by T. L. Haddix
Later, as Ben’s breathing evened out as he slept beside her, she touched his arm, tracing the muscles with a gentleness that wouldn’t awaken him. She’d have gone to hell and back for the man, and some would say she had. She loved him as much now as she had when they’d gotten married almost three decades ago. More in some ways. Thinking about what they had, what they were to each other, she had to admit his concerns about Warren’s feelings were valid.
But she’d seen the way Warren looked at Lily—not just this evening but over the years. She’d watched him carefully, especially when he first arrived, as she was a cautious, protective mother too aware that her sixteen-year-old daughter was stunningly beautiful. She knew too well from having friends in similar situations how badly things could go if they brought the wrong person to the farm. She’d never had a single moment of concern from Warren.
That said, something had changed for him a couple of years back. Ainsley had picked up on it as easily as if it had been written on his face. He went from seeing Lily as a dear friend to something more. Ainsley was somewhat surprised it had taken them so long after that to change their friendship because as much as she had watched Warren, she’d also kept an eye on Lily. Though she hid it very, very well, Lily had deep feelings for him, and had from the time she was nineteen or so.
So while Ainsley wasn’t quite as cynical as Ben, while she shared some of his concerns, she also believed deeply that if Warren let himself, he’d give Lily the kind of love she deserved.
“Maybe I’ll call Owen tomorrow or e-mail him and Sarah, see if they have any pointers,” she mumbled around a yawn as fatigue finally overtook her. “After all, they have quite an impressive track record thus far.”
Besides, it wouldn’t hurt to get another opinion. They’d been there when she had surgery. Maybe they’d seen something she hadn’t. Too, if they liked the idea of the match, that would ease her concerns. If they didn’t… well, that would add a little complication to the mix, but it’d be nice to know that as well.
Chapter Sixteen
Owen Campbell was doing his level best not to break out laughing at his two oldest grandsons when the phone rang. Since he was on the verge of losing that battle, a move that would get him in trouble with both boys, and since his wife wasn’t home to rescue him, he jumped at the chance to leave the room even though there was a phone beside his chair.
“I’ll take that in the hall. Can’t hear on that one.” He hurried into the hall, shaking his head as he grinned and muttered, “You’d think no woman had ever been pregnant before. Hello!”
“Good morning, kind sir. How are you today?” Ainsley asked.
“I’m enjoying myself immensely, having some fun teasing Eli and Noah as we wait for Sarah to get home from the post office. What kind of trouble are you into, young lady?”
She laughed softly. “As much as I can get into, which may be more than I want. Do you have a few minutes?”
Owen glanced into the living room, where Noah and Eli were poring over pregnancy books and magazines as if they had a test to pass on the morrow. Without a single ounce of guilt, he headed down the hall toward Sarah’s sitting room. “Ainsley, I have all the time you need. What’s going on?”
When he hung up a little while later, his amusement had shifted into contemplation. Hands in his pockets, he stood at the window and stared out into the yard at the garden that separated the main house from his writing studio, considering what his next move should be. Sarah found him there a few minutes later.
“Did you escape?” she asked softly, closing the door behind her as he turned. “They were so busy reading, they barely noticed me come in.”
“I’m noticing. I missed you. Hello.” Owen smiled and held out a hand. When she joined him, he tucked her under his arm with a sigh and kissed her. “How would you feel about a trip to Lexington?” he asked when he pulled back.
She tilted her head, studying him. “Is something wrong?”
“I don’t think so. I really don’t think so. But… Ainsley and Ben would like our advice about something. Our opinion, even.”
Sarah pursed her lips. “Are you going to keep me waiting in suspense?”
“They think something’s going on between Lily and Warren.” He gave a slight frown. “Ainsley’s optimistic, but Ben’s concerned.”
“Hmmm. Well.” She pulled away and sat on the cushioned window seat, touching one of the buttons sewn onto it. “That’s an interesting situation that would explain a lot, wouldn’t it?”
Owen nodded. “I thought there was a reason behind her leaving so quickly—beyond the duties of her job, I mean. Apparently they’re barely speaking, and Ainsley said the tension is so thick… you know the rest. What do you say?”
The spark of humor that lit her eyes and tilted her lips up at the corners had him stealing a kiss before she could answer. When he lifted his face, she caught his left hand and held it to her cheek.
She let out a sigh and spoke in a hushed tone. “Gee, I don’t know if I can tear myself away from baby central long enough to go, but I suppose we probably should try.” Then she laughed, quietly so the boys wouldn’t hear. “When do you want to leave?”
“How does one o’clock sound?” He touched her hair, smoothing it back off her face.
“Good enough.” She glanced at her watch. “How long do you want to stay?”
He shrugged and gestured over his shoulder. “Do you think they’ll calm down anytime soon? We might have to stay away until the babies are here to get a moment’s peace.” His grin belied the words. “Those boys are so over-the-moon happy, Sarah. And they’re both scared to death. Noah was fine until Eli and Haley made their announcement. I think his anxiety is feeding off of Eli’s now, then it just cycles back and forth. But they’re so earnest about knowing everything they can about what to expect, I can’t help but enjoy watching them. At the same time…”
She stood and wound her arms around his waist. “They’re going to be such good fathers, you know. They remind me very much of you with John, and of him with Zanny when she was pregnant with Noah. If I recall correctly, you read every book you could get your hands on, and you nearly drove Dr. Boggs to drink with your questions and your fretting.”
