Tiger's Lily (7 page)

Chapter 10

Wednesday morning broke bright and sunny, though a definite chill resided in the air. Not surprising for late November.

Lily pulled herself from the warm pile of blankets and cats all cuddled on the sleeper sofa. Certainly not as comfortable as her bed, but it could have been worse. Not bothering to make her temporary bed with the cats still asleep, she quickly headed to the second bathroom in the hallway right outside the spare bedroom. Since the guys moved into the master bed and bath, she had contented herself with the smaller guest bathroom. It afforded her a bit more privacy and she didn't have to wake them up when she woke early.

With her hair pulled up in a ponytail, she headed to the kitchen in her warm and comfortable sweats. Baking monopolized her agenda for the day. Pies, cinnamon rolls, and homemade bread. All stood on her list as a must for Thanksgiving lunch.

Carson called just as she pulled ingredients out for the pie. He inquired about Dillon and how things were working out with her impromptu guests. She answered all his questions, jotted down a few instructions, and clicked the phone off.

Nosey doctor.
She could understand the general questions and inquiries about Dillon and his wound. But, he couldn't fool her with his not so subtle references to Cale. The man was fishing in an empty pond.

With a shake of her head, she quickly tossed frozen blueberries into a bowl, adding sugar and flour. Mixing it all up, she began to pour the contents into the ready made pie shells when Cale walked into the room.

Her belly flip flopped at the sight of his clean shaven handsome face, light blue eyes sparkling, and sleepy expression. Ever since their last kiss, she wished for more. Dreamed of what would come next.
If brothers and cats didn't interrupt, that is.

"Good morning."

"Morning to you, too." She took the wooden spoon, carefully scraping errant berries out of the bowl and into the small mound in the lower pie shell. "I'll get breakfast in a minute. Let me…"

"I'll take care of it."

She paused to look up at his face, catching his indulgent expression. "Are you sure? I don't mind."

He waved her off, opening the fridge to check the contents. "I've fixed more than one meal in my life." A box of mix appeared in his hand along with the milk before he shut the door. "Pancakes I can do."

"Okay. Thanks." She plopped the bowl in the sink, grabbing the top pie shell and carefully placed it over the berries.

"What are the plans for today?" Opening a cabinet, he pulled out a medium sized glass bowl and began to dump in batter, milk, and an egg, whisking them all together with ease of strength and long practice.

Lily watched his hands, marveling at their sureness and ability. What would those same hands would feel on her body, molding to her curves, teasing sensitive areas, and delving into secret areas no other man had been? Combine that expertise with soft lips, darting tongue, and a taste of spring rain. Her lower tummy clenched in a pang of longing pleasure.

"Lily?"

The mention of her name broke through her early morning daydream. "Hmmm?"

"Plans? For the day?" Amusement laced his tone while his eyes sparkled as if he read her mind.

Kissing you. Touching you. Checking for that danged belly button.
Her face heated. "Oh… ummm…" Pinching the edges of the pie together, she took a second or two to get her hamster wheel of a mind back to spinning. "Plans. Let's see. Get this pie baked. Cinnamon rolls. Maybe a chocolate cake. But, I need to start the homemade bread next. That will take most of the day to get done."

"Skillet?"

Lily reached into the oven, pulling out a small pile of oven gadgets and necessities, a large skillet included. She quickly handed it over. A tingle sizzled along her nerves when his fingers caressed hers during the exchange.

"Homemade bread? People still do that?" Cale confidently poured batter into the skillet, making small circles after turning on the heat and spraying it so the meal wouldn't stick to the pan.

She nodded. "My mother made bread every year, usually around Christmas, but sometimes more often. You can't imagine the wonderful aroma while it's cooking and how it melts in your mouth, topped with butter."

Setting the bowl aside, Cale met her gaze, a sultry lowering of his eyelids told her he pictured a bit more than eating bread. Her belly flopped once more.

She stepped closer, brushing against his large frame, standing on tiptoe as his head lowered to hers. No sooner had those gifted lips of his sealed over hers, than his tongue pushed forward, asking for entry. Automatically, she opened farther, not only allowing his inspection, but giving it right back to him.

