by Carol Rose
As a matter of habit, she had brought her usual emergency supplies, most of which weren’t necessary at an engagement party, but often came in handy during her weddings. Scooping up nail polish, hair spray, scotch tape, a sewing kit, spare pantyhose and several curling irons, Lillie dumped everything into her box and flicked off the light. Juggling the box and her purse, she tried the kitchen exit, only to find it locked already. The only way out was through the main hall doors.
Outside, the wind had picked up. Lillie could hear it howling as it tugged at the church building. Turning the corner into the foyer outside the darkened hall, she saw the elderly janitor standing by the door, rattling his keys.
“I’m sorry to keep you waiting, Mr. Stanley.” She scooted through the door he held open.
“No problem,” the caretaker said shortly. “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight,” she called, negotiating the steps as he disappeared into the night with all the speed of a teenager headed for a hot date. She’d hardly taken three steps before his car engine leapt to life and roared out of the parking lot with a flash of red tail lights.
A scattering of heavy droplets of rain speckled the concrete, hitting Lillie like tiny bombs as she crossed the parking lot. Across the expanse of pavement, Luke Morgan slapped a hand on his friends’ car and waved as they, too, drove off.
Lillie quickened her steps, hurrying toward the refuge of her van, her arms beginning to ache from the load.
Reaching the van, she balanced the box against it and groped for the handle.
It didn’t give.
Lillie frowned as she reached for the front passenger door handle and tugged.
Locked.
She let out a muffled groan as her mind searched to remember where she’d put her car keys. No. Maybe she’d brought them back in with her after her last trip.
She awkwardly patted the side pockets of her dress and fumbled in her purse. Nothing. How had the van gotten locked? She never locked it when she was cleaning up after an event.
Then she remembered the sharp pain of her elbow coming into contact with the automatic door lock.
“Arrrgh!!” Lillie leaned her head against the van’s sprinkled window, mindless now of the shower of drops. What an idiot! She’d locked her keys in the van.
Her mind ticked over the important facts. She was locked out of her van, outside a deserted church in a residential neighborhood at midnight. No pay phones nearby. No janitor to help her. Everyone was gone.
Everyone that is, except Luke Morgan.
Luke watched Lillie Parker from across the parking lot, the windshield of his car streaked with the increasing rain. Even in this dim light, he could see her outline clearly. The thin, yellow material of her dress clung wetly to her curvaceous body as she leaned her head against her van.
What in the hell was the woman doing?
He’d come tonight prepared to rip into Scott Parker’s older sister. How anyone could think those two were rational enough to get married was beyond him. Marriage was a fine institution if one approached it right. It was the ideal situation in which to have and raise children. But bells and bows and hearts and flowers all too frequently led to heartbreak and broken promises.
Reality was apparently lost on Lillie Parker.
Without effort, he conjured up the memory of her soft voice and the startling blue of her eyes. Her fair, delicate face surrounded by that absurd mass of curly, blond hair. She looked like a model for angel art.
Of course, Luke doubted that angels sent men killing glances the way Lillie did. No question about it, he’d stepped on her toes big time. Declaring himself to be romance-avoidant was not a way to make points with a wedding consultant.
It was really too bad, mused Luke, because no sooner than he’d laid eyes on Lillie than lust had hit him square in the gut. He wondered how her lips would feel beneath his, wondered if she cried out when she made love. Just the hint of her fragrance left him thinking carnal thoughts. But the lady clearly didn’t want to reciprocate.
His opposition to Mel marrying her brother was probably the biggest mark against him. And while he could understand that, he still found himself fantasizing about kissing Lillie Parker’s small pink mouth till she moaned.
Lillie still hadn’t gotten into her van. Luke jerked his keys out of the ignition with a muffled curse. Shrugging out of his suit jacket, he grabbed a baseball cap from the seat and got out. If he’d had an umbrella, his conscience would have insisted on offering it. The woman was getting soaked.
The rain fell in a steady sheet now, still holding back its full force, but heavy enough to plaster Luke’s shirt to his body and give him a clear idea of how Lillie Parker’s backside would look buck naked.
Um, looked good, he decided, as he walked over to her, his steps quickening as the rain fell harder.
She didn’t turn around as he approached, but he knew she had to have heard the slam of his door and his footsteps on the wet parking lot. That was the only explanation for the sudden tensing of her body underneath the wet dress.
“I don’t suppose,” he raised his voice just above the hush of the rain, “you need any help or anything.”
Lillie didn’t turn around immediately. She just sighed heavily, her shoulders sagging a little.
“Lost your keys?” Luke suggested, wavering between his urge to help her out and his equally strong desire to tease her in retribution for encouraging two kids to throw their lives away.
“I….” Her voice trailed off in a mumble.
“You what?”
“I locked them in the van,” she repeated, her voice at a frustrated pitch as she swung around to face him. The wet tangle of her hair fell around her shoulders.
Luke felt a clang! of interest reverberate in his body as his gaze collided with hers. She blazed blue fire at him. Her chin jutted out in defiance and her tender mouth trembled in agitation.
“I could try to open the door,” he offered gently before adding, “unless you’re one of those women who resent needing a man’s help.”
