Chapter 6

Chapter

Six

Clint and Lily rode his Harley to the ranch. With her leaning against his back, her hands circled around his abdomen, and his left hand resting on her leg, he was tempted to drive past the ranch and keep on going. They arrived far too quick and got to work with Rose and Bennett. Surprisingly only Rose gave them a hard time about ‘dating’. Her parents seemed thrilled.

Rose called him the ‘walking billboard of manly cowboy heroism’ a couple times, making Lily blush and blame Daisy, and Clint wondered if these Lillywhite sisters had teased her about him before. He certainly hoped so.

He was focused on Lily until this case was solved. If only he could focus on her for the rest of his life.

Mark and Carlsen Smith, his other deputy, had been willing to deal with anything at the sheriff’s office for a few days. Mark was more than willing; he was ecstatic Clint was with Lily. His men would let him know if a big issue came up, but their county was pretty quiet. He was more worried about his family, but Miles said he’d watch his back and his dad assured him they could handle the protection details at the ranch. His dad also said he’d tell Walker to watch his back. Clint didn’t analyze why he was avoiding talking to Walker himself.

The hours went fast as he and Lily helped some children feed calves and clean out horse stalls. They rode fence line with her dad and fixed any issues. They had lunch with a large crew out in their parents’ backyard, but dinner was just the family around their large dining room table. He bantered with Lily and Rose and Bennett’s adopted son Jack.

Lily by his side was just about perfect. If only he knew if she wanted him around for protection or if there was something more in her beautiful golden-brown eyes. He was risking his heart and betraying his little brother if he made his intentions known. He couldn’t do either.

Why had she said this morning ‘dealing with all of this’ as she’d gestured to him and ‘friends since we were toddlers’? Was he hard to deal with? Did she only want friendship?

Clint felt like he’d revealed his interest in her far too often as he couldn’t peel his eyes away from her, wanted to be close and touch her too much, and had said some too-telling lines. He had to guard himself better. It wasn’t fair to her or Walker if he pursued her right now like he wanted to.

He and Lily finally made a show of him taking her to her cabin, through the trees from her parents. He checked it out thoroughly, but nothing was disturbed from when they were here last night. She left a lamp on and locked the doors. They headed for his house on the motorcycle after dark.

They glided down the highway. Her arms tightened around him and she melted against his back. He ran his hand along her leg, securing it against his side. She trembled. His nerves ramped up.

Last night, she’d been exhausted. Had she slept as poorly as he had? Longing for her in the room next to his had made it hard to settle down.

When they pulled up to his house, it was only eight-thirty. The sun was down as it was almost September, but he didn’t want to go to bed early. Maybe they could extend their time together. He parked the motorcycle in the garage, shut the garage door, and waited for her to slide off.

He put down the kickstand, swung off the bike, and found himself right in her space. She didn’t back up. Her breath shortened as she stared up at him. How could he explain how deeply invested in her he was, but he couldn’t date her until they resolved her case and he let his brother Walker have a shot? It sounded like chicken crap, but he couldn’t backstab his own brother.

“Do you want to go for a walk?” she asked.

“A walk?” He cocked his head to the side. Was she avoiding being alone in his house together? It wasn’t a bad idea. Much more time alone with her and would kiss her thoroughly and forget every bit of loyalty he claimed to have. He hit his clenched fist against his leg.

“I didn’t get a workout in this morning, and I’ll sleep better if I move.” She smiled, but her pulse was racing like mad in her neck.

“Sure.” They’d been active today, but he understood liking to get a morning workout in as he rarely missed his.

She eased around him, careful not to brush against him. It was a setback, but he could imagine she was as confused as he was. A week ago, she’d been in a long-time relationship with Miles. Now she was in a fake relationship with Clint. She had to know Walker was after her as well. Would she be ready to date Walker after this protection detail was over?

They walked toward the exterior door of the garage. He opened it and let her walk through first. Then he turned back and punched in the security code that would deadbolt the door and rearm the security system.

They walked along the road that led through town, lamp posts and front porch lights guiding their steps, an occasional car motoring by and waving to them. Did she realize they would be the talk of Coleville from a few motorist sightings and people peering out their windows?

“Why do you have a security system on your house?” she asked.

“Being the sheriff. Just smarter that way.”

She didn’t say anything. He cleared his throat. “Your family took the news of us dating well.”

“Yeah.” She focused on the road.

