Lily took in her son’s happy grin. “What?”
“Mr. Montgummy likes macaroni and cheese, and green beans and applesauce, too! So...can he stay for dinner?”
* * *
GANNON HAD NO idea that Lucas was going to put his mom on the spot like that. And yet...something about the way Lily looked, as if she was half hoping he would accept, had him going along with her son’s earnest request. “Sounds good to me,” he enthused. “I could even take us all out for ice cream after, if you want.”
Lucas clapped his hands. “Yesss!”
Lily’s eyes gleamed with a combination of exasperation and mischief. “Just so you understand, counselor, Lucas’s ‘favorite’ is the kind of macaroni that comes in a box—with powdered cheese—and canned green beans and store-bought applesauce.”
Gannon shrugged, just happy to be included. “Sounds like all the food groups to me.”
Lucas clapped his hands, even though Lily was pretty sure her son had no idea what comprised a balanced meal for kids, never mind adults. “It is!” Lucas declared cheerfully.
Gannon looked at her, daring her to retract the invitation. Knowing she wouldn’t. Not if it would mean disappointing her young son.
“All right,” she said, mimicking their joy. “Give me another twenty minutes to put on the finishing touches...”
“Want to see my toys?” Lucas asked.
“Sure,” Gannon smiled.
Lucas took him by the hand and led him over to his toy box. He settled cross-legged on the floor, then waited.
Realizing what was expected, Gannon sat down beside the little boy.
Lucas showed Gannon the ranch he had been building with his blocks. A prairie-style house and barn, surrounded by a fence.
He went back to his toy box. “I’ve got two horses...” Lucas handed them over.
“Nice.” Gannon smiled, unable to help but think how nice it was to spend time with Lily and her son instead of doing what he usually did—work late, and then go home to a take-out dinner and an empty loft. Was this what he had been missing? What it would take to make him feel as content in his home life as Lily and Lucas apparently did in theirs?
“And a longhorn cow.” Lucas handed that over, too.
Gannon studied the plastic toy with the reverence it was given, the UT insignia on the mascot’s side reminding him of his law school days with Lily. “Very nice.” Sentimental, too.
Lucas grinned. He went back to get two cowboys, made to sit astride the saddled plastic horses. “Want to play cowboys on the ranch?”
Gannon nodded.
The two of them assembled the riders and horses, then pretend trotted them around the ranch.
Lily puttered in the kitchen.
And Gannon found himself wishing his time with them would never end.
* * *
ALTHOUGH LILY KNEW it would be more than fair to offer Gannon what they were initially planning on eating and nothing more, she also knew a guy his size would not last long on just that. So she threw together a quick salad and took out a couple of chicken breasts. While the guys played with the blocks, she butterflied them, added Southwestern spice and cooked them on her indoor grill.
Gannon’s appreciative grin when he saw what was on the table made the extra effort more than worth it.
“How come you’re not at work today like my mommy?” Lucas asked, while they were eating.
Gannon dipped a chunk of chicken into barbecue sauce. “You mean back at my office in Fort Worth?”
The tyke nodded, obviously recalling the spacious elegance of the law firm where Gannon worked. “My mommy has to work at her office all the time,” Lucas said.
Gannon shot her a curious glance.
Trying not to think how intimate this all suddenly was, Lily speared a bite of salad, then admitted reluctantly, “Since I became mayor, more often than not.” She gazed lovingly at her son. “Although on weekends, you go with me a lot of the time, don’t you, sweetheart?”
Lucas nodded. “I color pictures and build stuff with my blocks there. Sometimes we eat stuff from the vending machines at Mommy’s desk.”
Gannon cast Lucas a fond glance. “Sounds fun.”
“So how come you’re here and not there?” Lucas asked, still struggling to understand.
Gannon sobered. “Because I have some grown-up things I have to take care of at my family’s ranch, and I have to be here in Laramie to do it.”
And when he was done, he would be gone again, Lily thought.
Struggling to be positive, she informed Lucas, “Gannon was a cattle rancher and a rodeo cowboy when he was growing up.”
The little boy lit up. “Do you have horses?”
Gannon smiled. “We do.”
“Do you have cows?”
Gannon frowned. “Not anymore.”
Lucas picked up a green bean. “Can I see the horses?”
Lily winced. Given how interested her son was in ranch life versus small town living, she did not know why she had gone down this road. Especially when Lucas was in need of a father figure in his life—and Gannon would be so darn good in the role. If he weren’t so career obsessed, that was.
Oblivious to the chaotic thoughts running rampant through her mind, Gannon reached over to give Lucas a friendly pat on the shoulder. “Sure you can.”
“When the chili cook-off is over,” Lily said, wishing Lucas weren’t as enamored with their guest as she secretly was. “If you’re still in Laramie,” she added cautiously.
If Gannon caught her warning not to lead her son on, he did not show it. “I’ll be here another day after the festivities wrap up.” He gave her a long, intimate glance. “And maybe, depending on how things go, a number of weekends after that.” Smiling broadly, he turned back to Lucas. “In the meantime, if your mother agrees you’re old enough, you can ride a pony at the festival.”
