Melt Your Heart

Thanks for your review & comments on the previous chapter. I'm enjoying writing this one and I've got a lot of ideas I want to play with. We're in the middle of a heatwave here so it's nice writing a story set in the fall/autumn too! Hope you enjoy this chapter, Sam and Cassie might be on their way to becoming friends... ;)

Chapter 4: Breaking the Ice

Sam tipped out the remaining pumpkin curry onto a plate and put it into his microwave. Soon the same scent that had caught his attention at Grey House was filling his own kitchen. It tasted just as good as it smelled, too. Sam nearly burnt his lip he was in such a rush to finally sample whatever it was that smelled so delicious. Perhaps he would have to swing by Grey House on his way home more often.

He sometimes dropped in to see Abigail and they might have a coffee together, or beer if his shift at the hospital had run late. In a town like Middleton where everyone was so damn sociable, Sam had found a kindred spirit in Abigail. They both liked being a part of the Middleton community but sometimes it could be a bit much, and they found it was nice to unwind at the end of the day even if sometimes it was in companionable silence. He wondered if he would actually have to make his visits less frequent now that Cassie was staying there. If all of her cooking was this good, it was going to be hard to stay away.

He finished off the curry, not wanting the meal to end. He forgot what it was like to really enjoy a home cooked meal. He loved everything that Stephanie cooked at the Bistro, but he often didn't feel like stopping off there on his way home after a busy shift. Even if he called ahead for takeout, he could never get away without getting the lowdown on all the latest town gossip. Usually a frozen meal from his selection in the freezer was more appetising than enduring Martha for thirty minutes.

He felt like he had screwed things up again with Cassie, though. He couldn't quite say how or why, but he felt like she was a little frosty with him when that didn't seem to be her nature at all. Maybe it was because he could barely say a sentence to her without saying something she could see as offensive or critical. It didn't help that Sam was not a fan of children, to put things mildly. He didn't have anything against the twins, but he wasn't interested in being anyone's father figure either. He had accepted a long time ago that it wasn't in the cards for him, and he was quite happy to keep things that way.

He rinsed out the Tupperware tub the curry had been in, and left it to drain. He'd have to drop it back around to Grey House soon. His better judgement told him to do it before work tomorrow when Cassie would be taking the twins to school, but he kind of wanted to see her again. It would be better to stay away, he certainly wasn't interested in getting into anything with her and she was still grieving for her husband. But there was just something about her; something that made him feel things he had never felt for another woman before. It was as intoxicating as it was terrifying.

After Sam had left and she and Abigail had tidied the kitchen, Cassie took the twins upstairs for their bath. They were currently sharing the same room, something they had done at home but Abigail had said that since there was so much space at Grey House they could have their own rooms. Cassie wasn't sure the twins were ready for that yet. Their bond was stronger than even Cassie could understand and it was almost like they had their own secret language. She knew that wasn't uncommon in twins, but it seemed to have intensified between James and Catherine since they had lost their father.

She tucked them into their twin beds, and started to read a story. She had barely made it through the first page when she realised they were both already fast asleep.

"Big day, huh?" She said softly, leaning in to kiss each of them and make sure they each had their favourite stuffed toys close by. "It's been a big day for me too. I love you both."

She shut the door silently after her and went back downstairs to join Abigail in the sitting room. She was pleased to see that her cousin had already opened a bottle of wine.

"I know it's only Monday," Abigail said when Cassie stepped into the room. "But I figured you could probably use this today."

"Thank you," Cassie replied gratefully, pouring a healthy slug of wine into her glass. "It's certainly been a day; not a bad one but it's been a lot to process."

Abigail studied her over her own wineglass. She wasn't really one for compliments and flattering other's egos, but Cassie impressed her. She could have been a broken mess, but she was taking life one step at a time and handling everything better than she would probably ever give herself credit for.

"If you just want a quiet day tomorrow, to just potter around town and enjoy a few hours freedom away from two lovely, but exhausting five year olds…" She said instead, but Cassie was already shaking her head.

"I appreciate that Abigail, I really do but I need to keep busy. And I definitely don't want you, or anyone else, to think that I'm taking advantage of you and your hospitality."

Abigail pulled a face, setting down her wine glass. "Hospitality?" She repeated. "Cassie this house is as much yours as it is mine, and I've rattled around here long enough to know that it's too big for one person. I'll admit I didn't envision sharing it with children, but you're all my family and God knows I have precious little of those left."

Cassie was surprised by the force and passion in Abigail's words. Her cousin was full of surprises and not at all how she appeared on the surface, well not all of the way through anyway.

"I know it's only been a week, but the three of us already love being here. Middleton is exactly the kind of place I wanted to raise James and Catherine after I lost Jake."

"You don't talk about him much," Abigail said, curling up on the couch with her legs underneath her.

"It's hard," Cassie sighed. "We had mutual friends obviously, but there aren't many people I can talk to about him who knew him like I did. I try to talk to the twins about him, but sometimes they get confused and it upsets all of us."

Abigail very briefly squeezed Cassie's hand. "You can talk about him to me."

"Thank you, I appreciate that."

