had come to this wedding for one reason only, and it was to see Trinity Banks.
He loved Henry and Amelia, and it would be easy for people to believe he wanted to be there for the wedding and for no other reason, but that simply wasn't the truth.
He had been unable to get this woman out of his mind, and he had to see her again.
He had been hearing Judd and the others talking about going back to Montana for this, and he knew she would be here.
He casually invited himself, and the idea was welcomed by his friends, so he came.
And he had no regrets whatsoever. As of a minute ago, when Ty arrived, he was extremely happy that he had come.
He knew her appearance had changed. She had cut and lightened her hair.
She posted recent videos, and he knew what changes to expect in her appearance.
He did not expect, however, to be this mesmerized.
He was captivated by her before, when they were out here working together, but he hadn't remembered how much.
Or maybe he had blocked it in an effort to self-preserve.
Either way, he was entranced by Ty from the moment she came into the room.
He saw her hands and her body and her face, and the way she moved, and he was done for.
She had on jeans and a pink sweatshirt, and she was the sweetest, most precious thing he had ever seen.
Sam had seen the edits Alex did and the final version of the egg scene, and he was reminded of the connection they had—the electricity.
He still felt it. He wished Ty did. She hugged him when she came to stand with them, and he didn't want to let her go.
Her smell was intoxicating. Being near her was intoxicating.
She had called him a movie star when she hugged him, and it triggered Cameron to say something about his Tom Hardy movie, Echos, which would premiere in a month. The studio was pushing it.
Cameron mentioned one of the ads specifically. "I didn't even recognize Tom Hardy in that lighthouse scene," Cameron said, shaking her head. "He's good. I like him."
"I know," Ty agreed. "And he looks completely different in the lighthouse scene than he does in the scene that shows him in the woods. I mean, even the transformation within the movie is crazy."
"Yeah, he gained and lost forty pounds," Sam said, nodding.
Ty looked at him when he spoke, and he wanted to claim her in some way—put a scarf around her neck that said she belonged to him.
That feeling was only intensified by the fact that she had seen the ad with Tom Hardy in the woods.
It was an extended ad that the studio had released but had not yet sponsored.
It wasn't appearing on television or social media yet, and therefore it had far fewer views than the other ads for the movie.
But Ty had seen that longer one, and it happened to be the only one that Sam was in.
The fact that Ty had seen that one gave him way too much satisfaction.
Alex made a statement about the promotional materials for Paths Crossing, and Cameron and Judd said something to him about which clips they were going to use.
Ty's mom made an announcement saying that she had heard from Amelia and that she'd be arriving at the ranch in a couple of hours. Jen Sutter used the opportunity to announce that dinner would be ready in fifteen minutes.
Ty's aunt came over and started asking Ty a ton of questions about her work. She had a friend who had attended the John Mayer concert, and she was bragging on the experience. Ty's mom chimed in, saying that she was doing all that in addition to being a full-time student.
Sam could have sworn he saw Ty flinching when her mom bragged, and he wondered what she was thinking.
He wanted to be alone with her so badly.
His feelings had not subsided in the time they had been apart.
He was so hyperaware of Ty and driven to have her that he felt hot and agitated.
It took skill and patience to pretend to be nonchalant when all he wanted to do was tell her how wonderful she was and that she should be his from now on.
Sam listened to her family bragging about her, and it only served to stoke the flames.
The families and friends ate together. It was a large tray of pasta with salad and bread. Sam ate and went through the motions of being a good dinner guest. He asked questions, and he answered those asked of him. But he could not ignore Ty, try as he might.
They were seated at the table with Judd between them.
They were close enough that he could hear parts of her conversation.
It was torturous. He had to get closer to her.
He had no reason to believe things had changed with her since the last time I saw her.
She likely still wanted to be friends with him.
But they had a few stolen glances at the table, and Sam had hope that she felt something more now.
It was an hour or so later, and they had finished eating when Ty excused herself to go freshen up.
She talked to Jen Sutter about where she was staying.
Some of her family was staying in apartments on the other side of the ranch, but Ty would stay in one of the bedrooms in the house.
Sam heard Jen explain to her which one it was, and Ty took off, heading to retrieve her luggage and go upstairs.
Everyone was distracted and doing their own thing, so Sam easily snuck out of the room and followed her.
"Hey," he said quietly at her back as she headed down the hall with her bag. She breathed a sharp breath and turned. He had startled her.
"I'm sorry," he said, putting his hands out.
"Oh, no, I just didn't hear you," she said sweetly.
"I was just going to freshen up for the vows.
