Lila waited until Seth was out of earshot before she pounced on her mother. But Doreen beat her to it. “He gave you roses? If that isn’t suspect enough the man’s leading you down the garden path, I don’t know what is.”
“He bought a rosebush to set by my front door. The peach blooms say welcome to all of my guests. It was a thoughtful gift.”
Doreen harrumphed. “It’s a snow job, and you’re too smitten to see.”
“Mother, this negativity toward Seth is not like you. You’ve made the café a success because you greet everyone who walks in the same way. You make folks, whether locals or strangers, feel at home. Seth helped us out of a bind today by driving you to the doctor. You got treatment much faster than if you’d had to wait for me. Plus, his volunteering to take you allowed me to open the café on time.”
“I’m sorry.” Doreen looked contrite for the first time. “It’s you I’m worried about, honey child. You and Rory.”
“You wouldn’t worry so much had you seen Rory’s joy last night after Seth gave him only a few pointers on how to throw and catch. He actually improved and his eyes sparkled with a light I haven’t seen in...well, too long.”
“Yours, too,” Doreen said, sounding sour again.
“My eyes?” Lila rubbed at lids she thought must reflect permanent distress. Because for a long time now she’d felt she’d barely kept one step ahead of having everything fall apart in her life, and therefore her son’s, too.
“Lila, it’s impossible not to see the way you perk up any time that man’s around. He is nice and polite. And he’s helpful. But at his core even his brother says he’s a ramblin’ man. Maybe the word Zeke used was ‘nomad,’ but it means the same.”
“Ah, I see. On the basis of one comment you’re lumping him in with Clay Shafer. Mother, you have no idea if Seth has staying power.”
“Neither do you.” Doreen compressed her lips. “I’m only trying to save you heartache, but you’re not listening. Oh, do what you will. Just don’t come crying to me to help pick up the pieces.”
“You’re assuming I’ll have reason to fall to pieces. I’m a grown woman.”
“And you’re acting as if being grown up is some kind of insurance against heartbreak. I assure you it’s not. But that’s the last thing I’ll say on this subject. No man is worth splitting up a family over, Lila. We’ve weathered too much together.”
“Agreed. Look, seems like we have a lull in traffic. Want to discuss ways to run the café and my bed-and-breakfast until you’ve healed?”
“Hank Watson’s wife, Sarah Jane, is the only person I can think of who can cook for a crowd. She has no need to work, but at the last potluck she actually said to call her if I ever wanted a break from the café.”
“Awesome. Why don’t you go upstairs, give her a call and then take a little rest? I’ll clean up from breakfast and get lunch under way.”
“I am weary. What if I ask Sarah Jane to cover breakfast and overlap a bit when you come in to handle lunch? Also, after high school lets out for summer next week, Becky would like more hours.”
“She’s a hard worker. Okay, I’ll keep my fingers crossed it all works in our favor for a change.”
* * *
SETH DROVE BACK to the Owl’s Nest, unlocked Ghost’s doggy door and filled his inside and outdoor water bowls. Delighted to be free, the dog chased a squirrel that had come into the fenced yard. Seth made sure the back gate was locked. On his return trip he locked up the house before phoning his sister-in-law. “Myra, hi. It’s Seth. Are you swamped with work or can I ask a favor?”
“Unless it requires a car. Mine’s in the shop. Otherwise I’m only painting one of my dollhouses for our next bazaar.”
“Here’s the deal. Jewell asked Lila to take flowers to Tawana. But then Lila’s mom slipped and wrenched her shoulder. Lila asked me to take over flower detail. Since the flowers will be from your group, I thought it’d be nice if you helped choose a bouquet.”
“Hold up. There, I put down my paintbrush. I must’ve missed something. Aren’t the flowers for Doreen? Tawana and Jewell should be preparing to go to DC.”
