Her Small-Town Cowboy (15 page)

Considering his rough-around-the-edges exterior, Lily admired the fact that he’d allow his softer side to be seen out in public this way. Maybe there was hope for him yet.

“And now,” Mr. Allen announced with a broad smile, “I’d like to introduce you to Oaks Crossing Elementary’s new first-grade classes. Go, Cougars!”

Roaring back in what she assumed was the school cheer, the crowd jumped to their feet, clapping and whooping in appreciation. Lily was tempted to follow along but wasn’t sure it would be considered appropriate for a teacher to do. Until she realized all the others were, and she joined in, proud to know that she’d had at least a small role in her students’ success.

When it was time for the group photo, she helped corral her students into position and very happily allowed Mrs. Howard to pull her into the shot beside the kids. As the audience and graduates streamed away to check out the refreshment tables, she turned to the woman she’d met only this morning.

“Thanks so much for including me in the ceremony today,” she said with heartfelt gratitude. “It really meant a lot to me.”

“You’re very welcome, Lily.” Checking her watch, she sighed. “I hate to pose and run, but it’s lunchtime for both my little ones, so I really have to get home. If you need a reference while you’re applying for jobs, please let me know. You’ve done a wonderful job here, and I’d be delighted to write one for you.”

Lily thanked her, and they hugged before Mrs. Howard left to say goodbye to the class. Alone for the first time all day, Lily took a moment to enjoy the calm before doing the mingling thing. She was confident that she was fairly well hidden in the shadows beneath a gnarled oak tree, but it didn’t take long for a tall man in a cowboy hat to find her. As Mike sauntered toward her, she couldn’t help admiring the easy, self-assured way he moved, as if nothing that might come his way would be too much for him to handle. Knowing what she did about his past, she knew that swagger wasn’t just an image he projected to impress other people.

That was who he was.

She’d known enough men who put on one face for the world when another, less appealing one was their true self. It was refreshing to meet a guy who was himself, no matter what folks might think of him. Of course, the fact that underneath the grizzly personality beat the soft heart of a teddy bear was an unexpected bonus for anyone who was persistent enough to dig down and find it.

“So, what’d ya think?” he asked with a grin. “Pretty cute, huh?”

“Very. All Abby talked about was how proud you were going to be of her.”

“Aw, that’s easy. She’s a great kid.”

“They don’t come out of the box that way,” Lily reminded him, smiling back. “You’re doing a fabulous job raising her.”

“Thanks.” His bright expression suddenly dimmed, and he muttered something awful under his breath before growling, “What is
she
doing here?”

Following his line of sight, she saw a slender woman with wavy blond hair coming toward them. It didn’t take a genius to see Abby in the mysterious visitor’s face, and Lily instinctively backed away. “I’ll leave you two alone.”

To her astonishment, he fixed a pleading look on her. “If you could stay, I’d really appreciate it. Otherwise I’m liable to do something that’ll feel good now but land me in a heap of trouble later.”

She waited for that wry grin, but it never materialized. So, because she didn’t want anything to spoil this happy moment for him and his daughter, she nodded. “For Abby.”

“Thanks.”

Mike stood tensely beside her, hands shoved in his front pockets in an obvious attempt to appear nonchalant. From where Lily was standing, the carefree pose did nothing to ease the anger that was pouring off him in waves. Apparently, the woman approaching him sensed it, too, because she stopped a few feet away. “Mike.”

“Dana.”

He spat out her name as if it tasted bitter in his mouth, and Lily sent up a silent prayer for this awkward reunion to go as well as humanly possible.

After studying him for a few seconds, Dana turned to Lily. “I’m Dana Parsons, Abby’s mother.”

“Lily St. George. I was one of her teachers this year.”

“Nice.” Clearly uncomfortable, Dana glanced around the small clearing as if searching for something else to say. “Everyone did a good job with the ceremony.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

The halting conversation seemed to be wearing thin on Mike, and he snarled, “What are you doing here, D?”

“Same as you,” she replied evenly. “Watching my baby graduate from kindergarten.”

“She’s not a baby anymore, in case you haven’t noticed.”

