by D'Ann Lindun
“What’s that?”
“A bunch of people meeting under the guidance of a therapist who helps us through grief after the loss of a loved one.” Lily looked at him and he appeared to be listening intently. “We talk, cry. Share our feelings.” She thought of Brigit. “And hopefully heal.”
“With strangers?” He sounded dubious.
“They’re family,” she said staunchly. “Or become like a family.”
His hands appeared to clench the steering wheel in a death grip. “My unit is my brothers.”
“I imagine that kind of connection will attach you pretty tightly,” Lily said.
He nodded. “Bonded for life by blood.”
“Do you stay in touch?” She couldn’t imagine not talking to any of the group members any more. Especially Maggie and Polly. But she wanted to talk about the future and what it might hold instead of her grief-filled past.
“When I can. By email, mostly.”
She sensed he held something back, but she didn’t pry. Loss was a funny thing. Some people wanted to talk and talk about it. Others not at all. Lily fell somewhere in the middle. Forgetting Jeff and their life together was never going to happen, but she didn’t need to share a memory every day to remember him either.
Will glanced her direction. “You met my grandmother at this group?”
“Yes. She actually invited me.” Lily recalled the day Maggie had shown up on her doorstep with a Tupperware container full of chicken noodle soup, homemade rolls and an invitation to join her at the grief group. She wasn’t taking no for an answer and refused to give up until Lily agreed to go with her. That had been months ago and the two women formed a fast friendship.
Although they lived in a fairly small town she and Maggie had never met before that day. Now Lily couldn’t imagine life without the older woman in it. Most of her friends had fallen away, Lily figured, because they feared her widowhood might be catching. The other grief group members reported similar happenings.
“That’s Gran.” Will’s smile returned.
“Yes, she’s a wonderful woman,” Lily said. “Your grandfather must have been a great guy, too, the way she talks about him.”
“He was,” Will said. “I miss him.”
“I bet you do. Maggie certainly does.”
“I imagine when you’re married that long it’s a shock to wake up and not have your better half beside you,” Will said.
Lily turned to look out the passenger window. “It’s not easy at any time, but you sort of get used to it after a while.”
“I suppose,” Will said almost as if he understood.
CHAPTER FIVE
Will turned into the parking lot of the ranch supply store and parked near the front. Before Lily could open her door, he came around to do it for her. Old-fashioned manners in a man so young. His mama had raised him right.
“Thank you.”
He touched the brim of his Stetson. “My pleasure.”
Lily led the way inside the building. She headed straight for the section that housed tractor parts, ignoring rows of livestock feed, tack and clothing. The familiar smells of grain, leather and live fowl permeated the air.
“You know your way around this place,” Will commented.
She glanced over her shoulder at him. “Years of farming make you pretty familiar with a parts store.”
He grinned. “Point taken.”
At the back counter Lily placed her hands on the glass top and waited for the clerk to come out of the storage room. She tapped her fingers impatiently. Daylight was burning. Maybe the store’s staff had time to waste, but she didn’t.
“Calm down,” Will said at her shoulder.
“I have a lot to do today,” she grumped.
“I know, but having a heart attack isn’t going to help is it?”
Before she could shoot him a sarcastic answer, an older, balding man she didn’t know came out of the storage area. He looked to Will. “How can I help you folks?”
“We need a radiator hose for a John Deere.” Will rattled off the make and model.
“Back in a jiffy.” The clerk hustled away.
Lily fought irritation. The tractor belonged to her, but the clerk had assumed it was Will’s because he was a man.
The clerk returned shortly carrying the part in triumph. “Found it.”
“How much?” Lily dug in her purse for her checkbook.
The clerk looked startled for a moment as if he’d expected Will to pay, then rang up the part and mentioned the total.
Lily wrote the check and handed it to the clerk. “Thank you.”
The clerk stuffed the check into the register and handed over the receipt. “Have a good day and come again.”
Will grabbed the part before Lily could stuff her checkbook back in her purse. “Got it.”
“Thanks.”
As they made their way back toward the front, a curvy young woman with a mass of blonde curls, wearing a tank top and tight jeans stepped in front of them. “Hi, Lil.”
“Hey, Sierra.” Lily hid her surprise. Brigit’s daughter. The pretty young woman had never sought her out before. “How are you?”
“Good. You?”
“Great.” Lily shifted impatiently. “How’s your mom?”
“That’s why I stopped you, actually.” Sierra’s curious glance bounced between Lily and Will. “Cam’s twenty-first birthday would be next week and I know Mom’s going to take it hard.”
Lily’s impatience melted away. “She is. How can I help?”
“That’s just it. I don’t know.” Sierra played with a silver bracelet on her wrist. “Should we just let it pass quietly? Or should we do some kind of memorial? Meet at the cemetery? A barbeque?”
Lily knew the woman would be devastated if no one remembered her deceased son’s birthday. “Some kind of memorial meal, I’d say.”
Sierra smiled gratefully. “Awesome. Can I count on you letting the grief group know as soon as I figure things out?”
Opening her mouth to refuse, Lily instead said, “Sure. Just let me know.”
