As her sisters all stared at her, Lily remembered that moment when she thought Kit was a different man and would ask to put their engagement back on… then Kit's response had broken her. He had been her last chance to get a husband, and he threw it back in her face.
While her scar would fade, it would always be there. Lily wasn't going to find a prospective husband who wanted someone who was as disfigured as she was. Nobody looked beyond the surface. When you had something wrong with you, that was all people could see.
Hattie was still staring, waiting for an answer.
"Nothing," Lily said finally.
"Nothing? He's not come over to apologize?"
"He has… so don't go beating him up again." Lily glanced at Nana, who was weeding with her good hand at the far end of the patch and Maye, her head still bent over her work. "He wants to marry one of you instead."
Then the tears came back again. Lily had thought she had cried all of them out. She lowered her head so the wide-brimmed hat she wore could hide them, but she wasn't quick enough.
Hattie lowered the hoe she had been using and stepped off the patch. She sat beside Lily and put her arms around her younger sister.
"Oh, love. That's cruel."
Lily sniffed and leaned her head on her sister's shoulder.
"I can't believe I developed feelings for a callous, cruel man like Kit McFarlan."
"Honey, don't think like that." Hattie squeezed her shoulders. "Look, unlike our scars, yours will heal. You'll be the beauty you were before, and you'll be flaunting it for the other men in town before you know it. Then McFarlan will be kicking himself."
Lily grunted, "I guess."
Maybe one of the other McFarlan brothers would be a better choice. Kyle, the doctor, was a gentleman. John, the sheriff, had proved to be a good man as well as a good law enforcement officer. When Lily had run from Kit's place in tears she had bumped into John, and he had taken her back to his office and sat with her while she calmed down before taking her home. He didn't speak much, but he listened, and Lily was grateful for it. And from what she had heard, eldest brother Greg was just as respectful and polite as his brothers.
But while they were handsome, none of them could hold a candle to Kit. And that made Lily feel nauseous. She couldn't believe she had fallen for the rudest, most disrespectful, and most handsome man in town. She was a fool and had been taken in far too easily.
Lily knew this was going to end in more tears and heartache for her, but she must try and be strong for her sisters. There was still hope for them and plenty of interest from the male inhabitants of Hope Springs.
"Lily." Nana was coming towards them. "We've got company."
She pointed with her trowel towards the side of the house, where two dark-haired children stood holding hands. Wiping her tears away, Lily stood and made her way across the garden, kneeling in front of them and noticing their scared expressions.
"Dionne? Caleb? What's the matter?"
"It's Daddy," Caleb mumbled.
Then he burst into tears and flung himself into Lily's arms, sobbing onto her shoulder. Lily looked at Dionne, her heart hammering. Something was wrong with Kit.
"What's happened, Dionne?"
"He was shoeing a horse, and the horse wasn't being good and staying still." Dionne was keeping back the tears, but she was trembling. "It kicked him in the chest. He fell and hit his head on his anvil."
"Renee ran in to help him... and the horse kicked Renee as well," Caleb wailed.
Lily's heart missed a beat. Kit and Renee were hurt? The thought of the beautiful, golden-haired girl hurt squeezed onto her heart and froze the breath in her chest. Lily had been kicked by a horse as a child and knew how bad the injuries could be. Luckily, she had been left with simply a dislocated shoulder. Lily couldn't begin to think what could have happened to Kit and the tiny Renee.
"Renee's awake but she's hysterical," Dionne added. "She keeps asking for you, Lily. She doesn't want Auntie Mila. Uncle Kyle’s there, but she doesn’t want him either, she just wants you."
Lily hadn't realized that she had made such an impact on the children. They had come to her for help, and she prayed that she would get there in time.
Lily didn't need to think.
"Come on, let’s go," she said and then turning to her sister. “I have to go, Kyle’s the doctor, but I have to go.”
They nodded.
Lily’s heart was pounding as she rushed with the children towards the forge. All the while she prayed that little Renee and her big, handsome father would be all right.