“Jewell has to go alone.” He reported on Tawana’s unexpected surgery. “I could buy Lila’s mom flowers, too. Except she’d think I’m trying to bribe her into liking me.”
“Okay, this is a lot to unpack. Why would Jewell ask Lila about flowers? We all know Lila is the busiest one of us.”
“I don’t know. Wait... I do. I recall Lila knew you had no car. And the other two ladies in your club have other obligations. So, can I pick you up?”
“Sure. Give me a bit to put my paint away.”
They agreed on a time. And because he had a few minutes, Seth wrote a note to leave on the door for Lila’s other guests, telling them about Doreen’s accident. He knew the two couples were checking out. He said they’d find Lila at the café.
Half an hour later when he swung by the ranch for Myra, she climbed into the car bubbling over with new details on Tawana. “She’s out of recovery, but her surgery wasn’t the simple Band-Aid kind. Silly woman ignored her symptoms so long she got gangrene.”
“That’s bad.”
“Yes, they had to flush her abdominal cavity and put in drains. She’ll be hospitalized up to a week. I’m glad you called and asked me to go see her. Zeke heard the news at the ranch where he’s helping out. He figured I could use his vehicle and run over there tonight. Of course, he didn’t know about the flowers.”
Seth listened as he drove to the nursery where he’d bought Lila’s rosebush.
The minute he and Myra walked into the store, the clerk recognized him. “Are you back for another rosebush?” she asked and included Myra in her smile.
“Cut flowers I think,” Seth said, deferring to Myra.
The woman pointed to a large, glass-fronted cooler stocked with all types and sizes of bouquets.
“You bought Doreen a rosebush?” Myra asked Seth. “Sorry, I thought you didn’t buy her anything?”
Fidgeting, Seth ran a finger inside the neck of his T-shirt. “I, uh, gave Lila a rosebush to set by the front door at the Owl’s Nest.”
Myra’s eyes widened. “Hmm. You sly dog. I feel so out of the loop. Tawana said Hunter sent her pink carnations. What all went on at my wedding that I missed?”
“We’re here for flowers,” he reminded.
“At least Tawana admitted she likes Hunter and had planned to visit him in DC. You’re just being coy.”
Seth walked to the flower case and studied the contents. “How about the vase with the multicolored flowers?”
“That vase is cut crystal. It’s more expensive than the bouquet in it,” the clerk called out.
“It’s pretty,” Myra said, “but fancier than Tawana’s apartment. Her furniture is leather and her décor is Native American. That turquoise vase with the white and yellow irises will go nicely in her place or in her office at the reservation headquarters.”
“See, that’s why I needed your help,” Seth said and gestured to the clerk with a credit card he’d removed from his wallet.
“Why are you paying?” Myra asked. “Oh, right, Jewell is keeper of the group’s funds. Make sure you give her that receipt.”
Seth stepped aside to let the clerk retrieve the bouquet. Going to the counter, he set his card atop it. “Okay. I was going to give it to Lila. Yesterday I picked up some baseball equipment for Rory on her behalf and she asked me to add the cost of flowers to the bill. We’ll settle up later.”
“Then Rory gets to join Little League?” Myra gazed expectantly at Seth as the clerk rang up the flowers.
“I assume so.” Seth put back his card, smiled at the clerk and picked up the vase. “I know Lila was worried about cost, but I hope I showed her she didn’t need to buy expensive equipment.”
“I thought she had a problem getting him to Wolf Point for some practices and League games.”
Seth opened Myra’s door and, after she’d buckled in, passed her the flowers.
“I don’t know anything about that. Can’t he ride with his friend?”
Myra shrugged. “Maybe. Let’s go back to the issue of the rosebush you so neatly sidestepped. Tawana said Hunter wants to settle here. What’s your plan? Lila is one of my best friends.”
Seth scowled. “What the hell? Do I look like a big bad wolf? Why do I get the feeling you’re ready to put up roadblocks like Lila’s mother? Wait, has Zeke indicated I’m untrustworthy or something?”
