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“I rest my case,” Mallory said. “All indications are that we made the right decision moving here.”
His father appeared in the doorway to the reception area, then walked over to join them. “Caleb, sorry to keep you waiting.”
“No problem, Dad.” They shook hands.
Ben Dalton was roughly six feet tall, the same height as Caleb. They had the same blue eyes and folks said their hair was an identical shade of brown before the older man’s began to show silver. Folks also said Caleb got his good looks from his dad and a little too much charm from his mother’s side of the family.
“I see you’ve met Mallory and Lily.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Best paralegal I’ve ever had.” The older man nodded approvingly.
“It’s nice of you to say so,” she said, a becoming pink flush spreading over her cheeks.
“Not nice at all,” he protested. “Honest-to-God truth. You’re a valuable asset to this office and I appreciate all your hard work.”
“And I appreciate having a boss who understands and respects family obligations. Being able to leave at five o’clock every day to pick up Lily from day care is really important to me.”
“I was informed in no uncertain terms that the office was closed.” Caleb looked at the clock on the wall that said it was half past six. “All evidence points to a boss who’s a slave driver.”
“Mallory graciously offered to stay,” his father defended.
“It was an emergency,” she said. “Besides, Lily isn’t in school right now and Cecelia Clifton was watching her and offered to drop her off here.”
Caleb began to doubt that Mallory was married because it sounded as if there wasn’t a husband to pick up the slack. But that was not his problem and none of his business. “So, you ready to go, Dad?”
“Just let me shut down the office. I’ll be back in a minute. Mallory, go home.”
“Yes, sir.”
Caleb watched Lily close her book and climb down from the big chair to stand by her aunt. The way the little girl tucked her hand into Mallory’s tugged at something a little empty inside him.
“I’m glad we finally met,” he said. “And your niece shows a lot of promise as a sentry. No one gets past her. You’ve done a great job with her.”
“And she did it all by herself. She doesn’t have a husband,” Lily volunteered cheerfully. “But I think maybe she’d like one. Maybe a cowboy.”
Mallory looked horrified. “Lily—”
“Okay, son. Let’s go get that beer. Will you lock up, Mallory?” His father rounded the corner like the cavalry coming to the rescue.
Caleb wasn’t about to ignore a diplomatic exit strategy when he saw it. He put his hat on, touched the brim respectfully toward the two ladies, then followed his father out the door.
He’d done his fair share of dating and then some. He’d gone out with blondes, brunettes, redheads and women whose hair was every shade in between. Ladies with blue eyes, green, black and brown had flirted and cozied up to him.
His brothers would laugh him off the ranch if he said it out loud to them, but meeting Mallory Franklin had felt like a lightning strike. No woman had ever had that effect on him before and he didn’t much care for the fact that this one did. He could deal when there was a ghost of a chance that she was married, but now he knew for sure she wasn’t and it was a problem. Not only was there no husband, she was looking for one.
Then again, soon enough someone in Rust Creek Falls would clue her in that Caleb Dalton wasn’t marriage material.
* * *
Mallory wished she could get the look of panic on Caleb Dalton’s face out of her mind. Clearly, escaping from her as quickly as possible had been his top priority. That was several hours ago; she and Lily had come home to their three-bedroom house on the southeast corner of South Broomtail Road and Commercial Street. It was after dinner, so the two of them were in the middle of the bedtime routine. Still, every time she remembered this child telling him she’d like a husband, Mallory wanted the earth to open and swallow her whole.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
She looked at the little girl, blow-drying her thick, straight black hair after her shower. This child had been placed in her care by a cruel twist of fate, making Mallory a mother. Lily hadn’t come with a set of instructions or a how-to manual. There needed to be a discussion about what she had said, but Mallory didn’t want to make her think she’d done something wrong or stifle her natural enthusiasm and spontaneity.
She just needed Lily to understand that she couldn’t go around telling virtual strangers, not even cowboys, that her aunt was looking for a husband. But how did one approach that?
Mallory had no model from her childhood to fall back on. Her own parents would have oozed disapproval, then given her the silent treatment. She’d decided when Lily came to live with her that when there was an issue, she would do the exact opposite of what her mother and father had. So far Mallory had managed to handle every situation fairly easily, but now was definitely the time for a talk.
