Charlene Sands (22 page)

“Are you feeling poorly, Lily?” He glanced at the hand protecting her stomach.

“No, I’m fine.” She smiled and took his proffered arm as they walked into the dining room.

“You look very pretty this afternoon.”

Lily smoothed her green satin dress adorned with ecru lace then removed her gloves as Uncle Jasper helped her to a seat at the best table in the restaurant. “Thank you.”

She made sure to smile often at her generous uncle. He’d been so kind, so loving. She didn’t want him to know that her heart was slowly breaking. It wasn’t his fault. He’d led as lonely a life as she had and now at least they had found each other.

He’d treated her to a whole new wardrobe, complete
with all the accessories. At one time in her life Lily would have been ecstatic having all these fineries. Little did her uncle know, she’d much rather be wearing simple cottons while cooking a meal in the Kincaide household than parading around in these exquisite clothes. She’d not tell her uncle how she felt. It had given him great pleasure to treat her to all these nice things.

“I’ve taken the liberty of inviting Joellen Withers to dinner tonight. I hope you don’t mind?”

“Heavens, no. Joellen is the dearest woman I know. She has been a very good friend to me here.”

“That’s what I understand. I’m grateful for everyone who has helped you get by after Jonah’s death. Including the handsome young rancher. It was a good thing, him hiring you.” He quirked a graying eyebrow up.

Her uncle had been sweetly prodding her almost every day about her time with Tyler. Lily hadn’t shared too much, but she surmised her uncle knew they’d had more than a business relationship.

“Yes. Bethann…” she said on a breath, remembering the child she held close to her heart. “Bethann is such a lovely child. Tyler needed some help out at the ranch with her and I needed a place to live.”

“And that’s all it was to you—a place to live?” Her uncle’s expression seemed dubious. Lily couldn’t explain to him what living with the Kincaides had meant to her.

The Circle K had been her home. She loved it there, but Tyler had made it very clear, it really wasn’t her home. He’d discarded her the moment her uncle showed up. She’d had too much pride to plead with Tyler to let her stay. Lord knew, it was what she desperately
wanted. The thought of him having to handle Bethann, rebuild his home, take care of the ranch without her, brought knots to her insides.

What could she do but leave town? Tyler hadn’t given her any other option. She’d mulled over the idea of staying, reopening the mercantile and competing with the big emporium, but her heart wasn’t in it. She couldn’t remain here and pretend casual friendship with Tyler when the very sight of him would send her into a tizzy.

Lily took a deep breath. She couldn’t think about Tyler anymore. She hadn’t been sleeping or eating well.

It was time to make a new life for herself. “I worked for Tyler as nanny to his daughter. I was the…housekeeper.”

Her uncle nodded in understanding. “And now you think it best to leave town?”

“Y-yes.” Saying the words never got any easier. “I don’t want to stay on here. I’ve made up my mind. If you’d still like to take me, I’d love to see San Francisco.”

Uncle Jasper took her hand. “I told you I’d do whatever it takes to make you happy. We can live anywhere, Lily.”

“Fine, then. I won’t change my mind.”

All this talk about leaving ruined Lily’s appetite. It was time to change the subject. “You seem to be enjoying Joellen’s company lately.” She smiled coyly at her uncle, tilting her head.

He cleared his throat. “Yes, well, Joellen’s been a big help to me here. As you know, I came upon her ranch first, and she helped me find Kincaide’s spread. I thought it only fitting to invite her to dinner.”

Lily fidgeted with the silverware on the table. “You had lunch with her one day, as well. And didn’t you bump into her at Wilbourne’s Emporium a few days back?”

“Yes, yes, indeed. It was a pleasant encounter.”

“Have you met her daughter, Letty Sue?”

The joy on her uncle’s face vanished immediately. He frowned. “I did, indeed.”

Lily chuckled, the sound feeling wonderful to her ears. She hadn’t had a merry moment since leaving Tyler’s ranch. “Not such a pleasant encounter.”

He glanced around the restaurant and whispered, “No. That girl is terribly spoiled. Seems she needs a bit of straightening out.”

“Joellen’s had to raise her by herself. Her husband died unexpectedly when Letty Sue was a child.”

“Hmm. I know. Joellen’s such a fine woman.”

“You admire her?”

Uncle Jasper blushed. “Well, yes. I do believe I do.”

Lily bit back a grin. “You know, Uncle, I think I’ll retire early tonight. Why don’t you and Joellen have dinner without me? I have packing to do and some loose ends to tie up before we leave for San Francisco.”

