Lone Star Valentine (McCabe Multiples) (9 page)

The two older people exchanged a long, surprisingly in-sync look.

Harriett smiled. “Of course.”

Hands on her hips, Lily watched the older couple disappear into the converted barn. “Well, that wasn’t how that was supposed to go!”

Glad to be alone with her at long last, Gannon palmed his chest. “You mean you didn’t come all the way out here just to see me?”

She warmed at his teasing tone. “I saw you this morning.”

“In an official capacity,” he corrected.

Lily pivoted, and paced a distance away, her slender hips swaying provocatively beneath her business suit. “I’m here in an official capacity about the statue.”

“Why don’t you leave that to Emmett? He and my mom have a lot in common.” Gannon roamed closer, not stopping until they were only inches apart.

“Such as?” Lily asked softly.

For a moment, he let himself drown in the turquoise depths of her pretty eyes. With a shrug, he ticked off the common ground. “Love of art. Two intractable sons. Spouses now departed that they loved more than life.”

Lily inhaled deeply, looking as if she wanted to kiss him again.

And he wouldn’t mind if they did. “Give Emmett a little time to work his magic. Unless—” he paused to study her upturned face “—you have to pick up Lucas?”

She shook her head. “My dad is babysitting him at my house this evening. I was supposed to go with my sister Rose to pick up all the festival posters from the printing company in San Angelo, but she had to leave without me, since I had to take care of this.”

“Then you’re free for dinner,” Gannon guessed, not above taking the opportunity to romance Lily where he found it.

Looking tempted but wary, Lily flushed.

He forged on persuasively before she could refuse. “If you’ll help make dinner for the four of us, maybe we can all sit down together,” he suggested. “Figure out what to do about the fire statue.”

Lily’s expression grew even more troubled. “Move it and risk it crumbling—as all the insurance agencies are predicting it might. Or leave it where it sits and endure the constant commotion and complaint.”

Gannon realized neither option was good. Especially when the YouTube video making fun of the fire statue was up to a quarter of a million views at last count. His mother had worked long and hard to devote herself full-time to her sculpting and had finally make her mark. She’d made a name for herself all right, but obviously not in the way she wanted. “Exactly why we need a solution ASAP.”

Lily peered at him. “Do you have what you need to make a meal on the fly?”

He chuckled and wrapped an arm about her shoulders. “Obviously, you’ve never seen the Triple M Ranch kitchen.”

* * *

“N
OW
,
THIS
,” L
ILY
SAID
, in glowing respect minutes later, “is what I call a well-stocked larder.” A fact that made it all the easier to roll with the latest unexpected turn to her day.

The pantry held every staple imaginable. So did the freezer and fridge. All were neatly organized.

Looking as at home on the ranch as he had been in his loft, Gannon pulled out a plump roasting hen wrapped in butcher paper. “Beer-can chicken sound good to you?”

Almost as good as another evening spent with you
. Lily smiled. “Very.”

Gannon took a half dozen spices out of the rack. He measured salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, Mexican oregano and chili powder into the bowl and stirred it into an aromatic mix. “How about I handle that, then, and you do the sides?”

“No problem.” Lily selected several yellow squash and two zucchinis, a sweet onion, a bunch of baby carrots and some nice-looking red potatoes. She washed them all, then lined them up on the cutting board. “Should I roast these in the oven or put them on the grill?”

Gannon rubbed the spices into the chicken. “We’ve got room on the grill.”

Lily held the door to the stone patio for him. “How long does it take to roast?”

“An hour and a half.” Gannon poured half the beer into a glass, then set the half-full can on the grate, the chicken in a standing position straddling the can. Satisfied, he shut the lid on the gas grill, drank half the remaining beer, then offered her the rest.

It was smooth and mellow, and icy cold. “Nice.”

His glance moved over her lazily. “Want another?”

Tingling all over, Lily said, “Sure.”

They went back into the kitchen. While Gannon opened up two long-necked bottles of beer, Lily went back to dicing vegetables. She had just tossed them in olive oil and seasoned them with salt and pepper when Harriett and Emmett walked in and announced they were leaving immediately for Fort Worth. “Emmett wants to show me a work in progress at his art museum,” Gannon’s mother explained with a serene smile.

Unable to help herself, Lily sputtered, “But we were making dinner for everyone!” She had been counting on having chaperones.

Emmett shrugged. “You two go on without us.”