When the little girl turned off the blow-dryer, Mallory said, “Lily, how did you like spending time at the office today?”
“It was okay. A little boring.”
Not from where Mallory had been standing. She squeezed toothpaste onto a princess toothbrush and handed it over. “Oh?”
“I like reading, but it would have been more fun at Amelia’s house.”
Her new best friend. “I’m sorry that didn’t work out. But sometimes—”
“Things don’t go the way we want and we all have to do things we don’t like,” she parroted.
“Right.” That was good, no? Finishing the sentence proved that she listened and filed it away. “You did a very good job at the receptionist desk.”
Lily stuck the toothbrush into her mouth and talked around it. “Do you think Mr. Dalton will pay me?”
Mallory laughed. “I think that was pro bono. That means you did it at no charge.”
“That’s what I figured.” She brushed her teeth, then rinsed and wiped her mouth on the green hand towel sitting beside the sink.
Mallory was sitting on the closed lid of the toilet and stood. “Are you ready for bed?”
“Do I have to be?”
“It’s time,” she answered, firm but kind.
The token pushback was part of the established nighttime ritual. After Mallory’s sister and brother-in-law died together in a car accident, she’d become Lily’s guardian and the two of them had gone to grief counseling. She’d learned that routine would provide security and stability, a safe environment to put one foot in front of the other and get on with the business of living. It seemed to be working.
Lily turned off the light as she left the bathroom and Mallory followed her down the hall. The child’s room had lavender walls with white baseboards and doors. A canopy bed was centered on one wall with a princess spread over it that matched the lamp and curtains. Her niece had picked out everything because Mallory felt it was important for her to feel as if she had some control over her life. Even if control was an illusion, a fact hammered home after the trauma of losing her mother and father at the same time.
Lily hopped on the bed and grabbed her favorite stuffed animal, a pink elephant. “I like Mr. Dalton’s son.”
“Caleb.” Mallory cringed just thinking about him, then sat on the bed.
“I think he’s very handsome. Like a prince. Can a cowboy be a prince?”
Mallory thought he was handsome, too. Brown hair, blue eyes, muscular. The white cotton snap-front shirt he wore fit him like a second skin and highlighted the contours of his broad chest and flat stomach. Worn jeans hugged strong thighs that no doubt kept him from falling off his horse while he did whatever job needed doing on the family ranch. But saying any of this out loud to Lily wouldn’t be productive to this conversation.
“That depends on your definition of prince. Usually that’s a male child born to royalty.”
“That’s not what I meant, but it’s okay. You’re changing the subject. You do that when you don’t want to talk about something.”
“Do I?” She hadn’t realized Lily noticed. All her energy went into learning and knowing this child and she hadn’t thought about the fact that it worked both ways. “I guess I do. But there is something I’d like to talk about.”
Lily sighed. “I bet it’s about what I said.”
“What do you think you said?” She was a smart little cookie.
“I shouldn’t have told Caleb you’d like a husband.”
“That’s right.” She took Lily’s small hand into her own and brushed a thumb over the delicate knuckles. “The thing is, ladybug, you and I have been through a lot of changes in the last year.”
“You mean because Mommy and Daddy died.”
“Yes.” Her heart caught. Would that always happen when she thought about her only sister being gone? She couldn’t even imagine how Lily felt. “You and I are getting used to each other.”
“I like living with you.”
“And I like you living with me, too.” Her heart caught again. “But I’m really not looking for a husband.”
“Why not?”
So many reasons. None of which Lily would understand. “I just think it should be you and me alone for a while. Bringing someone else in is another change and we’ve had so many.”
“If you say so.”
“I do.”
Mallory knew her mother would have continued to hammer the message home, so in keeping with her philosophy to do the opposite, she figured enough said. “It’s time for your prayers, sweetie.”
The little girl closed her eyes and folded her hands with the stuffed animal still under her arm. “Dear God, bless my friend Amelia and her mom. Mr. Dalton and Caleb. Everyone at day care. Please take care of my mommy and daddy. Keep them company so they don’t miss me too much. Bless Aunt Mallory.” She opened her eyes, then quickly scrunched them shut. “I almost forgot. Mommy and Daddy, please help Aunt Mal be ready for another change. Amen.”
Without commenting on the content of the prayers, Mallory leaned close and kissed the child’s forehead. “I love you, Lily.”
