“What do I owe you?”

He remained maddeningly aloof. “Nothing.”

Trying not to wonder if the rest of him was as big and capable as his hands, she gave him a look. Waited.

He shrugged again. “I’m doing this pro bono.”

Charity? He was doing this as a charity case? Anger warred with pride. It was true, her salary as mayor wasn’t much, but she didn’t need much since she had accrued some savings before running for public office. “I don’t need your professional largesse, Gannon.”

A contemplative silence fell. He gave her a slow, reckless smile that quickly set her heart to pounding. “You really want to pay me back for my help?”

Talk about a loaded question! She regarded him matter-of-factly, letting him know with a glance she did not want to owe him any other favors, either. “Absolutely,” she snapped. “The sooner the better.”

He edged closer, inundating her with the sandalwood-and-spice scent of his cologne, and the brisk, masculine fragrance unique to him. “Then how about dinner—tonight?”

Lily blinked. “Are you for real?”

Another slow, seductive smile. “Very.”

Lone Star Valentine
Cathy Gillen Thacker

www.millsandboon.co.uk

CATHY GILLEN THACKER is married and a mother of three. She and her husband spent eighteen years in Texas and now reside in North Carolina. Her mysteries, romantic comedies and heartwarming family stories have made numerous appearances on bestseller lists, but her best reward, she says, is knowing one of her books made someone’s day a little brighter. A popular Mills & Boon® author for many years, she loves telling passionate stories with happy endings, and thinks nothing beats a good romance and a hot cup of tea! You can visit Cathy’s website, cathygillenthacker.com, for more information on her upcoming and previously published books, recipes and a list of her favorite things.

Contents

Cover

Excerpt

Title Page

About the Author

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Epilogue

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

“Rumor has it, you and Lily McCabe have been on the outs with each other for the past eight years.”

More like six, Gannon Montgomery corrected silently. Although it seemed longer since the two of them had shared a laugh. Or even a smile.

The relaxation he’d felt during the rare morning ride fading fast, he led his horse into the barn. “What’s your point?” Gannon demanded.

Rex Carter stepped back. “The last thing Laramie, Texas, needs is a young female mayor.”

Gannon could see how the once-popular good old boy opposite him could think that. He pulled off the saddle and removed the bridle, bit and reins. Hung them on the wall outside the stall. “Lily’s not that young. Just a few years shy of me.”

And, if memory served, incredibly sexy and smart, to boot.

Rex narrowed his gaze. “She’s twenty-nine.”

Gannon rubbed down the gelding, gave the horse plenty of water, then shut the stall door. He walked over to the sink at the rear of the barn to wash his hands. “Which, as it happens, is old enough for a lot of things. Including running for public office in Laramie County.”

Rex slapped his Stetson against the leg of his custom Western suit. “She’s an attorney, not a politician.”

The more things changed in the rural Texas area he’d grown up in, the more they stayed the same. Gannon sure was glad he now resided in Fort Worth. “Well, tell that to all the people who voted for her,” he retorted mildly.

As if recalling he’d been beaten in a landslide by the pretty and personable Lily McCabe, and forced to return to the real estate business his family owned, Rex scowled and ran a hand through his short, graying hair. “The point is, you’re not the kind of ‘celebrity judge’ the committee had in mind for the First Annual Laramie, Texas, Chili Cook-Off and Festival. And Mayor McCabe shouldn’t have asked you to do the honors.”

Gannon strode out into the unseasonably warm February day. He admired the rugged scenery and let the sage-scented breeze roll over him. “Lily didn’t have anything to do with my selection.” The request had come from a friend of his mother’s, who’d erroneously thought dragging Gannon back to join in the festivities would lead him to abandon his high-profile career and return home permanently.

“I agreed to do it because I figured it would be fun.”

And maybe give me a chance to mend fences with Lily, at long last. Assuming I could get her to put our old disagreements aside. A pretty big if, given her stubbornness and the acrimoniousness of the words that had been exchanged.

Gannon turned his gaze away from the clear blue skies. “And I thought you were here to talk about the sale of my family’s ranch.”

Which was—Gannon admitted guiltily, looking at the neglected grounds around the house and barns—in pretty sad shape. Mostly because neither he nor his mother had had the time or inclination to put any work into the defunct cattle ranch since his dad had died five years prior.

Rex straightened, all savvy go-getter once again. “I’ve definitely developed a plan for the Triple M.” He paused to look at Gannon, long and hard. “But to get you and your family top dollar, I’m going to need your full cooperation on every level.”

* * *

LILY MCCABE LISTENED to her assistant, her decision made as soon as the name was uttered. There was no way she wanted this particular Blast From Her Past. Her hand tightened on the telephone receiver that was, like almost everything else in the town hall, many years out of date. “Tell him I’m too busy to see him, but thank him for stopping by.”

“Tell him yourself,” an achingly familiar male voice suggested from the open portal of her private office.

Lily’s gaze lifted, and there he was. Gannon Montgomery. Big as life. Clad not in the elegant suit and tie she would have expected, but in a faded pair of jeans more suitable to his rodeo days, and a navy blue shirt that brought out his midnight eyes. His belt bore a championship buckle, and his brown leather boots were as comfortably worn as the Stetson he held against his thigh.

“Never mind.” Lily set down the phone with a sigh.

Ignoring the sensual tilt to his firm masculine lips, she pushed back her chair and stood. Then, remaining behind her large mahogany desk, she propped her hands on her hips. And tried, without success, not to notice how good he still looked. Even with his thick, short dark brown hair all rumpled, and a sandpapery-rough hint of beard rimming his chiseled face. Realizing she’d been staring, Lily dropped her gaze and found herself in even more tantalizing territory. Shoulders broad enough to lean on. Muscular chest and taut abs, all just begging to be touched. Not that she ever would.

Not after everything they’d once said.

And meant...

Lily’s eyes shot upward, heat filling her face.

“How did you get past my secretary?” she demanded. Dimples appeared on either side of Gannon’s rakish grin. He lifted a big square palm. “Good looks and charm. Same as always.”

An unwelcome rush of excitement roaring through her veins, Lily watched Gannon shut the door behind him and stride toward her.

Doing her best to project an aura of professional cool, she lifted a chastising brow first at him and then at the closed door. “Is that really necessary?”

He dropped his hat on a chair, every bit as confident—and maddeningly chivalrous—as she recalled. “Given what I have to tell you, yes.”

What was it about Texas men? she wondered. Always thinking the women in their life needed protecting, whether the women wanted that or not! She blew out a gusty breath and waited, with barely contained impatience, as Gannon roamed the Laramie mayor’s office, taking in the photos of her four-year-old son on her desk, the many plaques and awards on the wall. He turned back to her, smelling of fresh air, soap and man. “First off, thanks for selecting me to be on the judges panel for Laramie’s First Annual Chili Cook-Off and Festival.”

Lily grimaced. “I had nothing to do with it. It was your mother and Miss Mim.” The retired town librarian, who had known them all as kids. “She’s chairwoman of the event. Although, for the record, we all knew you’d be in town before then, since your mother’s newest statue is going to be unveiled in the town square day after tomorrow.”

Dark brow furrowing, Gannon paused. “Have you previewed my mom’s new artwork?”

She caught the undertone of worry in his low timbre. “No one in town has.” She paused. “I’m guessing you haven’t, either?”

Gannon shook his head. “My mother is keeping her sculpting studio under lock and key.”