Chapter 7
Kit growled and pushed Kyle's hands away as he sat up.
"Don't fuss so much," he muttered. "I'm fine."
His shoulder was screaming at him and his head felt like it was splitting open, but he wasn't about to say that. That would be asking for it. His brother sighed and planted his hands on his hips.
"You say that, but you're clearly in pain," Kyle retorted. "I don't need to be a doctor to know that."
"I said I'm fine, Kyle."
"Kit, you've got at least three broken ribs, and your collarbone is cracked. You need to let me sort out that collarbone, and then you need to rest."
Kit grunted and swung his legs to the side of the bed.
"It's nothing I haven't had before," he mumbled.
"Yes, it is. That time you were laid up in bed for over four weeks, and you hated it. Do you want to go through that again?"
Kit didn't. That incident where he had been crushed by a horse while sorting out one of its shoes was imprinted on his mind. It had given him internal injuries and nearly crushed his chest. His pelvis had been cracked, and he had broken his thigh bone, which, from what Kyle had told him, is the strongest bone in the body, and therefore the hardest bone to break. This had happened when Amie was pregnant with Dionne, and she had almost lose the baby due to the stress.
It had been a wonder that Kit had managed to pull through at all. But this time, he hadn't nearly been crushed. He had simply been kicked in the chest, which felt sharp whenever he breathed in. It wasn't as life-threatening as Kyle was prepared to make it out to be.
"Last chance to get back into the bed of your own accord, Kit."
Kit's head shot up when he heard the female voice, the one that had been haunting him since the night before last on her porch. Lily was standing in the doorway to his bedroom, arms folded across her chest as she fixed a glare on him. Now that Kit was beginning to look past the scar, he could see that she was a beautiful woman. Without the facial deformity, she must have really turned heads.
But he wasn't sitting there to gawp over her. Kit growled, "What are you doing here?"
"Dionne and Caleb came to me." Lily entered the room. "They were scared about you and Renee."
Kit closed his eyes and shook his head. Those three little terrors had been talking about Lily since that brief meeting. They liked her and weren't happy when Kit said there would be nothing happening between them.
Darn, those kids.
"They didn't need to bother you."
"It's a good thing that they did." Lily stood beside Kyle and glowered at him. That fire Kit had briefly seen before flared in her eyes. She was taking charge. "Because it's clear you need to rest, Kit."
"Are you a doctor as well?"
Kit wasn't in the mood to be lectured when all he wanted to do was check on his daughter and then get back to the forge. If he stopped now, he would get behind with his work and that would result in less money coming in. He couldn't afford to stop, not with three kids to provide for.
"Out of the way," he barked and started to stand, but Lily planted a hand on his sternum and pushed. Kit felt the pain spasm throughout his chest and yelled, falling back to the bed, holding his bad arm close.
Lily shook her head at him.
"I could see from the door that your shoulder shouldn't look like that." She raised an eyebrow that said she was not brooking any arguments. "Last chance, Kit. Either let Ky
le patch you up or we'll cart you to the hospital. They won't treat you kindly with your attitude if you choose the latter."
Kit glared at her. He didn't want to admit it but going all the way to the hospital terrified him. And staying in bed when he needed to keep the bills paid also terrified him. He started to get off the bed again.
"I can't. I've got to get back to work."
"We'll sort out everything." Kyle tried to get him to sit without touching his injuries but failed, and Kit let out another groan. "You don't need to worry about anything," Kyle said ignoring the groan.
Kit glared at him. "I don't want any help from anyone," he growled. "And you can't stop me."
"You think?"
Kit turned, opening his mouth to bark out a retort. Then something hit him in the face, and the world went black.
Chapter 8
Lily waited outside as Kyle worked on Kit's shoulder. Now that Kit was unconscious, it was easier to set the shoulder back into place and do the necessary treating. It was better than having him fight them all the way, and he would feel a lot less pain.