That was the problem. Lily feared they would. And not platonically, either.

Oblivious to her worries, Harriett pivoted for the stairs. “I’ll just be a minute.”

As soon as the three of them were alone, Lily asked Emmett, “Were you able to talk to her about moving her art?”

Emmett shook his head. “Not yet.” The oilman took in Lily’s worried expression. “Not to worry. I will.”

Hearing footsteps on the stairs, he headed for the foyer. The two older people called their goodbyes. A door shut. A motor started. And then...only silence. Lily turned to Gannon, still a little shocked. “What just happened here?” she asked.

Gannon rubbed the underside of his jaw with the flat of his hand. “Hell if I know,” he drawled, blue eyes twinkling. “But Emmett seems to have the situation well under control. Maybe I should take a page from his book.”

Chapter Eight

Lily caught her breath as Gannon stepped toward her, mischief in his eyes. “What are you doing?”

He grinned. “Picking up where we left off before a dozen other things got in the way.” The epitome of masculine confidence, he took her into his arms and tilted her face up to his. “Stating my intentions about where I’d like this relationship to go.”

And that was right into dangerous territory. Into a place that carried the promise of unimaginable pleasure and staggering heartbreak.

Afraid if he kissed her again, she really would lose herself in this moment—this man—to disastrous result, Lily spread her hands across his chest. “Listen to me, cowboy,” she warned breathlessly, “this is
not
the time to be reckless.”

“Good,” he chuckled.

Midnight-blue eyes shuttering to half-mast, he vowed in a low, husky voice that further stirred her senses, “Because I’m serious in my pursuit of you.”

How long had she waited to hear those very words? Still, Lily moaned in protest. “Gannon...”

He smiled as she said his name. “Lily...” He lowered his lips and kissed her, even more amorously this time.

His chest was so hard and warm, the arms he had wrapped around her so tender, yet strong. Where her breasts pressed against him, she could feel the strong, steady thrumming of his heart beating in harmony to hers. Lower still, there was a tingling need. And then they kissed, over and over again, as if kissing were an end in itself. As if kissing would make everything that had ever held them apart fall away.

Unable to help herself, Lily melted against him and brought him even closer, lifting her lips to his, savoring the hot, dark, masculine taste of him.

Gannon hadn’t intended to put the moves on her tonight. He hadn’t expected to be alone with her.

But something in the achingly vulnerable way she had looked at him had told him that if he didn’t make his romantic intentions clear, here and now, the walls she had been busy erecting around her heart would grow ever higher and ever stronger.

He had missed his chance with Lily once, out of a combination of stubbornness and pride. He wasn’t going to miss another. Because he knew now, even if she wouldn’t admit it to herself, that the two of them were bound to be together. She filled a void in his life that he hadn’t even known existed while slaving away at his job 24/7. And he was pretty sure he made her life better, too.

But she was right about one thing. They did need to slow this down before they hopped into bed again. Make sure that the next time they did make love she would have no regrets.

So slowly, reluctantly, he let the kiss ebb and lifted his head.

He expected Lily to concede his point.

Acknowledge that what they had was something rare and special.

Instead, as she blinked herself into renewed awareness of their surroundings, she looked more strained than ever. Scowling, she unlinked her hands from his neck, put them on his shoulders and gave him a furious shove.

“Once again, you’re out of line here, cowboy,” she said. Whirling on her heel, she grabbed her bag, then paused to level a lethal look his way. “For both our sakes, make sure it doesn’t happen again!”

Giving him no chance to reply, she stormed out.

* * *

T
HE
NEXT
DAY
at noon, Lily looked up from her desk to see her sister Rose walking in. Her triplet sister did a double take at the succulent grilled chicken and roasted vegetables in front of her.

“Since when do you eat anything but fresh fruit and yogurt or cottage cheese for lunch?” Rose teased.

Doing her best to keep her expression inscrutable, even though she was pretty sure everyone in town had heard about Gannon’s overture by now, Lily said only, “It was a gift.”
From the sexiest cowboy around.
The picnic dinner I failed to stick around to enjoy the night before.

“So I heard.” Rose strolled closer. “Have to hand it to Gannon Montgomery.” She winked. “That looks really good.”

It was, Lily thought, as she finished another bite of tender spiced chicken. Despite everything, she’d been impressed when he’d left the gourmet spread with the town hall receptionist, his thoughtful gesture a direct counterpoint to her rude behavior the evening before. Another of the many things in his favor.

