Page 27 of Wyoming Bodyguard
Grumbling, he rose to his feet. Leaving the coolness of the shade was the last thing Madden wanted to do, but he had a job to finish. “Come on. We have one more camera to install by the shed.”
Then he had to prepare for spending the rest of the night with Lily. He’d dive into the details of this case and keep his lips to himself, even if it killed him.
* * *
An intrinsic need for comfort food had Lily reaching for the double cheeseburger over the sensible salad. She debated eating while standing in the kitchen but decided to retreat to the office. Madden might have changed his plans to help Reid with the equipment, but she wouldn’t tempt fate. Better to keep looking through her father’s computer while also staying as far away from Madden as she could get.
The memory of their too-quick kiss flashed in her mind, and she pressed her fingertips to her lips. The earth hadn’t just shaken when he’d kissed her, it’d been shoved off its axis. She might not have a ton of experience with men, but she wasn’t a prude, and never had a man made her insides melt with a simple kiss before.
Settling back in her father’s desk chair, she took a giant bite of her burger. Better to stuff her face with food than get lost in silly fantasies that would never come true. Hell, she wasn’t even sure she wanted them to. Finding Madden attractive and interesting was one thing, taking things between them a step further was another.
When her father healed and was released from the hospital, she didn’t need to send him right back to the emergency room. Which was exactly what would happen after he suffered a heart attack because she’d fallen for a McKay.
With the burger halfway finished and nothing of note so far on the computer, her mind drifted to Madden. She needed to get a grip before he returned. She couldn’t spend the rest of the evening with him if heat flooded her body every time she thought of him.
Especially since he’d made it clear he regretted the kiss and had fled the room as soon as the opportunity arose.
Needing to dissect her feelings with someone other than herself, she picked up her phone and called Eve.
“Hey, Lily. Did you get the food?” Eve asked when she answered on the second ring.
“Yes, thank you. You’ve already done so much and now you’re feeding me more. The burger was amazing.”
“Burger? Can’t remember the last time you came into Tilly’s and didn’t have a salad. I made sure to put your favorite in there.”
Eve’s confusion coaxed a smile from Lily. No matter how the next few days played out, she had to make more of an effort to connect with such a caring person. “Comfort food won out today. It’s been one for the books. I’m not sure how things keep getting worse, but they do.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” A beat of silence pulsed on the line. “How’s it been spending time with Madden? You two are like oil and water.”
Lily snorted out a short laugh. “You have no idea. The more time I spend with him the more he gets under my skin. But I’m also confused. He’s not exactly the man I thought he was.”
“I know you two have had your differences, and I won’t pretend like I completely understand either side, but he’s a good guy. Always has been. I’m glad you’re seeing a different side of him.”
“I’m not sure it’s a good thing,” Lily said, rolling her eyes to the ceiling.
“Far be it for me to pry, but now I’m really curious about what you guys have been up to out there all alone.”
Lily winced at the amusement in Eve’s voice. She considered dodging her interest, but the whole reason she called Eve was to get everything off her chest. “He kissed me.” The words shot out of her mouth before she could change her mind.
“What?” Eve’s question came out in a shriek of excitement. “How the heck did that even happen? I mean, you and Madden hated each other, and after just twenty-four hours you’re kissing?”
Groaning, Lily dropped her head in her hand, elbow propped on the desk. “Notkissing. Kissed. Singular. One time. And you are not to tell a soul because I’m sure it won’t happen again.”
“Okay,” Eve said, drawing out the word. “Do you not want it to happen again?”
She shrugged, even though no one could see her. “I don’t know. It was one hell of a kiss, but it’s Madden. No matter how nice and helpful he’s been, I can’t ever get past what his decision to sell his land has done to my family.”
“Have you talked to him about that?” Eve asked. “I mean, really talked to him. Open and honestly with no jabs or mean comments.”
She winced then clicked a new file on the computer. “Not really. I mean, we haven’t exactly been having heart-to-heart chats.”
“Maybe you should. You might never have a better time to really get to the bottom of a problem. Sometimes people make choices because they’re shoved in a corner that no one else sees. I understand Madden and his dad made a decision that can’t be undone, but understanding their thinking might at least help you let go of some of your anger.”
A spreadsheet filled with numbers littered the computer screen. The ranch’s dwindling bank account reminded her of why she was so angry. But Eve had a point. Life was too short to hold on to hostility that wasn’t helping anyone. Especially if Eve was right and there was a deeper reason the McKays hadn’t shared.
She pulled up a different spreadsheet and sighed. “Having one less problem in my life would be nice.”
“And then if you happen to kiss again…”
