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did he mean by that?
    I spent the rest of the day catching up on laundry, playing with Prince Charming, leaving
Sam to himself. After dinner we watched TV for a while, the cat curled up beside him, then I said,
earlier than usual, "Time for bed. We gotta get up early if I'm to get you to your lady friend by
noon."
    "Yes, indeedy. And maybe we'll get a phone call."
    While getting ready for bed, I pondered his use of, "We." Was that the royal 'we', or, did
Sam have plans that might embarrass me?

Chapter 7
To Willamina, A Drop Back in Time
    Wednesday morning I woke to the smell of coffee and toast. Above it all floated the aroma
of bacon frying. Bed to bathroom to kitchen. An easy track. My kitchen is U-shaped. At the open end,
below the multi-paned window, is a table. Sam was setting plates as I came in. "What a treat!" I
said.
    He went back to the kitchen for the coffeepot and cups. "We'll see if it's fit to eat," he said,
as he came back with a cup in one hand and coffee pot in the other. "Coffee, Madam?"
    At my grateful assent he poured a cup.
    "Cream, madam?"
    "Sam, you are just a little too silly. No." I waved off the offer. "We don't have any
anyway."
    "I couldn't find eggs either," he said as he set our plates before us. He had found the almost
empty jar of orange marmalade that I hid from myself, to be used in emergency.
    "It appears that you are my emergency." I folded a piece of toast over a couple of the slices
of bacon and bit into the sandwich, alternating with gulps of the coffee.
    "Not sure what you mean by that," he said, while putting marmalade on his toast, "but
we've sure enough got urgency, this morning."
    I waited. Everything seemed to be right in my world. He kept smearing marmalade onto
every bit of toast surface.
    I caved first. "What urgency? The toilet, or the shower? Oh, please, I just can't stand to hear
that anything is leaking. Or worse." It had been a summer of plumbing problems, but I'd had
everything fixed.
    He wasn't talking about plumbing.
    "Willamina. We're going to Willamina. Today is perfect. Look out the window." He pointed
to the gorgeous scene just beyond the window. A light mist was rising from the river as the cool
water from the mountain met the warm morning air. I slid the bottom part of the window open to
take in the misty breath of the river. It was invigorating, carrying a hint of autumn.
    Sam stood up, empty plate and drained cup in his hands. "Whaddaya say?"
    I closed the window. He was right, it was perfect weather for a day trip. But I thought he
had other plans. "You want to take a country drive today? You've got your friend Kit to visit,
remember?"
    "I've taken care of that, talked to her this morning. We'll visit Kit tomorrow, or Friday, if
you've got the time."
    "Oh, heck! I've got more than enough time. Why are you so hot to go to Willamina? "
    "Magda's expecting us."
    "Expecting us?"
    "She said today about noon would be good."
    He took my cup and plate, put them in the dishwasher. "So, hop to it. You get your shower
and dressing out of the way."
    He closed up the dishwasher. "Why waste time?"
    I couldn't believe he'd already talked to her. But he had and he'd scheduled my day. Maybe
bringing him home with me wasn't a good idea. Action, he's always been about action and was
dragging me into his plan.
    Funny thing, I was ready to go. The events of the last few days had wakened me. I thought,
if going to see a quilter was exciting, I could increase my thrill--I have Len's number, too.
    It didn't take me long to get ready, but Sam was ahead of me. When I opened the car door
he was already in the passenger's seat. He was wearing a blue checked shirt that I'd not seen before,
paired with his khaki pants. His hair was combed, not something we always saw. His silver hair was
his true crowning glory, full and abundant and usually flyaway. Today he was looking spiffy.
    "Hey," I said, "You're looking good."
    "Oh, you say that to all your old cousins. People always tell me that I'm