Lily knew the retired art teacher had only been selling her work for a few years now, but was looking to make a splash with the work the town had commissioned for the upcoming festival. “Is that usual?”

“No.”

Lily told herself not to attach any particular significance to that. “I’m sure it will be amazing.”

He nodded tensely.

Deciding letting the situation get too personal could only lead to trouble, Lily pursed her lips. “Back to your invitation to judge...”

Broad shoulders flexed beneath his blue cotton shirt. “You were out of the loop on that,” he concluded with humor, not nearly as insulted by her derisive remark as she would’ve wished him to be. “So noted.”

As was much else...

Figuring if he was going to give her the lazy once-over, she may as well do the same to him, Lily let her glance admire the strong masculine planes of his handsome face before dropping once again to the sinewy contours of his chest and flat washboard abs. Lower still, the denim cloaked his long masculine legs and...

With effort, she forced her attention back to his taunting gaze and took a deep breath to allay the slight tremble of her knees. Then, in a slightly strained voice, she admitted, “Although if it had been up to me, counselor...” Given their former rancor and how closely the chili cook-off would force them to work together...

“I would not have been your first choice to be the head judge and the grand marshal of the parade?” he concluded softly.

Lily lifted her chin. “Probably not.”

He sauntered nearer, the warmth of his big body radiating outward. “You know, we could just call a truce.”

Surmising he was about to hit on her, Lily rolled her eyes. “Or not.”

He peered at her. “You sure you’re a politician?” Hands flat on the paper-strewn surface of her desk, he leaned toward her. “’Cause most politicians I know are prone to copious displays of kissing up.”

Or, in this case, just kissing.

Trying not to think about how long she had wanted to do that and somehow managed not to, Lily cleared her throat. “So you said there was another reason you were here?” she prodded in a crisp, businesslike tone.

For both their sakes, she wanted to get this tête-à-tête over with as soon as possible.

“Right.” Gannon pivoted away from her and went back to look at the photo of her and the current Texas governor, taken shortly after she had been sworn in.

He bypassed the hat taking up one of the upholstered chairs in front of her desk, and dropped lazily into the other. Then he stretched his long muscular legs out in front of him. “Rex Carter wants to oust you from your position as mayor.”

Lily sent a glance heavenward, cursing all the unnecessary drama. “Tell me something I don’t know,” she replied, deadpan.

“He’s serious about proving you unfit for office.”

Trying not to think how much she loved Gannon’s ruggedly chiseled features, as he stared at her with that look of worry on his handsome face, she sat down behind her desk and folded her hands in front of her. “And I’m serious about proving that I’m more than capable.”

A note of disbelief crept into his voice. “You really don’t care what Rex’s plans are?”

Lily hesitated. She did and she didn’t. “I can’t govern effectively if I spend all my time worrying about what everyone else is doing.”

“Even if the plan is to wreak as much havoc as possible on your weekend-long Valentine’s Day fund-raiser?”

“Rex loves Laramie,” she replied. “I think when it comes right down to it, he won’t want to see the town embarrassed. Especially since his family still has a business here, and could very well stand to profit if the chili cook-off is a success.”

Gannon paused. “I think you may be naive about him.”

Anger stabbed her heart, quick and brutal.

“And I think,” Lily responded just as candidly, rising yet again, “that is something you have said to me before.”

* * *

YES, GANNON THOUGHT UNHAPPILY, it was something he had said. And Lily had resented it so much she had ended their friendship. Although in that instance, too, he had turned out to be right.

A fact that had made her begrudge his innate protectiveness even more...

As she came around the desk toward him and then moved past him toward the door, he could see not much had changed.

Lily was still as gorgeous as ever, he noted, as he, too, got to his feet. Still liked to wear heels that made the most of her incredible showgirl legs. Her honey-blond waves tumbled just past her shoulders, with a swoop of long sexy bangs across her forehead. Standing half a foot shorter than him, at five foot nine, she was lithe and graceful, curvy in all the right places. A fact illustrated by the trim navy suit skirt and silky white shirt that adorned her delectable body.

“I said that with good reason, as it turned out,” Gannon shot back before he could stop himself. Her ex had treated her—and the son she’d eventually had with him—like dirt.

Lily flushed.

“That’s a matter of opinion,” she reiterated tightly.

The phone on her desk buzzed. Once, then again.

Looking grateful for the interruption, Lily strode back to answer it. “Yes?” She listened, then cast a look at Gannon over her shoulder. Harrumphed loudly. “Did Mr. Montgomery pay you to say that?”

Say what? Gannon wondered.

“No, I guess not,” Lily continued, miserably. She rubbed her temples. “And there are how many of them?”

Then she muttered something beneath her breath he couldn’t quite catch but sensed was very unladylike. “No. For heaven’s sake, don’t have them wait in the lobby! Show them to the conference room down the hall from my office. Yes. Including him. Tell them I’ll be right in. Yes. Yes!”

Lily hung up the phone.

Her hand was shaking.

Her face pale.

Then red.

Then pale again.

Seeing her so distressed, it was all Gannon could do not to wrap his arms around her and make everything okay. “Rex Carter?” he guessed.

Lily scoffed and ran a hand through her bangs, pushing them off her forehead. “Worse,” she moaned. “My son’s father.”

“Bode Daniels.” The star quarterback for the Dallas Gladiators football team.

Lily’s shoulders sagged as she nodded miserably. “And his sports agent, PR rep, publicist and two lawyers.”

That was quite an entourage. Gannon studied the expression on her face. “And you had no idea they were coming?”

“None.” Lily paled again as outside in the corridor a collection of convivial voices rose and fell. Their footsteps faded.

“Do you need a lawyer?” Gannon asked, only half joking.

“I already have one. Liz Cartwright-Anderson.”

Who was, Gannon reflected, also a mutual friend.

Lily reached for her suit jacket and slipped it on. “But Liz is on vacation with her family right now, at Padre Island.” And she was the best Laramie County had to offer.

Desperation mingled with the worry in her long-lashed turquoise eyes.

It got to him—big-time.

With effort, he once again resisted the impulse to take her in his arms and smooth a hand through her hair. Anything to comfort her. “Want me to fill in for her? I’m a family-law attorney, too.”

Lily looked tempted for a nanosecond, but then she shook her head. “No. I’ve got it.” She paused, as if steeling herself emotionally for the battle ahead. “I trust you can see yourself out...?”

Gannon sighed. She’d made it clear a long time ago that she didn’t want—or need—him. Probably never would. “Sure,” he said, just as coolly. “And, Lily?”

Their eyes held. For a moment, something shimmered between them, lingered like a dust mote on the air, then disappeared altogether. “Good luck with that—whatever it is.” He jerked his head in the direction the voices had gone.

She nodded. Her expression turbulent, she took off toward her meeting.

Gannon made it as far as the lobby in the town hall before the second thoughts set in. None of this was his problem. Lily’d articulated that numerous times. And yet...she was in trouble. And maybe her son, too. He could feel it in his gut.

He’d been brought up to never ever leave a lady in distress. That went double when an innocent little kid was involved.

He wasn’t about to start now.

Chapter Two

“I just need you to modify the custody arrangements,” Bode Daniels claimed.

This was news. Feeling as if she’d just sustained a punch to the gut, Lily sat down opposite him at the conference table. Both surrounded and outnumbered by her ex and his entourage, she worked to contain her shock and dismay. “In what way?” she asked calmly.

Bode rocked back in his chair and smiled charismatically, while his team of professionals wordlessly urged him on. “Give me custody of Lucas for a while.”