“Fretting? Questions? Not me,” he said with a mock scowl.
“Yes, you. One of the reasons the poor man retired when he did was because he didn’t want to face the Campbell inquisition from a second generation, I’m sure of it.”
With a huff, he rested his head on hers. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He closed his eyes and enjoyed the feel of her in his arms, solid and healthy and real. “I hope Lily and Warren are having a ‘thing,’ as Ainsley called it. You know Amelia said she thought there was potential there a couple of years ago.”
Amelia was their youngest daughter, and she was a natural Cupid who could pick up on a couple’s harmony, the unique and special way their energy vibrated together.
“I do remember that, yes. I also recall that she wasn’t sure what to think about what she felt, given his past, and she was reluctant to say a word to anyone besides us.” Sarah rubbed her face against his chin. “I’ve always liked Warren. There’s a sweetness in him, and Lily seems to bring it out. She bemuses him. I’ll pack for a week, and we’ll go from there. That should give us enough time to see what we see and spend some quality time with her besides. How does that sound?”
“Fine. I’ll tell the boys.” Deciding to go for broke, he stole another kiss. “We’re going to get a reputation as matchmakers if this keeps up.”
She grinned at him. “Dear, sweet Owen, love of my life, man I’d marry all over again tomorrow if given the choice, you know good and well that we already do.”
Chapter Seventeen
Since Molly got a late start heading out, Lily didn’t make it to the stables until close to ten the next morning. With Warren’s clean sh
irt in hand, she squared her shoulders and marched into the first residential barn, where she found Ainsley talking to Mickey.
“Hey, Mom. Mick. Have you seen Warren? I need to get this back to him.” She held out the shirt.
Ainsley swiped at a loose strand of hair. “He had some calls to make, so he should be in his office. Did Molly get on the road okay?”
“Yeah. She’s going to call tonight and let me know how it went. I’ll go find Warren.”
“Okay, sweetie.”
Lily headed for the smaller building set back a ways from the barns housing the horses. As she walked, she let out a relieved breath. So far, her parents hadn’t done more than question her politely about her plans for the immediate future. They knew she’d find a job, as she’d told them as much, but they weren’t pressuring her to do this or that.
“You got very lucky in that lottery,” she said as she neared the building.
She’d not mentioned to them her plan to ask for a job, not wanting to disappoint them or put them in an awkward position if she and Warren couldn’t come to terms with each other. Lily had too much pride to risk tipping the scales in her own favor by telling them. If he turned her down, she’d have to come up with something else to do, but her parents would never know about the refusal.
Her heart was hammering in her throat by the time she reached the door to Warren’s office. He was just finishing up a conversation when she stopped in the doorway, and he greeted her with a lifted chin, gesturing her in with two fingers.
Feeling as awkward as a gawky teenager who’d been called into the principal’s office, she edged in and laid the shirt on his desk. Immediately, she realized her mistake. Putting the garment down left her hands empty, and she didn’t know what to do with herself. Trying to cover her nervousness, she walked to the filing cabinets set against one wall and studied the boxes on top of them.
The sound of the phone receiver being placed in the cradle made her jump, and she turned quickly, crossing her arms over her middle. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
Warren was reaching for the shirt. “You didn’t. Wow, this came out much better than I’d expected. I can’t even tell there was a stain. Thank you.”
She shook her head. “You’re welcome. I’m glad it turned out. How’s the shoulder?”
He grimaced and moved his left arm as he stood to put the T-shirt in a bag on the back of the door. “A little stiff, as sore as though it was stung by a hornet, but all in all, it’s fine.”
“Good. That’s good.” Awkward silence dropped between them, and Lily realized she was fidgeting. She forced herself to still. “So, um, I wanted to ask you something.”
Warren paused, his hand on the doorknob. “Do I need to close this?”
“No! I mean, no.” Her face was so hot, she knew the accompanying blush had to be fiery. That kind of privacy would be much too tempting, and she was mortified that sex was the first place her mind had jumped. She closed her eyes and groaned. “Oh, this is so awkward.”
“It’s getting there, yes.”
The flip answer was delivered in such a droll tone, she didn’t even think but immediately stuck her tongue out at him. “Smart-ass.”
Warren just grinned. “Caleb always said that’s what I was, a smart ass.”
Lily shook her head. “Silly. Anyhow, I did come down here for a reason. As you know, I’m not working right now. And normally, I’d just ask you to put me on the schedule for a while and it wouldn’t be a problem. But given… the state of things, let’s say, I thought maybe we should discuss that first. Putting me to work, I mean.”
He perched on the edge of his desk and studied her. “I’m a little surprised, I have to admit. I didn’t think you’d consider coming back.”
“Because I ran?” she asked softly.
“Yeah.”