“No, nothing like that. Zeke loves you and would be delighted to have you settle here. He also told me gem hunting can be dangerous. So far as I know, he wouldn’t have shared that with anyone like Lila’s mom. I do have concerns for Lila, because she lost her dad and husband to mining. Do you mine for gems? You could get injured doing that.”
He parked at the hospital before turning to stare at Myra. “Asks a person who fell over a steep cliff. If I got this right, you fell trying to climb on your horse while holding a calf.”
She winced a tad. “And what’s your point?”
“Oh, I don’t know. That no aspect of life is totally risk free? Lila skidded on a slick highway and put her car in a ditch. Her mother slipped on a puddle in her walk-in cooler. She’s lucky she didn’t break something vital.”
“Those are accidents. You climb mountains rife with rock slides or rope into abandoned mines. You go looking for danger, if you ask me.”
“I go looking for gems to earn a living. Is ranching totally safe, Myra?” Seth turned off the motor and jerked out his keys. “Why don’t you take your friend her flowers before they wilt? I’m going to see if they have a cafeteria where I can grab coffee and a sandwich.”
“You don’t want to go visit Tawana?”
“I barely know her. I’m sure she can do without a stranger barging in when she’s not feeling a hundred percent.”
Myra unclipped her seat belt and shoved open the door. “You’re PO’d at me, I can tell. And Zeke will tell me to butt out of your business, too. Lila may say the same. Erase this conversation. She’s capable of deciding who to let close.”
“I’m not mad at you. It’s that your warnings and Doreen’s are premature. But they make me want to prove you both wrong. Do I admire Lila? Yes. Do I think I can lighten her load a bit and teach Rory a few things about baseball? Yes. Am I invested enough to chuck my job? Maybe. Or maybe not. By the way, I filed for a state permit to hunt for sapphires around here and gave your address. They may or may not issue a permit, but if I get mail, hang on to it, please.”
“Of course we will.”
They’d reached the main entrance to the hospital, and Seth stepped around Myra to open the door and let her pass.
“I’m glad we cleared the air,” Myra said. “I’d hate to begin married life on bad terms with Zeke’s family. Eat slowly,” she added, tossing him a smile. “I may come join you for lunch.”
Seth nodded and then followed the signs pointing downstairs to the cafeteria.
He ate a sandwich and drank his coffee, but Myra didn’t show up. After an hour Seth elected to go in search of her.
He got directions to Tawana’s room on the surgical wing, and he could hear the sounds of friends yakking away about their holiday bazaar projects even before he entered the room. Zeke had told Seth about the bazaar where the women sold crafts as a fund-raiser to band and keep track of the snowy owls.
He didn’t step fully into the room, but rather leaned in far enough to catch Myra’s attention. Seth tapped his watch. “Hey, you’re long past lunch. I need to get you back to the ranch. I promised Rory another baseball lesson at three o’clock.”
Myra stopped midsentence to gape at him. “Mercy, is it that late?” She stood. “Tawana, you remember Zeke’s twin brother?”
The woman in the bed offered a smile. “Hunter tells me you may stay in Snowy Owl Crossing.”
Seth shrugged. “The guys in the wedding party all like it here. Only Hunter committed to coming back once he gets past a couple of surgeries of his own.”
“Yes, but I was just telling Myra, he’s signed up to take a leather-working class at the VA. I do vests and belts. He’s starting with wallets, but said his instructor tools pictures on leather, paints and frames them. Hunter’s excited to learn that. Says maybe it’s something he can do to supplement his military disability pay after he moves here.”
Seth entered the room and tucked a thumb under his belt. “I can vouch for your belts. Zeke sent me one for Christmas. My friends in Australia all asked where I got it. I don’t know if there’s a market for leather artwork, but you could set up an online store and make some money selling these belts.”
“Hey, great idea. Maybe we could all do that,” Myra said. “I bet we could earn more money to save the snowy owls.”