As if it were just that simple, Lily thought in astonishment. Who the heck does this guy think he’s dealing with? Emboldened by the fact that she had long ago ceased being a woman who could be easily charmed or seduced, she returned, just as easily, “Why?”

Sensing resistance, Bode tucked his hands into his armpits and set his jaw. “It’s complicated.”

Lily looked right at him. As her confusion faded, anger took its place. Another beat of silence fell. “I’ve got time.”

Her ex shoved a hand through his cropped white-blond hair, then adopted the earnest-but-likable look he had perfected for his signature cologne ads and continued, “You know I didn’t exactly have the best season last year.”

“No kidding,” Gannon Montgomery agreed cheerfully as he walked in unannounced, tray of vending machine coffees in one hand, a flat of pastries he’d commandeered from the break room in the other.

Lily turned toward him, relieved for the interruption.

As if reading her mind, Gannon winked.

“Exactly who are you?” Bode’s sports agent asked, clearly as surprised to see Gannon there as Lily was.

Bode dismissed Gannon with a glare. “He’s one of Lily’s law school buddies.”

Or at least Gannon had been, Lily noted silently, until Bode had come into the picture, just as she was getting ready to graduate.

“Actually,” the senior lawyer on Bode’s team, a distinguished man in his late forties, corrected, “this is Gannon Montgomery—one of the top family-law attorneys in Fort Worth.”

The other attorney, a young, good-looking woman with wiry ebony hair, squinted at Gannon. “Are you representing Ms. McCabe?” She clearly seemed to hope not.

Gannon looked at Lily.

He’d crashed her meeting and successfully intercepted Bode’s ridiculous demands. Now the ball was in her court.

Figuring it wouldn’t hurt to have another member on her legal team, particularly if it temporarily set her opponents off their game, Lily said what she knew to be the truth—at least in several other cases. “Mr. Montgomery is ‘of counsel’ with my family-law attorney, Liz Cartwright-Anderson.”

Meaning Gannon could advise on legal matters but wouldn’t do anything unless it became necessary, and then only at her current attorney’s discretion.

Which, Lily firmly intended, would not be the case.

Gannon beamed. As always, glad to be of service, even if it was only because he had strong-armed his way into the situation.

Lily stifled a small sigh.

“So where were we?” Gannon asked pleasantly, pulling up a chair and taking his place next to Lily.

“Bode wants me to hand over custody of Lucas for a little while.”

“Ah.” Gannon nodded, then turned to Bode, saying drolly, “Going to play the sympathy card with the press and public?”

His legendary cool fading, Bode’s eyes started to glaze over with barely contained anger, and Lily could see the skin on his neck reddening.

A telltale sign that he was about to implode.

But before Bode could do or say anything untoward—like leap across the table and grab Gannon by the collar—his attorney interjected sternly, “Bode is Lucas’s father. And up to now, my client’s had precious little time with his offspring.”

“And whose fault is that?” Lily spit out, before she could stop herself.

Gannon reached over and put a staying palm on her wrist. His touch sent an unexpected jolt of warmth rippling through her, which left her feeling even more flustered.

As it was meant to, his touch infused her with a sudden burst of calm.

“Bode will be a free agent in another month,” the sports agent continued.

So what? Lily thought impatiently but said instead, “Which means he could go to another team.”

“In another far-flung part of the country,” his agent emphasized. He paused to let his words sink in. “Bode doesn’t want that.”

Nor, if she were honest, did Lily. It was hard enough to arrange Lucas’s once-a-year meet and greet with his dad now.

The agent continued, “Right now, the Dallas Gladiators are hesitating to offer an early extension of his current contract to Bode. They are concerned he is not as popular with their fans as he once was.”

The public relations guru who managed Bode’s “brand” jumped in. “Our research has shown a big part of that is because Bode never fully recovered from the fallout over—”

“Dumping Lily after their whirlwind romance, publicly discounting his part in Lily’s pregnancy and then marrying a Venezuelan supermodel and promptly fathering two more children with his new bride—all the while ignoring his son with Lily?” Gannon set the record straight with a taunting smile. “Until the results of a court-ordered paternity test made that impossible, that is. Then, of course, Mr. Daniels had no choice but to own up.”

The PR expert must have noticed the way Bode was bristling, because she suddenly put her hand on the superstar athlete’s wrist. “Unfortunately for all, I think the confusion regarding Lucas’s paternity is what most people remember,” she said with a brand manager’s aplomb. “Which is why, for everyone’s sake, we need to remedy that perception, and make sure everyone knows what a devoted daddy Bode is to all his children. That starts with modifying the custody agreements.”

Figuring this charade had gone far enough, Lily stood. “Actually, I like things just the way they are.” She smiled tightly.

Gannon gave her an “atta girl” look.

Then, without further ado, Lily walked to the door and opened it wide. “Now, if you all will excuse me,” she stated unequivocally, “I really have to get on with my day.”

* * *

GANNON HUNG AROUND long enough to make sure everyone vacated the conference room.

“Talk sense into her,” one of the lawyers said, handing Gannon his card.

“It’d be best for everyone,” the female attorney agreed.

With a muted look of frustration, Bode strode off. His entourage hurried to catch up with him as he exited Laramie Town Hall. Gannon took the platter of pastries back to the break room, commandeered two from the plate and returned to Lily’s office.

The door was shut.

He knocked and, without waiting for an answer, headed in.

Lily was sitting at her desk, suit jacket off, her head in her hands. She looked up, the weight of the world in her eyes. “Really?”

Given the fact there were any number of things she could call him to task on, he countered with an innocuous smile and a lift of one confection-filled hand. “Pastry?”

Her spine stiffened. “No.”

He tore his gaze from the way her breasts were pressing against the soft fabric of her blouse and concentrated instead on the flush of angry color sweeping her delicate cheeks.

Knowing he had never wanted to take her into his arms more than he did at that very moment, he tilted his head. “Something to drink, then? Lukewarm coffee? Bottle of scotch...?”

She stifled an unwilling smile. “You are a laugh a minute, counselor.”

Purposefully, he shut the door behind him, enclosing them in her private space. “I try.”

Her chin lifted another notch. “And you shouldn’t have barged in to the conference room.”

He ambled toward her. Set an apple Danish on her desk, just in case, then waited until she rocked back in her chair and met his eyes. “I’m aware you don’t need protecting,” he said.

She released another long, quavering breath. “Then why did you come to my rescue?”

She had a point. He wasn’t normally inclined to insert himself into situations where he clearly did not belong.

“Don’t know.” He inhaled the familiar scent of her signature freesia perfume, let his glance drift over the sexy waves of her honey-blond hair. “Habit?”

Lily groaned and put her face back in her hands.

Dropping down into a chair, he took a bite of the pastry. It had been sitting out for a while and was, as a result, rather stale. But still delicious in its own way.

Remembering how Lily always tended to reach for the sweets when stressed, he asked, “Want to talk about it?”

She pinched off a bite of pastry, held it between her fingers, then let it fall. Her gaze still on the bite she couldn’t bring herself to eat, she shook her head, admitting in a low, strangled tone, “There are no words.”

Gannon couldn’t fault her for being despondent. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t try to goad her back into fighting mode, however.

“For what kind of jerk your ex is? ’Cause if you need help—” he waggled his brow “—I can think of a few very fitting adjectives.”

She smiled, despite herself. Tore off another bite of pastry. Thought about eating it, then set it down again, without tasting. “He wasn’t always like that,” she said sadly.