Damn, the man could cook.

And kiss.

And make love...

Lily repressed a groan. She had to stop remembering what it felt like to be in his arms. Otherwise, she really would end up in his bed again.

And if she did...he really would break her heart. Having picked up on her ambivalence, Rose perched on the edge of Lily’s desk. “So does this mean you’re finally ready to give that cowboy a chance to be your valentine?”

She was.

And she wasn’t.

He made her feel so vulnerable—and aroused—and she hated feeling that way. As if her life were ricocheting out of control. She wanted order and stability, not the temporary mind-numbing pleasure that Gannon had to offer. “We’re—” Lily searched for the appropriate word, then finally settled on “—sort of friends. Again.”

Rose nabbed a roasted carrot from her plate. “Looks like much more than friendship to me. But then, what do I know—since I’ve never done anything but strike out in the romance department?”

Nor was the divorced Rose inclined to pursue another relationship. She had her hands full simultaneously running her online
local produce business and caring for her two-year-old triplets.

Lily waved off the concern. “He was just showing his appreciation for what I’ve been trying to do regarding the fire-statue situation.”

“How is that going, by the way?”

Lily sighed. She’d spent half the morning on the phone. “I’m still trying to get someone to move it.”

“And speaking of men with muscles,” Rose remarked wryly, making a suddenly mischievous face.

Lily turned her gaze in the direction of her sister’s.

And her heart somersaulted in her chest.

“Hey, Rose,” Gannon said, his smirk indicating he’d heard what Rose had said to alert Lily they had company. Sexy male company.

“Hey, Gannon.” Rose bounded to her feet. “Well, I’ll leave you two alone. Lily, I’ll meet you at the loading dock behind town hall in an hour for the poster distribution.”

Abruptly, her mind was right back where it should be: on chili festival business. “Did everyone confirm?”

Rose shook her head. “As usual, a few volunteers canceled last minute, but Miss Mim was able to round up a few more to fill in. You still want to do all the rural areas?”

Lily hated to stick that with anyone else, since it was going to be such a long, dull grind. “Yep.”

“Okay.” Her sister beamed. “See you then.” She waved and took off.

Lily turned back to Gannon, determined to be as polite and businesslike as possible today. She had to stop letting him know how much he got under her skin. Because, clearly, it was only encouraging him.

She offered a formal smile. “Thank you for lunch. That was very thoughtful.”

“Glad you liked it.”

Lily studied his closely shaven jaw, navy corduroy shirt and jeans. He seemed to have had a haircut since the last time she’d seen him, too. “But that’s not why you’re here.”
Looking—and smelling—like you’re going on a date, even though it’s the middle of the day.

“Unfortunately, no.” Suddenly grim, he studied her, head to toe, his gaze lingering on her eyes. “You haven’t heard?”

Lily’s heart sank. Judging by the way he was behaving, this had to be bad news. “Obviously not,” she admitted, her whole body tensing.

He gestured at her computer. “May I?”

Lily moved away from her desk, catching a drift of sandalwood and soap as he passed. He sat down and quickly did a Google search on Bode Daniels. Immediately, a list of articles came up. He clicked on the one from the Dallas newspaper, filed an hour before.

It’s Official, the headlines screamed. Bode Daniels Asked To Step Down as Starting Quarterback for Dallas Gladiators.

Dismayed, Lily continued reading the comments from the team general manager. “We’d like to keep Bode on our roster, as backup QB, of course, but we understand that he may wish to explore his options with other professional organizations as a free agent. And, if so, we wish him well...”

Lily looked at Gannon, so upset about what this meant for all of them that she could barely catch her breath. “So they’re really firing him?” she asked.

Gannon nodded. “Pushing him out the door. Paving the way for keeping him at a greatly reduced salary. Encouraging Bode and his agent to look elsewhere.” He leaned back, his big muscular body overwhelming the swivel chair that nearly swallowed her.

Turning toward her, he gestured offhandedly. “Take your pick.”

Resisting the urge to sink down on Gannon’s lap and take comfort where she could find it, Lily perched on the edge of her desk, facing him. Discreetly she tugged the hem of her skirt to the middle of her knees. “What does this mean for me?”

Gannon stood with an economy of motion. “Maybe nothing.”