“You ladies are sure dedicated to those birds. One dive-bombed us when we pulled Lila’s Jeep out of the ditch. Another swiped Rory’s brand-new baseball. Plucked a ball I’d thrown Lila right out of the air. I wouldn’t think you’d be so enamored of them, Myra. You and Zeke told all of us how an owl almost made off with your pet pig.”
“One really snatched a baseball?” Tawana asked.
“You made that up,” Myra accused.
“I swear it happened. If you don’t believe me, ask Lila. The only other birds I’ve seen steal stuff were two big crows in Italy that claimed my slice of sausage pizza.”
“Owls are born hunters. I’m sure the bird thought the baseball was prey.”
“Our snowy owls are revered by my people,” Tawana said earnestly. “But Jewell knows their numbers have dwindled. They need a safe habitat.”
Myra went to stand at the door with Seth. “Don’t fret, Tawana. We’ll get a sanctuary even if we have to buy land. And, Seth, I may owe the very fact that Zeke saved my life to a snowy he says convinced him to take the right fork in the trail.”
Seth threw up his hands. “I get it. Listen, we need to go. Considering what you’ve been through, you look good, Tawana. But we shouldn’t tire you. In the morning I’m taking one of Lila’s horses to scope out a mine for sapphires. But if you’re here the day after and Myra still has no car, I’ll be happy to bring her for another visit.”
“What mine?” the women said in unison.
Seth shrugged. “Opportunity. It’s been closed a long time. The state owns it now. The last gem hunters spread rumors that it’s haunted.” He glanced up and noticed both women frowning. “Don’t tell me you believe in ghosts?”
Tawana turned her head and punched a button to lower the head of her bed.
Myra continued to have a furrowed brow as she said, “Goodbye,” then none-too-gently hustled Seth from the room. In the hallway she said, “You should stay clear of that mine.” Head up, she marched to the elevator. “It claimed the lives of an entire mining crew. One being Lila’s husband.” She stabbed the elevator button repeatedly.
Seth followed her into the empty car. “I’m sorry for the tragedy, but gemstones are often found in defunct shafts,” he said, quickening his steps to keep up as Myra left the elevator. “Poison gas can be an issue, but if the state gives me a permit, I have equipment to explore safely. I’m careful. I don’t disturb old scaffolding. I’ll look for specific rock formations. Crystals and such, not gold or copper. Sapphires sell for a tidy sum. What’s bad about that?”
“Nothing to me. But do you honestly think Lila would look on you favorably?”
Seth struggled, trying to picture Lila’s reaction. He liked her. He wanted her to like him back. But he was who he was. “Until I have a permit in hand and am at a point to say ‘Yes, I’m going to look for sapphires in Opportunity Mine’ or ‘No, I’m not,’ is there any reason to worry Lila?”
They reached the car. “I have another question, Myra. If one person cares for another, shouldn’t they accept them as they are? I’ve been a gem hunter for a dozen years.”
Myra appeared to give that some hard thought as she buckled up. “That’s a tough one, Seth. I’m no expert on love, but I believe love is give and take. Did you know your brother was ready to walk away and leave the ranch my folks had given him because my brother told him I expected to inherit it? He loved me that much.”
“Okay, this has gotten too deep for me. Who said anything about love?” Seth started the car. “Lila and I are barely past the getting-acquainted stage.” He recognized his laugh sounded nervous. Luckily, though, Myra laughed, too.
“So it isn’t love at first sight for you two, like with Hunter and Tawana?”
“We just like each other,” he rushed to say. But recalling the kiss he’d planted on Lila’s neck in the restaurant, and admitting his heart gave a funny, happy kick whenever their paths crossed, he worried that he might be lying to his sister-in-law.
A series of loaded grain trucks slowed their progress. Seth turned down the ranch lane to the Flying Owl and saw that he’d be later than three to meet Rory.