"What's for breakfast?"

With a muttered curse, Cale stepped back, his eyes smoldering at her.

Lily pulled her attention from him, fighting to still her rapidly beating heart and increased breathing. "Dillon. Cale is… making pancakes."
Making me want to nibble on him, too.

A knowing grin covered Dillon's face. With practiced ease, he shifted to the table using his crutches and sat down.

"Oh, Carson called. He said that after this morning's IV antibiotic, I can take out that IV and we can give you the tablets he packed in the medical bag. From the way I described the wound, he thought it was healing nicely and you would soon be as good as new." She sent him a small grin, thrilled with his quick recovery.

"Great. It will be a nice change to not be tied down for a nearly an hour at a time, several times a day."

She headed to the cabinet, pulling out plates and glasses while Cale returned to the fridge, and grabbed the butter. Both placed their items on the table.

"I can imagine." She answered, setting the places for breakfast.

Hope's loud cry broke through the kitchen.

"Oh, good grief. Don't tell me she's starving again?" Dillon looked down at the fluffy nearly solid white calico cat sitting at his feet. She met his eyes before meowing once more. "I guess that answered that."

"Endless pits. All of them. I swear." Lily dug through another cabinet, handing over two cans of cat food to Dillon. "Here you go. You can be their hero this morning."

He snorted, but quickly pivoted on the chair enough to be able to scrape the cans of food into three small ceramic dishes. Cats swarmed immediately, wasting no time to dig into their breakfast. "They sure like that stuff."

Lily smiled watching them eat heartily. "Yeah. It's expensive, but I can't begin to deny them when they obviously love it."

"You're a good person, Lily." Cale spoke quietly as he placed a plate full of pancakes on the table in front of his brother.

"I just did what any other person would do." She marched to grab the orange juice, uncomfortable with the rare praise.

Dillon concurred. "He's right. I don't know that I've said it, but thank you for taking us in, feeding us, the nursing care. Everything."

She smiled at him, placing the bottle of juice on the table. With a deep sigh, she forced the words out of her mouth. "I'm the one that should be thanking you."

Both men looked at her, confusion apparent on their faces. Cale sat down opposite Dillon, watching her carefully.

"I thought this holiday… would be lonely and sad just sitting home alone with no one to talk to, to be with, just my memories to sustain me. Then you guys showed up. It's like a gift or fate or something. I've been having a good time and never once felt lonely. And, I thank you for coming to stay with me."

Cale regarded her for a long moment, his eyes flicking over her features before standing once more. Pulling her flush, he gave her a hug.

She felt the brush of lips on her temple and couldn't help but grin at the small showing of affection in front of others. A quick glance found Dillon beaming like a kid with a secret.
He'll probably torment Cale later for such actions.
The thought only cheered her more. The guys could use all the humor and good natured ribbing they could handle.

Releasing her, Cale eased back, stealing a quick chaste kiss. "Eat up. Breakfast is getting cold and you need energy if you are going to do all that baking you spoke of."

"Baking?" Dillon's face lit up.

Lily nodded, taking her seat. "Homemade bread, cinnamon rolls, and pies."

A huge smile covered his face. "Better make extra. Cale doesn't share well."

Cale reached across to smack his brother on the back of the head before sitting down. "Brat."

Both of the guys chuckled while Lily smiled to herself. From being such a surly man she first met, Cale was fast easing into a fun, teasing, and lovable soldier. He took pleasure in Dillon and the love shined through. Maybe, just maybe, she could find a way to keep that smile on his face and flash of mischief in his eyes. Nothing would make her happier.

* * * *

Cale trudged along behind Lily, walking through the pasture, crunching through long grass nearly done for the season, checking fences and cattle as they went. He lagged just behind her, giving him a nice view of a shapely rear while allowing him to cover her if any danger popped up. He kept a vigil while she fussed over that bull, just in case the beast got his dander up. Like before, he behaved like a big lap dog, eager for any treat or affection she lavished on him. Not that he blamed the old bull. He would rub against her too, begging her to run those hands over his body, not stopping until all his itches had been satisfied.