Clint could hear their foot strikes, his louder with the boots and his heavier weight, their breath, the crickets chirping. How to draw her out? He checked the shadows, a natural instinct. Nothing out of place.

Suddenly Lily sucked in a breath, staring at something in front of them. Clint moved in front of her to protect her, his hand on his pistol. “What?”

“Oh, sorry. Nothing dangerous.” She gave a nervous laugh.

He turned to face her. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Shall we turn back?”

His brows lifted. They’d been walking maybe ten minutes. “Sure.” He glanced around, trying to place what had her spooked, and he realized … they were approaching the south side of the lake with the parking lot and the dock. Their dock. Maybe she thought about that almost kiss as often as he did. Now he had a couple more almost kisses to add to the memory. When could he get rid of the ‘almost’? Or did he need to put his guard up as she didn’t seem ready to let hers down? He hadn’t come to any resolution about how to be loyal to Walker in the mix of his mental muddle. What kind of a brother was he? Did guilt count as trying to be loyal?

They turned and walked silently back along the road to his place. As they walked past the Millers’ small ranch and horse-training facility, the front door burst open. His friend Cade’s mama came hurrying down the steps. Clint’s first thought was Benjamin Oliver had done something to Cade’s family. His second thought was something had happened to Cade and Jacey.

“Mama Jane? Everything all right?”

“Oh, heavens yes.” Her smile stretched wide. “I heard you two are together.”

“Yes, ma’am. All the rumors are true.” Clint smiled and took the opportunity to reach for Lily’s hand, threading their fingers together. It fit perfectly in his, as if they were meant to be joined from now until the end of forever.

“I love it.” Mama Miller clapped her hands together and beamed at them. “I can’t think of two people who’d be more perfect together. Except my Cade and his Jacey.” Her smile faltered a bit, and Clint could imagine she was worrying if Cade and Jacey were staying safe from Jacey’s brilliant and demented at-large father.

“Thank you.” Clint raised he and Lily’s joined hands to his lips and brushed his knuckles across them.

Lily’s sweet sigh and fluttered eyelashes revved his heart up. He wanted to walk her back home and kiss her for a very long time. It wasn’t smart or the right thing to do, but he didn’t want to be smart or right. Lily leaned into his shoulder and he didn’t know how to focus on the right thing when she felt so perfectly right to him.

“How are Evie and Tammy doing?” Lily asked, referring to Cade’s younger sisters.

“Good. They don’t love doing online school, but …” She met Clint’s gaze, and he could read the question there, whether Lily knew what was really happening and why the Miller girls had to leave the university and come home. He shook his head slightly. “They’re both smart and doing great.”

“I’m glad to hear it. Is Tammy still headed to P.T. school?”

“Yes. She got accepted to Creighton. She’s thrilled.”

“That’s wonderful.”

“Well, I won’t keep you two lovebirds.” Mama Miller grinned bigger. “Tell your mamas hello for me.”

“Will do,” Clint said.

She headed back into the house. He turned Lily with their hands still joined and they walked a bit more slowly. Drawing his thumb across the back of her hand, he was rewarded with another soft sigh from her pretty lips.

“I guess the word is out,” she said.

“It’s Coleville. There isn’t much else to talk about besides gossip.” If the Coleville ladies knew all that had happened at his family’s ranch, they’d have far too much to talk about. As it was, Jacey Oliver marrying Cade Miller had kept them busy for a while and then Jacey’s infamous sister Elizabeth ‘visiting’ and all the drama with their demented father.

The town ladies would be focused on him and Lily now.

“True.” She pulled her hand free and hugged herself. “It’s getting colder at night.”

Clint recognized the rejection for what it was. It hurt, even if it was for the best. Sheryl had rejected him and everybody in town had felt awful for him. Now he recognized that rejection had been more about his pride. Lily had the power to break his heart in two. His longing for and connection to her was a million times stronger than what he’d felt for Sheryl.

They talked about the weather and reached his house. As soon as they were inside, she excused herself to go to bed. It was downright depressing to have the woman he’d always longed for in his house and not be with her, not know if she wanted to be with him. Better for his relationship with his brother and his own conscience, but horrible for his heart.