We're not in a hurry, though. Even once she gets here, she'll still have to talk to Henry and get changed and everything.
I'm thinking we won't be saying the vows for another hour, probably more, actually.
Jen said something about heading there at eight. "
Sam had heard all of that at dinner.
He smiled at Ty.
"I want to go over there early, but I definitely need to freshen up.
I only need like ten or fifteen minutes, though.
I think I might head over to the building before everyone else.
Jen said I could use the Gator if I wanted to go early and make sure it's set up how Amelia would like it.
She sent photos, and I know it's great, but I was just going to go there and see it.
" She was nervous and talking quickly, and Sam was absolutely entranced.
"I'm all about driving that little ATV. It's cold out, but not too cold for driving the Gator. I love those things. It'll be fun."
She paused and took a deep breath, and Sam stared at her, wondering what all this meant for him.
"Did you want me to go over there with you?"
"Oh yeah, that's why I told you my plans," she said, looking surprised. "Did I not say that? I'm sorry. I was trying to ask you… and whoever wanted to go early."
"Yeah, no, that sounds fun. I will head over there early with you." He grinned. "Me and whoever."
"Great. Okay. Did you need anything else when you came up here?"
"No, I-I guess I was just wanting to. I don't know what I wanted. Just to… talk to you, I guess." Sam rarely found himself in a state of being tongue-tied, but he was in one now. "I'll see you in a few minutes, though," he said. He bowed a little as he backed away and turned to walk away.
"Hey Sam?" she said at his back.
He turned.
"I'm glad you came here."
"Up here right now? Or on this trip?" he asked.
She shrugged a little and smiled. "Both, I guess."
He nodded. "Me too," he said. He was smiling as he turned and headed back downstairs.
Sam was so smitten he could hardly think straight. He went back into the kitchen and seamlessly joined the conversation again. No one even noticed he was missing. He came to stand in a large group of guys that were all standing around while Henry's dad told a story.
It seemed like it took an eternity for her to come back. Waiting felt like it took an hour, but in reality, it was about fifteen minutes.
And then there she was. She was dressed in a dressier sweater and some slacks with her hair pulled half-up in a clip.
The sweater was golden honey brown, and it shimmered.
Her pants, a darker brown, hugging her curves in a way that was distracting to Sam.
She looked unbelievably beautiful, and Sam did his best not to make it obvious that he was staring at her.
She made her way over to the spot where a large group of people was standing around.
Sam was close enough to hear her. "I'm going to head over to the building a few minutes early just to check everything out," she announced, mostly to her mom, but to everyone in the immediate vicinity.
She spoke a little louder when she said, "I think Sam was going to ride with me over there.
Does anyone else want to go to the building early? I'm heading over in the Gator."
Sam held his breath when she said that. He didn't want her to ask the group, and he hoped and prayed that no one would agree.
"When are the rest of us going?" Cameron asked like she was considering it. "I am glad they're doing it in the old building. I miss it."
"We'll head over in twenty," Jen said.
"Yeah, we might as well wait here since our bride's not here yet," Henry's dad said.
"Is everything ready over there?" Cameron asked, looking around like she was still considering going early.
"Oh, yeah, it's all set up for the ceremony," Jen assured her, nodding.
There was deliberation by a couple of other people, and they all felt bad about not helping Ty by going early. Sam wanted her to insist that she didn’t need help, but they all eventually relented and decided to head over with the rest of the family.
And within a few minutes, he was alone with Ty, riding as the passenger in an ATV.
There was a windshield, but it was open air, and it was cold out, thank goodness.
Being next to her made hot blood course through his body.
It was a short trip, though, and it wasn't as cold as he expected for December in Montana.
They glanced at each other as the cold air hit them on the way over.
"Henry said he and your sister are riding horses over here," Sam said.
She smiled at him and nodded. "They are.
I picked out my sister's dress, and it's comfortable and warm.
Anyway, they'll be fine, they have love to keep them warm," she added.
She glanced at him with a smile. Sam was looking at her, but he didn't let on what he was feeling. His expression was unreadable.
"I also came here to talk to Ash," Sam said, being casual.
"I heard you guys say something about that at dinner," Ty said. "Is he auditioning for a role?"
"Yeah, I think he'll get it. He and I would be co-stars. I have that new job starting at the end of March, and the casting director is having trouble with a role. He's got to be a singer-guitar player with a certain look, and I knew Ash would be perfect."
All of this was true, but the fact was, Sam had already talked to Ash about the role before he ever came on this trip. He only mentioned it so Ty didn't think he was just there for her.