Chapter 11: "A Budding Romance" (S3, Ep 1)

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In an attempt to steal a few minutes of privacy together in the middle of the beautiful afternoon, Cassie and Sam made plans to meet at the Middleton Botanical Gardens.

Their privacy was short-lived, however, when George unexpectedly happened upon them by the Middleton Merriwick. They chatted with him for a few minutes about the plant before they excused themselves for a walk through the gardens.

As they started on their walk, Sam looked over at Cassie with a smile and extended his hand toward her.

Cassie returned the smile and slowly reached toward him, slipping her hand into his. He squeezed it and they continued walking. They both felt it, that spark of electricity that rushed through their veins from the simple connection of their hands.

"How's your day going?" Cassie asked him.

"Well, up until 10 minutes ago, it was good," Sam replied. "But now that I'm spending time with you, it's moved into the great category."

Cassie smiled. "That's nice to hear. I can say the same."

"It would've moved into the excellent category if George hadn't interrupted us," Sam added with a smirk.

Cassie smiled, and as they approached a fork in the pathway, she picked the direction that led to an area that she knew was usually pretty quiet. As she expected, there was no one around, and trees and tall greenery surrounded them like it was their own little secluded hideaway.

"Well, I don't see George around at the moment," Cassie said, nonchalantly glancing around them.

Sam smiled at what she was implying. "If at first you don't succeed," Sam started.

"Try, try again," she finished.

They stood facing each other, smiling as their gazes were locked. They leaned in slowly, both savoring the moment of anticipation. Their lips met for a kiss that was soft but electrifying, and after briefly separating and sharing a look, they went in for a second, longer kiss.

Sam's hands started caressing her back, and his fingers brushed against her bare skin through the slit in the upper back of her dress. It caused a spine-tingling sensation that made her hum softly, and that sound alone made him kiss her with more intensity.

When their lips finally separated, they smiled at each other and his hands fell to her waist.

"So, how's your day now?" Cassie asked.

"Excellent day," Sam confirmed with a nod, smiling as he glanced down at her white dress. "And in case I haven't thoroughly expressed it, let me just say that you look amazing."

Cassie smiled shyly toward the ground, and then looked at him. "Thank you, Sam," she said softly, and then she glanced up at the sky. "It's a beautiful day today."

"Yeah, it feels good to get out and enjoy it," Sam said. "Do you want to walk around some more?"

Cassie nodded. "I'd love to."

Sam again offered his hand to her, and she placed her palm against his. His fingers closed around hers and he lowered their clasped hands between them.

"I like this," he told her, squeezing her hand.

Cassie smiled and squeezed his hand back. "I like it, too."

They started walking down the pathway, enjoying the time they had alone together. Cassie pointed out some of her favorite flower displays as they spent a few minutes slowly winding their way through the gardens.

Sam was making mental notes of the types of flowers she seemed to enjoy the most, knowing he'd soon be a frequent customer of Abigail's flower shop.

"So, you think that rare flower might actually bloom this year?" Sam asked her.

"I hope so," Cassie replied. "A lot of wonderful things happen when the Middleton Merriwick blooms."

"I can't believe there's a flower in town named after your ancestors and I didn't know about it."

"Well, there are probably a lot of things about Middleton you still don't know yet," Cassie said. "It'll take some time for you to learn it all."

Sam smiled. "Yes, well, it's a good thing I have a great teacher to help me."

Cassie smiled. "Oh, yeah? Who's that, Martha?" she teased.

Sam laughed. "That's not exactly who I had in mind, no. Any other suggestions?"

Cassie shrugged nonchalantly. "I guess I wouldn't mind volunteering for the job."

He stopped walking and turned to face her. "It would mean you'd have to spend a lot more time with me," Sam told her. "I hope that's okay."

Cassie wrinkled her nose a little as she pretended to consider that sacrifice, and then she shrugged again. "I guess that would be okay."

Sam smirked. "I appreciate your enthusiasm," he said. "So, what are your plans like this week?"

Cassie narrowed her eyes. "Wow. Anxious to get started on learning about Middleton?"

Sam laughed. "Well, actually, I was thinking more like maybe taking you out for dinner one night."

Cassie smiled. "Oh, that'd be nice. I think I can work that into my schedule."

"Great."

"And then maybe one night you can come over to Grey House for dinner. I'll cook," she offered.

"Sounds good," he said, and then he raised an eyebrow. "You do realize that I probably won't ever be able to cook you dinner in return, right? I think that's been firmly established."

Cassie smiled. "Oh, yes, I'm aware that your cooking talents are lacking a little, but I can help you work on them."

"Thank you," he said, and then he stepped a little closer to her. "In the meantime, I do have other talents I can show you." He rested his hands on her hips, happy they were once again in a relatively empty area of the gardens.

Cassie smiled. "Oh, you do, huh?"

Sam nodded. "Mmhmm. You want me to show you one now?"

"I do," she confirmed.

Their eyes were locked for a moment, and then Sam leaned toward her until his lips met hers for a gentle kiss.

As she pulled back from him, she pretended to think for a moment, and then teasingly remarked, "You know, I can't decide if I like that as much as I like the hand holding."

Sam laughed, but then said, "Ouch!"

"Well, you have to admit, those surgeon hands are pretty impressive," Cassie pointed out. "But I may consider letting you try again to upstage them."

"Then I am formally requesting a do-over," Sam said. "I'm gonna knock those hands right out of the competition."

Cassie smiled. She looked at his lips for a moment, soft and inviting, and she really wanted to feel them against hers again.

Although their attraction had been building for some time, it was only recently that Cassie had allowed herself to fully open her heart to what was developing with Sam. It felt good to stop ignoring her feelings and to finally embrace them, to start a relationship with him. She was experiencing things she hadn't felt in years, like the constant butterflies in her stomach when she was around him.

Sam was staring into her eyes with so much care and warmth that it made her heart start racing. Cassie tucked her purse under her arm, and rested her hands on his sides.

"Okay," Cassie whispered, giving him a nod. "Try again."

Sam brought his hands up to cradle her head, his fingers threading into the back of her hair. He pressed his lips against hers for a kiss that was deep and passionate and had her forgetting they were out in public in the middle of the day.

Cassie's hands gripped his sides like she never wanted to let him go, and she was disappointed when they had to pull back for oxygen.

As they separated, Sam moved his hands to her upper arms and rubbed them affectionately. "Better than the hands?" he asked with hopefulness.

Cassie smiled at him. "Better than the hands."

Sam smiled proudly, feeling vindicated. "Yes! I knew I could do it."

Cassie smiled in amusement at his reaction, and then she shook her head slightly. "You're cute."

"Thank you." Sam glanced down at his watch and sighed softly. "And I'm also running late. I have a patient soon."

"And I have to get back to the store," Cassie added. "So, I guess we should both head out."

Sam nodded in agreement. "I'm glad we had a chance to catch up."

Cassie smiled. "Me, too."

"Maybe we can catch up some more tonight?"

Cassie nodded. "Why don't you come over for tea?"

"Sounds good." Sam smiled and extended his hand toward her. She smiled as she laced her fingers through his, and they began walking down the pathway.

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The End.

Author's Note: Thanks so much for reading, I appreciate the feedback! I have some ideas for future stories, and hopefully will have a chance to write them down and share them soon. :)