The next morning, they went on a six-mile trail run through the picturesque forest behind his house. They both relaxed and chatted about their families, though they both avoided mentioning Miles. She talked brightly about Walker. Did she want his handsome little brother, a top steer roper with a ‘slow, devastating smile that made women weak in the knees’? He’d heard that one a few times. Had she only named Clint as her fiancé because he could keep her safe from an authority figure while her heart longed for Walker? Dang. Clint had to honor his word and let Walker have a chance with her, but he’d started to delude himself into thinking she’d choose him. Dibs couldn’t factor in if she did choose him, right?

They both showered after their run and assembled acai bowls together, ate, and then headed for the ranch. The day was long doing branding, and he didn’t get to be as close to Lily as he’d like, but he enjoyed her dad, Bennett, Tyler, and Jack. The teenage boys were hilarious, and it was great to see how they’d flourished on the ranch and especially in Bennett and Rose’s care. Bennett had told him they had rough backgrounds and gangs pursuing them to join in Chicago before he was able to relocate them here. The boys were as much a part of the family as Lily was. He admired the Lillywhites for all the good they did for so many refugees or people needing a temporary home.

They headed home after a late dinner and both went to shower. Tomorrow they’d go to the hospital. He planned to sit outside during her twelve-hour shift and listen in to make sure she was safe and see if they could get any dirt on this Dr. Hampshire from a listening and recording device that Aiden had given him. If only he could follow her around on her shift but he knew it wouldn’t help flush out her pursuer.

After he got out of the shower, he pulled on some shorts and a T-shirt and walked out of his bedroom, hoping Lily wasn’t ready to call it a night. Her shower was still going. He walked down the stairs and into his office, checking emails and pondering Lily’s case. No word on the fingerprints yet. There was an email from Aiden’s people. He scanned it and disappointment churned in his gut. What would Lily think of this information? Or lack thereof?

Footsteps sounded in the loft. He walked to his office doorway and leaned against it, watching her walk down the stairs in a simple T-shirt and cotton shorts, her hair wet and brushed out, her face clean. His heartbeat picked up. Did she have any idea how beautiful she was?

“Oh … hey.” She paused in the entryway and looked at him. “I was just … getting a drink of water.”

“I’ll come with you.” He walked to her, trying to convey with his eyes what he couldn’t get out with his mouth. His heart was hers, if she wanted it.

She sadly didn’t respond but turned and walked in front of him. They proceeded silently into the main area and the kitchen, each grabbing a glass and filling it with ice water from the fridge. Their arms brushed as he turned from the fridge and his pulse skyrocketed. Every little touch felt like a fireworks show with her.

“What’s your plan tomorrow?” she asked, sipping her water and looking at him from beneath her long eyelashes.

“I’ll drive you to the hospital and wait outside in my truck.” He set his glass on the counter and thumped his closed fist against his outer thigh. It would be a long day, but he’d done surveillance before and he could deal with emails he’d ignored and other office type work while he hung out. “Unless there’s a waiting room for over-protective fiancés?”

She smiled at that. “Lots of waiting rooms, but mostly designated for patients or their families.”

“Dang. Put in a request for my room, will ya?”

She laughed and shook her head, then took a drink. “You don’t need to sit there all day.”

“I do.” Aiden’s people might not have found anything on Dr. Hampshire, but that didn’t mean Lily wasn’t in danger. Most of the people she associated with were at work, and he wanted to get a feel for the different men hitting on her. He set the glass down, leaned back against the counter, and folded his arms across his chest. “Would you be willing to wear a recording device for me?”

She also set her glass down, leaning her hip against the counter. She was two feet away. How to cross that distance?

“Is that legal? With HIPAA laws?”

He nodded. “I have the right when identifying a fugitive or apprehending a violent criminal.”

“I’ll wear one if you want me to.”

He wanted her to give that response when he asked her to never leave him.

“I do,” he said. He wanted to say those words when Pastor Heath asked if he’d take this woman to have and to hold. He swiped a hand over his face. “I want to know if there’s any danger and I want to hear what Dr. Hampshire says to you.” Along with any other male doctors, personnel, or patients. “If it’s anything incriminating, we’ll have it on record.”

“So you’ll be listening to what I say all day?”

“Does that bother you?”

“Yeah.” She gave him a challenging look. “I don’t need you making fun of any inane conversations, or how I react when a sweet baby arrives straight from heaven.”

“Lily.” His voice deepened. “I have never, and would never, make fun of you.”

She studied him and then she swallowed, picked up her glass, and took a long drink. “I know that.”

He drew in a breath. He had to tell her. “Aiden Porter’s team couldn’t find anything out of line about Dr. Hampshire. He graduated top of his class and is well-liked and well-respected. Every report they found was sunshine and roses.”