“Thanks, Lily.” Sierra smiled at Will. “Hi there.”
Ignoring the little pinch in her stomach at Sierra’s obvious interest, Lily gestured toward him. “Sierra, meet Will.”
“Pleasure.” He took her hand.
“How do you know Lily?” Sierra asked bluntly.
He released her hand. “I work for her.”
The twinge in Lily’s stomach inched a bit deeper as Sierra’s eyes lit up. “Wonderful. So, how do you like our little town?”
“Love it. Spent a lot of time here with my grandparents when I was a kid.” He chuckled. “Great times.”
“Well, if Lily doesn’t work you to death, I’d love to show you around sometime to refresh your memory.” Sierra cocked one denim clad hip and pushed her ample breasts forward.
She might as well have shouted ‘mount me’ Lily thought sourly. “Speaking of work…”
Will winked at the girl. “The boss calls.”
Sierra giggled. “See ya.”
“Let me know what you need,” Lily told Sierra. “I better get to work.”
“Okay.” Sierra couldn’t pry her gaze from Will. “I’ll be in touch.”
With a nod, Lily left the girl looking after them probably ogling Will’s fine ass. Lily hopped into his truck and clicked the seatbelt with a little more force than necessary.
Will climbed in his side and after tossing the part in the backseat, started the engine. “You need anything else while we’re in town?”
“No.”
“You okay?”
“Fine.” Lily took a deep breath. Why was she acting like a jealous girlfriend or wife? She was neither. Will was too young for her even if she did find him incredibly attractive. “I could use some groceries if you’re willing to take me to the store.”
“No problem.”
She smiled ruefully. “Not a man’s favorite thing to do, I know.”
�
��I don’t hate it, actually.” He started the truck and pulled out of the parking lot. “So, mind telling me who Cam is?”
“He was one of my grief group member’s son. He died in a car accident four years ago, when he was only seventeen.” Lily glanced at Will’s profile, wondering what he thought of Sierra. “That girl you just met is his sister.”
“Damn. That’s rough.” Will didn’t say anything about Sierra. Did he find the sexy blonde attractive? Most men probably would with her big chest and tight jeans.
“Yes.” Lily glanced away at the traffic going in the other direction. “My friend is still having a hard time with Cam’s death.”
“It’s not easy to say goodbye to someone you care about.” His tone went bleak.
“No.” Lily turned her head and saw the cloud across his eyes again. She changed the subject. “You spent time here when you were younger? Maggie never said anything to me.”
“When I was a kid I got in a little trouble. My folks thought Gran and Gramps might straighten me out.” He grinned. “All day in the orchards wore me out, but not so much I still didn’t find the energy to run around at night.”
Lily couldn’t contain her curiosity. “What kind of trouble were you in?”
“Drinking.” He shrugged. “Seeing the wrong girl. My folks thought I was headed down the road to becoming a teenage daddy. They wanted to head off that train wreck before it happened.”
“Were you?”
He glanced her way. “Having sex?”
She wouldn’t have put it quite so bluntly, but she nodded. “Yeah.”
“Let’s just say my parents weren’t wrong.” He turned into the grocery store parking lot. “But sending me to Lonesome Valley didn’t take my mind off girls. If anything, the itch got worse. The ladies here were so pretty I darned near lost my mind.” He found an empty spot, turned off the engine and turned his head her direction. “They still are.”
Lily blushed at his words although he probably meant Sierra. She dug a little curious about his past girlfriends. “Are any of your friends still here?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t had time to check.” He played with a loose string on the steering wheel cover. “After that summer with Gran I went home, finished my senior year and went into the military immediately after graduation. This is the first time I’ve been back since.”
“None of those girls captured your heart?” Lily twisted her wedding ring.
“Only temporarily.” He reached for the door handle. “Just for that summer.”
After he let her out Lily grabbed a cart and pushed it inside straight toward the produce section. Her mind burned. Obviously he wasn’t going to kiss and tell. What girls had he dated as a teen? Did one of them still hold a place in his heart? Jeff, the boy she’d fallen for the summer before high school, grew into the man she’d made a life with. The one she thought she’d grow old with.
“You like onions?”
Lily pulled herself back into the present. “What?”
“Do you like onions?” Will held two red Vidalia onions in his hands.
“Sure.”
“I make a mean steak fajita.” Will perused the avocados. “Just wait. I’ll show you.”
Together, they picked out items for his welcome party.
“What did you do in the service?” Lily added iceberg lettuce and juicy red tomatoes to the basket. “Cook?”
He seemed to take a special interest in a pile of jalapenos. “I was a grunt. Boots on the ground.”
She didn’t know a lot about the military, but that sounded dangerous. “Scary.”
“Sometimes.” He added oranges and grapefruit to the cart. His unenthusiastic tone alerted her he didn’t want to continue this line of questioning. She wouldn’t make the same mistake of pressing him like she had last night.
The rest of the trip around the grocery store was made in silence.
At the register, to Lily’s surprise Will whipped out his credit card. “I got this.”
“You’re working for me. I’m supposed to feed you,” she protested.