“Thanks for taking me to the hospital.” Half in, half out of the car, Myra paused. “All this time we’ve been talking and I forgot Zeke asked me to tell you he wants to start roofing the barn day after tomorrow. Can you be here by seven? He said we’d check on cattle first. I told him I’d do that alone, but he likes us to share chores.” She blushed a bit and, if Seth wasn’t running late, he’d tease her.
“I’ve just been waiting to get word on starting the roof. Tell him I’m not available for long days. Because, like today, I’m sort of teaching Rory to play ball after school.”
“Zeke can’t very well complain since he suggested you help Rory.”
“That’s right. But it’s helping the kid, so I’m glad Zeke mentioned it.”
They said their goodbyes and Seth headed for the highway again.
It was a quarter past three when he found street parking and jogged to the café. The first thing he saw was Rory standing inside the entrance looking anxious, his new mitt and ball in a vise grip against his skinny chest.
The instant the boy saw Seth, his eyes lit up and his shoulders squared. “Mom, Mom,” he shouted as he rushed toward the pass-through where Lila had set out two steaming plates. “Seth’s here! We’re gonna go to the park. We’re goin’ to the park, Mom!”
Seth banked a smile over the fact Rory had to make every statement twice. He stepped up to the kitchen door and again experienced a funny little punch to his chest from merely seeing Lila, even though she looked hot and rumpled. “Sorry I’m late,” he said. “There was some truck traffic and I had to take Myra home. We delivered the flowers to Tawana together. She liked them and is doing well. How’s your mother?”
“Okay, I think. She’s upstairs now. It’s hard for her to watch other people do her job.” She blotted sweat from her forehead with the tail of her apron. “I’m glad to see you, because Mom delighted in thinking you weren’t going to show up. I can’t believe she’d want Rory disappointed. I’m sorry she’s not nicer to you, Seth.”
He tugged on his lower lip with thumb and finger, but said nothing. It didn’t surprise him to hear that Doreen expected him to flake out, but he was happy Lila thought better of him. He hadn’t expected that. “We’ll go across to the park and play catch until you close, or dark, whichever comes first.”
“Or unless Rory makes a nuisance of himself first,” Lila said, turning away to flip three hamburgers cooking on the grill.
“I’m not gonna be a nuisance,” Rory declared. He’d come in to tug on Seth’s shirttail and stayed long enough to barge past him and respond to his mother.
“Come on, slugger. It’s never good to contradict your mom.”
“What’s ‘contradict’ mean?” the boy asked as Seth hustled them both out of the café.
The few words that came to mind might also be unfamiliar to a nine-year-old. Seth settled on saying, “Sometimes it’s simply a safer bet to keep quiet.” He stopped at his rental vehicle and got his mitt out.
“All right. But I don’t wanna be a nuisance. I know what that is. It means, like, bug you. I want you to teach me more about baseball ’cause Kemper told his coach I’m getting better. Coach said maybe you’ll bring me to the school ball field tomorrow afternoon. Memaw said I shouldn’t ask. She even told my mom not to ask you.” Rory jogged along to keep up with Seth’s longer stride as they crossed the street at the light. “Am I bugging you?” the kid asked, a tremor of uncertainty lacing his voice.
“No, Rory. I don’t want you or your mom to feel bad about asking me. If it’s something I’m not able to do, I’ll say so. I have plans for part of tomorrow, but I can easily arrange my horseback ride for the morning. That’ll leave my afternoon free. But did you clear my going along to your school practice with your mother?”
“Not ’xactly. I think her and Memaw bickered some more.”
“Well, we’ll check later. This looks like a clear spot to play catch.” They split up and Rory threw the first ball. The play soon grew repetitious for Seth, while Rory’s energy never flagged.
After an hour Seth said, “I’m thirsty. We should’ve thought to bring water.”
“The park has a drinking fountain,” Rory said, and pointed toward some tennis courts.