Still, what had she done? Her hand throbbed. One of her knuckles was swollen, but she was sure it wasn’t broken. Even though she felt a little ashamed... it had felt so satisfying, punching Kit and seeing him flop onto the bed, out cold. She hadn't lost her touch. While Hattie had a good swing, Nana had a mean kick on her and Maye knew where to hit for the most damage, Lily had the strongest swing. She had knocked out a man bigger than Kit, and he had gone down quicker.
Her father would have been proud.
Kyle came out and closed the door, turning the key in the lock.
"That should keep him in once he comes round. But I've given him something to make him drowsy. With a little luck, it will keep him out for a while." He looked impressed when he stared at Lily. "You've got a strong right hook there, Miss Herod."
Lily grinned.
"Father taught all of us to fight… just in case." She shrugged. "And this was a just in case moment."
"Is your hand all right?"
"Nothing I can't handle. I'll just need some ice and that should reduce the swelling."
"Fair enough." Kyle shook his head. "I didn't quite believe Greg when he said your sister whacked Kit in the face and split his lip. When I met you, I thought you ladies were demure and... Well, like wallpaper."
"I think the term is a wallflower." Lily chuckled. "When we need it, we have the fire. You shouldn't simply look at this," she gestured at her face, "And see nothing to be worried about."
"You mean what you see superficially is not what is necessarily underneath?”
"Exactly."
"I'll remember that." Kyle gave her a wry smile.
Gosh, these McFarlan lads were handsome.
"I do have to collect rent from you every now and then,” Kyle said with a chuckle. “I just hope that’s alright, I don’t want to get on your bad side?"
"Don't treat me the way your brother did, and you won't have any problems." Lily looked down the hall. "Where's Renee?"
At that moment, there was a loud, childlike scream.
Kyle sighed. "Just follow the screaming."
Chapter 9
Lily was exhausted the next morning. She had been up all night holding Renee. The poor child had woken up screaming and refused to be consoled unless Lily was with her. The moment she had seen Lily, Renee had thrown her arms around Lily's waist and refused to let go. She did, however, let Kyle check her over. Luckily, all she had was a bump on her head. Kyle also guessed she had a concussion, but considering what could have happened, Renee had got off lightly.
It took nearly an hour to settle the child down, but Lily wasn't planning on going anywhere. The little girl had touched her heart, and she wasn't going to leave her alone. Holding her in her arms, she gently brushed a golden ringlet from her bruised face.
Kyle's sister, Mila, had been sitting with Renee until the outburst, and she looked exhausted. Lily ushered her and Kyle out the room, telling them to focus on Dionne and Caleb while she tended to Renee. Mila's expression showed relief, and she gave Lily's shoulder a squeeze before she left. Once again, Lily noticed that another McFarlan didn’t seem to care about her scars!
The night was tumultuous at best. Whenever Lily thought that Renee was finally asleep, she would try to leave. But Renee always seemed to sense when Lily was moving and clung on tighter. So Lily ended up lying beside Renee as she slept, unable to sleep despite the tiredness kicking in shortly after midnight. She felt as though if she closed her eyes for a moment, something would happen to the little girl.
At first, it annoyed her that she had started to care, but, as she held the sleeping child close, she realized that she couldn’t help but care. Renee was such a beautiful girl, just like her siblings, and Lily would so love to be her mother. However, if she could not be… Then she would make sure that she looked after her whenever she got the chance.
Mila crept back into the room shortly after dawn and urged Lily to head home and get some sleep. Renee was sleeping deeply by then and didn't stir when Lily slipped off the bed. Reluctant to leave, Lily decided to check on Kit and see how he was doing. While she felt good about punching him, she couldn't turn off the feelings that had developed through their letters and from the first time she’d set eyes on him.
It was going to be hard to walk away once Renee was well again.
Unlocking the door, Lily opened it and poked her head inside. Kit was starting to sit up gingerly, his face pale. His right eye was coming up with a beautiful shiner.