“Love you, too.” She rolled away and curled into a ball. In minutes she would be asleep.
Mallory quietly slipped out of the room, then stopped in the doorway for a last protective look at the child she grew to love more every day. Reading between the lines of that prayer, it was pretty clear that Lily wanted a father. A transparent plea to replace what she’d lost.
The praying-to-a-higher-power strategy was sound, since it would take an act of God to modify Mallory’s position. Relationships were trouble. She’d spent two years with a guy who demanded more of her time, then dumped her when she couldn’t be at his beck and call. That was before she had a child to raise. Between her job and being a mom, she had nothing left over for anyone else.
Not even a handsome cowboy who, for just a moment, had made her wish it could be different.
* * *
After a burger and beer with his dad, Caleb drove to Crawford’s General Store, a brick building that fronted North Main Street. They were out of coffee at the ranch and it was his turn to buy. If he showed up in the morning without the can, his brother Anderson would can him. And he’d been warned that the family connection wouldn’t save his sorry ass.
He walked past the storefront window displaying an array of merchandise. It was the only store in town and this was a ranching community, so there was a variety of items from saddles to soup. If they carried what you were looking for, it would save a thirty-minute trip to Kalispell, which was the next town over and a lot bigger.
Caleb went inside, past the general-purpose aisles on his way to where the coffee was shelved. He was a man on a mission. When he found what he wanted, he made sure it was high-test with the maximum amount of caffeine, then grabbed as many cans as he could carry and headed for the checkout counter. Vera Peterson was ringing up a purchase for a young woman who looked sort of familiar.
Vera glanced up and smiled when he got in line. “Hi, Caleb.”
“Good to see you, Vera.” It always was.
They’d been good friends for a lot of years and he liked her husband, too. But a long time ago, before she’d even met the man she was happily married to, Caleb had a thing with her. She was a little older, a lot wiser and had taught him quite a bit. Although she hadn’t been able to teach him that there was any point to love, and no one since had changed his mind about that.
The customer in front of him turned and got a big, flirty look on her face. “Caleb Dalton. Imagine running into you. It’s nice to see you again.”
Again? He had no idea what her name was. A brunette with hazel eyes, she was pretty and probably one of the numerous women who’d moved to Rust Creek looking for a cowboy to marry after reading Lissa Roarke’s blog. Like Lily’s aunt. Mallory. Now, her name he could remember. And chalk that up to the fact that he’d been distracted all through dinner with his dad. What was her story? Why didn’t she have a husband? He didn’t want to wonder about any of it but couldn’t seem to turn off the curiosity.
“Would you like to go get coffee or something?”
The words from the hazel-eyed brunette pulled him back from a vision of auburn hair, brown eyes and the prettiest smile he’d seen in a long time. “Sorry?” He shook his head to clear it. “What was that?”
“Do you want to get a cup of coffee? Or something?”
It surprised the hell out of him that he wasn’t interested. Not tempted even a little bit. But giving her a blunt no wasn’t his style, so he prettied it up.
“Normally I’d like that, but I have to be up before God. Work on the ranch isn’t nine to five.”
She took her change from the clerk and picked up her bag before giving him a disappointed look. “Maybe another time.”
No point in saying yes because it would be a lie. “Have a good evening.”
“You, too.” She walked out the door and lifted her hand in a flirty waggle of fingers when she passed in front of the window outside.
Vera gave him a what’s-with-you look, then rested one hand on a jeans-clad hip and stared at him as if he was wearing a snake around his neck like a tie. “You sick or something?”
Not unless thinking too much about Mallory Franklin qualified. “Never been better. Why?”
“Duh.” There was a twinkle in her big blue eyes.
“How are the kids? What are they now? Six and eight?”
“Yeah. And they’re fine. But you don’t get to change the subject.” She tossed a long, straight strand of blond hair over her shoulder. “You just turned down an invitation from a woman. And she’s your type.”
“How do you know?”
“Because she’s a woman.”
Meaning he wasn’t picky and liked them all. He couldn’t say she was wrong about that. “Yeah. Weird, huh?”
“I’d say so.” She rang up the cans of coffee and waited for money. “Good for you.”
He gave her some bills before asking, “Why do you say that?”
“Because it’s about darn time you grew up.”