Lily appreciated the opportunity to veto the notion. “You are,” she told her son with a smile.
Lucas turned back to Gannon. “Will you help me?”
Gannon nodded. “I sure will.”
“And I’ll take the photos,” she promised. Conversation fell away as they dug into their food.
“So did you like it?” Lucas said later when they had finished the meal.
“I sure did,” Gannon grinned.
He’d certainly eaten like a champ, Lily thought. To the point there were no leftovers—of anything. And her son was clearly enjoying all the undivided attention from his new friend. Of course, in his next breath, Lucas started clamoring for ice cream, and she promised they’d go as soon as the dishes were done. Temporarily appeased, the little boy obediently dashed off to play while Gannon and Lily stayed behind in the kitchen.
“So,” Lily teased, after she had put a pot of coffee on for the two of them, “was it really all you hoped?”
“Reminded me of my youth in so many ways. Maybe my future, too.”
She nodded at the bowl that had held the mac ’n’ cheese. With fresh milk and butter added to the powdered cheese, the pasta wasn’t half-bad. But it was still a far cry from the sophisticated adult versions of mac ’n’ cheese available these days. She tilted her head, studying him closely. “You really plan to eat that again?” If so, he was full of surprises.
He wrapped his arms around her and brought her close. “I’m sure I will when I have kids. All the time.”
Yet another shocker. “So you do want a family?” she asked, recalling the earlier conversation they’d had at his loft. He’d been coy with her when she’d broached the subject of settling down, so she’d just assumed he wasn’t interested. And, truth be told, she’d always seen him as such a bachelor.
He smoothed the hair from her cheek and admitted softly, “I do.”
; Lily cast a glance toward the adjacent living area. Lucas was so busy he hadn’t seen them yet. But he might. And if he did, he would broadcast the fact they had been—well, not hugging, but not completely innocent of attraction to each other, either.
As if reading her mind, Gannon brushed his thumb across her lip and reluctantly let her go. “What about you?” he asked casually. “Do you want more children?”
Together, they worked to fill the dishwasher as the fragrance of fresh-brewed coffee filled the room. Bumping shoulders, arms and elbows from time to time. Her whole body tingling, Lily shrugged. “Maybe someday if I marry. Otherwise, not.”
He watched as she added soap and shut the dishwasher. “Do you plan to marry?”
A soft whirring noise filled the kitchen as the machine started. She poured two cups of coffee and got out the cream and sugar. “I’m not counting on it, but I’m not ruling it out, either.”
He moved toward her. “What would make you say yes?”
Being irrevocably in love with someone—like you, Lily thought. Unwilling to let herself be that vulnerable, however, she simply said, “Being with someone who could meet me halfway.”
His tender smile affected her like the softest caress. “Ah, a compromiser.”
Lily studied him over the rim of her mug. “And you’re still not.”
The smile on his lips reached his eyes. “Not when it comes to anything vitally important,” he acknowledged quietly. “And for good reason. Too much compromise is what nearly ruined both my parents’ lives.”
Lily blinked. “How so?” she asked, aware it wasn’t like Gannon to reveal such sensitive information. Especially when it came to his private family life.
Gannon took a seat at the kitchen island, prompting her to do the same. He propped one elbow on the counter and turned toward her, his knees nearly grazing hers. “My dad wanted to be an electrical engineer, but his dad pressured him into staying on the ranch, as tradition warranted. So he did—but his heart wasn’t in it, and he was never very good at it.” Remorse colored his low tone.
Shrugging, Gannon held her gaze and forged on, “As a consequence, my dad seemed to get the short end of every business deal, and the ranch was barely in the black.” He grimaced. “If it hadn’t been for my mom’s salary and the benefits she brought in from the school district, we probably would have had to sell the land.”
No wonder he worked so hard to prove himself, Lily thought.
“And you know my mom’s story.” He took a deep draught of coffee.
Lily stirred cream into her own mug. “She always wanted to sculpt.”
“But until she retired, there was no time or money for such an endeavor.” His expression darkened. “The bottom line is, neither of my parents were very happy in their work growing up. Even as a kid, I saw that. And I vowed I would never let the same happen to me.”
Lily sipped. “Are you happy as a lawyer?”
Gannon helped himself to more coffee. “There are ups and downs, but overall, yeah, there’s nothing I would rather do.”
“I envy your conviction.”
He covered her hand with his, his fingers infusing hers with warmth. Lily looked down at their clasped hands, and couldn’t help but remember how nice it had been when they had made love. How much she wished she could put all her fears aside and risk it all again.
But common sense told her not to put her heart on the line, even as she lifted her gaze to his once more.
He studied her, with the same burning need to understand. “You don’t feel the same career satisfaction?”
Lily shook her head, admitting what she hadn’t even told her family. “I never have—about anything except being a mom.” That, she loved with a ferocity that still surprised her.
“I’m done!” Lucas called.
Together, they went in to see his creation. It was, in short, amazing. He had torn down his original creation and built something much grander. The architecture blocks formed a rectangular fort, with a two-story house on one end, a barn and several corrals another. He had put all his ranchers inside the central courtyard. Horses in one corral. Cattle in another. “See what a big ranch I have?” he said.
