Page 4 of Loving My Cowboys

3

Lily

What a day. First, Mr. White, and then while speaking to Mr. Elam, in walks none other than Calvin Smith and he tried to rob the bank. Did he really believe that stupid scarf was going to hide his face? She would recognize those eyes anywhere. They were evil. Pure and simple.

The man had come to the ranch three times trying to intimidate her into marrying Matt White, who had yet to show his face. They didn’t want her, they wanted the Sweet B. But why was Calvin robbing the bank?

When she ran out of the bank with the cash, she had been trying to see where he was going, not take the money. The memory of the man sitting on top of her, grinding his man parts into her, sent heat flooding through her. Like nothing she had ever felt.

And Will Parker. The man’s blonde curls and dark brown eyes had glared at her until they realized she was not the one robbing the bank. Both men were extremely handsome, and she couldn’t help but wonder if each was married. She tried to sneak a glance at their hands and didn’t see wedding rings.

All her carefully laid plans for finding a husband today were for naught. She looked a mess.

With Seth’s hand on her elbow, he guided her into the cafe. With her arm at her side, she tried to hide her ripped skirt.

He led her to a table and they all sat. She watched as they both glanced around the room at the people, checking them out. For a moment, she looked around to see if she spotted Calvin, but he must have hightailed it out of town.

The waitress walked up to their table. “Lily, honey, are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” she said, gazing up at Sarah Jane Wilkerson who ran the small eatery.

“So much has happened to you this year. And now this. We’re all so thankful you saved the bank,” she said. “What can I get you? It’s on the house today.”

“Thank you, Sarah Jane,” she said. Though she had plenty of money, the bank was doing its best to hang onto her cash. Thank goodness she’d found her mother’s hidden stash in a mason jar.

“And who are these fine gentlemen?”

She wanted to tell Sarah Jane to get to the kitchen, but instead she sighed. “Texas Rangers Seth Ingram and Will Parker. They arrived just in time to see me chasing the robber out the bank door.”

“Oooh, welcome, gentlemen.”

As she took their order, Lily couldn’t help but gaze at each man. Seth was tall, her head would fit right below his chin. His dark brown hair was cut short, a long narrow nose, strong jaw, and mouth she couldn’t help but wonder about kissing. His lips were full, and she imagined them coaxing a response from her.

Will’s deep timbre voice was demanding, yet his arresting dark eyes sent shivers through her. Blonde curls swirled from beneath his hat and his arms looked strong, foreboding, with strength.

As she glanced at their hands, she wondered how they would feel touching her flesh. Both men were handsome and virile, and she longed to be theirs. Shock radiated through her. She could only have one.

Which one would she choose and would he agree to marry her?

“Tell us about this bank robber,” Seth said as his hand reached out and touched hers.

She licked her lips and stared into those gorgeous emerald eyes and wanted to become lost in them.

“His name is Calvin Smith. Several years ago, at the county fair, he got into a fight with my brother. Ben would have won, but Calvin threw dirt in his eyes and then I had to step in and stop him or he would have killed Ben.”

She remembered like it was yesterday and it still pained her to think of how Ben had suffered at his hands.

“You seem to get yourself in trouble quite a bit. I can’t imagine a man like Calvin refusing to fight because a woman told him to stop.”

As he beat her brother senseless, she’d been terrorized. So afraid, she’d broken her father’s law.

“He didn’t. I had to pull a gun on him. I would have shot him too, if he hadn’t stopped.”

The men chuckled.

“Where does he live?”

“Don’t know. It’s the first time I’ve seen him in two years. But I'll never forget the face of someone who harms me or my family.”

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