“If it’s not far, let’s hike over and get a drink.”
“Yeah. Does your arm get tired throwing? Mine kinda is.” Again Rory skipped to stay abreast of Seth.
“You don’t want to overdo it. It’s a good idea to mix throwing and catching with batting. Do you know if there are batting cages around here?” Seth stopped by the fountain and let Rory take the first drink.
The boy wiped his mouth and moved aside. “Kemper and his dad practice at the cages. But they’re ’spensive.” His narrow shoulders slumped. “Mom talked to Mr. Barnes. Then she said it’s silly to pay money to bat a ball. But Mr. Barnes is going to buy Kemper his own batting machine.”
“The machines are costly, but it’s not too bad to rent. I remember spending a lot of time in one. I recall we bought tokens and, depending on how many you bought, the machine gave you X number of times at bat.”
“Probably. But we don’t have much money, Seth.”
“I know. Let me check into it.”
“’Kay. But I see Mom worrying when she pays our bills.”
Seth let the comment slide. It was easy to see how much Rory understood about the family finances. He divided the rest of their time between giving Rory pointers and encouragement, and deciding how he might convince Lila to let him pay for batting practice. He didn’t think it could cost more than ten or twelve bucks for a hundred to hundred-fifty pitches from the machine. Well worth having the consistency of the high, low, middle range of pitches for a newbie player like Rory.
By five-thirty Seth saw Rory catching better but rubbing his arm between throws and growing less accurate. “We’ve probably practiced enough for one afternoon, slugger. Besides, my stomach’s growling.” Seth hoped by putting the onus on himself for stopping rather than suggesting Rory was weakening would be better for the boy’s ego.
“Memaw gave me a snack after school. But I’m kinda hungry, too. I played good tonight, didn’t I, Seth?”
“You sure did.” Seth set the ball back in Rory’s mitt, folded his own over and tucked it under his arm. “A secret to playing well is always keep your eye on the ball and don’t let what anybody else is doing distract you.”
“You mean like when those two kids with the dog ran past us and I totally missed catching that ball?”
“Exactly like that. At games people wander all over. There’s clapping and yelling, and a lot of other things happening. You can learn to tune it all out.”
“I hope so. I want to play on a team. Kemper said some kids never play good enough to get off the bench.”
“Hmm.” Seth thought that sounded a little extreme. Why would parents pay Little League fees if their kids didn’t play? Maybe Lila thought that could happen to Rory. Another reason he’d need to get the kid some batting practice.
They crossed the street and entered an empty café. The entry bell over the door jingled. A young woman was stacking menus and Lila, who stretched up to peer out of the pass-through, visibly relaxed when she saw who’d come in.
The girl stopped and said, “Hey, Rory.”
“Hey, Becky,” the kid said.
“Your mom’s dead on her feet and I served so many trout specials I think I wore a hole in one sneaker. If it’s okay with your mom, will you lock the door?”
Lila gave her okay. “And after you lock the door, will you run up and check on Memaw? She hasn’t surfaced since she went upstairs. I hope she’s okay.”
“Can I go later? Me ’n Seth are hungry. Is it too late for mac and cheese? Or Seth said he wanted soup.”
“I can fix mac and cheese while you go upstairs,” Lila said after rubbing her neck. “Becky, go ahead and clock out. And if you can work from eight to five all next week, I’ll name my first daughter after you.”
Seth saw the girl’s head come up. “Are you pregnant?” she gasped.
Lila laughed. “Mercy, no. There’s not even a man in my life. That’s an old saying.”
“Oh.” She sounded mollified. But all the same Seth noticed Becky darting glances between him and Lila. And it surprised him to suddenly suffer a flash of something akin to longing. He actually tried to imagine what a little girl might look like if she shared Lila’s rich brown hair and blue eyes, and his blond, green-eyed attributes.
Becky passed Lila her time card and said goodbye, asking Seth if he’d lock the door again after she left.