"Now," Abigail continued. "If you're not going to take me up on my offer a nice, relaxing day tomorrow then I think I'm going to put you to work here. You're a lot more, uh, friendly and approachable than I am, so I think you'll be perfect at greeting guests, taking bookings, all of that…"

"Okay, sure, sounds great." Cassie was already a little exhausted just thinking about it, but busy was good. Busy meant she didn't have to think too much about how she had ended up here, and maybe when she stopped being busy she'd realise she was settled and had a good life here.

Abigail had given Cassie a quick run through of the procedures for guests at Grey House, and then had left her to it as she rushed off to the flower shop. Cassie felt like it was all pretty self-explanatory, but she was a little nervous all the same. It had been easier dropping the twins off at school that morning, although the way they had raced towards Lori and the open school door had torn her heart a little bit. She knew it was good that they were already happy there, and that there had been no tears – theirs or hers.

She had spent some time going over the books, and they looked mostly in order. Cassie was hardly an accountant but it didn't look too complicated, and Abigail seemed to have been doing a great job. They both seemed to have keen heads for business. Cassie had always liked the idea of having her own store, like Abigail's flower shop, but she wasn't sure what she would want to sell.

While she waited for the guests to arrive, she decided to bake some muffins. The smell of freshly baked goods always made a place seem more welcoming and homely. It certainly did in the Bistro whenever Cassie walked in and inhaled the delicious scents. She put the radio on quietly in the background and absorbed herself in the familiar and comforting ritual of baking. She was so lost in what she was doing, she didn't even realise that she was singing along with the radio – something she had rarely done since losing Jake. Middleton seemed to be working it's magic on her broken, grieving heart.

She had just slid the tray of muffins into the oven when she became aware of a presence at the kitchen door. Surely she hadn't been so wrapped up in baking that she had missed a guest arriving? But when she looked up, it was her new neighbour who stood in the doorway. He hadn't expected to see her there either, thinking Grey House would be empty at this time of the morning and that he could just drop off the empty Tupperware without having to encounter anyone. Of course, he should have known better. If he'd known he was going to see Cassie, he would have showered and changed out of his sweaty running gear before bringing the container over. What he had thought would be a two minute task was now going to be an awkward social encounter. Knowing him, he would probably say something stupid to offend Cassie all over again.

Cassie had only ever seen Sam dressed casually or wearing the smart shirt and pants he wore to the hospital. Her mouth dried up a little as she took in his running shorts and the fitted t-shirt that clung to the outline of his muscles, damp patches of sweat showed that he had worked hard. The quick, sharp punch of lust caught Cassie unawares and it took most of her self-control not to panic. She hadn't had this kind of a reaction to a man since Jake, and she hadn't expected to feel it again and not so soon. She hadn't certainly expected to feel it for someone she wasn't even sure she liked, and was pretty sure didn't care much for her either.

"Uh, morning," Sam said, holding the Tupperware box out in front of him.

"Good morning, Sam,"

Unbeknownst to Cassie, he was also feeling very much the same way. Sam was far from immune to the charms of attractive women, and his good looks meant he was never short on female company, but he wasn't sure he'd experienced something as potent as this before. They didn't even get on though, did they? "I thought I'd better get this back to you in case you need it."

Cassie wiped her hands on a tea towel and accepted the box from him.

"Thanks,"

"Amazing curry by the way," God, why was this so awkward? "I'd ask for the recipe, but I'd probably burn the house down if I tried to make it."

"I guess you don't have a lot of time for cooking?"

"It depends if you call re-heating takeout from Stephanie or putting frozen meals in the microwave cooking?"

Cassie found herself laughing a bit. "I definitely don't, sorry."

Sam's face relaxed into a smile too, glad that they had somehow finally broken the ice. In fact, it felt more like the ice had melted.

"I didn't realise you'd be home," He apologised, remembering his sweaty and dishevelled state. "Abigail usually leaves this door unlocked so I thought I'd just drop it off while you were all out otherwise I would have showered."

"It's okay, I didn't expect to be here either but Abigail has me on B&B duty today."

"Something smells amazing again," Sam realised a scent was making its way to him that was stronger than the fresh sweat cooling on his body.

"I'm making cranberry orange muffins in case the guests want tea when they arrive later."

"I hope you're saving one for James and Catherine,"

Cassie was touched that he'd mentioned her children and that he had remembered their names.

"Of course,"

"Are they settling in alright at school? Middleton Elementary is a pretty good school."

"They seem to like it, I've cried more about them going than either of them."

Sam's lips twitched in another smile; one that warmed his eyes as he looked at her. He was a stubborn man, he often needed to be in his line of work but he could admit that he had been wrong about Cassie. She was a strong, independent, courageous woman and he was wrong to have suspected her of coming to Middleton to sponge off her cousin. Maybe, once he got his head back on straight again and remembered that not only was she a mother but recently widowed, they could become friends.

"I should get back," Sam said, although he didn't really want to leave now that things were improving between them. "I have to be at the hospital soon."

"Well, thank you for the Tupperware and I guess I'll see you around, neighbour." She smiled now too, the previous animosity she had felt towards him vanishing.

"See you around, neighbour."

The air may have cleared between them, they might be on their way to becoming friends but as Cassie turned back to check on the muffins, she had a feeling that things had only become more complicated.