“Lily, are you sure? We’d both love your company.”

“Oh, yes. I’m sure. Give Joellen my best.”

Lily felt a sense of relief. They had only one day left in town. If her uncle found pleasure in Joellen’s company, then she’d let them alone to enjoy their evening. Besides, as the time of her departure drew near, Lily’s disposition grew increasingly more solemn. She’d not spoil her uncle’s time this evening.

He nodded. “I shall. Well, then,” he said opening the menu. “After we order lunch, I suppose I should tell you what I know of San Francisco. I believe it will be an exciting new experience for us both.”

Lily sighed heavily and opened her menu. She didn’t believe she would know another exciting day if she lived to be one hundred and one.

“P
apa, Papa, come quick.”

Tyler woke to his daughter’s excited voice. He’d lain awake most of the night struggling with thoughts of his future—a future without Lily. He must have finally slept in the early hours because he was usually the first one up and out of bed. Unlike most mornings, today the sun beat him in its rise.

Bethann tugged at his arm. “Whoa, hold on, sweet-cakes. What’s got you so excited?” He ran a hand through his unruly hair and squinted at his daughter.

Bethann had bedded down in the part of the house that was completed. Her room was the first one finished. Tyler chose to sleep in a room still devoid of walls. He found he needed the open air. It helped to clear his mind.

The sense of loss he felt not having Lily there, beside him in the night, seemed a bit easier to bear. He wondered how he’d feel when the walls went up and the roof was on. With the house completed, would it ever feel like home again?

“Papa, I got to show you somethin’. Hurry and get up.”

Tyler scratched his head. “Okay, okay. I’m coming.” He dressed quickly, throwing on a shirt, wondering what his daughter was so dang happy over.

She dragged him out of the makeshift house and into the front yard. “Look, Papa, look. Do you see it?”

Tyler’s mouth dropped open. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Amid the ashes on the side of the house he hadn’t begun to reconstruct, next to a big pile of burnt smoky wood shavings, bloomed a stubborn, resistant, glorious flower. The purple-hued marvel lifted its face to the early morning sun.

“I think it’s a lily,” his daughter prodded. Tyler knew that it wasn’t. But it was Lily, in all other respects. In all things that mattered.

“It’s a miracle, Papa. Wes says so and so does Randy!”

“How’d you suppose…how on earth? I didn’t think anything survived from Lily’s garden.”

“It’s so pretty. The most beautiful flower I ever did see. Can we show Miss Lily, Papa? Can we?”

Stunned, Tyler continued to stare at the flower. “I, uh…” Dumbfounded, Tyler was speechless. If ever there was a sign, this had to be it. Thoughts filtered through, pleasing, hope-filled thoughts of the kind of life Tyler had always wanted. A life where he and the woman he loved could raise his daughter sharing the joys and challenges of ranch living.

He was struck hard and fast with the truth. This was Lily’s home. He and Bethann were her family. On impulse and knowing in his heart what he was about to do was the right thing, he said, “Get dressed, little one. Make it quick, we have to go into town.”

He had to get Lily back before it was too late. And
Tyler thought ruefully, he’d need luck and a whole lot of help from his friends to convince her to come back. “We’re going to bring Lily home.”

Lily knelt to place a bouquet of hand-picked wildflowers between her parents’ graves. Saying goodbye was not easy. But at least she’d done the one thing her father had asked of her—she’d located her uncle and was about to embark on a new life with him in San Francisco. The Lord’s Prayer fell from her lips and as she stood, she wiped a tear from her eye.

Lily took a minute to take in a breath. There was another goodbye she’d have to make today. To Tyler and Bethann. Staying on in Sweet Springs would only tear at her heart, knowing how close she’d come to real happiness. She’d decided to make a clean break since Tyler had made his feelings clear by not inviting her back to the ranch.

She’d spent the past few weeks with her uncle. Getting to know him again had been a pleasure. He was a loving, dear man who enjoyed doting on her every whim. Even though Lily hadn’t asked for much, just some clothes, since all she had had gone up in flames, Uncle Jasper had insisted on showering her with the finest gifts a woman could want.

Sighing deeply, Lily strode out the cemetery gate and secured the latch on the picket fence. A horse’s snort made her turn quickly, glancing up the path. Stunned, Lily gasped. Tyler sat on Blaze, watching her.

He tipped his hat and shot her a dazzling smile. “Mornin’, Miss Lily.”

There were others on horses behind him, but she didn’t notice who they were. Her gaze rested solely
on the handsome rancher she had come to love. Her heart thrummed an erratic rhythm. “Hello, Tyler.”

