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, mouth dry.
The door opened before he lifted his hand to knock. Hadley looked surprised to see him standing in the hallway. Waldo rushed forward to wind himself around Liam’s legs.
“Hi.” She gestured him in. “I thought maybe the elevator had decided to be fussy again.”
He picked up the cat without taking his eyes from Hadley and stepped into her apartment. “You look beautiful.”
She wore a figure-skimming sleeveless black dress with a round neckline and a half-circle cutout that bared her cleavage. Despite there being nothing overtly provocative about the style, Liam thought she looked incredibly sexy. She’d pinned her blond waves up in a complicated hairstyle that looked as if it could tumble onto her shoulders at any second. And he badly wanted to make that happen. Body alive with cravings better reserved for later that evening, he shifted his gaze to her only jewelry, a pair of long crystal earrings that swung in sassy rhythm as she tipped her head and regarded him curiously.
“Thank you.” Her half smile captivated him. “You look nice, as well. I’ll grab my purse and we can get going.” She picked up a small black clutch and a sheer red scarf sparkling with clusters of sequins that she draped over her shoulders. It added a flamboyant touch to her otherwise monochrome black ensemble.
Realizing he was staring at her like a smitten teenager, Liam cleared his throat. His brain was having trouble summoning words. “All set?”
“Are you expecting a large crowd tonight?” she asked as she fit her key into the lock and set the dead bolt.
“About a hundred. Those responsible for coordinating the fund-raising efforts and the largest contributors.”
“What a wonderful thing you’ve done.”
Her glowing praise lightened his step. He laced his fingers through hers and lifted her hand to brush a kiss across her knuckles. “It was a group effort,” he said, feeling unusually humble. “But thank you.”
In truth, he was proud of the work he and the other members of the Texas Cattleman’s Club had done in the aftermath of the tornado. As leaders in the community, they’d banded together during the time of crisis and although progress had been slow, they’d restored the town to its former state.
The drive from Hadley’s apartment to the hospital took ten minutes. Liam filled the time with a description about an outfit his cousin Ivy had bought for Maggie that featured a chambray Onesie with three tiers of ruffles and a crocheted cowboy hat and boots.
“Complete with yarn spurs.” Liam shook his head in mock dismay.
“How adorable.” Hadley regarded his expression with a wry smile. “You are just going to have to get used to the fact that girls love to dress up and look pretty.”
“I know,” he grumbled, knowing she loved to scold him. “But is it really going to be all frilly stuff and hair bows?”
“Yes.”
Liam pulled to a stop in front of the hospital’s new west wing entrance, and the look he gave Hadley made her laugh. A year ago he never would have imagined himself discussing an infant’s wardrobe, much less with a beautiful woman.
A valet opened the passenger door and helped Hadley out of the truck. Liam was grinning as he accepted the ticket from the uniformed attendant and caught up with Hadley, sliding his hand over her hip in a not-so-subtle show of ownership. She sent him an unguarded smile of such delight, his chest hurt. If this was heartache, bring it on.
“This is amazing,” Hadley murmured as they entered the spacious lobby of the redesigned west wing, taking in the patterned marble floors and triangular glass ceiling over the entrance. In the center of the room, a bronze statue of a cowboy roping a running cow had the names of all those who’d lost their lives during the tornado etched around the base. “A wonderful tribute.”
Spying Case Baxter, Liam drew Hadley toward the rancher, who had eyes only for the redhead beside him.
“Case,” Liam called to gain his attention.
The president of the Cattleman’s Club looked away from his fiancée and blinked as if to reorient himself. At last his gaze focused on Liam.
“Hey, Liam.” His teeth flashed as he extended his hand to meet Liam’s. “Mellie, you’ve met Liam Wade.”
“Of course.” A friendly smile curved her lips. Her green eyes darted toward Hadley before settling back on Liam. “At the reception when Case was elected president.”
“And this is Hadley Stratton.” Liam didn’t explain how they knew each other. Why introduce her as Maggie’s nanny when she’d become so much more? “Mellie Winslow and Case Baxter, our club president.”
The two couples finished exchanging greetings and Case spoke. “Gotta hand it to you, Liam.” He gestured around, his grin wide, posture relaxed. “This is one hell of a facility.”
“Have you toured the neonatal unit?” Mellie asked.
“We just arrived,” Hadley admitted, completely at ease tucked into the half circle of Liam’s left arm. After their conversation in Vail, he’d half expected her to balk at going public with their developing relationship.
“The whole wing is really terrific,” Mellie was saying, “but that unit in particular is very impressive.”
