Always a Lady (21 page)

"Now, Lily," he began. "I know you have reason to be angry, but I've reconsidered our relationship and . . ."

"We don't have a relationship," Lily said quietly. "You decided that . . . remember?"

Todd's gut kicked into low gear. This wasn't going exactly as he'd imagined.

"I know, and I'm just devastated," Todd said with what he hoped was heartfelt abjectness. "All I can say is . . . I must have been in shock. I don't know what I was thinking. But I know why I'm here. I'm going to take you away from all this . . . all this . . ."

He waved his arms, unable to put words to the thought of her working as a drudge for a bunch of ruffians.

Case's pickup topped the hill above home, and he frowned at the sight of a strange car parked in the yard. The closer he got, the more certain he became that Lily was involved in some sort of confrontation. He pressed on the gas. He knew that Lane Turney was gone for good. He couldn't imagine who . . .

Sunlight bounced off of perfectly groomed, sun-bleached blonde hair, tanned skin, and a mouthful of teeth that had to have been capped. Case could see them from here. He climbed out of the truck, shoved his hat down firmly upon his dark hair, and stalked toward Lily. Blue fire burned.

Todd turned. He forgot to breathe, and then when he did, his question came out three octaves higher and in one long rush.

"Who's that?" he squealed.

"That's what you want to take me away from," Lily drawled, and knew that justice did come to those who wait.

Every plan, every dream, every hope Todd Collins had for a better tomorrow just hit the dust with his guts. He didn't know whether to stand or ran. Either way, his hope of taking Lily Brownfield away from "ail this" just disappeared.

At least six and a half feet of pure fury was stalking toward him with malice aforethought. He could see it in the blue shards piercing his soul.

"If he hits me, I'm suing," Todd shrieked, and pointed wildly toward Case, who was coming nearer and nearer.

It was the last straw. Lily lost sight of reason. She wouldn't have Case threatened in any way. She growled low in her throat, doubled up her fist, and came flying off the porch steps.

"Then sue me, you jerk."

Todd didn't see it coming, but Case did. He knew by the look on her face that Lily had lost it. And, he knew that he'd never get to her in time to stop it from happening.

Todd's nose scrunched beneath her knuckles, and he staggered, falling backward into the honeysuckle. He started to yelp when blood began oozing out from his left nostril, but then he gasped instead. "You bloodied my nose!" Todd couldn't believe it had happened.

"And I'm going to do it again," Lily shrieked. She fell down upon him, fists flailing the vines and the blooms, as Todd's moans of pain and his shrieks of panic were lost in her anger.

Case grinned. This was the best medicine Lily could have ever received. This would heal the scars inside her heart as nothing else could. He stood back, hands on hips, arms akimbo, and watched with pride as Lily got in several more good blows. Finally, he decided it was time to save Todd Collins. After all, there had to be enough of him left to ship back to L.A. He didn't want to have to bury the sonofabitch here on the Bar L. Knowingly contaminating land was against the law.

"Lily! Darlin'! Let him up," Case muttered, as he bent down and grabbed her shoulders, dodging a wild fist as he pulled her up and out of the honeysuckle. When Lily could no longer attack Todd with her fists, she went after him with words.

Todd had never heard so many curse words, at one time, from one woman, in his life. And the look of fury in the cold blue eyes of the man who'd just saved him from a fate worse than death didn't assure him one iota that he was safe yet.

Case cast one wary eye toward Lily and the other at the sodden lump crawling out of his honeysuckle bush. The perfectly combed hair was no more. Instead it hung limply in his eyes. Leaves were stuck in the collar of- his blue Polo shirt and in his hair, and grass stains graced both knees of his white Calvin Klein slacks. Dirt smudges were all over his elbows and face, mixing marvelously with the steady streams of blood that dripped from his lips and nose.

"Are you all right, darlin'?" he asked quietly, and turned another anxious look Lily's way.

"Is she all right? Is she all right? Have you lost your mind? Look at me I I'm the one who needs attention!"

Todd crawled to his feet and then knew retreat would have been the better part of valor.

