And that, Lily knew, they did not want. “I’ll talk to Lucas.” Leaving Gannon and Liz behind to tie up a couple of loose ends, Lily headed out.
And received yet another surprise.
A crowd had gathered on the town square to watch competing local news crews report live on the fire statue, while a beaming Harriett Montgomery held court.
* * *
FORTUNATELY FOR LILY, the commotion subsided an hour later when the three moving company representatives arrived to give her their estimates of hauling the fire statue to the county fairgrounds.
She expected the bids to be close. Not unanimous!
“Can’t do it,” the first said.
“Might break,” predicted the second.
“No way our insurance carrier will let us take the risk,” agreed the third. So Lily called Laramie’s premiere independent insurance broker, Greg Savitz, and asked him to meet her on the square and discuss the matter.
“I’m sorry, Mayor,” Greg said. “I called all twelve of the carriers I work with and no one will touch the statue. Artwork can be hard to insure in any case, and moving any kind of sculpture is obviously challenging. But this—” Greg gestured to the six-foot-tall smoke-stained ceramic chili pepper “—fire statue could easily crumble if it’s jostled, at least so far as anyone can predict. So it’s either going to have to stay here—permanently—or you’ll have to find another way to move it on your own.”
If that were the case, there was only one person Lily could call. Only one person who might be able to talk sense into Harriett Montgomery more easily than her only son. The biggest patron of the arts in the Laramie area and founder of his own Western-themed art museum in his name. Emmett Briscoe.
Luckily for her, the oilman—who’d been at the statue’s official unveiling—was still in Laramie County.
Emmett understood her dilemma immediately. “How about I go with you to talk to Harriett?” he asked over the phone.
Lily thought of all she had yet to do before the chili festival commenced on Friday. The dwindling amount of time to accomplish it all. “Could you possibly do it today?” she asked.
* * *
GANNON SPENT THE rest of the afternoon drafting the formal response to Bode Daniel’s custody motion, and arrived back at the Triple M Ranch just in time to see the surveyors pack up and leave and Lily and Emmett Briscoe arrive. The latter had driven separate vehicles, but it was clear they were there for the same purpose.
It was a little after four o’clock; Lily had been going nonstop all day, and her appearance showed it. Her honey-blond hair had been down around her shoulders earlier, but now it was pulled into a tight, messy knot at the nape of her neck. Her lips were bare, and she looked tired around the eyes, yet her inner determination shone through anyway.
Lily greeted him with a crisp, professional smile that telegraphed none of the affection they’d shown each other over the weekend. As they neared, she extended her hand in greeting, as did Emmett. “Is your mother available?” she asked. “We’d like to talk to her.”
Knowing it would take time—and privacy—to woo her, Gannon echoed her cordial tone. “She’s in her studio. I’ll walk you over.”
“So it’s true?” Emmett asked. The three of them crossed the newly mown lawn to the converted barn. “You’re going to sell to Rex Carter?”
Harriett stepped out to join them. “Over my protestations. Yes, he is.”
Feeling as if he was getting a bad rap, Gannon amended, “Not the house or the one hundred acres immediately around it. You will always have a home here, Mom.”
She frowned and shook her head. “The view will be obliterated by forty other homes. Your father would be so disappointed to see you let this ranch, which has been in the Montgomery family for generations, go.”
Gannon’s frustration mounted. “Can we not get into this now?”
“It does seem like a private family matter,” Emmett noted gently. The look he gave Harriett reminded them all that Emmett had suffered his own disagreements with his son, Matt, over the dispensation of Briscoe family land. He held out his arm to Harriett. “I would like to see your studio, though. Perhaps you could give me a private tour?”
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.”
* * *
“NOW, THIS,” LILY 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.
* * *
THE 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.
Lone Star Valentine (McCabe Multiples) Page 10