Lily remained where she was, feeling too shaky to even move back into her desk chair. She tilted her head up to look at Gannon. The compassion in his expression enticed her to articulate her fears. “Or maybe a lot more of a child custody fight than we were bracing for—if Bode remains convinced that his previous lack of interest in Lucas and resultant decline in popularity with the fans is responsible for the loss of his job as starting QB.”

A tense silence fell.

Gannon moved to the window overlooking the town square where his mother’s charred statue still sat before turning back to Lily. In his casual Western clothing, soft but worn leather jacket and boots, he looked like the down-home rodeo cowboy he had once been, instead of the super successful city lawyer he’d worked hard to become.

She supposed, like her, he was more than just one thing.

He wanted more, too.

She swallowed.

She had to stop thinking about how much alike they were and start focusing on how different. “I gather Liz knows?” she asked finally, wishing she could put all her reservations aside, and simply go to him. Let him take her in his arms and comfort her. Perhaps even kiss...

Gannon sobered even more. “I called her before I came over to tell you.”

Lily straightened on trembling legs, appreciating his calm protectiveness. “How’d you find out?”

He ambled toward her. “I set up a news alert for any and all Dallas Gladiators news on my phone,” he said.

Lily moved away from her desk, too. “Ah.” Smart. And something she couldn’t bear to do herself, for fear of what all she might find out.

He caught her before she could pass him. Lightly touched her shoulder, all strong, empathetic male. “You okay?”

Was she?

Lily guessed she was. She had no choice. For her son’s sake, she had to be. With effort, she nodded. Gannon looked skeptical.

So Lily flashed a smile and amended her response. “Except for the fact I feel like I was sucker punched in the gut,” she conceded with a bitter laugh. “Sure.”

One corner of his lips lifted in silent commiseration, and he looked as if he wanted to take her in his arms. She lifted a staying hand.

He let her go instead.

“Speaking of difficult situations... Have you heard from your mom?”

It was Gannon’s turn to exhale in frustration. “She’s still in Fort Worth with Emmett. They’re meeting with some movers who specialize in transporting valuable objects. They hope to have something worked out by tomorrow at the latest.”

Lily was glad to hear that. She, too, had come to the conclusion they needed specialized help. “Any idea what that will cost the town?”

“I’m sure it will be expensive, but Emmett Briscoe said he will cover it.”

“That’s nice of him.”

“It is.”

Another, more intimate, silence fell.

Lily’s desire to throw herself in Gannon’s arms grew by leaps and bounds. Forcing herself to ignore her own wants and needs, as well as the tingling in her middle, she glanced at her watch. The poster distribution would start in half an hour. “Well, if that’s all...”

Gannon nodded, accepting her brush-off with surprising ease. “I’ll let you get back to work.”

* * *

H
ALF
AN
HOUR
LATER
, Lily found herself on the loading dock behind town hall, squaring off with the beloved Miss Mim, the retired librarian chairing the chili cook-off and festival. “You paired me with someone to distribute the posters and signs?” she asked in amazement. To her knowledge, no one else was working in pairs.

“Yes, dear, I did.”

Lily blinked. “Why?”

Miss Mim raised a hand to stop a volunteer from putting the signs in the back of Lily’s SUV. “Well, for one thing, it will go faster.”

Lily was used to Rex Carter and some of the good old boys hinting she was incapable of carrying out her duties. Not the beloved Miss Mim, who had always supported her. “And another?” she demanded.

Miss Mim smiled mysteriously. “I had a specific request.”

This got worse and worse. Lily had been counting on the time alone to sort out her feelings about everything that had happened the past few days. “What about
my
opinion?”

“Well, of course it counts, but why would you resist assistance that will get you done—and back to pick up your son—a whole lot sooner?”

“Maybe because it’s me,” Gannon drawled, striding up to join them.

Miss Mim scoffed. “Now, why would Lily resist the help of a big strong man, especially one as charming as you?” She peered at them with a matchmaker’s concern. “The two of you aren’t still quarreling, are you?”

Gannon winked. “Maybe she’s afraid she won’t be able to resist me. What with her mind on Valentine’s Day and all.”

Lily gasped in indignation while everyone within earshot of his audaciousness chuckled.

“Of course...” Ignoring her reddening cheeks, he leaned treacherously close and whispered loudly in her ear, for the benefit of their growing audience, “If you want, Mayor McCabe, I can unload all fifty of the posters and signs that are already in the back of my pickup truck and move them over to your SUV. Or—” he stood back, propped his big hands on his waist, and surveyed her thoughtfully “—you can do it.”