The request jarred him out of his contemplation enough to hear Rory bounce down the stairs to announce, “I woke Memaw up. She said she’ll feel better in the morning.”
“That’s so not like her,” Lila said. “I’ll go up and see if she needs to come home with us tonight. Did she seem woozy?”
“I don’t think so.”
Seth walked into the kitchen. “I’ll watch the mac and cheese if you want to go up and check on Doreen.”
“I’m sure it’s breaking some restaurant rule to let you work in the kitchen.”
“I’ll wash,” he said, grinning at her.
She sighed. “I won’t be long. Why don’t you two eat first? I’ll get to the dishwasher when I’m back down.”
“Maybe you need to take a break. When we finish eating, Rory and I can help you wind everything down.”
Lila blinked and looked skeptical.
“Mom,” Rory said. “You didn’t ask if I caught and threw good tonight. And I did.” He telegraphed a glance at Seth, requesting his concurrence.
“He did great. You’re raising a good little ball player,” he said then decided maybe it’d be smart to strike while her defenses were down. “Next on our list is to get him batting practice at a batting cage.”
Lila tripped on the first step and hurriedly grabbed the stair rail.
“Whoa, take it easy,” Seth cautioned. “Last thing anyone needs is for you to be out of commission. We’ll talk in the morning about the cage.”
She hurried out of sight without replying.
“Mom had on her serious face,” Rory said, downcast. “She’ll say no.”
“Maybe not. This is almost ready to eat. Will you grab a couple of bowls? And if you know where they keep crackers, that’d be nice, too.”
They took their steaming mac and cheese to the dining area, where the lights were turned down. It wasn’t long before Seth heard Lila futzing around in the kitchen. He scarfed down his food in a few bites, but told Rory to take his time. “Give me a little while to see if I can talk your mom around,” he murmured.
Rory stifled a yawn, but he certainly didn’t object.
Seth carried his dishes into the kitchen and rinsed them in the sink.
Lila had her back to him, unloading the dishwasher.
He dried his hands and was unable to resist spanning her narrow waist with his hands again, pressing another kiss on the sweet indentation at the back of her neck.
She tried to turn. This time she wasn’t holding a large, wicked-looking spatula, so Seth slowly brought her around to face him without letting go.
“What are you do-doing?” she whispered, attempting to see over his shoulder. “Where’s Rory?”
“I’m bargaining for batting practice,” Seth replied seconds before he slid his hands up her slender back and anchored her solidly against his chest. Then he doubled down by joining their lips.
He heard Lila’s sigh of pleasure before she raised her arms and steadied his head, kissing him back until he broke their lip lock to breathe.
She leaned heavily into him, whispering dreamily, “Anything. Ask me for anything and it’s yours.”
Seth gazed straight into her softened blue eyes. He ran a forefinger over her mouth, abruptly followed by a pressure brush from his lips. Lifting his head ever so slightly, he said in a labored voice, “So, you’re cool with Rory practicing at a batting cage? I don’t want to take advantage. Frankly...as much as it pains me to say this...you should probably rescind that blanket offer before I ask for way more than you’re prepared to give.”
Seeming to come to her senses with a jolt, Lila wiggled out of his arms. “I’m so embarrassed. What must you think?”
He touched her shoulder, enough to gain her full attention. “I think you’re lovely. I’ve wanted to kiss you since the morning you came out to the barn. But I think you’re dead on your feet from a long, eventful day. And I’m being a little unfair. That kiss was only partly because I promised Rory I’d talk you into letting him go to a batting cage. The other part was purely personal.”
She rubbed her upper arms. “You’d better go. I’ll agree to let him bat at a cage. But my day isn’t done, and you’ve sufficiently scrambled my brain.”
Seth wanted to say more. He wanted to smooth things over. But he could see retreat was best. He scooped up his mitt and told Rory to come relock the door after he left.