Outrage spread over her face like sunlight over the water, fairly sparkling under his gaze.
“I’ll let you open the door,” she retorted with energy, “unless you’re one of those men who expects a woman to grovel every time you do them a favor.”
“Ouch.” Luke grinned at her without repentance, ignoring the increasing splatter of rain on his face. “Why don’t you set that box down while I look for something to open your van.”
“No, thank you,” she replied with great dignity. “These are the tools of my trade. I don’t want them spilling out of a wet box, scattered all over the parking lot.”
“Suit yourself,” Luke said, turning toward his car. “But it looks to me like you might not have a choice about that.”
He thought he could hear her teeth grinding as he walked away. Hurriedly grabbing the hanger that had held his suit coat, Luke jogged back to Lillie, who stood dejectedly beside her van, still clutching the disintegrating box.
“Could be worse,” he said. “Could be a hurricane.”
Lillie glared at him, droplets of rain trickling down her face.
He’d managed to insert the straightened coat hanger, hook first, between the window and the weather-stripping, when the rain began to pour in earnest. Luke heard Lillie’s gasp as the first heavy wave hit her. Quickly maneuvering the wire, he managed to catch the lock mechanism the first time.
Stepping back, he opened the door for her.
“Oh, thank goodness.” The words burst out of Lillie as she hurriedly leapt toward the open door, her soggy box teetering on the brink of failure.
In her haste, the toe of her shoe caught against Luke’s foot, sending her forward off-balance. The box tipped, spilling its contents on the front seat before collapsing in her hands like a wet tissue.
There on the top of the pile in the seat, brilliantly illuminated by the van’s interior lights, was an extra-large box of reservoir-tipped condoms.
Standing in the pouring rain, holding open the door, Luke’s sense of humor got the better of him. She was so obviously appalled, so harassed by the whole situation, that he couldn’t resist.
“I, uh, I guess you were planning on getting really lucky tonight,” he commented, barely managing to keep his face straight.
She straightened up as though stung, her eyes like ice crystals.
“No, I wasn’t planning on ‘getting lucky’ as you so crudely put it,” Lillie sputtered. “I keep my wedding supplies in this box, things people sometimes need at a party or wedding reception. It’s my job to assist my couples in every way. Not every couple remember the practical details.”
Luke choked back a shout of laughter. “Really? I’d give more thought to the honeymoon than to the wedding.”
“I’m sure you would,” Lillie said in a withering tone. “If we needed any proof of your lack of gentlemanly behavior, your comment just now supplied it.”
“Probably so,” Luke agreed, enjoying the way her agitated breathing stirred the front of her soaked dress.
“A man with any sensitivity would have ignored the whole incident,” she declared indignantly.
“No doubt.” He’d bet that she had a whole list of grievances against “insensitive” men.
Lillie threw the wet cardboard box onto the floorboard of the van and punched the automatic lock button. Without another word, she stalked around to the driver’s side, leaving Luke standing beside the door he’d opened.
After rummaging around the van floor for a moment, she came up with her keys.
“Thank you, Mr. Morgan, for all your help,” declared Lillie, her voice arctic. “Now if you’ll please close the door, I’ll be on my way.”
“My pleasure,” Luke said softly, knowing that the only thing in her mind was getting away from him.
“I’m sure.” The words seemed pried from between gritted teeth. Her glare would have singed his skin if he hadn’t been standing in the pouring rain. “I’m just grateful that after this wedding, I’ll never have to speak to you again.”
“Really? My reaction is just the opposite,” Luke said, closing the van door with a smirk. “Now that I know you’re so prepared, I can hardly wait to get to know you better.”
CHAPTER TWO
"What?" Lillie exclaimed, her face startled.
"I want you to help me stop Melanie from marrying your brother," he repeated, emphasizing each word.
"But Melanie told me you'd agreed to help plan the wedding," Lillie protested. "I know you have some reservations, but--"
"Yeah," he laughed shortly. "They're too young, they've only known each other six months, and love is a damned poor foundation for a marriage."
"I'm sorry you feel that way." Lillie's chin rose. "I disagree. And besides, I don't feel like I have a right to interfere in their lives."
"Don't give me that," Luke growled. "They're kids, babies. They need someone to tell them what to do."
"Scott and Melanie are old enough to vote, old enough to direct their lives. They're in love. You can't just expect them to walk away from each other because they fell in love at a bad time."
The passion in her voice reverberated in Luke's ears. She really believed in the myth, really thought love made the world go round. He wondered how she made sense of all the ugly things done in the name of love.
"Scott may only be twenty-one, but he's had the advantage of excellent role models when it comes to being in love." Lillie took a deep breath. "When I was twelve, my mother was diagnosed with Hodgkin's. She was very sick for a long time and she probably only survived because of my father. He willed her to survive."
Lillie's blue eyes shone through a haze of moisture, a passionate conviction radiating from her angel-pale face. "No matter how bad she got, my father wouldn't let go. He pushed her, babied her, held her when she cried and made her laugh when her hair fell out. Their love pulled my mother through." She brushed at a tear with an impatient hand.