He had made his own mistakes in the romance department, too. Gannon gave a sympathetic nod. “I know that.”

When Lily had first met Bode Daniels, the athlete had been ambitious to a fault but not a complete jackass. Just not the right guy for a softhearted woman like Lily. “I liked your ex better when he was the backup quarterback for the Gladiators, instead of a star player, too.” Something about sitting on a bench during most of the games humbled a guy. Million-dollar contracts, limitless endorsement deals and star QB status did the opposite.

Anxiety crept into her pretty turquoise eyes.

Gently, Gannon asked, “Do you think he’s serious about gaining custody of Lucas?”

Lily stiffened her spine. “No,” she said, oblivious to the way her action had also lifted the luscious swell of her breasts.

Ignoring the pressure building at the front of his jeans, he encouraged her to continue.

“The only thing Bode really cares about is playing football.” She paused, thinking, and raked her teeth across her lower lip. “In fact, I’m sure this wasn’t even his idea. He just got dragged into it by the members of his dream team, because it’s time for a new contract.” She sighed, shook off the veil of tension and predicted sagely, “This will all be over in a month, or less, as soon as he inks a new deal with the Gladiators.”

Given what was at stake, Gannon was not as sure it would be over. Or even if a new contract would be offered, given Bode’s lackluster performance the previous season. There was one thing he did know, though. Star athletes who were faced with dwindling careers could be as tough as nails to deal with.

Gannon downed the rest of his pastry. Finished, he wiped his hands on the napkin and forced himself to think like a lawyer, rather than Lily’s former friend and current—if only by default—protector. “What is your existing arrangement?” he asked casually.

Lily pushed away from her desk. “I have full physical custody, so Lucas resides with me.” She stood and paced to the window overlooking the town square. “Bode has the option to see Lucas every other weekend and one night during the week.”

Or, in other words, the status quo for a noncustodial parent, Gannon thought. Unable to bear the discouragement in her low tone, he rose and went to join her. “Has Bode taken advantage of that?”

Lily swung toward him, shivering slightly, her soft lips slanting downward. “Once a year—usually in the preseason—Bode asks me to take Lucas to a park in Dallas so Bode can be photographed with Lucas on the playground. Those ‘spontaneous’ photos of father and son are then released to the tabloid and legitimate press.” Cupping her hands beneath her elbows, she concluded bitterly, “Because Bode is so rarely seen with Lucas, his personal PR team makes sure that they get a lot of play in the media.”

Gannon could recall seeing a few of them himself. They’d done the trick, all right; even he had imagined Bode and Lucas had a great father-son relationship. “What about Christmas?”

A shadow crossed Lily’s lovely face. “Bode spends what time off he has in Aspen, with Viviana and their two babies, and an assortment of nannies and other help.”

Gannon couldn’t say he was surprised. “Has Bode ever asked to take Lucas with him on vacation or any other holiday?”

Lily sent him a droll look that upped his pulse another notch and made him want to console her even more. “What do you think?”

“He has not.”

“Correct.” She shifted her weight from one leg to the other, calves tautening sexily, her hips swaying beneath the snug fabric of her skirt. “Although according to the terms of our custody agreement, Bode is entitled to have his son with him on alternate holidays.”

Gannon’s eyes shifted upward, and his blood flowed hotter in his veins. He lifted his gaze from the tempting roundness of her derriere, guessing, “Bode just doesn’t take advantage of it.”

“It’s not what Viviana would want. Me, either, actually,” she continued with grim determination. “Considering how Viviana feels about the fact that Bode had a child with someone else before her.”

A silence fell.

Lily drew a breath. Then she raked her fingers through her hair, pushing the fringe of bangs off her face. “I’m sure this will all blow over. There are other ways for Bode to look good in the press in the next few weeks. I’m sure he and his team will find them.”

Gannon studied her outward control, which seemed fragile at best. “So you don’t want to counter with the offer of a couple of well-timed photo ops in the meantime, just to ward off any more trouble?”

Lily paused, then shook her head. “I let Bode be photographed with Lucas every summer because I want him to have some contact with his dad,” she explained. “And realistically, to date, I knew that was the only way it was ever going to happen.”

If—and only if—there was something Bode could get out of it for himself, Gannon thought.

Chin set, she continued, “I’m not going to let my son be used as a pawn in his father’s contract negotiations. Because I’ll tell you what would happen, Gannon. My ex would be all in, until the moment the new contract was signed. Then he’d want Lucas out of the way, again.”

She returned to her desk and picked up a framed photo of her little boy, looking down at it fondly. Smoothing her fingertips across the glass, she said, “Up until now, Lucas has been too little to really understand what was going on.”

Gannon hadn’t had the pleasure of meeting Lucas yet. Maybe soon?

Walking over to take a look at the photograph, too, Gannon did some quick calculations. “He’s what? Four now?” With the same wavy blond hair, turquoise blue eyes and piquant features of his mother. The same lithe, fit frame, the same intelligent welcoming regard...

“Yes.” Lily swallowed hard. “And I’m not going to tell my son that we’re suddenly changing all the arrangements and he’s going to live with his dad part of the time only to have to turn around a month later and tell him that he’s not. And then have him confused and upset, for no reason.”

Put that way... “I wouldn’t allow it, either,” Gannon said.

Lily paced away from her desk, took a deep breath and set her hands on her hips. She gave Gannon a look that said while she was glad they were in agreement, she was no more willing to let him close to her again now than she had been the last time they’d seen each other years ago.

They’d argued heatedly back then...and clearly she was in no mood to forgive and forget.

She drew a bolstering breath. “I really do have to get back to work.”

Getting the message that was his cue to leave, Gannon retrieved his hat. But he kept his gaze locked with hers. “If you need me—”

“I won’t.”

He withdrew a business card from his wallet, borrowed a pen from her desk and wrote on the back. Fingers touching hers, he pressed it into her hand. “That’s my personal number. I’m available 24/7 until Liz gets back in town.” And maybe thereafter, too, if the two of them ever got their friendship back on track.

“I won’t need you,” Lily repeated, stubborn as ever.

Gannon sincerely hoped that was indeed the case.

* * *

“COMPANY, MOMMA!” LUCAS shouted when the doorbell rang, several hours later. “My cousins and the ants are here!”

“Aunts,” Lily corrected. Grinning, she followed her son into the foyer.

“That’s what I said,” Lucas insisted importantly, standing legs braced apart, hands on his hips. “Ant Rose and Ant Violet.”

With a grin and a shake of her head, Lily opened the door and ushered their company inside. Unlike the twins in the family—Maggie and Callie—who were identical, Lily and her two closest sisters were fraternal triplets, and hence nothing alike.

Whereas she was tall and blond, Rose was of medium height, with light ash-brown hair. Violet was tall, too, but had very dark brown hair, like their dad’s side of the family.

“And Ant Rose brought her baby triplets, too!” Lucas continued as his cousins—two girls and a boy—toddled in with both aunts.

Chaos erupted as greetings were exchanged all around.

When Lucas had finally hugged everyone, he gestured to the play area in the family room adjacent to the kitchen and breakfast nook. “I’m building a barn!” he declared. “And a ranch. And a fence where I can put my cows and horses.”

“Let’s go see.” Violet herded all her nieces and nephews into the family room. Together, they admired what Lucas had done with his vast trove of wooden architecture-style building blocks and toy farm animals.

