Her Heart's Desire (Sunflower Series Book 1) (15 page)

Beside her on the floor, Jack raised his head
and bumped her arm. His soulful expression reflected her feelings.
He rose and settled behind her, his side against her backside. He
rested his head on his front paws. Her sweet four-legged boy always
stayed close whenever she was sad.

Startled by the noise, Lia blinked when the
door to the studio rolled open.

“Hi there! I was afraid I might miss you.
Love the candles. How about some music?” Karen walked toward the
armoire housing the sound system.

“Something happy,” Lia replied. “My mom used
to love Stevie Wonder. I need to get a grip and break away from
stark and morose.” Lia scanned the room, taking in Karen’s art.
“You’ve been very prolific here.”

“It’s the perfect place to paint.”

Soft sounds of smooth jazz glided through the
studio. Karen sat on a pillow across from Lia.

“I’m going to spend the night, Karen. Is that
okay with you?”

“Technically, it’s your studio.” Karen cocked
her head. “You don’t look so good. What’s wrong?”

Lia swallowed hard. “The dozen paintings for
my show were stolen today.”

“No!” Karen slammed her palms to the floor.
“You called the police, right? Of course, you did. I’m so sorry.
What are you going to do?”

“I took over three others I had stored here,
but those paintings are several years old. I’m a much better
painter now although the abstract, Five Seasons, won first place in
the Plaza Art Festival five years ago. That was my first big
regional win. Jan at the gallery wants a few I have at home. But
this isn’t the show I planned.”

“Why don’t you come home with me
tonight?”

“Thanks, but I need to be alone.” Lia shook
her head.

Karen’s frown deepened. “Again, I’m really
sorry about your paintings, but this”—she pointed her finger at Lia
and made circles—“goes way beyond the loss of some paintings.
What’s really going on?”

“It’s complicated.” Lia couldn’t utter the
words to share how hard-hitting and deep the loss of the paintings
went, not without completely losing it.

“A margarita might help
uncomplicate
things,” Karen said, gathering her purse and jingling her keys. “I
need to deliver a gift. Girl, are you sure you want to spend the
night alone here?”

“I’ve got Gentleman Jack. You go. I need to
be alone.” She hoped Karen would take the hint.

“Why don’t I stay with you? I’ll walk Jack.
I’ll run to the store and get some food for him. You won’t have to
worry about anything.” Karen scooped up Jack’s leash. “I’ll open a
bottle of wine. We’ll drink straight from the bottle and munch on
cheese and crackers. Very bohemian of us.” Karen clapped. “Come,
Jack. Want to go for a ride with me? You can meet my boy, Lucky.
He’ll want to play.”

Behind Lia, Jack moved. He scooted around,
resting his head on her knee, and stared with eyes so sad her heart
seized. Who knew a dog could look so grieved. “Thanks, but Jack
will stay with me.”

“Seriously. Come with me, Lia. You can take
my bedroom for privacy and cry your eyes out there, if you need to.
I promise not to interrupt. I won’t even hand you tissues. I’ll
worry if I leave you alone tonight,” Karen said, her voice
imploring.

As the sun began to set, it took Lia’s
resolve. The toll from the day ripped her defenses away like
pulling a bandage off a festering wound. Lia stabbed the canvas
with the paintbrush. “I just can’t understand why anyone would want
to steal my work.”

“I know, sweetie. Tomorrow I’ll start
checking internet sites to see if they show up.”

“Karen,” Lia confided, “the police
interrogated me. I felt so stupid. I didn’t think to insure my
work, which is the only reason they stopped their inquisition. Can
you believe they thought
I’d
staged a heist of my own work
for insurance money?” The insinuation by the investigating officer
had shocked her as much as finding her paintings gone.

Karen let go of the leash and dropped to the
floor again. “Okay, you win. If you won’t leave, I’ll stay with
you.”

“I’ll be fine. This is, after all, still my
studio. I’ve spent nights here in the past.”

“But, not in the last year. You have two
choices. I stay or you come with me.”

Lia sat up straighter. “Please understand, I
don’t intend to be rude. I need to work myself out of this
funk.”

“And you can do it with company. If you were
painting with blue, I’d agree, but you’re painting black.”

Bam. Bam. Bam
.