Luke felt his stomach tense up. It was a susceptibility he hated, but women's tears got to him.
"Scott and I never doubted that our parents loved each other intensely," Lillie said more calmly. "I guess that made it a little easier when they were both killed in a car accident two years ago. It would have been so hard for one without the other."
Looking at her, Luke almost wished he could share her romantic illusions. At the least, he'd be curious to have parents who did something other than scream at each other. Something other than walking out. Unfortunately, Lillie's perceptions of her parents didn't change Luke's experience. He knew personally how empty words of love could be.
But still he found something in him stirring as he stared at Lillie, her blue eyes brilliant, the front of her shirt moving with each agitated breath. A woman so passionate, so emotionally-driven was dangerous. She could draw a man into betraying himself just to get close to the fire. The flame drew him, he admitted to himself, but he knew the burn it left.
Desire was safer. Logical, rational compatibility made a stronger foundation for a family.
Luke couldn't hold back a short, sardonic laugh. "Look, you may be a Pollyanna about marriage, but the last thing I want to do is argue with you. You're beautiful and sexy as hell, and I'd let you eat crackers in my bed anytime. But we're talking about my sister here. My only sister. All her life she's dreamed of being a doctor, and if I have to work night and day, I'm gonna get her there."
Lillie gasped, obviously taken aback by his directness. "So you want her to just ignore her feelings for Scott? Or would you like to have her engage in meaningless mutual pleasure with my brother rather than getting married?" she asked scornfully, not responding to his more personal comment.
"What the hell do you mean by that?"
"You think Melanie's living in a fantasy world now, right?" Lillie yanked a piece of greenery free from the arch.
"Yes," he said reluctantly, knowing he was being led into some irrationally feminine piece of logic.
"So I guess you want to convince her that what she feels for Scott is just lust?"
"Well...."
"So you want her to indulge herself in carnal pleasure--eat crackers in Scott's bed--outside of marriage until their infatuation passes," Lillie concluded.
"She's my sister," Luke snapped. "She's too damn young to know anything. I don't want her involved with anyone right now."
Lillie shook her head, her face a picture of righteous indignation. "I'm sure you care for her very much. So does Scott. Melanie's very upset that you're so against them. She doesn't want anything to come between you two."
"I can't let her make this kind of mistake," he repeated, keeping his tone firm, and his gaze from straying to the slender length of Lillie's legs in her brief shorts.
"I don't want to argue about this, either. Melanie has her heart set on you and me planning her wedding." Lillie fiddled with the sprig of green in her hand. "Can't we put aside our personal differences and work together for Scott and Melanie's sake?"
"I'd rather put aside Scott and Melanie to pursue our personal differences," Luke shot back. She might be an idealistic time bomb, but he couldn't help thinking about all that passion in a more intimate arena. He wondered what the chances were that he could cure Ms. Parker of her need for romantic illusion.
Lillie flushed.
"But Melanie comes first," he continued, reminding himself as much as her. "I'm determined not to let her ruin her life. If you don't want to help me, I'll find another way." With that, he turned and left, conscious of a strong regret that he and Lillie Parker had to be on opposite sides of the situation.
* * *
Elbowing the door shut behind her, Lillie bent to press the flashing red button on her phone machine and then turned to thrust her dirty hands under the faucet.
Luke Morgan's grim voice filled the room.
"Lillie, hold off on making any wedding plans. Someone has to put
a stop to this madness. I'm flying up this morning to talk to our Romeo and Juliette. I've tried this the nice way, and it didn't work. When I get through with them, they'll be glad to see reason." The machine beeped and clicked into rewind.
Stunned, Lillie stared at the machine. The man just didn't get it. For some reason, he thought he had the right to control his sister's life, to project his own twisted values onto her.
Lillie turned off the water with a thump, anger doing a tap dance in her stomach. What right did that arrogant, dictatorial bozo have trying to push Scott and Melanie around?
Scott wouldn't be swayed, she knew. But Melanie adored her brother. Would she be able to withstand his determined onslaught? And if she wavered and let herself be convinced to end the engagement, what would Scott do?
Lillie just couldn't let that happen. He might be young, but Scott had found the love of his life. It would devastate him if Melanie broke off the relationship now due to her brother's meddling.
Catching sight of the clock, Lillie realized she'd only been outside an hour or so pulling weeds from the flower beds. If she hurried, she might be able to make the commuter flight to Miami.
She'd been a protective big sister too long to sit by while Luke Morgan ran amok in her brother's love life. Lillie couldn't stop him from going to the university, but if she went along, at least he couldn't browbeat them.
Racing into her office, she quickly made a phone call to reschedule an appointment to the next day. Thank goodness, she was self-employed. Another call to the airline verified the time of the flight and availability of a seat. That done, she headed for the shower, flinging her clothes off as she went.
Luke Morgan wasn't going to throw his weight around. Not if she could help it.
Her drive to the airport was blessedly smooth and free of prowling police cars, but parking took more time than she'd hoped. Lillie sprinted for the check-in desk only to find she'd barely missed the flight.
Booking a seat on the next flight, Lillie first paced the waiting area and then slumped on a bench to wait.