The Princess And The Cowboy Page 8

  have will be over. I’d like to avoid a media circus as long as possible.”

  “I understand. I’ve lived in Harry’s orbit for too long not to know how you feel.”

  “Thank you.” She covered his hand with hers on the counter in an instinctive gesture.

  He turned his hand palm up, threading his fingers through hers. “You’re welcome.”

  She went still, her green eyes intent as she searched his face. “You’re being very understanding about my concern, Justin.”

  He shrugged. “You’re telling me you want the best for Ava and I feel the same.”

  “I hope so.” Lily searched his face.

  “You don’t believe me?”

  “I want to, I really do,” she said slowly. “But trusting you isn’t easy. I…cared for you, and I was totally unprepared to deal with how I felt when you left me.” She saw his eyes darken, his body going taut and his fingers tightening on hers. She went on quickly before he could interrupt. “But I’m an adult and these things happen between men and women. This time it’s Ava who’ll get hurt if you suddenly decide to move on, and though she’s very young, she’s become attached to you. If you disappear from her life, she’s going to miss you.”

  “I won’t do that to her,” Justin said. His voice rang with sincerity; his words were a vow. “I know you have reason not to believe me when I say it, but I swear, it’s true. I’d never knowingly harm her, not in any way.”

  He cupped her cheek with his free hand. “I’ll never knowingly harm you again, either. Never, Lily, I promise.”

  His thumb stroked over the arc of her cheekbone, calming her, the slow, repetitive strokes mesmerizing. Lily thought hazily that she should stop him, but she couldn’t bring herself to protest when his mouth brushed hers. Once, twice, then his lips pressed hers. Warm, gentle, she felt as if the kiss somehow sealed his promise.

  His cell phone rang, breaking the spell holding them with the efficiency of an alarm. Lily jerked away from him, smoothing a trembling hand over her hair.

  “Lily…” His voice was rougher, deeper.

  “You should answer that,” she said, not wanting to talk about what had passed between them, not until she had time to think about it with a clear head.

  He took the phone from his shirt pocket and flipped it open, frowning as he read the caller ID. “It’s my assistant.” He tucked the phone back into his pocket.

  “Don’t you need to take the call?” Lily eased away from him and then stood.

  “I’ll call him later.” He rose and looked down at her, his face somber. “I need to know you believe me when I say I’m not walking away from you and Ava.”

  She stared at him, searching his face. “I want to believe you, Justin, but it’s too soon. If you’re still around, still making time for Ava a month from now, then maybe I’ll start believing.”

  He winced. “I guess I deserve that.” He drew a deep breath. “But, fair enough. Walk me to the door?” He held out his hand.

  Lily hesitated, then took his hand, his warm palm callused beneath hers, his fingers closing around hers.

  He stepped out onto the porch and looked down at her. “Tomorrow night? And I’ll bring dinner—how about pizza from Zeke’s?”

  “I haven’t had Zeke’s pizza in ages—I’d love it.”

  “Good. Then I’ll see you and Ava tomorrow.”

  He tugged her closer and kissed her, his mouth warm and persuasive against hers. When he released her, she could only stare at him. He smiled, a slow lift of his lips, closed his hands over her shoulders and nudged her inside, then pulled the door closed.

  As Lily heard Justin drive away, she couldn’t help hoping that this Justin, the man that seemed focused on Ava, would stay.

  Chapter 6

  Justin arrived with pizza just before five the following afternoon.

  Lily breathed in the aroma, closing her eyes, and sighed. “I’d forgotten how good Zeke’s pizza smells.”

  Justin grinned. “I’m hungry, how about you?”

  “Starving,” she answered promptly, determinedly ignoring the stutter of her heartbeat when his lips curved upward, his blue eyes laughing at her. “Let’s go outside to eat—Ava and I set the table on the patio earlier.”

  Lily’s town house had a small but well laid-out backyard. Six-foot-high board fences enclosed the area, lending privacy to the brick patio with its wicker umbrella table. Roses climbed the arch over the back gate leading out onto the alley, and one corner held a sandbox shaped like a turtle. A small swing set stood just beyond the sandbox.