The pounding startled Lia. She sucked in a
breath. Karen jumped. Gentleman Jack jerked alert, barked, ran to
the door, and then darted back toward her. Halfway, he turned again
and barked at the door.

Bam
.

Whoever pounded on the door meant
business.

“Amelia?” The loud, muffled male voice on the
other side of the door was unrecognizable.

Gentleman Jack barked louder.

“Jack, quiet,” Lia commanded. “Yes?”

“Amelia, it’s Lucas!”

“Lucas?” Karen asked.

Lia pursed her lips. Why had he come? She
looked a mess, and her face had to be puffy from crying.

“Amelia, I heard Jack. I saw your truck. I
know you’re here. Open the door.”

“Who is this crazy person?” Karen’s quizzical
expression reminded Lia that Karen was an art friend, one who knew
little about her country life.

“Please let him in.”

Karen slid the door open. Gentleman Jack
squirmed into an attentive
sit
on the floor beside Lia.
Though he was a bird dog, he often imitated a guard dog. One twice
his size. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him close
for a hug. The last thing she needed was pity from Lucas. Jack
would help her put on a brave front.

The moment the door moved fully aside, Lucas
rushed in. Jack raced over and danced at his feet, following Lucas
to her as if to say,
Thank God you’re here. I don’t know what
else to do with her.

“Are you okay?” Lucas pulled Lia to standing
and wrapped her in a bear hug.

Lia nodded, unable to speak. Lucas had come
to find her, something she’d dreamed about. But not now. Not like
this. She swallowed hard. Her mind held up a red stop sign. The
only thing missing was someone blowing a whistle and shouting,
Stop!
Stepping back, she put space between them, an
invisible wall of protection around herself.

“Gentleman Jack, here,” Karen called. “Ah,
I’m going to walk him. I’ll even get him some food before I drop
him back here.”

Jack cut his gaze to Lia, then pawed at
Karen. He was ready to go. Lucas could handle things. Karen left
the studio with Jack obediently heeling at her side.

“We’ll be back in bit.” Karen closed the door
on her way out.

“How did you know where to find me?” Lia
tried to keep suspicion from her voice. Wrapping her arms around
her waist, she held her ground. Lucas was the only man who could
reach inside and grab hold of her vulnerabilities. He and Craig
might try to use the mess she’d gotten into against her.

“Shush.” Lucas reached for her, running one
hand gently from the crown of her head, down her back, down to her
waist as if checking to ensure she was in one piece. “This had to
be a hard day. Just let me hold you.”

Never good at the
damn-if-I-care
attitude
Zoë had perfected, Lia blanked all caution warnings
from her mind and snuggled close to him. The heat of him comforted
her. The bear hug offered shelter against the battles of the
day.

“It will be okay,” he whispered over and over
again. Was he trying to convince her or himself?

Lia clung to him. The spot where her cheek
rested against his blue chambray shirt darkened from tears. She
trembled. Had that whimper come from her?

Lucas held her tighter, his embrace an
invitation to safety. Her heartache began to dissolve. Her spirits
lifted out of the black hole, buoyed just above the surface,
discovering warmth and light. He made her believe his words, now a
mantra in her brain. Yet, resignation still clung tightly to her
heart.

She sighed. “There’s no reason for me to be
upset. Tears won’t change anything. I have to figure out how to
carry on. Craig was right. I’ve failed.”

Lucas cupped her face tenderly in his hands,
his thumbs stroking away the remaining wet streaks on her cheeks.
She searched his eyes for a stern
I told you so
, but didn’t
find the painful accusation. Instead, she witnessed an anguish
she’d never seen before.

“You haven’t failed,” Lucas said with
conviction. “I’ll help you find a way to make it work.”

“I can’t take any help from you.” She
straightened. “I have to make it on my own. Otherwise, I have
lost.”

“Farmers help farmers. Neighbors help
neighbors. That’s the unwritten code. Your brother tried to help
me, help my dad, but he couldn’t pull a miracle out of his pocket.
Craig doesn’t want you to suffer what my family went through. His
intentions are good, but his actions are a bit misguided. Know
this, Amelia.
You
haven’t failed.”

“All I have left is a second-rate show with
maybe ten or twelve old paintings. My crop. And a few more
boxes.”

“That’s better than nothing.”