She set the homemade bread up earlier, declared it needed time to rise, tossed on that old threadbare coat, and headed out for her chores.

Although she protested mildly, Cale insisted on tagging along for a couple of reasons. He enjoyed their time, her quirky sense of humor, and simply sharing the beautiful autumn days with someone who could appreciate the small gifts in life. The other reason was his gut told him Lansing and his gang had to be closing in while he and Dillon holed up with Lily. Once they got a bead on Cooperstown, it wouldn't take them long to connect the dots to Lily. Before then, Dillon and Cale had to be gone and a fool proof plan had to be in place to keep Lily safe from those bastards. So far, he kept running into dead ends. The best scenario he found was to stay with her and fight it out. Yet, he dared not expose her to that danger. Once the realization hit of what he actually did and how he did it, Lily would turn from him in disgust and fear. She was too tender hearted, too soft for that kind of life, even for a brief flicker in time. He couldn't repay her generosity with a gun battle, putting her in the line of fire, damaging her home.
What am I going to do?

"Look. A fox." Lily stopped and pointed to his right.

A small red fox stood at the edge of wooded brush, partially concealed. He seemed content enough to watch them, but Cale knew if they headed his direction, he would duck through the debris, disappearing in a split second. "There are a lot of foxes here?" He glanced to the wild canine once more before focusing his attention ahead.

She shook her head. "Not many. I only see one now and again. I think the nearby ranchers shoot them if they find them since they are hard on the wild rabbit population." Stepping forward, she made the turn for home.

His eyes watched her movements, graceful and sure. Despite her continued insistence that she was only average and clumsy at that, he simply couldn't see it. Her body may not compare with a runway model, but those women were way too thin, anyway. He enjoyed women with a bit more meat on their flesh. She didn't have to be an athlete, but one that could keep up with his energy levels. Lily fit that bill. More than that, her inner strength and kindness added another strong draw. He couldn't remember the last woman he had been with that had half the compassion as this one. Her giving nature scarcely existed in today's world, making her a precious and rare gemstone, one that he wanted to polish, shine, and cherish.

I'm turning into a damn marshmallow.
He scolded himself, pulling away from such thoughts. "You moved here in February, right?"

"Yep."

"Why hadn't you gotten a pet before Hope showed up? It's obvious how much you love animals." He watched her each evening hold the big cat, talking tenderly to her, and snuggling away. More than once, she tucked Hope under the covers, keeping the cat toasty on the cool nights. The kittens normally wouldn't sit still long enough to enjoy such pampering, but they never lacked for attention or affection from their owner. No one could love their child more than Lily loved those cats.

She paused to let him move abreast. "When I first moved here, there was so much to do, getting the house and my life in order. Work kept me busy. Spring arrived before I had a chance to breathe. I begged Carson to allow me to plant a garden, just like my mother and I used to do. He agreed, even got Cody to come over and till for me. That kept me quite busy with planting and weeding. Then the vegetables needed picking and canning…"

"That would explain the garden and all those jars of canned vegetables in the pantry."

Lily nodded. "It was something my mother and I did each year. Worked in the garden together and canned. It was… peaceful."

He watched the emotions cross her face as she remembered those times before moving here. A twinge of pain crossed her features before she took a deep breath and lifted her chin. "Anyway, I always had intentions of getting a pet. At first a dog, but I didn't think I was home enough to be fair to him or her. They can only be expected to cross their legs for so long. Then, I considered a cat, but somehow the time never seemed right, or when it did, I didn't have the extra money to pay the adoption fee."

"So fate intervened?" He reached down, brushing her fingers with his. She responded by meshing her hand against his.

"You could say that." A smile brightened her expression where sadness resided moments before. "She's an expensive girl, but more than worth it. I'll have to get her and the girls spayed next month, before Hope comes into heat again. If I don't have enough saved up for the kittens, they can wait a bit longer until I have the funds." She rambled on as if she were simply thinking out loud.