day, goose," Lily teased. "It's no big deal. If you'd gotten up at a decent time this morning, you'd have met them then. It's just like feeding you guys only six times over. Sit down and mind your manners. I don't want the men to think I come from a family of heathens."
Case laughed. The look on her brothers' faces was priceless. They couldn't believe that Lily didn't think them perfect in every way. Their muttered complaints only heightened his laughter. He envied her the comfort of knowing that no matter what she said or did, she'd always have the love of her family.
Case was an only child, and his mother had left his father when Case was in college. It left him with nothing to come home to but a bitter, angry father who'd managed to maintain the ranch only long enough for Case to take over. After he had, Chock Longren had drunk himself into oblivion. As far as Case was concerned, his father had died years before his heart had actually stopped beating. He had no idea where his mother was and, quite frankly, had ceased to care. Lily was the first woman who'd mattered to him in a long, long while. Unfortunately, he had no idea how she felt about him. She alternated between being congenial but distant or ignoring him all together. He lay awake nights afraid that would never change.
Lily's family was greeted warmly by the outgoing bunch of cowboys and before long, they had talked her twin brothers, J.D. and Dusty into trying their hand at helping brand and castrate the calves. The twins had decided that the experience would look great on their resumes.
Lily smiled. Knowing the twins, they'd succeed or die trying. They were the most competitive of her brothers, with each other, as well as everyone else they met. She pitied the poor calves until the Brownfields mastered the art of cowboying.
The meal was over. As usual, the men had eaten like a swarm of locusts. She was always amazed at the amount of food Case provided for them. He was a generous, as well as competent, boss.
She watched his interaction with her father and brothers and knew that regardless of the geography that had separated their upbringings, they were remarkably alike: hardheaded but willing to listen, forceful and aggressive, yet compassionate. But the way Lily felt about Case was different from the way she felt about her family. She loved her father and brothers dearly, but the feelings she had when Case came close to her, the heat that splintered the ice in her heart when he turned his all-seeing, sky-blue gaze her way, had nothing to do with familial love. She didn't know whether it was a case of lust or the birth of something stronger, but Case Longren made her forget every ladylike manner she'd ever learned.
She closed her eyes and turned toward the mountain of dirty pots and pans, squelching the thoughts of Case right back where they belonged, in her twilight zone.
She waved a quick good-bye to the men as they stomped out the door and back to their jobs, taking her family with them. She didn't have time for frivolous thoughts. And she didn't intend to ever be put in a position for a man to hurt her again as Todd had done.
So it was shock that made her drop the pan full of soapy suds back into the sink, splashing water over the walls and down her front when a deep, husky voice drawled behind her.
"It's good to see you smile, Lily."
"For pete's sake, Case," Lily muttered, as she swiped uselessly at the soap and water dripping down from the cabinet onto the floor, "you startled me. I didn't know anyone was still here."
"Sorry," he said, but he lied.
He was not sorry he'd stayed behind, and he definitely wasn't sorry that the water that had soaked into the front of her blouse was making it almost translucent. He should have been. But he wasn't. Lily was so beautiful, and she curved in all the right places. He wanted to pull her into his arms and imprint himself into her body as persistently as the wet blouse that was sticking to her breasts.
"Just
Case laughed. The look on her brothers' faces was priceless. They couldn't believe that Lily didn't think them perfect in every way. Their muttered complaints only heightened his laughter. He envied her the comfort of knowing that no matter what she said or did, she'd always have the love of her family.
Case was an only child, and his mother had left his father when Case was in college. It left him with nothing to come home to but a bitter, angry father who'd managed to maintain the ranch only long enough for Case to take over. After he had, Chock Longren had drunk himself into oblivion. As far as Case was concerned, his father had died years before his heart had actually stopped beating. He had no idea where his mother was and, quite frankly, had ceased to care. Lily was the first woman who'd mattered to him in a long, long while. Unfortunately, he had no idea how she felt about him. She alternated between being congenial but distant or ignoring him all together. He lay awake nights afraid that would never change.
Lily's family was greeted warmly by the outgoing bunch of cowboys and before long, they had talked her twin brothers, J.D. and Dusty into trying their hand at helping brand and castrate the calves. The twins had decided that the experience would look great on their resumes.
Lily smiled. Knowing the twins, they'd succeed or die trying. They were the most competitive of her brothers, with each other, as well as everyone else they met. She pitied the poor calves until the Brownfields mastered the art of cowboying.
The meal was over. As usual, the men had eaten like a swarm of locusts. She was always amazed at the amount of food Case provided for them. He was a generous, as well as competent, boss.
She watched his interaction with her father and brothers and knew that regardless of the geography that had separated their upbringings, they were remarkably alike: hardheaded but willing to listen, forceful and aggressive, yet compassionate. But the way Lily felt about Case was different from the way she felt about her family. She loved her father and brothers dearly, but the feelings she had when Case came close to her, the heat that splintered the ice in her heart when he turned his all-seeing, sky-blue gaze her way, had nothing to do with familial love. She didn't know whether it was a case of lust or the birth of something stronger, but Case Longren made her forget every ladylike manner she'd ever learned.
She closed her eyes and turned toward the mountain of dirty pots and pans, squelching the thoughts of Case right back where they belonged, in her twilight zone.
She waved a quick good-bye to the men as they stomped out the door and back to their jobs, taking her family with them. She didn't have time for frivolous thoughts. And she didn't intend to ever be put in a position for a man to hurt her again as Todd had done.
So it was shock that made her drop the pan full of soapy suds back into the sink, splashing water over the walls and down her front when a deep, husky voice drawled behind her.
"It's good to see you smile, Lily."
"For pete's sake, Case," Lily muttered, as she swiped uselessly at the soap and water dripping down from the cabinet onto the floor, "you startled me. I didn't know anyone was still here."
"Sorry," he said, but he lied.
He was not sorry he'd stayed behind, and he definitely wasn't sorry that the water that had soaked into the front of her blouse was making it almost translucent. He should have been. But he wasn't. Lily was so beautiful, and she curved in all the right places. He wanted to pull her into his arms and imprint himself into her body as persistently as the wet blouse that was sticking to her breasts.
"Just
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