Lily entered and quietly closed the door behind her, keeping her hand on the handle. She didn't want to stay long but just being in the room had her wanting to get closer to Kit.
What was wrong with her? Did she really need even more rejection?
"Nice to see you awake and quiet, for once."
Kit scowled at her as he swung his legs over the side of the bed.
"You could've warned me that you had a better punch than your sister," he grumbled, touching at his eye.
"And where's the fun in that? I wasn't going to tell you I could knock you out. You would've tried to dodge me."
"That's true."
Kit gave her a rueful smile as he tried to ease himself to standing. Lily could clearly see he was in pain. She hurried to his side and eased him back onto the bed. Even simply touching him had her hand tingling.
"Don't get up, Kit. You need to rest that arm. Kyle managed to reset it, but you've got to keep yourself still."
"I need to get back to the forge, Lily." Kit spoke through gritted teeth. "My work."
"Don't worry about that. Greg's looking after it, and your other brothers are chipping in when they can." Lily had discussed this with Kyle while he was checking Renee over. Kyle had been agreeable to Lily's suggestion. "While they do that, your sister and I are keeping an eye on the children. Mila had fed and dressed Dionne and Caleb. They should be outside playing with my sisters right now." Lily covered her mouth a moment to force back a yawn. "Mila's just changed places with me to look after Renee, and once I've got some sleep I'll come back and sort you and Renee out."
Kit was looking at her now in a way that made Lily think he was seeing her differently. She hoped so. She wanted to prove to the stubborn man that she had sustenance behind her outer shell.
"Where were you going to sleep?" Kit asked quietly.
"I was going to go home and get a couple of hours.” Lily couldn't stop the yawn this time.
"You're dead on your feet. You must've been up all night."
"I was. Renee kept waking up screaming whenever I made to leave. Mila's taken over now, and she's sleeping deeply. I was told to make the most of my break."
She felt a hand on hers, and Lily looked down to see Kit drawing her towards the bed by the hand. Kit's expression was softened, a look of concern in his eyes.
"What are you doing?"
"Renee will wake up when you're not here and want you, I'm sure
of it." Kit slipped off the bed and pulled back the covers, gesturing towards the pillows. "Sleep in here."
"What?" Lily wasn't sure she had heard him correctly. "With you?"
"What's the problem? I'm not exactly in a position to do anything. And there's plenty of room." Kit sighed and looked down at their joined hands. "I know I've been harsh on you, but I don't bite."
"But I do."
Kit chuckled.
"I know, and I'll remember that. Look, Lily, we both need sleep, and nobody is going to care if we're sleeping in the same bed since we were going to be married anyway."
Lily flinched when he reminded her of that. Kit suddenly realized what he said and looked pained.
“Sorry, but you should sleep here. At least you won't be far when Renee wants you."
Lily was torn. She wanted to be close to Renee. But sleeping close to her meant sleeping in close quarters to a man who had her all done up in knots. A man who hadn’t exactly behaved like a gentleman. It was not proper and—in fact—was scandalous. Yet still, she wanted to curl up beside him. The problem was she wasn't sure if she could handle it.
“I understand that you are reluctant,” Kit said. “So just lie on top of the bed and tell me about Renee.”
Maybe she could do that. Just sit on the bed for a few moments… Lily looked at the door, and another wave of exhaustion rolled over her. She was so tired and giving Renee the comfort that she would be close by won her over. Pulling her hand from Kit's, Lily climbed slowly onto the bed and leaned against the wall. The bed was surprisingly soft. Very soft and very comfortable.
The bed moved as Kit sat back down and leaned against the wall next to her. Lily wanted to say something, wanted to move, but her eyes had closed, and she was already starting to drift into sleep and was beginning to forget that she wasn't alone. She was barely aware of an arm going around her shoulder, holding her close. She was almost asleep when she felt a brush of lips on her jaw and Kit's voice in her ear.
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