Meanwhile Rose—a produce wholesaler and proponent of the Buy Local movement—carried the box of veggies she’d brought for their weekly get-together into the kitchen. “So what’s up?” she asked with concern.

“With what?” Lily asked.

“Come on, sis. Don’t play dumb.” Rose set a dark green head of crisp romaine lettuce, juicy heirloom tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots and radishes on the table. “I heard Bode was in town, along with an entourage. In a stretch limo, no less.”

“Oh...that.” While she rinsed the lettuce and put it in the salad spinner, Lily explained what had happened.

Rose’s expression turned to one of disgust. Having suffered her own quick and ugly divorce, she was not sympathetic to irresponsible, uncaring men. “That man’s ego knows no bounds,” she said, upset. “Hasn’t Bode thought at all about what this would do to his son?”

“Obviously not,” Lily murmured. Not that this was a surprise. Her ex never had cared about Lucas—and probably never really would, either, as sad as that was. All that mattered was raising Bode’s popularity with the fans in time for a new contract.

“No peeking, Aunt Violet!” Lucas shouted from the other room, while his younger cousins settled down to watch. “I’ll call you when I’m done!”

“I’ll be waiting,” Violet promised. She joined her sisters at the kitchen island. “What’s going on?”

Briefly, Rose brought her up to date.

Violet hugged Lily in commiseration. “Too bad you didn’t know your ex was coming with his entourage,” she said quietly. “You could have had your lawyer there, too.”

“Oh, I had one,” Lily admitted with mixed feelings. “Although he was uninvited.”

Rose’s and Violet’s brows rose in wordless inquiry.

“Gannon Montgomery was in my office when Bode and the others arrived,” Lily explained, doing her best to curtail her emotions. “I sent him on his way, but he crashed the meeting in the conference room anyway.”

Another wide-eyed reaction. “And?” her sisters prodded, in unison.

Lily went back to quartering tomatoes. She arranged them around the rim of the salad bowl. “Gannon didn’t say much. But clearly his presence put the other attorneys off their game. I think they expected to roll right over me.”

“No surprise there,” Rose said heatedly. She stepped in to peel and slice the carrots. “Given the way Bode dissed you in the press at the end... If I had been you, I would have thrown him to the wolves from the get-go.”

“Instead,” Violet recollected, grabbing a cutting board and knife, too, “you made everything a lot easier on Bode than he deserved.”

Lily got the makings for a balsamic vinaigrette out of the cupboard, along with a bowl and whisk. “I got what I wanted out of the deal.” She dropped her voice to a whisper. “The truth about Lucas’s parentage corroborated, full custody and the right to make all the decisions about his care and upbringing on my own.”

Rose checked to make sure all four children were still safely out of earshot, then returned to the kitchen island. “What did Lucas think when he saw his dad was in town?” she asked.

Lily whisked the salad dressing together with more than necessary force. “He doesn’t know.”

Again, her sisters exchanged looks. “You didn’t let Bode see him?” Violet inquired in surprise.

Lily looked at her resident-physician sister. “He never asked. He came in with his team of experts for backup, then left when he didn’t get what he wanted.”

“So what next?” Rose asked as she began setting the table.

Lily shrugged, refusing to borrow trouble. “Nothing that concerns me. Or Lucas.”

Violet paused. “You don’t think Bode will pursue this?”

When there were other, much easier ways to improve his public image? Lily shook her head. “Nope.” Instead, she expected to see Bode visiting sick kids in the children’s hospitals, working with the underprivileged or creating a foundation in his name. All with a photographer present.

“What about Gannon Montgomery?” Rose teased, taking a lighter tact. “Are you going to pursue him?”

Flushing guiltily despite herself, Lily took the lasagna from the oven and set it on the stove to cool. “Definitely not!”

Evidently more curious about the lack of love in Lily’s life than her own, Violet asked, “Is he going to pursue you?”

Trying not to think about how much the deeply romantic part of her still wanted that to happen, Lily inched off her oven mitts. “Gannon and I put that notion to bed a long time ago.” She pushed the image of his handsome face out of her mind. As well as the one of him naked between the sheets that followed. “We found out the hard way that we’re too different to even be friends.” Never mind lovers!

Rose frowned. “He’s still not inclined to compromise?”

“In his case,” Lily replied stubbornly, “I’m not, either.” Not when she knew how deep the attraction between them still was.

Gannon had devastated her once.

She wasn’t going to let him do it again.

* * *

TO LILY’S RELIEF, there was no further communication from Bode or any member of his team either that evening or the following day.

So it was with a much lighter heart that she went to the unveiling ceremony for the statue by Harriett Montgomery on Friday morning.

The artwork was already on the cement platform that had been built just for it on the town square. Nearly six feet tall, the statue was draped with heavy canvas cloth, secured by ropes.

Around that, a velvet rope line had been set up, giving the statue approximately twenty feet in all directions. A crowd of townspeople, including local resident and Texas patron of the arts Emmett Briscoe, had gathered around the podium erected for the dedication. A videographer had set up as well, to record the ceremony for posterity.

As suspected, Gannon Montgomery was there, too, escorting his mother. Fortunately, he was busy talking to some people he hadn’t seen in a while as Lily went over to greet the artist.

Clad in her usually brightly colored attire—today’s pantsuit was a vibrant orange—her salt-and-pepper hair drawn back in a tight chignon that emphasized the stark natural beauty of her features, Harriet Montgomery looked both excited and much younger than her sixty-five years.

Lily gave her former high school art teacher a hug hello. “Ready for your big moment?” she asked.

Harriett nodded. “As I explained to you before, I’m going to do the undraping myself. I’d like photos for the paper taken then, and again after I add the final touch.”

Lily nodded, not sure what the final touch would be. “The photographer from the Laramie newspaper is all set.”

Given that everyone else was there, too, Lily stepped to the podium. She gave a brief introduction to Harriett Montgomery, and then it was time.

Harriett moved past the rope lines. Then pulled off the draping, revealing a six foot high chili pepper on the vine.

It was, as Lily had expected, quite beautiful in a stark, elemental way. And the perfect complement to the Laramie Chili Cook-Off & Festival they were inaugurating, that they hoped would put the town of Laramie, Texas, on the way to fame forevermore.

Still smiling while everyone clapped politely, Harriett posed for the photos she had requested. Then, with the videographer still filming, Harriett stepped behind the statue and reached down to do something near the bottom—Lily wasn’t sure what—before straightening again and coming proudly back to the podium.

Lily looked at the artist in confusion.

Harriett took the microphone and advised the crowd happily, “Wait for it... Wait for it...”

A second later, a faint charcoal-like smell filled the air.

Lily furrowed her brow in confusion.

Then a wispy gray curl of what certainly looked like smoke appeared at the top of the chili pepper stem. Lily blinked and blinked again.

“Is that...?” Lily turned to Gannon’s mother. Out of the corner of her eye, she noted that Gannon seemed as concerned as she suddenly was.

“Keep waiting,” Harriett advised, even more calmly, to the crowd.

So everyone did.

And then, a second later, flames burst out of the six-foot-tall chili pepper. And this time there was absolutely no mistake, Lily noted.

The entire statue was on fire.

Chapter Three

The fire department had barely put the flames out when former Laramie mayor Rex Carter stepped up to the dais and took the microphone. “This,” Rex said, with a derisive good old boy snort, “is what you get when you put a woman in a man’s job.”

Several people booed him.

Others listened with seeming agreement while the firefighters stood by, watching the red-hot tower continue to spit embers skyward.

