His brothers would laugh him off the ranch if he said it out loud to them, but meeting Mallory Franklin had felt like a lightning strike. No woman had ever had that effect on him before and he didn’t much care for the fact that this one did. He could deal when there was a ghost of a chance that she was married, but now he knew for sure she wasn’t and it was a problem. Not only was there no husband, she was looking for one.
Then again, soon enough someone in Rust Creek Falls would clue her in that Caleb Dalton wasn’t marriage material.
* * *
Mallory wished she could get the look of panic on Caleb Dalton’s face out of her mind. Clearly, escaping from her as quickly as possible had been his top priority. That was several hours ago; she and Lily had come home to their three-bedroom house on the southeast corner of South Broomtail Road and Commercial Street. It was after dinner, so the two of them were in the middle of the bedtime routine. Still, every time she remembered this child telling him she’d like a husband, Mallory wanted the earth to open and swallow her whole.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
She looked at the little girl, blow-drying her thick, straight black hair after her shower. This child had been placed in her care by a cruel twist of fate, making Mallory a mother. Lily hadn’t come with a set of instructions or a how-to manual. There needed to be a discussion about what she had said, but Mallory didn’t want to make her think she’d done something wrong or stifle her natural enthusiasm and spontaneity.
She just needed Lily to understand that she couldn’t go around telling virtual strangers, not even cowboys, that her aunt was looking for a husband. But how did one approach that?
Mallory had no model from her childhood to fall back on. Her own parents would have oozed disapproval, then given her the silent treatment. She’d decided when Lily came to live with her that when there was an issue, she would do the exact opposite of what her mother and father had. So far Mallory had managed to handle every situation fairly easily, but now was definitely the time for a talk.
When the little girl turned off the blow-dryer, Mallory said, “Lily, how did you like spending time at the office today?”
“It was okay. A little boring.”
Not from where Mallory had been standing. She squeezed toothpaste onto a princess toothbrush and handed it over. “Oh?”
“I like reading, but it would have been more fun at Amelia’s house.”
Her new best friend. “I’m sorry that didn’t work out. But sometimes—”
“Things don’t go the way we want and we all have to do things we don’t like,” she parroted.
“Right.” That was good, no? Finishing the sentence proved that she listened and filed it away. “You did a very good job at the receptionist desk.”
Lily stuck the toothbrush into her mouth and talked around it. “Do you think Mr. Dalton will pay me?”
Mallory laughed. “I think that was pro bono. That means you did it at no charge.”
“That’s what I figured.” She brushed her teeth, then rinsed and wiped her mouth on the green hand towel sitting beside the sink.
Mallory was sitting on the closed lid of the toilet and stood. “Are you ready for bed?”
“Do I have to be?”
“It’s time,” she answered, firm but kind.
The token pushback was part of the established nighttime ritual. After Mallory’s sister and brother-in-law died together in a car accident, she’d become Lily’s guardian and the two of them had gone to grief counseling. She’d learned that routine would provide security and stability, a safe environment to put one foot in front of the other and get on with the business of living. It seemed to be working.
Lily turned off the light as she left the bathroom and Mallory followed her down the hall. The child’s room had lavender walls with white baseboards and doors. A canopy bed was centered on one wall with a princess spread over it that matched the lamp and curtains. Her niece had picked out everything because Mallory felt it was important for her to feel as if she had some control over her life. Even if control was an illusion, a fact hammered home after the trauma of losing her mother and father at the same time.
Lily hopped on the bed and grabbed her favorite stuffed animal, a pink elephant. “I like Mr. Dalton’s son.”
“Caleb.” Mallory cringed just thinking about him, then sat on the bed.
“I think he’s very handsome. Like a prince. Can a cowboy be a prince?”
Mallory thought he was handsome, too. Brown hair, blue eyes, muscular. The white cotton snap-front shirt he wore fit him like a second skin and highlighted the contours of his broad chest and flat stomach. Worn jeans hugged strong thighs that no doubt kept him from falling off his horse while he did whatever job needed doing on the family ranch. But saying any of this out loud to Lily wouldn’t be productive to this conversation.
“That depends on your definition of prince. Usually that’s a male child born to royalty.”
“That’s not what I meant, but it’s okay. You’re changing the subject. You do that when you don’t want to talk about something.”
“Do I?” She hadn’t realized Lily noticed. All her energy went into learning and knowing this child and she hadn’t thought about the fact that it worked both ways. “I guess I do. But there is something I’d like to talk about.”
Lily sighed. “I bet it’s about what I said.”
“What do you think you said?” She was a smart little cookie.
“I shouldn’t have told Caleb you’d like a husband.”
“That’s right.” She took Lily’s small hand into her own and brushed a thumb over the delicate knuckles. “The thing is, ladybug, you and I have been through a lot of changes in the last year.”
“You mean because Mommy and Daddy died.”
“Yes.” Her heart caught. Would that always happen when she thought about her only sister being gone? She couldn’t even imagine how Lily felt. “You and I are getting used to each other.”
“I like living with you.”
“And I like you living with me, too.” Her heart caught again. “But I’m really not looking for a husband.”
“Why not?”
So many reasons. None of which Lily would understand. “I just think it should be you and me alone for a while. Bringing someone else in is another change and we’ve had so many.”
“If you say so.”
“I do.”
Mallory knew her mother would have continued to hammer the message home, so in keeping with her philosophy to do the opposite, she figured enough said. “It’s time for your prayers, sweetie.”
The little girl closed her eyes and folded her hands with the stuffed animal still under her arm. “Dear God, bless my friend Amelia and her mom. Mr. Dalton and Caleb. Everyone at day care. Please take care of my mommy and daddy. Keep them company so they don’t miss me too much. Bless Aunt Mallory.” She opened her eyes, then quickly scrunched them shut. “I almost forgot. Mommy and Daddy, please help Aunt Mal be ready for another change. Amen.”
Without commenting on the content of the prayers, Mallory leaned close and kissed the child’s forehead. “I love you, Lily.”
“Love you, too.” She rolled away and curled into a ball. In minutes she would be asleep.
Mallory quietly slipped out of the room, then stopped in the doorway