Lia dropped to a cushion on the floor, sat
cross-legged, and motioned for Lucas to sit on the one facing her.
Hope danced a nervous cha-cha in her stomach. “I was so close, so
close to turning the corner. Now it’s as though all my dreams are
scattering in the wind, blowing like dandelion seeds.”

She remembered the morning she’d tripped and
scattered boxes on the ground. Maybe it
had
been an omen. If
not a foretelling of the future—that was Helen’s department—it sure
spoke of the past, one that kept inching into the present no matter
how hard she battled. Had she run out of options? Had Craig won the
war of wills?

Lucas took her hands in his. “I’ll help you
get through this. We’ll find a way. Together. You must trust all is
not lost. You still have the harvest.”

“Thank you.” Lia offered a half-hearted grin.
“You’re a good big-brother’s best friend if ever there was
one.”

Lucas shook his head. “I’m not here because
of Craig.” He gently lifted her chin. “I’m here because of
you.”

The tenderness in his voice hooked her soul.
She was a fish on the end of Lucas’s line. Did he mean to reel her
in or leave her dangling? He had for the last year. Rejection now
would absolutely kill her.

Lia shrugged, hoping he couldn’t see through
her guise. “Old friend. Good neighbor.”

“Right,” Lucas snapped with an impatient
growl. With one swift move, he pulled her close and crushed his
lips against hers. Her surprise melted into hopefulness. She sagged
against him. The warmth of his lips and the heat radiating through
his hands warmed her and enveloped her in the softest of silk. All
her worries floated away, drifting up as though carried on a hot
air balloon. Lucas filled all of her senses.

When he broke their connection and frowned,
Lia’s eyes widened. He couldn’t possibly lament the kiss. She
chewed her bottom lip. She wouldn’t allow him to think, only feel.
There would be no regrets between them. The woman in her, not
Craig’s little sister, needed him. Leaning in, she teased his lips
with the tip of her tongue. “I’m right here. Don’t go
away...neighbor.” She added the last word to keep things light.

“There’s nothing old-friend-like or
neighborly about this.” Lucas kissed her again. His warm hands
drifted over her shoulders, burning a trail down her arms and
resting on her hips. His kisses stoked a fire burning inside her,
the heat increasing. She tensed her muscles, then relaxed into the
delight of desire dancing in her heart.

Lia leaned closer, wrapping her arms around
his neck. A magnetic current flowed between them and lit her up
inside like an amusement park’s night-light parade. The buried
longing she had for him erupted into joy.

She pushed her fingers through his hair.
Touching him zinged arousal to the core of her being. He was the
one, the only one. She wanted him forever.

Lucas pulled her onto his lap. Overflowing
with anticipation, she wiggled into comfort. He reclaimed her lips,
covering her mouth eagerly, hungrily. She shivered with pleasure.
That feeling had no beginning or end…it just was...like floating on
clouds in heaven with angels serenading them.

“Amelia?” Lucas whispered.

She hated it when he broke the kiss. She
reached for him again.

“I think we need to talk about this
before...” He kissed her forehead tenderly.

“
Talk?
” Trembling, she touched her
lips where his lips had been, then leaning closer, she sought more
nonverbal communication.

“Yes, talk.” Lucas leaned back out of her
reach.

Her blooming desire withered only a bit.
Every ounce of her being wanted to rip away his clothes and make
love to him. Wanton woman replaced nice girl-next-door. “No.”

“We have to clear the air...before—”

“Lucas Dwyer, are you going to make me
beg?”

He sighed with exasperation. His reaction
shouldn’t have surprised her. Lucas always wanted to do the right
thing. This once she had to convince him now was perfect. “Kiss me
again. No talking. Just kissing.”

His eyebrows rose. He scooted back several
feet, his back resting against the brick wall and his legs
stretched out long. He laced his fingers together behind his head,
and she wanted to believe the move was to keep himself from
reaching for her. Clearly, he wrestled with some mental demon.

Then he patted the floor beside him.

“Really?” she groaned. Taking him up on the
offer, she sat next to him, hip to hip, and waited. His kisses
weren’t chaste or brotherly. He had to see her as a woman. Waiting
a minute more wouldn’t hurt, but he wanted to talk
now
? The
ache deep in her core said he better talk fast, otherwise her need
for him would take control. For once, she wouldn’t stop it.