Lily slid a step closer, willing him to keep his cool. While he had every right to be furious at the intrusion, she knew he’d regret making a scene in public on his daughter’s big day. Her silent advice seemed to get through to him, because he folded his arms and let out a deep sigh.

“How’d you even know about this thing?” he asked in a slightly more pleasant tone.

“I know how old she is,” Dana reasoned calmly. “My boss and I were scheduled to be in Louisville on business, and I decided to make an extra stop here before we leave tomorrow. When I looked up the news on the school’s website, it mentioned the kindergarten graduation was today, and it seemed like a fortunate coincidence. I thought I should be here.”

“Why?” Taking an intimidating step forward, he glared unmercifully down at her. “After being MIA for the past five years, why do you even care?”

Dana’s chin trembled with private emotions, but she firmed it and returned his stare with a stony one of her own. “She’s my daughter, too, Mike. I have a right to be here.”

Suspicion darkened his eyes, and he cocked his head like a dubious hound. “And?”

“That’s all.”

Any moron could see the woman was lying, and by his steely glare, Mike knew it, too. But Dana stubbornly refused to say anything more, and after several tense moments, he finally backed down.

“Fine,” he gritted through clenched teeth. “But I’m warning you—stay away from my daughter, or I’ll hire a lawyer who’ll make you wish you had.”

With that, he spun on the heel of his boot and stalked over to where his family was standing with Abby. The protective ring made Lily think of brave, determined settlers circling the wagons to fend off an attack. While she wasn’t at all certain what to make of Dana’s unexpected—and unwelcome—reappearance in Abby’s life, one thing was abundantly clear.

Something strange was going on. And while Mike might not know exactly what his ex-wife had in mind, he was prepared to do whatever it took to keep her out.

Lily’s troubling train of thought slammed to an abrupt halt when she realized Dana was now looking at her. She wasn’t thrilled with the idea of entertaining this perplexing stranger, but a lifetime of social training dictated she at least be civil, so she tried to appear neutral. “Did you need something else?”

“I can just imagine what you’ve heard about me.”

“Not much, actually,” Lily replied truthfully.

Dana’s blue eyes widened in shock, narrowing as she shook her head with a grimace. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by that. When Mike finally settles down, I was hoping you’d give him a message for me.”

Lily hated the sound of that, and she did her best not to whine. “Why me?”

“You’re here together. I figured that meant—”

“I’m Abby’s teacher,” Lily reminded her politely. “Nothing more.”

Dana’s doubtful expression made it clear she didn’t believe that for a second. To be honest, Lily wasn’t sure she did, either. There was something more than simple friendship between her and the stoic rancher, but she couldn’t quite define what it was.

“Anyway,” the woman continued, “I’m coming back through here next week on my way home to Dallas. I’ll be staying at the B and B over in Rockville, and I want to spend some time with Abby before I leave.”

Hoping she sounded completely disinterested, Lily asked, “How long are you planning to stay?”

“As long as it takes. Mike’s as hardheaded as they come, but he’s also fair. If I’m patient, he’ll work his way around to doing the right thing. Eventually,” she added with a sour face.

The comment on his character sounded odd coming from the woman who’d walked out on him so long ago, and Lily couldn’t tamp down her curiosity any longer. Glancing around to be sure no one was listening, she moved closer to keep their conversation private. “If I agree to give him the message, may I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“What happened with you and Mike? It seems to me that parents with a new baby would be too happy to argue about much.”

“You’d think so, but no.” Heaving a deep sigh, she cast a wistful look across the lawn to where her daughter was chatting with her friends. Coming back to Lily, she went on. “Mike and I were having problems long before Abby came along. For a while she brought us closer together, but in the long run, even she wasn’t enough to save our marriage. Near the end I was such a mess, I figured they’d be better off without me, so I left.”

Regret laced her confession, and Lily couldn’t help feeling sorry for her. Wishing there was more she could do, she said, “It took a lot of courage for you to come here.”

Emotion welled in her eyes, and she frowned. “It kills me to think of how much time I’ve lost with Abby. Mike and I were done, but looking back I know I should’ve stuck around for my daughter. I really thought me leaving was best for both of us, but I was wrong. So, so wrong.”