"You want attention?" Case asked quietly . . . too quietly.

Todd shook his head, but it was too late. Attention had already come.

"You think you're the one who's been harmed here?"

Todd shook his head again, and began backing toward his rental car. He knew he was never going to make it. It was too far to L.A. and the big man was too close for comfort.

"I'll show you harm, you slimy weasel," Case muttered, as he picked Todd up by the collar and dragged him backwards toward his car, slammed him up against the door and bent down and whispered in his ear.

Lily saw Todd take one panicked look up at Case's face, and then he all but crawled through the open window of his car. He scrambled inside.

A laugh began so deep inside her that Lily knew that every pain she'd ever had since her accident was going to come out with it. She remembered what Case had promised to do if he should ever meet her ex-fiancé.  She absently wondered if Case's boot would actually fit, as Todd's little rear disappeared into the car. He drove off in a fit of panic.

Case turned around. The sound behind him was like nothing he'd ever heard.

Lily was laughing.

Not smiles, not the gentle giggle he'd heard from time to time. It was a roll on the grass, head back, belly laugh that sent her to her knees. Tears streamed out of her eyes, running little clean tracks through the dirty smudges on her face as she wrapped her arms around her middle and doubled over with uncontrolled mirth. Several times she'd point down the road, mumble something through her hysterics, and then sink back on her heels, helpless to do anything else but give way to the release that her body needed.

"Oh, Lordy," she sighed, as she struggled to crawl to her feet. "Help me, you moose. I'm too weak to stand."

"Help you?" Case smiled, as he pulled her into his arms. "You didn't look like you needed much help. You did real fine, Lily Kate. Real fine."

"I did, didn't I," Lily said wistfully and stared back over her shoulder at the swiftly settling dust of Todd's departure. "It wasn't the most ladylike thing I've ever done." And then she smiled. "But Cole would have been proud."

"Not as proud as I was, Lily. Not nearly as proud. Sometimes being a lady isn't nearly as important as being a woman. Do you know what I mean?"

Case's question was serious, but his eyes were still alight with glee.

Lily took a deep breath, wrapped her arms around him, and released her breath in a sigh.

"I know what you mean, Case. And, I think that I just passed my test with flying colors." She grinned. "Yesterday I was but a lady. Today I became a woman."

Case laughed. Pulled her up, off her feet and into his arms.

"You're a woman all right, Lily Catherine. My woman! Come on. I've got to get you inside and cleaned up. We've got places to go and people to see. After today, I think you've just earned yourself the biggest, gaudiest diamond that I can find."

"Oh, no," she cautioned, and leaned her head beneath his chin as he carried her into the house.

"Gaudy isn't ladylike. Something significant . . . but tasteful . . . I think."

Case grinned. He was going to love being married to this lady. His L.A. woman.

ELEVEN

"Did you get all the leaves out of my hair?"

Lily's voice was muffled as she pulled the pink knit shirt over her head.

"Yes, darlin'," Case answered, as he dropped his boots.

"Are there any grass stains on my backside?" she continued, as she unzipped her pants and tried to swivel her head around to check.

"Yes, darlin'," he said, as his pants and shirt landed on top of the boots.

"I hope I didn't tear anything," she muttered. "I liked these pants."

"I do, too, darlin'. But I like them off better than I like them on."

The look in his eyes sent her knees shaking.

"Can you help me unhook my bra? My left arm is a bit stiff."

"Yes, darlin'," he drawled, "and that's because it's the one you were choking him with."

Lily blushed and stepped out of her panties.

Case plastered himself with a look of pure innocence as the last of his clothing fell on top of her own.

"Want me to scrub your back?"

She glared, suddenly aware that she was being mocked, and stomped into her bathroom and turned on the shower.

His arms were quickly around her, his chest at her back, as he turned her around and walked them both into the full force of the spray. His hands splayed out across her breasts, letting the water run between his fingers and down across her swelling nubs as his body betrayed his desires.

Lily moaned. She leaned her head back against his chest and let the water pepper down upon them.