  “This is nice,” Justin commented as he put the pizza box on the tabletop, glancing around. “Do you have a gardener?”

  “No. I like taking care of the plants. I’ve discovered puttering in the garden is very therapeutic.” Lily settled Ava into her high chair and poured a handful of oat cereal onto the tray.

  “Can Ava eat pizza?” Justin asked, opening the box.

  “No, she’s too young for pizza.”

  Ava interrupted by banging her sippy cup on the metal tray and yelling loudly, pointing at the slice of pizza in Justin’s hand.

  “Are you sure?” he asked dubiously as the toddler babbled and waved her hand in demand.

  “I’m sure.” Lily laughed outright and sat, choosing the chair next to Ava. She toed off her pink flip-flops and wiggled her bare toes against the sun-warmed brick of the patio. The short cotton skirt of her sundress didn’t quite reach her knees, and she spread a napkin over the bare tanned skin below the white hem. “You should see your face, Justin. Seriously, she may want pizza,” she added when Ava continued to babble and wave at Justin. “But she can’t have it.”

  “If you say so.” Justin handed Lily a plate, frank male appreciation in his eyes as his gaze slowly moved from her face down to her toes, and leisurely back up again before he took a seat. “She’s not happy about this.”

  “I know. She’ll get over it,” Lily assured him, determined to ignore the flare of heat that flushed her cheeks. “Lemonade?” He nodded and she lifted the pitcher, filling two glasses and passing one to him.

  The wide canvas umbrella shaded them from the late-afternoon sun. Bees buzzed in the pink hydrangeas along the back wall and the scents of lavender and roses filled the warm air.

  Justin finished his pizza and stretched out his long legs, crossing his boots at the ankle to laze in the chair. “This is nice, Lily, really nice. How long have you lived here?”

  “A little over a year. I moved in two months before Ava was born.”

  “How was that?” He asked, his voice curious.

  “How was what—moving?”

  “No, Ava being born…” His gaze switched to Ava, watching her little fingers chase the round cereal over the tray. “You weren’t alone, were you?”

  “No, I wasn’t alone—Meggie was my birth coach and she was with me the whole time. And Aunt Shirley came to stay with me for the first two weeks when we came home from the hospital.” Lily smiled at the memory. “I think the experience convinced Meggie she doesn’t want to go through giving birth. She loves Ava and pretty much likes babies in general, but the process of being pregnant? Not so much.”

  “Was it bad?” Justin frowned. “How bad was it?”

  “Just the usual—during the first three months I was nauseous the minute I woke up in the morning. I lost weight at first, and then, when I stopped losing my breakfast every day, I was hungry and craved the weirdest things. For some reason, I loved dill pickles dipped in peanut butter. The last couple of months I had a huge belly, couldn’t bend over to tie my shoes, couldn’t stand comfortably, couldn’t sit comfortably, couldn’t lie down comfortably….” Lily realized Justin’s face had taken on a paler shade under his tan and his expression was frankly horrified. “Hey, it was a perfectly normal pregnancy.”

  “It doesn’t sound like it,” he muttered. “And if it was, I can’t believe any woman ever has more than one kid.”

  “Nature blesses
us by allowing the memory to fade,” she assured him. “The specifics are already starting to blur for me and Ava’s only a year old. I’m guessing by the time she’s two years, I won’t remember it as being so bad.” She looked at Ava, smiling fondly.

  “So you think you might like to have more children?”

  Lily’s gaze flew to his, aware the seemingly casual question was loaded with undercurrents. “I’m not sure,” she said carefully. “Maybe. At the moment, Ava’s all I can handle, and then some.”

  “Yeah, I can see how she could be.” He looked away from her, studying the toddler’s bowed head.

  Ava looked up, saw him and immediately began to chatter, holding her arms out to him in an imperious gesture.

  “I think she’s ready to get down,” Lily said.

  Justin unhooked the high chair’s seat belt with practiced ease and lifted the little girl, cuddling her for a moment before setting her on her feet next to Lily.