Sighing, she moved to sit beside him on the desk. “I’m so tired of worrying about that night, about what’s going to happen, how we’ve wrecked us. I know I messed up by reacting the way I did. I just want something to return to normal.”
Warren stood and faced her. “I don’t know if it can.” He placed his hands on either side of her hips and stared at her. “I don’t know what to do about you.”
“What options are you considering?” she asked in a whisper.
He shook his head. “Running away. Throwing you over my knee. Tossing you into bed and keeping you there. God, I can’t believe I said that,” he growled, straightening away from her. He paced to the door and stood in the opening, staring toward the wide doors at the end of the aisle.
“Well, I’m not commenting on the first and third options, but don’t you even try the second.” Her words were full of bravado, but her voice shook, and if she had to stand at the moment, she knew her legs wouldn’t hold her. “Where would you run to?”
Warren shrugged. “Arizona, maybe. Duke Leonard has a job out there he wants me to fill.”
Lily felt like a gaping void had suddenly opened at her feet, and she gazed at him in shock. “You’re serious? You’d leave us?”
“I’ve thought about it.”
“If those are your choices, I might reconsider the second two options.” She rubbed her chest, feeling as if she’d been punched.
“You shouldn’t say those sorts of things to me,” he ground out in a low voice. “Especially the third option.”
“I know.”
When he stepped back inside and closed the door, Lily nearly came off the desk with panic. Longing and a deep-seated need to see what he would do kept her still.
This time when he caged her in, he didn’t speak. Instead, he stared at her, taking in details it seemed, almost as if he were committing her to memory or trying to reconcile an image.
The silence in the room was so profound, it almost hurt Lily’s ears. When she swallowed, she felt as if the sound echoed. Her lips parted as she fought for words, but she couldn’t form a single syllable.
Warren’s hand came up to grasp her chin lightly, gently, and his thumb brushed the corner of her mouth. “I should stay away from you.”
Lily closed her eyes and ducked her head, tucking her face into his palm. “What good would that do anybody?”
“It might save my sanity,” he murmured.
His breath tickled her temple, causing chill bumps to break out all over her body. Reflexively, she tightened her legs. Since he was standing slightly between them, the move ended up being much more provocative than she’d intended. They both froze.
“Sanity’s overrated,” she whispered. “Or so I hear. For God’s sake, kiss me already.”
She didn’t wait for him to move, however, reaching for him instead.
In an instant, Warren had his hands underneath her hips, lifting her and carrying her to the door, where he pinned her against the panel with his weight.
They kissed fiercely, driven by hunger and need and pain. Lily hooked her ankles behind him, holding on with her legs and arms as he centered himself against her and thrust. Even through the fabric of their clothing, the move was devastatingly arousing, and she tore her mouth away from his to gasp.
He stepped back, untangling her legs from around his waist. Instead of moving away, however, he leaned against her again and undid her pants. When he slid his hand inside her panties, cupping her gently, Lily cried out. She was so lost with need, she couldn’t move except to roll her hips against his fingers.
The loud ringing of the desk phone made them both jerk. She was hard-pressed to say which of them cursed the most virulently. Warren stared at her, his hand still between her legs, then he closed his eyes on a groan. Slowly, carefully, he withdrew and moved back.
Lily didn’t know how in the world she managed to stay on her feet, but she did.
“I don’t know that you working here is a good idea,” he rasped. He glanced down at the erectio
n outlined by the fabric of his jeans. “Sure as hell we can’t be alone like this.”
She dropped her eyes as she redid her jeans, unable to watch him watch her. “Probably not.”
The sound of running water was loud in the room, and when she looked up, she saw that he had stepped into the small bathroom adjoining the office and was splashing water on his face.
When he came out, she hurried past him and closed the bathroom door, mentally cursing herself for what had just happened. “Stupid, stupid, stupid,” she muttered as she copied Warren and splashed her face. “You can’t do this. You know better than to try.”
She took a few minutes to compose herself, giving herself a strong talking-to about inappropriate behavior and knowing better. She could hear him speaking to someone through the door, and that just made her curse her impetuous actions more vehemently. When she thought she could face him again, she opened the door.
He glanced up, his face solemn even though there was a ruddy flush across his cheekbones, then he spoke into the receiver. “No, that’s fine. Yeah, see you tomorrow.” He hung up, not taking his eyes from her. “You okay?”
“Sure. You?”
“Peachy keen.” He started toward her, but when she held up both hands, he stopped.
“You stay there. It’s safer that way. Now, about the job.”
Warren’s face reflected his shock. “You still want it?”
“Yes.”
He crossed his arms and took a couple of steps back, stopping at the desk. “You’d be a basic stable hand, working with your mom or Mickey. Not with me. I don’t think we can risk that.”
Lily agreed wholeheartedly. “That’s perfectly fine.”
His brows clashed together, and his jaw tightened as if he were offended. Her words had certainly caught him by surprise. “It is?”
“Yes, it is! Whatever is going on between us, this is not the place or the time it needs to be resolved. We both should know better.” She sighed. “How many hours do you need me each week, and when do you want me to start?”