With a finger to his black felt hat, he shoved the brim up on his forehead, allowing Lily to see his face fully.

“You look beautiful, Lily.”

Nervously, Lily brushed her prim white gloves along the creases of her sateen gown. Her plume hat nearly took flight from a strong breeze blowing by. With a hand to her head, she righted the lopsided hat. She felt self-conscious in the expensive clothes she wore. If Tyler bothered to ask, she would have told him great wealth didn’t matter to her. Lily truly only wanted simple pleasures in life. Pleasures only he could give her.

But what had brought him out here? She wondered why he stared at her as though he’d never seen a woman before. She smiled softly. “Thank you.”

Blaze shifted impatiently. Tyler leaned forward, resting a hand on the saddle horn. “I hear you’re leaving town. Weren’t you going to say goodbye?”

“I, uh, yes—of course. I wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye. I was coming out to the ranch this afternoon.”

“Can’t let you do that.” His solemn tone held conviction.

Lily’s heart plummeted. Tyler still didn’t want her at the ranch. Choked up, a small, “Oh” was all she managed.

“No. I can’t let you leave.”

Her eyes met his directly. “You c-can’t?”

Another whisper of a breeze lifted her hat. She raised her hand to hold it in place.

“No, ma’am, I can’t. Seems you still owe me. You promised to stay on at the ranch until the cattle drive.”

That was all he wanted from her? Silly notions that should have gone up in smoke with the Kincaide ranch house brought a trembling to her lips. “Oh, I’m s-sure you’ll h-have no t-trouble finding a replacement. My uncle and I have already made plans.”

Uncle Jasper appeared from beyond a tree. His distinguished gray hair shone like a beacon in the bright light of day. “Lily, do whatever makes you happy, child. I’m beginning to like the town of Sweet Springs.” His smile rested briefly on Joellen Withers, who stepped out from beyond the very same tree. The sweet-natured woman gave Lily a reassuring smile.

Joellen and Uncle Jasper? Lily knew he admired the woman, but as they stood side by side in front of the tall ironwood, she realized what a nice couple they made. Both had led lonely lives. Had they found solace in each other?

Tyler cleared his throat and Lily’s attention once again focused on him. “No one could replace you, Lily.”

When Lily didn’t respond right away, Tyler went on. “Of course, we’d have to make it legal and all. I’m, uh, talking about getting married.”

Lily dared not hope. She planted her hands on her hips. She wanted a real proposal from Tyler. Nothing else would do. “And why do you want to marry me
this
time?”

Tyler grinned. “The boys can’t stand Wes’s cooking.”

Lily concealed a chuckle, noticing Wes several yards behind Tyler, grimacing. Randy gave him a playful jab in the arm. Was the whole town in on this?

“Not good enough, Mr. Kincaide.”

Tyler rubbed his jaw. “My daughter cries every day for you.”

Lily glanced around to see Bethann strapped into Pint-Size, pursing her lips in a pout, with tears in her eyes. Lily’s heart bled for an instant, then she noticed Tyler giving his daughter a wink of approval.

“I’m still not sure,” she hedged, but her deceitful heart began melting on the spot.

“There’s a big beautiful flower in your garden waiting for you to tend.”

Lily blinked back her surprise. This, she didn’t expect. She could barely contain her joy. “I…don’t…know.”

Tyler dismounted, took off his hat, then approached her. His dark eyes held hers. In a rich powerful voice he declared, “Then know this, Miss Lily. I’m proposing marriage for the third and final time, because you’re the damnedest best shot in the territory, because I don’t want a day to go by without you by my side and because I love you with all of my heart.”

Lily gave him her brightest smile. Inside she was turning cartwheels. “Could you say that last part again?”

“I love you, Lily,” he said without pause.

Lily’s heart cried out with joy. “I love you, too, Tyler.” She stood there, staring into his handsome face, searching his love-filled eyes. On a winsome sigh she offered, “And I guess a woman could do much worse.”

“But a man couldn’t do any better, sweetheart.”

He swept her up into an embrace. His lips took hers in a tantalizing kiss filled with pent-up passion and
desire. Their eyes locked again. “Damn it, woman, I do love you.”

Lily chuckled, pressing a soft kiss to his mouth. “Why, Mr. Kincaide, I do believe I’ll have a lifetime to teach you not to swear.”

Tyler cinched his hands around her waist, pulling her closer. “Then you’ll marry me, sweet Lily?”

Lily tilted her head and gave him a sinful smile. “Hell, yes.”