Her shoulders slumped. “Do you think I’m over-exaggerating his flirtations? Maybe it’s just me.”

Clint knew how to move quick and before he could second-guess himself he was in her space, one hand planted against the counter top, brushing her hip, the other hand framing her smooth and appealing jawline.

“Sweetheart,” he said huskily, studying her beautiful face upturned toward his and hoping she wouldn’t tell him she wasn’t his sweetheart like she had that fateful night on the dock.

Her gaze was full of him and her breath shortened, but she didn’t say anything. How easy it would be to lower his head and claim her enticing lips. “If you’ve hidden the weirdness of this guy’s flirtations and subtle threats from your family for years and only kept him at bay because of Miles, there’s something there. I trust you and your instincts.”

“Thank you.” She placed her soft hand on the arm that was braced against the counter.

“We’ll figure out who left that poster and what Dr. Hampshire’s about,” he reassured her, though his mind was far from investigative work.

“I don’t know what I’d do without you, Clint.” The words were sweet, the look in her brown sugar eyes even sweeter.

“I hope you never have to find out.”

Her eyes widened and filled with warmth.

He meant those words. Could he segue into them dating and seeing if this fake engagement could someday be real? Someday very, very soon. What about Walker? Would his brother give up on his dibs or could he possibly feel as strongly about Lily as Clint did?

She lifted her free hand and wrapped it around his bicep. Clint’s blood heated up. He wrapped one arm around her lower back and lowered his head to hers.

Her lips parted slightly as if welcoming him and she arched up onto tiptoes, clinging to his bicep and running her other hand up to his shoulder. Her warm fingers sent thrills of pleasure through him. He’d believed he loved Sheryl, but he’d never felt this way when she touched him, had never craved a kiss like he did Lily’s.

Clint bent his head to claim her mouth with his own. Thrills of anticipation shot through him.

The doorbell rang.

Lily’s head darted around as if she could see who was there.

Clint wanted to curse. “They’ll go away,” he growled.

But as the sheriff, he needed to answer that door.

He really wanted to curse.

Lily smiled at those words, or maybe at his tone.

A loud rap came on the front door. Clint pushed out a heavy breath and straightened. “I’d better get it. You stay out of sight.”

“Okay. I’ll stay in here. If I hear you coming, I’ll go hide in the laundry room.”

“Obliged.” He forced himself to release her and step away. It was painful. Striding through the living area, around the stairs and to the front entry, he pulled out his phone and clicked on the camera app, then on the front doorbell view.

Walker.

He wanted to curse again. He loved his brothers. He didn’t want Walker here right now. He’d hated fighting Miles about Lily and Eva last week. He’d hated fighting Cade about Sheryl. He didn’t want to fight with Walker, hurt him, or go back on his word.

If only he knew if Lily was as gone over him as he was over her. If only he had a crystal ball and could see if they would be together forever; then maybe he could explain to Walker that he and Lily were meant to be. He grunted in disgust at himself. He tried to live his life trusting in God and going forward with faith. Right now, his faith in his own judgment, Lily’s intentions, and all things working together for the good of those that loved and trusted Jesus was low.

Turning the deadbolt, he disarmed the security and opened the door partway. “Hey.”

Walker looked him over, his blue eyes revealing how upset he was. “Is she here?” he ground out.

Clint nodded. He’d informed his dad where he was and that he was helping Lily with a dangerous situation by pretending to be her fiancé and protecting her. They had enough on their plates at the ranch right now and his dad hadn’t asked questions. He knew Clint would share details when he could or when he needed their help or advice.

“How are things at the ranch?” he asked.

“Fine.” Walker looked him over, then took off his cowboy hat and shoved his hand through his hair. “Are you gonna let me in?”

“It’s a debate in my head right now,” Clint admitted. “You wanting to go the rounds?”

“It’s a debate in my head right now,” Walker shot back.

Walker was mild-mannered, had the slow grin, and was thoughtful, but Clint could see in his brother’s blue eyes that he was ticked. Walker thought Lily was meant to be his. How could Clint be loyal to his brother and to his own heart?

Clint stepped back and let Walker stomp past him, then shut the door.

He didn’t want to fight right now. He wanted to be kissing Lily.

As Walker turned to face him, he doubted he’d get any sweet kisses tonight. He thumped his closed fist against his leg. This was a mess.