Page 71 of Protective Cowboy

“Hey Lily, what’s up?” Matt asked.

“I was in the neighborhood and needed coffee.” Lily breezed past him into the house and made a beeline for his kitchen. “I heard Autumn’s leaving town again. What are you gonna do about it?”

It never stopped surprising him how quickly news spread in their town.

“What can I do?” he asked bitterly, tailing his sister. “She got a great job offer in Seattle. I don’t want her to miss out on a bright future.”

“Uh-huh.” Lily rummaged in his cupboard for his largest mug and filled it to the brim. “That’s very noble of you.” There was no mistaking the sarcasm in her tone.

She carried her coffee into his living room. “I gotta tell you, I’m not looking forward to watching you mope around with a broken heart, just like the last time she left.”

Damn, Lily wasn’t pulling any punches today. He leaned against the living room doorway, waiting for her to get to the point.

His sister took a long sip from her mug, then asked, “Well, aren’t you going to do something about it, Matt?”

“Sure,” he agreed. “Right now, I’m trying to help her. You heard about all those lies her ex-husband told that celebrity website?”

“Of course. Everyone has,” Lily said, falling onto his sofa and propping her sandaled feet up on the coffee table. “With all the hullabaloo, color me surprised that no one’s contacted Theresa Botticelli yet for her side of the story.”

“Theresa?” Matt asked, his interest piqued. “Is that the name of Phillip’s mistress? The one he had the secret family with?”

“Yup.” Lily looked at him. “I heard all about it when I was working with Summer on The Yummy Cowboy Diner’s website last winter.” She shook her head. “I always thought Autumn’s husband was a stuck-up creep, but he turned out even worse than I expected.”

“Theresa Botticelli. In New Jersey,” Matt mused. “You wouldn’t happen to know what city she lives in, would you?”

“Princeton. That’s where the pharmaceutical company Phillip works for has its headquarters.” Lily grinned up at him. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

Wasn’t it obvious?

“I’m thinking you were right,” he told his sister, who preened visibly. “Someone—that would be me—is going to call Ms. Botticelli to get her side of the story. You just saved me hours of research trying to figure out who she is and where she lives.”

“Good for you!” Lily said, her green eyes lighting up eagerly. “If Theresa goes public, it’ll totally destroy Phillip’s story. And I bet that same website that published his interview will be interested in interviewing Theresa, too. Those celebrity gossip sites are all about attracting eyeballs, and I’m sure she has a few bombshells to drop.”

Matt nodded. “Yup. Looks like I have a call to make.”

Lily hopped to her feet and touched his arm. “But Matt, is getting revenge on Phillip really enough? Or are you just distracting yourself from what you really want?”

Matt gritted his teeth. Sometimes he hated that his little sister could read him like a book.

“Look, everyone knows you’re still in love with Autumn,” Lily pointed out. “Everyone except Autumn, I’m guessing.”

Matt remained silent.

“Thought so,” his sister said triumphantly. “You haven’t told her!” She waited a beat, and when Matt refused to confirm or deny, she added, “Look, if you don’t fight for her this time, you’re gonna lose her forever.”

Matt ran a hand through his hair. “I know.”

“So, what’s stopping you? You know we all like her. And she’s good for you.”

Matt sighed. “I just don’t know if she feels the same way about me. But you’re right, I have to try.”

Lily smiled. “Wow, you admitted I was right twice in the same conversation! That has to be some kind of world record.”

Matt groaned. “Drink your coffee and get out of here,” he ordered. “I’ve got work to do.”

∞∞∞

To his frustration, Lily lingered, trying to pry out details of his relationship with Autumn.

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