  “Hi, punkin.” Lily patted Ava’s little hands where she clutched fistfuls of Lily’s short skirt.

  Ava chattered and bobbed up and down, then plunked down on the bricks.

  “She had a mop of black curls when she was born,” Lily said, smiling with affection at Ava as she crawled at high speed toward Justin. She reached him and pulled herself up, her hands grasping handfuls of his jeans. He grinned at her and leaned forward, swinging her up to perch comfortably on his lap. “Unlike lots of babies, she didn’t lose any of it—it just got thicker and longer.”

  “Did you take pictures of her right after she was born?” he asked, brushing a kiss against the crown of Ava’s head.

  “Oh, yes, lots.” Lily caught the wistful expression that flashed across his features. “I have photo albums, Justin. Would you like to look at them after Ava goes to bed?”

  “Yeah,” he said, his eyes warm. “I would.”

  Later, while Justin tucked Ava in, Lily took two thick albums of photos from the closet in her room and carried them downstairs.

  “I don’t know why I didn’t think of these before,” she told him as he joined her on the sofa. He didn’t crowd her but the soft cushions of the sofa sank beneath his weight until her hip, thigh and knee nudged his. Her body came alive, hypersensitive to the heat and muscled hardness of him. She flipped through several sleeves containing snapshots. “Here she is right after she was born.”

  He took the open album from her and laid it on his lap, tracing his fingertips over the first photo. “She’s red and wrinkled—and look at how much dark hair she has. Plus, her face is all screwed-up and her mouth is wide open—was she screaming?”

  “She definitely yelled,” Lily said, laughing. “That little girl has a strong set of lungs.”

  “Which is good when you’re just born, right?”

  “Absolutely—it’s a very good thing.”

  He flipped the page, scanning the photos and lingering on several pictures of Ava’s tiny form, wrapped in a blanket and cuddled against Lily’s chest.

  “Don’t look at those,” Lily said quickly, leaning into him as she tried to turn the page. “I looked like death warmed over.”

  “You were beautiful.” His gaze met hers and she stopped breathing at the emotion that blazed there. “How long did it take—the labor and birth?”

  “I was in the hospital for almost eight hours before she was born.”

  He frowned, his dark brows drawing a vee above his eyes. “Is that normal?”

  “Very,” she assured him, seeing relief ease his expression. “I have friends who were in the hospital for an entire day or more.”

  A faint shudder twitched his shoulders. “I’ve helped cows, horses and dogs give birth. I can’t imagine your being in labor for eight hours.”

  “It wasn’t a lot of fun,” Lily agreed, touched by his concern. “But look what I got when it was over.” She pointed at a picture of Ava dressed in her going-home-from-hospital gown and bonnet.

  “True.” He studied the photo, a bemused smile curving his mouth. “She was so tiny,” he muttered. “How much did she weigh?”

  “Seven and a half pounds, which is a very good size, my doctor said.” Lily felt the connection between Justin and herself strengthen, deepen as he lingered over the photos, asking her questions.

  When Justin finally turned the last page, he closed the album and looked at Lily. “Thank you,” he said softly.

  “You’re welcome. Would you like a copy of Ava’s first-birthday picture?”

  “Yeah, I would,” he said. “But I wasn’t talking about the photos.” He leaned closer, gently splaying his hand over her midriff. “I meant thank you for having our baby. You could have terminated the pregnancy or given her away. I’m so damned grateful you chose not to.”

  The emotion in his voice brought tears to Lily’s eyes. She covered his hand with hers, knowing her smile wobbled. “I’m glad, too. Finding out I was going to be a parent was scary, but even when the doctor was listing my options, I knew I wanted her.”

  “She’s a lucky little girl,” he murmured. “You’re an amazing woman, Lily.” He leaned into her, his hand a warm weight on her belly, and covered her mouth with his.

  Lily sank into the kiss, allowing the heated demand of his lips on hers to pull her under.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck, needing the feel of his warm skin and cool hair beneath her fingers.