Harriett elbowed Rex aside. “Don’t blame Mayor McCabe,” the artist stated as she stepped up to the microphone. “Lily had no idea what I planned to do. Nor did anyone else.”

While the videographer filmed, the Laramie newspaper reporter called out, “Mrs. Montgomery! Why did you light the statue on fire?”

Harriett smiled and explained, “I wanted to complete the work. It’s a fire statue—half sculpture and half performance art.”

Lily sighed. She wished like heck she had seen this coming. “Well, I wish you would have told someone what you planned ahead of time,” she said, not bothering to hide her exasperation.

A number of spectators nodded in agreement.

Harriett Montgomery shrugged, unaffected by all the negative attention. “I didn’t think you’d let me do it if I did. Local statutes and all.”

Harriett was right about that, Lily thought in consternation. Both the fire and sheriff’s departments had been called to the scene as soon as the flames shot skyward, and the senior officials from both looked mighty unhappy.

Gannon stepped in. He laid a cautioning palm on his mother’s shoulder. “I don’t think you should say anything more, Mom.”

The lawyer in her surfacing, Lily agreed. There was enough reckless behavior here as it was without adding to the liability. “In any case, it’s been quite an event,” she declared with a tight officious smile.

Rex Carter took another long look at the charred ceramic statue. “You haven’t heard the last of this,” he muttered to Lily before he strode away.

Realizing she had just given her prior political opponent ammunition against her, Lily watched as the crowd dispersed. Then, hoping to smooth the waters somehow, she went to see how the official investigation was going. Fire Chief Tom Evans scowled at her as she approached. “She’s lucky she didn’t start a grass fire.”

She should have asked a few more questions instead of giving the artist carte blanche when the town had commissioned the work for the chili festival. Lily rubbed her temples to relieve her growing tension headache. “I know.”

“I’m tempted to press charges, too,” Sheriff Ben Shepherd continued.

Lily lifted a hand. “Please, don’t. I’ll see it never happens again.”

The sheriff scowled. “She will get a warning citation.”

“And a bill from our department for the emergency services,” the fire chief added.

Lily nodded. “That’s fine.” Probably a good idea, too. Since, thus far, Harriett Montgomery still didn’t seem to recognize she had done anything wrong.

No sooner had the sheriff and the fire chief walked away than Sheriff’s Deputy Rio Vasquez came toward her, clipboard in hand. Now what?

“Lily McCabe?” Rio said, although he knew darn well who she was. He handed her an envelope. “You’ve been served.”

* * *

AN HOUR LATER, Lily finally had her family-law attorney, Liz Cartwright-Anderson, on the phone. From her office window in the town hall, Lily could see the commotion surrounding the burned-out statue, where resident after resident was walking up to the cordoned-off area to see the remains of the sculpture. “I’m sorry to disrupt your vacation.” She went on to explain the nature of the emergency.

“It’s okay,” Liz said, as cordial and professional as ever. “Given the fact that you only have twenty days to respond to Bode’s request for a change in the custody agreement, you’re right—we do need to act fast. And what I advise, since I won’t be back in the office until Monday or able to do anything until then, is that I hire Gannon Montgomery to temporarily assist me in representing you.”

Great—just what I wanted to hear, Lily thought in dismay. But she bit her tongue and let her lawyer continue.

“He’s not only helped me out on difficult cases before, but he’s also part of the Dallas and Tarrant County bars. He knows the judges and handles a lot of the high-profile custody and divorce cases there. And he’s in town, to assist his mother, for the next week or so.”

Lily pushed the image of the sexy attorney from her mind. This would be a business request. That was all. “You think he’ll do it?”

“Given how much he likes rescuing damsels in distress?” her attorney scoffed. “Of course he will.”

Lily knew Liz was right.

Not only did she need Gannon—temporarily anyway—he would probably jump at the chance to help her...or any other woman...in dire straits. It didn’t make it any easier to turn to Gannon for help in Liz’s absence, of course. But what choice did she have when her son’s welfare was at stake?

“What I suggest is that the two of you meet at my office,” Liz continued crisply. “Can you do it over lunch?”

Lily had already canceled her lunch date, as well as everything else on her calendar that didn’t absolutely have to be addressed that day. “Yes.”

“In the meantime, I’ll call Gannon and have my paralegal pull all the records so he can start getting up to speed,” Liz promised, professional as ever.

* * *

BY THE TIME Lily got there at noon, Gannon was already set up in the conference room. As she drank him in from head to toe, Lily imagined he wore an elegant business suit and tie, appropriate for a powerful attorney in Fort Worth.

But back here in the west Texas county where he’d grown up, adorned in jeans, boots and a casual wool sport coat, he was all hard-muscled, take-charge cowboy.

And though she’d never say it to his face, she very much preferred this persona.

Of course, right now, when he looked distractedly over her, surrounded by all those legal documents, she knew better than to be fooled by his rugged appearance. He was still very much in full-throttle attorney mode.

Figuring he wouldn’t have had time to eat, either, she set a Ye Olde Sandwich Shop bag on the table. “Thanks for jumping in to help.”

He inclined his head to one side. “Thanks for doing your best to keep my mother out of trouble today.”

Still feeling frazzled and on edge, Lily admitted, “It was some morning.”

He nodded in mute agreement, his own eyes somber.

Lily gave him his choice of turkey and provolone or ham and cheese. He took the latter. Then she pulled out two bottles of sparkling water, two bags of chips and several napkins. She had zero appetite but also knew she had to eat. “So what do you think?” she asked, inclining her head at the thick file.

“Looks like Bode’s attorneys buried you in motions when this all started.”

Lily nodded. The fact she was a lawyer, too, had helped her understand a lot of what was going on—then and now. But she had never practiced family law or become an expert in child custody, and that hurt her ability to deal with any of this strictly on her own.

The empathy in his expression encouraged her to go on.

“His legal team wanted me to just go away. But with Bode assassinating my character in the press and publicly questioning my integrity, I had to do something to protect my reputation.”

Especially since Bode and his legal team had been making veiled threats behind the scenes to not only countersue her in civil court for any and all damages done to Bode’s reputation, but to bring her up on ethics charges before the State Bar of Texas for knowingly bringing a false paternity suit.

They couldn’t have won; they’d all known that. But they could have done untold damage to her career anyway. Luckily, Bode had come to his senses, called his attorneys off at the last minute and consented to the court-ordered paternity test he’d claimed would free him.

Only it hadn’t. At that point, once the indisputable facts were brought to light, it had become all about damage control. And money, of course.

Not that Lily had asked for one red cent from him...

Gannon’s gaze roved over her features. He regarded her for a long careful moment. “And if you hadn’t had so much at stake professionally back then?”

Lily shrugged, not bothering to hide the humiliation and pain she had suffered. “I probably still would have fought him—reluctantly. Not for child support, but for the truth, for Lucas’s sake. Better Lucas know from the get-go who his parents are.” Than always wonder and have his mother called a liar.

“Even if one of them doesn’t seem to want him very much,” Gannon remarked, sitting back in his chair.

Lily tore her eyes from the hard sinew of his chest beneath the starched cotton of his shirt. It had been years since the two of them had been friends, never mind meant anything at all to each other, and yet he still amped her pulse. It was so unfair. For so many reasons, he’d been off-limits then. Still was now.

She sighed, doing her best to focus on the situation at hand instead of the ruggedly handsome man opposite her. “So you think taking me to court is a pressure tactic on their part?”

