designer boots, his enormous hands gentle as he tickled and cuddled the little girls.
He'd been so gentle, so sweet with the kids, it had made Lily's heart yearn and ache.
Another time, she'd heard the frost in his voice as he'd implacably told off a hired hand who'd treated one of the horses roughly. The man had been drunk and belligerent and Derek had him packed up and Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
fired without raising his voice. The expression on Derek's face had chilled Lily to the bone. She'd never seen anything as unforgiving or cold.
Would the real Derek Wright please stand up? Lily thought dryly. The glimpse she'd had of him with the children had made her want to know more. She'd driven back home as fast as possible, all the while giving herself a firm mental kick in the pants.
She kept her hands stuffed in her pockets. "No thank you."
"You don't even know what I'm giving you."
"Neither do I want to. Go away."
Lily watched him untangle the wires with an amazingly delicate touch.
"This," he told her, snagging the front of her jacket with one large hand to keep her in place, "is a lip mic.
I want you to wear it from tomorrow until the end of the race."
"Well, damn, and I thought a smart guy like you would know girls prefer jewelry to electronics," Lily said sweetly. Damn it. He was too close. His breath smelled of the coffee he'd drunk, his skin smelled of soap and his hands—what the hell were his hands doing?
"Cut it out! Don't take off my ha—Damn it, it's freezing! Hey! Don't stick that thing in my hair." Lily slapped his hand away. "I'm not wearing it." That's all she needed, Derek in her ear as she was trying to find peace. She yanked the small headset free and stuffed it back in his warm hand. "Thanks for the thoughtful gift, but I don't take presents from people I don't like."
His lips twitched. "At least clip it to your collar. Here, see? You don't even have to turn it on if you don't want to. Just for emergencies. Please? For me?"
"Take it, sis. It's a good idea."
Lily shot a glare at her stepbrother. " Et tu, Brute ?" She spun around to Derek when Matt gave her a sheepish smile. "I like silence just fine. Having you yakking away in my ear for a thousand miles will drive me nuts."
"I asked nicely."
"Yeah. Which makes me suspicious as hell."
"Come on, Lily. Do I have to say it?"
"Say what?"
"I'd feel a hell of a lot safer knowing you were nearby if I have any problems with the dogs."
She gave him a suspicious look. He appeared sincere. And was still considered a novice… "Okay," she said, against her better judgment. "Show me how it works and I'll keep it in my poc—"
"Clipped to your collar. Here." His hand brushed her throat, causing Lily to shiver from the soles of her feet to her hair follicles. He clipped the small mic to her collar, then handed her back her gray and white Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
fur hat. She tugged it on, glaring at his back as he strolled off into the crowd.
"Wow. That was some intense interaction," Matt said, giving her a curious look. "What was that about?"
Snagging her attention away from happy homicidal thoughts, Lily shrugged. "Just a Derekism."
"Ever wonder what it would've been like," Matt asked, "if you'd chosen Derek instead of Sean?"
"No." She'd made her bed all those years ago. And if she had thought about it—occasionally, briefly, fleetingly —it was always with relief she hadn't continued seeing Derek. Sure, Sean hadn't been perfect—not by a long shot. But Derek wasn't without issues, either. Just different issues.
"He's far too rich for my blood, for one thing," Lily told him.
"I thought all women believe you couldn't be too thin or too rich. Nothing wrong with being loaded."
"Not that kind of rich," Lily said. "Rich as in too much dark chocolate in one sitting, rich as in one too many wool blankets on a cool night, rich as
He'd been so gentle, so sweet with the kids, it had made Lily's heart yearn and ache.
Another time, she'd heard the frost in his voice as he'd implacably told off a hired hand who'd treated one of the horses roughly. The man had been drunk and belligerent and Derek had him packed up and Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
fired without raising his voice. The expression on Derek's face had chilled Lily to the bone. She'd never seen anything as unforgiving or cold.
Would the real Derek Wright please stand up? Lily thought dryly. The glimpse she'd had of him with the children had made her want to know more. She'd driven back home as fast as possible, all the while giving herself a firm mental kick in the pants.
She kept her hands stuffed in her pockets. "No thank you."
"You don't even know what I'm giving you."
"Neither do I want to. Go away."
Lily watched him untangle the wires with an amazingly delicate touch.
"This," he told her, snagging the front of her jacket with one large hand to keep her in place, "is a lip mic.
I want you to wear it from tomorrow until the end of the race."
"Well, damn, and I thought a smart guy like you would know girls prefer jewelry to electronics," Lily said sweetly. Damn it. He was too close. His breath smelled of the coffee he'd drunk, his skin smelled of soap and his hands—what the hell were his hands doing?
"Cut it out! Don't take off my ha—Damn it, it's freezing! Hey! Don't stick that thing in my hair." Lily slapped his hand away. "I'm not wearing it." That's all she needed, Derek in her ear as she was trying to find peace. She yanked the small headset free and stuffed it back in his warm hand. "Thanks for the thoughtful gift, but I don't take presents from people I don't like."
His lips twitched. "At least clip it to your collar. Here, see? You don't even have to turn it on if you don't want to. Just for emergencies. Please? For me?"
"Take it, sis. It's a good idea."
Lily shot a glare at her stepbrother. " Et tu, Brute ?" She spun around to Derek when Matt gave her a sheepish smile. "I like silence just fine. Having you yakking away in my ear for a thousand miles will drive me nuts."
"I asked nicely."
"Yeah. Which makes me suspicious as hell."
"Come on, Lily. Do I have to say it?"
"Say what?"
"I'd feel a hell of a lot safer knowing you were nearby if I have any problems with the dogs."
She gave him a suspicious look. He appeared sincere. And was still considered a novice… "Okay," she said, against her better judgment. "Show me how it works and I'll keep it in my poc—"
"Clipped to your collar. Here." His hand brushed her throat, causing Lily to shiver from the soles of her feet to her hair follicles. He clipped the small mic to her collar, then handed her back her gray and white Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
fur hat. She tugged it on, glaring at his back as he strolled off into the crowd.
"Wow. That was some intense interaction," Matt said, giving her a curious look. "What was that about?"
Snagging her attention away from happy homicidal thoughts, Lily shrugged. "Just a Derekism."
"Ever wonder what it would've been like," Matt asked, "if you'd chosen Derek instead of Sean?"
"No." She'd made her bed all those years ago. And if she had thought about it—occasionally, briefly, fleetingly —it was always with relief she hadn't continued seeing Derek. Sure, Sean hadn't been perfect—not by a long shot. But Derek wasn't without issues, either. Just different issues.
"He's far too rich for my blood, for one thing," Lily told him.
"I thought all women believe you couldn't be too thin or too rich. Nothing wrong with being loaded."
"Not that kind of rich," Lily said. "Rich as in too much dark chocolate in one sitting, rich as in one too many wool blankets on a cool night, rich as
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