look what you've done," Lily accused, as she picked helplessly at the collar of her shirt.
"I'm looking," Case said, "but I'm not sure you'd be wanting me to if you could see what I see."
He struggled with the need to grin as Lily's face turned twelve shades of red and exploded into instant fury.
"If you were a gentleman, you wouldn't be looking," she blustered, and turned away in angry embarrassment.
"Oh no, Lily Catherine," Case said softly, "only a fool wouldn't look at a beautiful woman. Gentleman has nothing to do with it."
Lily forgot to breathe or argue with the fact that he'd taken to calling her by the name reserved for her family. Beautiful! Her hand shot toward her face in reflex to his words but it never reached the scar. Case caught it before it touched her cheek.
"I told you never to hide your face from me again, didn't I," Case said, as he threaded his fingers through her shaking hand and turned her in his arms to face him.
Lily nodded, although she refused to meet his gaze. She couldn't bear to see pity on his face.
But it wasn't pity that Case wore, and Lily should have looked.
"I almost forgot why I came back," Case said softly, tilting her head up to meet his look. "Don't cook tonight. Set out some sandwich fixings. The men can fend for themselves. I'm taking you and your family out to eat."
The pleasure that shot through her died almost as quickly as it was born. She hadn't been out socially in public since her accident and the panic that followed the pleasure made her stiffen in Case's arms.
"I don't think that's such a . . ."
"I didn't ask you what you thought, Lily. I don't even want to hear it. I'm not asking anything of you that you're not ready to face. It's not like I asked anything so difficult of you. I could have asked you to my bed, Lily. But I didn't. I only asked you to dinner. Please . . ."
If he just hadn't mentioned his bed she wouldn't have forgotten to be angry. It was the image his words painted that made her forget what she'd been about to say. But he had, and she folded in his arms like an umbrella in a windstorm. She shrugged.
"You could ask, Case Longren, until your tongue fell out, but bed is the last place I'd go with you." The expression of cool disdain she was trying to effect was failing miserably. "However, since you said please, I suppose dinner isn't out of the question . . . as long as my father and brothers are along."
Case grinned. When he left, she was going to be furious with him as well as herself, but he'd take what he could get and for now, dinner was it.
"That's the most ladylike insult I've ever received, Lily love."
He leaned forward, his mouth opening, opening, and then Lily watched in shocked fascination as it pursed. Case took a deep breath and blew long and slow at the soap bubble hanging suspended on the side of her face. It lifted off her cheek and floated into the air at eye level where Lily saw Case stick out a finger and burst its errant flight. The tiny pop it made was almost nonexistent, but Lily heard it just the same. At least she thought it was the bubble, but it might have been one of the icicles breaking away from her heart. She wasn't sure, and she didn't want to find out.
"So you're having a barbecue Saturday night?" Lily's brother Buddy asked between mouthfuls of salad he was shoveling into his mouth with less than precision.
It was the first Lily had heard of any barbecue and she alternated between panic at the amount of food she would have to prepare and the fact that Buddy needed his manners cleaned up. She'd been away from home too long.
"Buddy, you still haven't lost it, have you?" Lily asked sharply.
Her brother looked up, the question hanging from his eyes as accurately as the string of lettuce hanging from his mouth.
"Lost what?" he mumbled.
"The ability to talk and chew at the same time," Lily drawled.
Buddy blushed and shoveled the bit of lettuce inside with the rest as he grinned at the good-natured banter he was
"I'm looking," Case said, "but I'm not sure you'd be wanting me to if you could see what I see."
He struggled with the need to grin as Lily's face turned twelve shades of red and exploded into instant fury.
"If you were a gentleman, you wouldn't be looking," she blustered, and turned away in angry embarrassment.
"Oh no, Lily Catherine," Case said softly, "only a fool wouldn't look at a beautiful woman. Gentleman has nothing to do with it."
Lily forgot to breathe or argue with the fact that he'd taken to calling her by the name reserved for her family. Beautiful! Her hand shot toward her face in reflex to his words but it never reached the scar. Case caught it before it touched her cheek.
"I told you never to hide your face from me again, didn't I," Case said, as he threaded his fingers through her shaking hand and turned her in his arms to face him.
Lily nodded, although she refused to meet his gaze. She couldn't bear to see pity on his face.
But it wasn't pity that Case wore, and Lily should have looked.
"I almost forgot why I came back," Case said softly, tilting her head up to meet his look. "Don't cook tonight. Set out some sandwich fixings. The men can fend for themselves. I'm taking you and your family out to eat."
The pleasure that shot through her died almost as quickly as it was born. She hadn't been out socially in public since her accident and the panic that followed the pleasure made her stiffen in Case's arms.
"I don't think that's such a . . ."
"I didn't ask you what you thought, Lily. I don't even want to hear it. I'm not asking anything of you that you're not ready to face. It's not like I asked anything so difficult of you. I could have asked you to my bed, Lily. But I didn't. I only asked you to dinner. Please . . ."
If he just hadn't mentioned his bed she wouldn't have forgotten to be angry. It was the image his words painted that made her forget what she'd been about to say. But he had, and she folded in his arms like an umbrella in a windstorm. She shrugged.
"You could ask, Case Longren, until your tongue fell out, but bed is the last place I'd go with you." The expression of cool disdain she was trying to effect was failing miserably. "However, since you said please, I suppose dinner isn't out of the question . . . as long as my father and brothers are along."
Case grinned. When he left, she was going to be furious with him as well as herself, but he'd take what he could get and for now, dinner was it.
"That's the most ladylike insult I've ever received, Lily love."
He leaned forward, his mouth opening, opening, and then Lily watched in shocked fascination as it pursed. Case took a deep breath and blew long and slow at the soap bubble hanging suspended on the side of her face. It lifted off her cheek and floated into the air at eye level where Lily saw Case stick out a finger and burst its errant flight. The tiny pop it made was almost nonexistent, but Lily heard it just the same. At least she thought it was the bubble, but it might have been one of the icicles breaking away from her heart. She wasn't sure, and she didn't want to find out.
"So you're having a barbecue Saturday night?" Lily's brother Buddy asked between mouthfuls of salad he was shoveling into his mouth with less than precision.
It was the first Lily had heard of any barbecue and she alternated between panic at the amount of food she would have to prepare and the fact that Buddy needed his manners cleaned up. She'd been away from home too long.
"Buddy, you still haven't lost it, have you?" Lily asked sharply.
Her brother looked up, the question hanging from his eyes as accurately as the string of lettuce hanging from his mouth.
"Lost what?" he mumbled.
"The ability to talk and chew at the same time," Lily drawled.
Buddy blushed and shoveled the bit of lettuce inside with the rest as he grinned at the good-natured banter he was
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