Gannon gave her a barely perceptible nod, ripped open his chips and unwrapped his sandwich. “They want you to know they’re going to play hardball unless you immediately give them everything they want.”

She studied the disheveled strands of Gannon’s dark brown hair. The cool appraisal in his midnight-blue eyes. “You don’t think I should,” she observed.

“I don’t compromise in situations like this,” he told her. “I go full throttle, and I advise my clients to do the same.” He took a bite of sandwich. She forced herself to eat a little, too.

Her glance fell to the court summons she’d faxed over earlier. “Did you have a chance to read the petition?”

Another nod and grim narrowing of his eyes.

Lily pushed her mostly untouched lunch to the side. Stated unhappily, “He’s alleging that I have prevented him from seeing Lucas more than once a year for the past fifty-two months.” She knotted her hands into fists and leaned toward him, her fury mounting. “It’s not true. All Bode had to do was ask and I would have allowed it.” Lily swallowed around the lump in her throat. “He didn’t ask.”

Gannon paused to make a note.

“The petition also alleges that I refused to let Bode take Lucas on his annual vacation two days ago. But he never asked for that, either!”

Gannon tilted his head to one side, looking matter-of-fact enough for the both of them. “I expect his team to point out that’s only because you threw them all out before they had a chance to get down to the specifics of the request that day.”

Lily gasped in indignation and leaped to her feet. “Bode only came here because he wanted half custody of our son to help improve his public persona!”

Gannon grimaced. “That may be how you viewed it, Lily.” He paused to let his words sink in. When she would have moved away, he reached across the table and caught her hand in his. His warm touch engulfing her, he continued pragmatically, “Their take is that they were just trying to get you to understand how difficult the future was going to be for Lucas if you and Bode didn’t start co-parenting your son immediately. And directly counter some of the ugly public assertions that have been made that insinuate Bode does not care about Lucas. When clearly—” Gannon gave an affable shrug “—of course he does.”

Lily wrenched her wrist from Gannon’s grip. She shoved her chair back and stalked away from the conference table. Though not one to ever condone violence, she wanted to slug him. “Whose side are you on?” she demanded emotionally.

The uncomfortable silence between them lengthened.

His regard softened slightly. “Yours.”

Lily scoffed and planted her hands on her hips. She felt as if she was suffocating in her trim red suit and heels. “It doesn’t sound like it!” she said.

He stood and walked around the table to her side. “Just giving you a taste of what the other side is likely to hurl at you.”

Was that a hint of protectiveness she saw on his face? Her attorney radar on full alert, she drew in a quavering breath, quipped, “Making sure I’m tough enough?”

Gannon slid his hand beneath her chin, and her heart pounded at the warm assessment in his eyes.

“You’re the toughest woman I know,” he said gruffly.

Their gazes locked, the moment drew out and Lily’s imagination ran wild. Her nipples tightening, she wondered. Was this what it would be like if they ever did kiss—with the air around them charged with tension and excitement?

Was it her imagination, or was he feeling the pull of attraction, too?

The darkening of his irises, the faint but unmistakable pause in his breath said yes. The way he abruptly dropped his hand and stepped back said no. Not yet. Not here and now, with so very much at stake.

All business once again, Gannon slid her a steely look. Warned softly, “It’s going to be a bumpy ride unless you can get your emotions under control.”

His seemed locked up tighter than a drum.

Lily worked to slow her racing pulse. Her knees suddenly felt a little wobbly, so she leaned against the wall and folded her arms in front of her.

This wasn’t like her.

It had to be the threatening crisis that had her wanting him—and the stark masculine protection he offered—so badly.

“Meaning I can’t spout off like that in court.”

He followed her to the windows that overlooked Main Street. “Or any time you’re dealing with your ex, or anyone associated with Bode, for that matter.”

Another tense silence fell.

Gannon studied her for another long beat, then gave her a slow, steadfast smile, the kind that said that as long as she let him call the shots, everything would be all right.

Vowing that she was not going to be one of those women who turned to her lawyer for personal comfort, Lily closed her eyes. Swallowed. Instructed herself to use every ounce of common sense and treat him like the extraordinary lawyer he was, nothing more.

Recognizing that it would be a mistake to lean on him in a more intimate way, she opened her eyes, returned to the conference table and pointed to the sheaf of papers she had been served that very morning. “Back to the request for a modification to our custody order.” She forced herself to sit down calmly once again. “What’s our battle plan?”

“I’ve already filed a request, asking for an extension. If we’re granted it—and we should be—that will give Liz roughly forty days to file an answer. I am also going to file a motion for dismissal this afternoon.”

“You think we’ll get it?”

“Probably not. But it will send a clear signal to Bode’s attorneys that you intend to fight this with everything you’ve got. Given everything else he has going on career-wise, that alone may give him pause.”

Deciding everything was well in hand, Lily reached for her bag. She had to get out of here before things turned even more personal. “You’ll let me know?”

He nodded. “One way or another, as soon as I hear. But that likely won’t be until early next week.”

Which meant she’d be spending the weekend wondering and worrying, Lily realized unhappily.

Knowing she’d spent way too much time alone with Gannon in any case, she said sincerely, “Thanks for all your help.” Then made her way for the door.

Lily spent the rest of the day dealing with the fallout over the “fire statue” and working on putting together a weekend work schedule for the upcoming chili festival.

By the time four o’clock rolled around, she was exhausted and ready to call it a day. And that was, of course, when Gannon walked in. She hadn’t expected to come face-to-face with him again today, but truth be told, he was a welcome distraction.

He was still wearing the nicely pressed shirt, tweed wool sport coat and dark jeans he’d had on earlier. She was just as drawn to him now as she’d been before, and in the fading wintry light in her office, she could once again see the inherent protectiveness in his midnight-blue eyes. Except now his dark brown hair was rumpled—as if he’d been running his fingers through the thick, touchable strands. And the hint of evening beard lined his strong, stubborn jaw, further adding to his masculine allure.

Just looking at him made her quiver deep inside.

Oblivious to the sensual nature of her thoughts, he ambled closer and handed her the papers, their fingers touching briefly in the process. “I thought you might like to see a copy of the motion for dismissal for your own files.”

She did, but...seeing him again so soon, being alone with him, was something else entirely. Wishing she weren’t so attracted to him, she swallowed to ease the parched feeling in her throat. “You could have emailed it to me...via attachment.”

The corners of his lips twitched at the exaggerated lack of enthusiasm in her voice. He stepped closer, his eyes heavy lidded and sexy. Smiled. “I wanted to see how you were doing.”

Better. Since you walked in the door...

Lily pushed the unwanted emotion away. She stiffened her spine. “I’m fine, as you can see.”

And she did not need his protection.

She did, however, temporarily need his legal help. Heart racing, she flipped through the brief. His legal rebuttal was just as she expected—concise and hard-hitting. She sighed in relief. “Looks good.”

He flashed a wry smile. “Thanks.”

Unsure whether it was the long-simmering, never-acted-on attraction or nerves from all the turmoil of the day causing the butterflies in her midriff, Lily took the document back to her desk and dropped it into her briefcase. She turned back to him, all business now. “So you’re all done with your part in my case?” Which meant they’d no longer need to see each other. At least in that regard.

He gave her a long, thorough once-over, then returned his gaze to her face. “Unless Liz needs me again, but yeah, you can consider me officially off the clock.”

“Speaking of fees...” She dreaded calculating his hourly rate—which was bound to be exorbitant—times the six or so hours spent. “What do I owe you?”