  His mouth left hers and he cupped her cheek, tilting her face back to let his lips brush kisses down the arch of her throat. When he slipped the narrow straps of her dress off her shoulder and his mouth found first her collarbone, then the upper swell of her breast, Lily moaned and curled into him. Her breasts felt swollen and sensitive, the nipples peaking with a rush when his hand closed over her knee.

  His fingers smoothed over her bare skin before slipping beneath her skirt to stroke higher, sending shivers of anticipation and arousal skittering over her nerves before they settled to pulse insistently, low in her abdomen.

  “Justin,” she murmured, knowing she had to stop him. Her voice was thready, aching with the desire to let him continue, knowing she’d regret this night if she gave in.

  “Yes, baby?” he muttered, his thumb drawing circles on the sensitive skin of her inner thigh. “What is it?”

  “I’m not ready, Justin,” she managed to get out, shivering as he continued to stroke her with his thumb in small, testing circles. “I need more time.” She closed her eyes and drew a deep breath, steadying herself.

  She nearly wept with frustration when his hand left her thigh and he tugged her skirt lower, smoothing it carefully before his hand stilled, lying heavily against her knee.

  “All right.” Despite the tension in the hard chest muscles beneath her palms, he didn’t try to persuade her. Instead, he brushed kisses against her mouth, lingering warm touches that almost had her groaning aloud.

  Then he stood, pulling her up with him. “I’ve about used up my control for the night so I better leave. Walk me to the door?”

  A half hour later, Lily lay awake, once again staring at the moonlight dancing across her bedroom ceiling.

  Face it, she told herself, you’re falling in love with him all over again.

  She wasn’t sure it would turn out any better than the last time. Loving Justin was complicated. She didn’t doubt he cared deeply about Ava, and he certainly seemed to care about her, too. What she didn’t know was if what he felt for her was solely because she was Ava’s mother. Would he be so determined to stay in her life if they didn’t share a daughter?

  When she finally fell asleep sometime after midnight, Lily was no closer to solving the puzzle than was Justin.

  The string of brass bells hanging on the shop door chimed softly. Lily glanced over her shoulder, expecting to see a customer, and found Justin. His broad shoulders stretched the black cotton of his T-shirt; the jeans he wore were snug and faded in all the right places.

  “Good morning.” Her smile widened, and for once she didn’t bother t
rying to deny the quick lift of delight that filled her when she saw him.

  “Hi.” He ignored the three women shoppers eyeing him and paid no attention to Meggie as he dropped one arm over Lily’s shoulder, pulled her close and pressed a swift, possessive kiss against her mouth.

  Lily blinked as he let go of her, her brain scrambled by that quick meeting of mouths. “You’re out early this morning,” she said, concentrating on the words and telling herself to stop staring mindlessly at his mouth.

  “I have to fly to Idaho,” he told her. “The owner of a neighboring property I’ve been trying to buy for a year is finally ready to negotiate, but he insists on talking only to me.”

  Lily’s elation disappeared but she kept the smile firmly fixed. “So you stopped by to say goodbye to Ava? I’ll go get her—she’s upstairs.”

  “No.” He stopped her with a hand on her arm as she turned away. “I want you and Ava to come with me.”

  “To Idaho?” Lily blinked, startled and taken aback.

  “Yeah, I might need to be there a few days and I thought you and Ava could see the ranch, check out the horses. I’m thinking we should get a pony for her when she’s a little older.”

  “I don’t think I can leave the shop….”

  He stopped her with a forefinger across her lips. “Don’t think, Lily. Just say you’ll come.”

  “Yes,” Meggie murmured beside her. “Go, already.”

  Lily glanced at her assistant to find her grinning and making shooing gestures. “But what about the shop? I just can’t drop everything and leave.”

  “Of course you can,” Meggie said firmly. “I’ll look after the boutique. Sheila and Kate can take care of the orders upstairs and you can pack your drawing pencils and a pad of paper to take with you if you feel the need to work on new designs. Just go.”

  “Well…” Lily felt torn.

  “What good is it to be the boss if you can’t play hooky every now and then?” Justin put in, a smile in his voice as he coaxed.