"If I live to be a hundred, Lily Catherine, I'll never love you as much as I did today. You fought for me, and you fought for yourself."

"I did, didn't I," she muttered.

"You sure did, baby," he whispered. "Felt good, didn't it?"

"Not nearly as good as what you're doing now, Case."

His body was moving against her hips as his hands slid down across her belly and into her . . . "Oh my God!"' The cry escaped, but Lily did not. Case turned her in his arms and sent her backwards and down.

Tile at her back. Water on her face. Case inside her body. World upside down.

"There's something I have to tell you," Lily whispered, as their world came back into focus. She took the towel Case handed her and buried her face in its fluffy folds, muffling the words as she spoke.

"What the hell did you say?" Case yanked the towel away from her face and pinned her with blue fire. He couldn't believe what he thought he'd heard.

Lily sighed. She'd been afraid he'd take it this way. It was what had made her hesitate to call in the first place.

"I said: I talked to a doctor the other day. He says my face is healed enough to try some cosmetic surgery."

"I don't want you hurt anymore, Lily Catherine." Case's voice was agonizingly soft. "I don't want you to have to deal with the disappointment if it doesn't work. You're beautiful now."

"I know you love me as I am. That's why I can finally do this."

"I don't need this," he argued.

"No, I know you don't." Her touch was as gentle as her words as she laid her head against his chest. "But I do, Case. I do."

Case shuddered, emotions welling as he cradled her within his grasp. The thought of Lily in pain sent him to his knees.

Lily gasped. She had no idea he would react this way. Her heart twisted at the torment on his face. She threaded her fingers through the wet tangles of his dark hair, and kneaded them on his shoulders.

"Darling, please get up."

But he refused. He closed his eyes. His whisper was so faint she almost didn't hear his plea.

"Lily, don't do this."

"Case! I don't understand? Surely you know I believe in your love? You know that I'll never leave you!"

"It isn't that," he whispered. "I don't want you to hurt just to be perfect for me. You're already perfect in my eyes."  .

"If I didn't believe that, 1 could never have made the call."

Her voice was quiet, but it was the conviction with which she spoke that caught his attention. He was silent. For long agonizing moments neither spoke. And then Case's whisper nearly broke her heart.

"You'll marry me first. Do you hear me, girl? If you have to do this, you'll do it for yourself. Not for me!"

It was a promise she'd gladly keep.

"Do you have the ring? What happened to the ring? Who's got the flowers? Aren't we supposed to wear stuff in our buttonholes?"

J.D. and Dusty's coordinated chaos went in one ear and out the other as Case quietly tied his tie.

"You're gonna be wearing stuff elsewhere if you don't shut up," Cole grumbled,

"Cole!" Morgan Brownfield's admonishment did nothing to stem the confusion boiling in the back room of the tiny country church. "This is not the time to threaten your brothers," he muttered, although he felt the same way. The twins were driving everyone nuts.

Buddy sat calmly on a wooden bench against the wall and played the small, calculator-sized computer game that he'd brought with him from L.A. His suit was wrinkling, his shirt was on but buttoned one button off, and his tie hung limply around his neck, waiting for someone to come along and finish putting him together.

A tinny, computer version of a crowd roar echoed into the sudden silence of the room and Buddy jumped up from the bench with a look of glee on his face and yelled. "1 did it! Hot damn, I killed the dragon! The princess is mine!"

Morgan roiled his eyes. "Do not curse in church."

Buddy looked up in amazement. He hadn't even realized that's where they were.

"Sorry!" he said.

Case grinned. Hell of a family he was getting.

Everybody better be decent because I'm coming in.

The threat was not vacant as Debbie Randall pushed her way past Morgan and made a beeline for Buddy who was still enraptured by the fact that he'd just beat the computer.

"I won the princess," he crowed.

"That's nice, sweetheart," Debbie muttered, as she yanked him around and began unbuttoning his shirt.

"Lily said this would happen," she explained, as she smiled at Case. "She told me to come calm down the twins, put Buddy together and kiss her father."