Gannon grinned. “Your cowboys and cattle and horses are very well protected.”
Lily hugged her son. “I love it, too.”
Delighted he had been able to impress them both, Lucas beamed. “Can we get ice cream now?”
“You bet,” Lily and Gannon said in unison.
It had grown dark, so they decided to drive the short distance to downtown. It was also a little chilly, so they elected to sit at a table inside the Dairy Barn to enjoy their treats.
A mistake, Lily noted, since two of her sisters, her triplet Violet—on a break from her medical residency—and the oldest of all the McCabe daughters, Poppy, an interior designer, were there, too.
They immediately ambled over, burgers and milk shakes in hand.
“Fancy finding you here,” Violet said.
“We already ate our dinner,” Lucas announced proudly. “So Mr. Montgummy said we could go get ice cream.”
Violet gave Lily a teasing look. “You cooked for him?”
“Not that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach or anything,” Poppy added with her usual dry humor.
“Actually, I think it might be the other way around,” Gannon put in. “Since I’ve cooked for Lily more than she’s cooked for me.”
Violet and Poppy nodded. “Ah, yes, we heard about the lunch that got delivered to town hall earlier today. Rose said it looked amazing.”
Mischief crinkled the corners of Gannon’s eyes. “Maybe I should have all you McCabe ladies out to my place.”
Lily groaned and buried her face in her hands. “You don’t want to do that.”
“Why not?” Lucas asked.
Gannon looked as if he wanted to know, too.
“You have no idea what it’s like to be around that much estrogen,” Lily explained.
Violet sized him up. “Oh, I think he could handle it.”
Maybe so. “But I couldn’t,” Lily said firmly.
And, as far as she was concerned, that was that.
* * *
“SO HOW COME you don’t want your sisters to know about us?” Gannon asked when Lucas went off to play a quick game of pinball with his “ants” before they left the Dairy Barn.
“Because there’s nothing to tell.”
His eyes darkened emotionally, and her throat suddenly went dry. Lily tried again. “Because they’ll tell my folks.”
“And you really don’t want them to know.”
Lily scraped her spoon across the bottom of her sundae cup, embarrassed to have to admit, “My parents were upset enough about my liaison with Bode when that happened, never mind the aftermath. They live in fear I’ll make another mistake, this time one that will impact not just me, but my son.”
His knees pressed against hers under the table, forcing her to look up. “Your parents live in fear?” he asked bluntly. “Or you do?”
Good question, Lily thought, moving back so their knees were no longer touching. And one she really did not want to contemplate.
Fortunately, she didn’t have to discuss it further, because at that moment, her two sisters returned with a very weary-looking Lucas between them. By the time she and Gannon made the short drive back to her bungalow, Lucas was sound asleep.
“Want me to carry him in for you?” Gannon offered.
Although Lily could still do it when necessary, Lucas was pretty heavy for her now. And she was dead tired. “If you wouldn’t mind.” Lily undid the straps and helped ease her son from the seat. Gannon carried him upstairs to his toddler-size bed.
Knowing sleep was more vital than pajamas at that point, Lily eased
off Lucas’s socks and shoes, tucked his Blue Blankie and stuffed horse in beside him. She covered him, turned the night-light on and eased from the room. By the time she had tiptoed down to the first floor, Gannon was waiting for her in the hall, looking handsome and expectant. He flashed a sexy smile, then drawled, “I don’t suppose you’re going to ask me to stay?”
Lily shook her head. She was way too vulnerable where he was concerned. “Not tonight.”
“All right, then.” He swept her into his arms and bent her backward from the waist. Ignoring her gasp of dismay, he gave her a smoldering look and then lowered his head to hers. “I guess this will have to hold us over until the next time you do ask me to stay.”
Lily barely had time to suck in a breath, and then his lips were on hers in a devastatingly slow kiss that rocked her world.
When he finally let the sensual caress come to a halt and righted her slowly, she was dizzy and tingling all over, wanting more. So much more, damn that ornery man!
He grinned, as if he knew exactly how she was feeling. “Good night, Lily.” He kissed her temple and walked out the door.
Chapter Ten
Lily stared at Miss Mim and the other members of the steering committee for the chili cook-off late Wednesday morning, sure she couldn’t have heard right. Outside, the movers were busy first securing, then moving the ceramic chili pepper statue off the town square.
“The governor and his wife are coming to the festival?” What had started out to be a mostly local fund-raiser was quickly turning into an event beyond their wildest dreams.
“Not for the entire thing, of course. But they’ll be here on Saturday in time for the judging. They’ll sample the winning entrees and leave after the first dance.”
Aware she was way too distracted, Lily moved away from the windows and the sight of Gannon, Harriett Montgomery and Emmett Briscoe, who were overseeing the delicate procedure.
“Rex Carter pulled it off,” Marybeth Simmons, the PTA president, said.
“I’m impressed,” Lily said to the former mayor.
Lone Star Valentine (McCabe Multiples) Page 12