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Both girls paled slightly. “You’re right, Lillian. Dan and I were friends and occasional lovers for five years, but now that we’re in love, being without him is unimaginable,” Nan admitted.
“Yeah, what Nan said. Other than the social worker who would take me in whenever my mom went back to drinking and couldn’t take care of me, I was alone in the world until I came here and met Grayson and then everyone else. I’m sorry for your loss, Lillian. Losing a twin must be awful.” Avery reached over and squeezed her arm and Lillian blinked back the tears that could still form and blur her vision with little provocation. “Okay, let’s talk about something else. If you’re not busy a week from tomorrow night, our friend, Sydney said to invite you for chili at their ranch. It’s just us and Tamara and Connor.”
The invitation spread a pleasant glow through Lillian, who was touched at being included. It would be nice not to spend an evening alone, missing Liana so much she ached and coping with the loss of the only close, special relationship she’d ever had. She hurried to accept before the lifestyle they shared in common and she knew little about and had no interest in gave her pause.
“Thank you, if you’re sure your friend doesn’t mind. I could pick up a bottle of wine. Oh, sorry, Avery. I assume you’re not drinking for the next few months,” she said, remembering her pregnancy.
Nan spoke up before Avery could answer. “She’s not, and neither are Sydney and Tamara, but I am and I say, yes please.”
Avery gave her a mock glare. “You just wait. We have plans to get even.” Turning to Lillian, she said, “She’s rubbed it in at every girl’s night since Sydney and Tamara got pregnant eight months ago.”
Nan didn’t look worried as she bit into a sugar cookie. “I’m betting Kelsey beats me to it, after all, sharing a bed with two men offers twice the opportunities to plant that seed.”
The bell above the teashop door chimed as two women entered and took a seat. Nan rose to wait on the newcomers, a twinkle in her eyes as she smiled at Lillian. “If you get a chance to meet both her guys and don’t envy Kelsey, there’s something seriously wrong with you. You can ride out to the Dunbar’s with me when I close up here and stay overnight at our place afterward, if you want. Just let me know next week.”
She wasn’t a prude, but the images popping into Lillian’s head flushed her face with heat as Nan walked away and she turned toward Avery. “Two?”
“Oh, yeah.” Avery fanned herself with an impish grin.
Lillian returned her smile and then asked, “What else can I bring that you and your friends can have?”
“Nothing, we’re good.” Avery rose with her. “Sydney was a chef at a fancy restaurant before moving here, and now she cooks for all the hands on the Dunbar ranch. She’d be offended if you brought something, even a bottle of wine, and trust me, anything she makes is great.”
“Then I look forward to it, and to meeting your friends. Thank you for inviting me.” She waved to Nan before walking out with Avery.
“I have to put in a few hours at the IT office in Billings this afternoon. What are your plans?” Avery asked, fishing her keys out of her purse.
“Painting. I’m behind and there are a few shows I want to attend this spring and summer.”
Avery’s eyes brightened with interest. “Don’t leave town before I get a chance to see your work.”
The afternoon sun warmed her face as Lillian opened her car door, lifting her hand in agreement. “Come by any time.”
With a wave, Avery pulled out and Lillian drove in the opposite direction toward Mitchell’s street, unsettled by the pang she experienced when Avery mentioned her leaving. She’d hung around Willow Springs for two weeks and the welcome she received from everyone she’d met had put a crack in the ice surrounding her heart that left her so cold following Liana’s death. The way Nan and Avery had pulled her into a quick friendship even though she was just passing through had prompted her to linger in the small pleasant town, and then she’d seen Mitchell again.
As she parked in front of his garage and her thoughts switched to her temporary landlord, she wondered how much he had played into her staying so long. Other than last Sunday evening when he’d come up to ask if there was anything she needed, she’d only seen him from the upstairs window as he left for work each morning. His face had been stamped with disapproval when he’d chided her for not waiting for his help to haul her things up the stairs, but then he’d let her be, just as she had him. That hadn’t kept her dreams from continuing to relive that one hour in his cabin when his hard hands had delivered the most powerful orgasms of her experience.
“I might have to move on just to forget that night, and that damn man,” she muttered, entering the cozy apartment and shucking her coat. A Murphy bed was folded up against the wall and a small sofa faced a television mounted on the opposite wall. The compact kitchenette with apartment-size appliances took up the third wall space with the bathroom and a closet located off a short hallway. The one large window offered a wide view of the open fields behind the street and a glimpse of the side driveway. The piles of snow from the blizzard two weeks ago were already melted down to small mounds here and there with peeks of dried grass showing. White swirls of snow decorated the far-off mountain peaks and she could only imagine the stunning view come summer.
Turning away from the vista and the thought of so far in the future, Lillian settled behind her easel set up in front of the window and got back to work. If anything could keep her from fantasizing about another scene with the country doctor, losing herself in her art could.
That evening, Lillian started a new painting off a picture she’d taken of Mitchell’s cabin, and was still immersed in putting that scene on canvas late the next day, Friday afternoon. Something about the rustic abode with its backdrop of ice crystal-draped trees and plume of smoke traveling up into the gray sky appealed to her. Before getting stranded there with him, the closest she’d gotten to roughing it was when she and Liana spent a week at a Colorado ski resort, complete with their own private hot tub and an indoor pool. She was quite proud of herself for handling the tight, drafty quarters, limited hot water and basic meals so well, not to mention her autocratic but considerate rescuer. Those off the charts orgasms likely lessened the memory of how uncomfortable those few days were.
The heavy clomp of feet tromping up the side staircase reached her ears as she noticed the time. It ceased surprising her how fast the hours flew by unnoticed when she couldn’t pull herself away from her work.
Mitchell’s irritated voice followed a sharp rap on the door. “Lillian, I need to talk to you.”
Even annoyed his deep baritone could deliver that warm rush she had never experienced with another man, and that irked her. Striding to the door, she flung it open with a glare. A shiver went through her, but whether from the cold air or the swirling emotion turning his hazel eyes more brown than green, she wasn’t sure. Reminding herself this was his place and she was staying here for free, Lillian lightened her frown and stepped back to let him in.
“What’s up? Did I disobey some unspoken rule of tenancy?”
Mitchell brushed by her, his sheepskin coat flapping open to reveal he was still dressed in slacks and a button up shirt, the attire she’d seen him wearing every morning as he left for the clinic. The fact she couldn’t help glancing out the window at exactly 7:30 a.m. every day this past week was another deviation from her character that puzzled her.
He turned to face her as she closed the door, fisting his hands on his hips. “No, you reneged on our bargain.”
Puzzled, Lillian searched her memory and then recalled the appointment she was supposed to make at his clinic, realizing he was right. Oops. She shrugged and offered him a self-deprecating smile. “Not on purpose. I meant to, but I started a new painting and completely forgot.” Instead of forgiving her, Mitchell narrowed his eyes, his reply amusing her even as it sent a small thrill trickling through her veins.
“Someone should have taken you in hand years ago.”