That kind of remorse couldn’t be faked, Lily knew, and her compassion grew for this troubled soul who seemed so desperate to put things to rights. But this wasn’t Lily’s battle to fight, and there was only so much she could do. Offering a smile of encouragement, she said, “I’ll give Mike your message. But as you saw, he’s very protective of Abby, so beyond that, I can’t promise you anything.”

“I understand.” Adding a watery smile, Dana handed her a piece of paper with a number scribbled on it. “This is my cell number, in case you need to reach me. I really hope you do, because...”

Her voice trailed off before she finished her explanation, but the misery clouding her cover-model features spoke volumes. Casting another longing look at Abby, Dana squared her shoulders before turning away and slowly walking to the parking lot. She seemed to be dragging her feet, as if she could barely stand the thought of leaving without talking to her daughter.

While she processed what had just happened, Lily’s mind went back to the morning she’d found a lost puppy who’d been abandoned for no discernible reason. Abby had felt an immediate kinship with Charlie, and Lily wondered how the little girl would react if she knew the mother she’d never known had traveled so far to meet her.

Lily’s own childhood had been filled with mothers who came and went, never stopping to consider how their absence affected anyone else. At least Dana had come to grips with her mistake and was trying to make amends.

That was how she’d present the idea to Mike, anyway, Lily mused as she strolled over to pour herself a glass of punch. In the end, it was his decision. She just prayed he’d make the right one.

Chapter Eight

“I
don’t wanna talk about it, Mom.”

Mike thought he’d made that point already, loudly and more than once. But he heard footsteps coming up behind him and wanted to prevent a long, tedious argument that would accomplish nothing except fanning his simmering temper into an all-out bonfire. Lifting the sledgehammer over his head, he pounded down on the fence post he was replacing. Usually manual labor was the cure for whatever ailed him, bleeding off his frustration in a flood of sweat and tiring him out so he could come up with a solution to whatever problem was confounding him.

This was different. Abby meant the world to him, and nothing was more important to him than her happiness. There was no way he’d allow Dana to worm her way back into his little girl’s life, only to break Abby’s heart when she decided it was time to take off again.

Once bitten, twice shy.

His father’s earthy wisdom rang in his memory, bringing with it both a measure of comfort and sorrow. Of course, as usual Dad had been talking about horses, but Mike figured the advice applied just as well to women.

Except Lily. Mike appreciated the way she’d stood beside him during his unpleasant encounter with Dana. He’d almost felt Lily sending him “be nice” vibes so he wouldn’t say or do anything stupid. Livid as he’d been at the time, once he calmed down, he had to admit he admired the lady’s courage. It wasn’t every day you came across a woman willing to save you from yourself.

“Okay, then I’ll talk and you can listen.”

Stunned to hear Lily’s soft drawl, he whirled to find her standing behind him, a glass of sweet tea in one hand and a paper-wrapped deli sandwich in the other. Her intent was obvious, and he deflected it with a growl. “I’m not hungry, and I’m not listening.”

His traitorous stomach rumbled its own opinion, and she tilted her head with a decidedly feminine smirk. “Does that mean I can talk while you eat?”

“Sure, long as you don’t mention Dana.” He wiped his sweaty face on the sleeve of his grimy T-shirt, then rubbed his hands on his jeans to get the worst of the dirt off them. When he realized she hadn’t responded to his comment, he groaned. “Gimme a break, Lily. The woman ambushed me in front of half the town, and I just about had to bite my tongue in half to keep things civil.”

As usual, she was completely unfazed by his grumbling. She pulled herself up to sit on the new fence rail and set his snack down on the flat top of the post beside her in an unspoken invitation. Resting a hand on each side of her, she gave him the kind of patient look he figured she used on kids who needed extra time to work through a tough math problem.

She didn’t say a word, but she didn’t look away from him, either. Out here, surrounded by blue sky and rolling fields dotted with wildflowers, she should have looked out of place in her conservative gray slacks and pink blouse. Instead, he noticed how her eyes had deepened to the color of cornflowers, and how the wind swirled lazily through the curls in her hair.