“It’s not a problem.” He handed the card to the teenage girl at the register who stared at him like a cat about to devour a bowl of cream. She even licked her bottom lip.
“Just this once. From now on food is part of your wages,” Lily insisted.
They shared a smile.
After the groceries were stowed in the backseat Will looked her way. “I know you’re dying to get home, but how about a quick hamburger at the Burger Shack first?”
“Okay.” It had been ages since she’d eaten there. She preferred something a little healthier most days, but a greasy cheeseburger, fries and a cherry coke suddenly sounded perfect. If she kept eating with Will she’d weigh more than one of her tractors in no time.
At the Burger Shack Will parked and gave their order to a waitress on roller skates as Lily relaxed against the truck’s leather seat. Classic rock tunes poured out of overhead speakers and the delectable smell of hamburgers hung in the air. The little drive-in had been a favorite place for her and Jeff back when they dated. So long ago. She sighed wistfully as Sweet Home Alabama came over the speakers.
“You okay?” Will looked concerned.
She cupped her chin in her palm. “Yes. Just nostalgic.”
“About what?”
“This song reminds me of high school. You know, stuff that happened a hundred years ago.” She shrugged. “Back when I was young.”
“You’re not old, Lily. You still have a lot of living ahead of you.” He sounded like one of the grief group.
Before she could respond, the waitress returned with their meal. Will paid and gave her a generous tip which earned him a big grin through a mouthful of braces. Although probably only around fifteen, the girl wore a big class ring on a chain around her neck, signaling she was in a relationship.
Had Lily been that young when she and Jeff had fallen in love? Yes, actually. He’d been fifteen, she thirteen. Will might not get that seemed like a hundred years ago, but to Lily it felt like a very long time in the past.
At twenty-five, fifteen wasn’t that far back she realized. Will might look like a sex god, but in truth he was barely past a kid. Her appetite fled and Lily pushed her uneaten sandwich away.
Will eyed her meal. “Lunch not good?”
She sipped her cherry coke. “Very tasty. I’m just full.”
He patted his flat belly. “I never get filled up. Well, maybe at Thanksgiving when my mom cooks two turkeys, ham and a venison roast. Plus fixin’s.”
“All that?” Lily couldn’t imagine so much food.
“There’s a bunch of us Wainwrights.” He crumpled his wrapper and eyed her leftover fries. “You going to eat those?”
Lily shoved the red plastic basket across the seat. “Help yourself.”
Her gaze locked on his big, square hands as he reached for the fries. She stared as he placed them in his mouth, chewed and followed with a long drink of chocolate shake, his throat working as he swallowed. “I better get your part into that tractor, or you’ll fire me before I start.”
“Not a chance, cowboy. I need you.”
Her words hung between them for a moment.
Heat flamed her face. “I mean—”
He laughed, the sound sending shivers racing up and down her back. “I get it.”
To hide her embarrassment, Lily gulped the last of her cherry coke. Dang. Why did everything that came out of her mouth around this guy sound like she wanted more than a boss-employee relationship? He was going to think she was one of those lonely widow types willing to jump any male who came sniffing around.
That couldn’t be any further from the truth. Lily had no desire to get into any kind of relationship, especially one that was only bound to last for a night at most. She’d never been a sleep-around kind of girl and she wasn’t about to start now.
Even if her nerves suddenly thrummed against her skin like lightning bugs in a glass jar.
&nbs
p; Damnation!
What the hell was wrong with her?
He was off limits.
Too young.
Maggie’s grandson.
She crumpled her Styrofoam cup. “If you’re done, let’s go. We’ve got a lot to do yet.”
CHAPTER SIX
Will headed toward the barn with the tractor part. He’d only been around Lily for a short while, but he already admired her spirit and strength. Gran had shared with him how Lily’s husband had contracted a fast, fatal cancer that took him in a little under six months.
Will grew up on a working cattle ranch and he knew how hard rural life could be on a woman. Even one with a man to help her. For a lady to continue running her farm business without her man was a true test of faith. He’d admired strong females all his life: mother, grandmother and a lot of friends. The brave female soldiers so far from home just like him.
Amy.
The minute his fellow soldier’s face entered his mind, he banished her. Just like always. Because if he let her in the pain of failing her would take him to his knees. He turned his thoughts back to his new boss. He’d always been attracted to strong women and Lily’s long auburn hair, fawn-colored eyes and a wide mouth didn’t kill his interest either.
She was a knockout.
The first woman who had remotely intrigued him since he left Iraq.
Lily liked him, too. He could read the interest in her eyes although she tried to hide it. He guessed the differences in their ages bothered her, but he could care less about it. Thanks to a senior who’d taught him things he’d never imagined during his Freshman year of high school, he’d since appreciated the allure of an older women.
Age didn’t matter anyway.
But…no matter how attractive he found Lily there was no way in hell he’d ever again risk feeling like he did when he lost Amy.
Lifting the hood of the tractor, he turned his thoughts to the task at hand quickly finding the radiator in the maze of hoses and metal. Fixing broken equipment had never been his favorite thing to do, but with the radio blasting rock music and the rays of late afternoon sun falling across his back he found himself happier than he’d been in a long time.
