Twin Temptations by Carol Lynne Page B

meant the world to them to have his blessing. “Thanks.”
    “Be careful, that’s all I ask. Not everyone’s going to be as accepting of this new relationship.”
    “We know. Call us if you find out anything about Lilly’s car. Do you think it’ll be totalled out by the insurance company?”
    “Yeah, I’d say so. The whole car’s not worth more than a thousand bucks. I hope she has full coverage.”
    “Doesn’t matter. We’ll figure something out.”
    “Here she comes, do you want to talk to her?”
    “If you don’t mind,” Ryker grinned. He heard Rawley hold out the phone and tell Lilly it was Ryker.
    “Hi,” Lilly answered.
    “Hi, sweetheart. Did you get Mrs. Clemens to agree to go to her sister’s?”
    “Finally,” she chuckled. “I’m taking her up to Lincoln in a few minutes.”
    Ryker’s body began to stir from the sound of Lilly’s voice. “Make sure you drive safe, and keep a watchful eye out for anything suspicious. I don’t think anyone would be foolish enough to bother you in broad daylight, but it doesn’t hurt to keep your eyes open.”
    Lilly laughed. “I care about you, too. I need to go. Mrs. Clemens is standing on her porch with suitcase in hand. I’ll call you before I go to Bunco.”
    “Bye, sweetheart. I’ll see you later.” Ryker hung up the phone and closed his eyes. “Life is good,” he whispered to himself.
     

    Lilly went straight to her mom’s after dropping Mrs. Clemens at her sister’s retirement apartment. She pulled up to the old farmhouse with just enough time to take a quick shower and get ready.
    After   her shower, she dressed in a pair of navy shorts and a floral button-up camp shirt. Pulling the sides of her hair back into a large barrette, she went into the kitchen to find her mom.
    “Hey, baby girl,” Debbie said.
    “Hey, mom,” Lilly answered, giving her mom a kiss on the cheek.
    “What did Rawley tell you about your car?” Debbie asked, putting plastic wrap over the top of a plate of brownies.
    Lilly snuck a brownie off the plate before her mom had it completely covered. “That he’d send a report to my insurance company. He went over with me earlier to take fingerprints and wait for me to pack a bag. Ranger and Ryker think I should stay with them until we know whoever did this has got it out of their system.” Lilly pinched off a piece of the dessert and stuck it into her mouth.
    Debbie’s eyebrow lifted as she looked at Lilly. “You know you could’ve just come home for awhile. Are you sure staying with them is a good idea?”
    Lilly looked at her mom for several seconds. She’d thought about the implications all the way home from Lincoln. “Yeah, mom, it’s what I want. If people are going to have a problem with it, it won’t matter if it happens now or two months from now, because I feel that this thing between the three of us is right.”
    Debbie walked over and kissed the top of her head. “Okay.” She looked up at the clock. “You ready?”
    Lilly picked up the plate of devilled eggs on the counter while her mom carried the brownies. “Let’s go play.”
     

     
    Getting out of Ryker’s truck, Lilly grabbed her purse and a plate of food. She looked around at the cars lining the street. “Pretty good turn out it seems.”
    “It’s usually a good crowd when we play in town.” Debbie came around the truck to meet Lilly on the sidewalk.
    “Maybe I’ll get lucky, and you won’t need me to play after all,” Lilly grinned. She’d much rather be playing with her men than a bunch of old women.
    They headed toward the big front porch when a voice like nails on a chalkboard spoke up. “Isn’t that Ryker Good’s truck?” Mary Waters asked. Mary was several years older than Lilly and liked to think of herself as the town beauty.
    “Yes, it is. What gave you your first clue? Could it be the Good’s Feedlot sign on the side?” Lilly knew she was being snide, but dammit, she wasn’t in the mood for this holier than