His hand stopped hers before she could open her checkbook. “Nothing. I work for Liz.”

Trying not to notice how the width of his shoulders blocked out the fading winter sunlight, she eased away from his touch. Although the morning had been sunny and clear—almost warm—the weather had shifted again, bringing in cooler temperatures and dismal gray skies. Trying not to feel as depressed as the vista encouraged her to be, she tilted her chin and continued, “Then what do I owe Liz on your behalf?”

He spread his palms and remained maddeningly aloof. “Nothing.”

Trying not to wonder if the rest of him was as big and capable as his hands, she gave him a look. Waited.

He shrugged again. “I’m doing this pro bono.”

Charity? He was doing this as a charity case? Anger warred with pride. It was true, her salary as mayor wasn’t much, but she didn’t need much since she had accrued some savings before running for public office. “I don’t need your professional largesse, Gannon.”

A contemplative silence fell. He gave her a slow, reckless smile that quickly set her heart to pounding. “You really want to pay me back for my help?”

Talk about a loaded question! She regarded him matter-of-factly, letting him know with a glance she did not want to owe him any other favors, either. “Absolutely,” she snapped. “The sooner the better.”

He edged closer, inundating her with the sandalwood and spice scent of his cologne and the brisk, masculine fragrance unique to him. “Then how about dinner—tonight?”

Lily blinked. “Are you for real?”

Another slow, seductive smile. “Very.”

She drew a quavering breath, held up a staying hand and reminded herself all the reasons why not. “We went through this eight years ago. I’m not going to date you, Gannon.”

He comically palmed his chest, as if he’d received a major blow to his heart. Or was it his ego? she wondered. Then he frowned at her in reproof, adding wryly, “I wasn’t asking for a date, Lily. I was asking if you wanted to go out to dinner with me.” He waggled his brows mischievously. “But...if you want to call it a date...”

Lily flushed in embarrassment, as he had obviously meant her to. “I don’t,” she responded. Pausing, she narrowed her eyes at him. “And I can’t have dinner with you because when I’m not working, I’m with my son.”

“No problem,” Gannon said, not the least bit discouraged. “We can take Lucas with us.”

Without warning, she felt an intimacy she didn’t expect welling up between them. Most of the men she met viewed the fact she had a child as a major deterrent. Not Gannon. “You really are serious about this.”

His lips took on a sober slant. He stepped closer. “I’d like to get to know your son—and I need to talk to you.”

Lily’s pulse raced at the gentle undertone in his low voice. “About?”

Their eyes met, and Gannon regarded her seriously. “Becoming friends again.”

* * *

JUST THE THOUGHT of that, Gannon noted in disappointment, was enough to cause Lily to take a step back, away from him.

She held up a delicate left hand, conspicuous only for its lack of wedding and engagement rings. “That’s not really necessary, Gannon,” she told him archly.

“So you’re saying you forgive me for the things I said after we graduated from law school?” When they had still technically been friends. Although he had never stopped wanting something more...

Lily raked her teeth across her soft lower lip. “You were right about Bode, Gannon. He was all wrong for me.”

The knowledge brought Gannon no comfort. He followed her back over to her desk. “You didn’t think so at the time. In fact, as I recall, you accused me of being jealous of what you had with him.”

She shot him an uncompromising look. “Weren’t you?”

More like worried. Because Gannon had seen, even when Bode was merely a backup quarterback who’d spent his first three years in the NFL sitting on the bench, that he wasn’t the kind of guy who would ever give Lily even a fraction of the love and attention she deserved. A hunch that Bode had proved true shortly after he became a star.

Because then he had dumped Lily. Pronto. And hadn’t cared that she had been pregnant with his child.

But seeing no reason to go into that—Lily had suffered enough humiliation due to her ill-considered end-of-law-school liaison with Bode Daniels as it was—Gannon merely folded his arms across his chest. Stood, legs braced apart. “I never stopped wanting to date you.”

Lily looked surprised. As if she had never known he had wanted to be anything more than friends after she had rebuffed his advances that first year at UT Law.

Figuring it was time they cleared the air, Gannon went on, “But, by the same token, I wasn’t going to waste three years waiting to see if you would change your mind and eventually go out with me after all.”

Frustration and regret crossed Lily’s face. She held out her hands beseechingly, came closer. “Had I not been in my very first year of law school when you asked me out...had I not seen all of our friends who got seriously involved or married to someone in their first grueling year of professional school eventually have their relationships destroyed amidst all the stress and pressure, I probably would have gone out with you.”

“But you didn’t want to risk it.”

She started to speak. Stopped. Then tried again. An invisible emotional wall went up. “I wanted you to be friends with me, the way we never had been when we were growing up.”

“And I was.” Although, given how much he had yearned to make her his woman, it had been hard as hell keeping things light.

Her eyes grew stormy. “I wanted us to use that first year to build a foundation for whatever came next, assuming something came next, not just jump heart-first into an affair that was pretty much guaranteed because of the pressure-filled circumstances we were in, as first-years, to crash and burn!”

“You see, Lily?” Gannon shot back. “That’s the difference between us. Because I never thought a relationship between us would end in failure. And if you had been brave enough to start something with me, regardless of the timing, you would have discovered what I already knew—that we would have been the exception to the rule. The couple everyone else looked up to because we had made our relationship work in the face of impossible odds.”

Briefly, Lily looked as crushed as he had felt back then, when she had turned him down. As though her heart had been broken.

As usual, however, she bounced back fast.

With an angry sniff, she folded her arms in front of her and asserted, “Not that we ever had a chance to find out, since you went on to pursue everything in a skirt that came your way over the next three years. Thereby unwittingly proving my point that relationships forged in the maelstrom of professional school do not last.”

Acutely aware his serial dating had been a mistake, embarked on because he was still smarting from Lily’s rejection, and knew she would never do anything more than hold him at arm’s length, no matter what she said, Gannon shrugged.

“So sue me for not wanting to sit on the sidelines while you soldiered on bravely alone!” Gannon volleyed back. Because, true to her self-flagellating vow, Lily hadn’t dated anyone until the very last few weeks of her law school years.

Lily stuffed papers in her briefcase willy-nilly. “You always were an all-or-nothing kind of guy.”

His gaze swept over her, head to toe. Reminding him all over again what a lithe, beautiful body she had. How she was determined to let the satisfaction he could bring her go untested. “Whereas you live your life in all half measures,” he retorted just as stubbornly.

“You’re right. I do see the value in compromise.” Lily zipped her briefcase shut with quick, jerky motions. Hunted around for her purse.

Finally finding it, she flung it on her desk next to her briefcase, then defiantly marched toward him, chiding him all the way. “And if you’d grown up the way I had, as the fifth-born of six daughters, you, too, would be happy to get whatever you could—whenever you could—and never ever expect too much because...”

Recognizing another We Can’t Do This speech coming on, Gannon decided the time for treating her with kid gloves had passed. Lily was all woman. He was all man. And the attraction between them was tantalizingly real.

Wordlessly, he closed the remaining distance between them and took her in his arms. Flattened one palm over her spine and threaded his other hand through her hair.

Smiling at her gasp of surprise, he tilted her head up, lowered his mouth slowly and deliberately over hers.

“What are you doing?” Lily sputtered, her turquoise eyes flashing.

Just this once, Gannon decided to stop putting his own wants and needs aside. “Showing you exactly what you could expect if you ever let down your guard with me.”

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