Lily looked up at him. “There’s another room with a computer, but it’s kind of boring. Would you like something to drink?”
“Yes.” He glanced once more at the closed door and knew he needed lots of ice to take his temperature down a couple notches.
He had a glass of iced tea in his hand when Mallory walked into the kitchen. The sexy sight of her barefoot in white shorts and a green tank top nearly blew the top of his head off. Her legs weren’t long, but they were really nice and would wrap just fine around a man’s waist.
He took a long swallow of his drink and waited for the blood to route back to his brain from where it was headed now south of his belt. “Nice place you’ve got here.”
She opened the refrigerator and glanced over her shoulder. “Thanks. After the flood, it was in bad shape and someone walked away, so I got it for a great price. It needed a lot of work, but I could see the potential.”
“My room is the best,” Lily said, sitting in one of the stools on the other side of the island.
“I’m glad you think so, ladybug. Can you set the table for three?”
“Okay.” She slid down from her tall stool.
Mallory set frozen hamburger patties, buns and all the trimmings on the granite-topped island beside where Caleb was standing.
The look she gave him was wry. “She likes pink.”
“I noticed.”
She separated the frozen patties. “It looks like a bottle of Pepto-Bismol exploded in there. I would never tell her that because the room makes her happy.”
“Making her happy is obviously important to you.”
“Her whole world was destroyed and I’m trying my best to put it back together.” She shrugged. “There was money from her parents’ estate and I thought using some for a house was a good investment in their daughter’s future. It’s a solid foundation for rebuilding her life. If lavender walls give her security, then that works for me. If she changes her mind and wants pink next week, I’ll hire painters.”
“That’s quite a commitment. Not just anyone would drop everything for a kid.”
Mallory watched the child put out place mats, plates, utensils and napkins. “She’s given me so much more than I have her. I love her more every day. She comes first.”
He’d figured that. Whoever Mallory let into her life would also be held to that standard. It was a lot of responsibility. Caleb wasn’t that guy and was pretty sure she knew it, but he could be her friend. And Lily’s.
“What can I do to help?” he asked.
She was cutting up tomato, lettuce and onion, arranging the slices on a plate. “Can you light the grill?”
“Hey, it’s me.” He grinned. “Fire good. How do you think we eat on the trail?”
“I’m guessing that has more to do with sticks and a match than propane,” she said wryly. “But if I had to guess, I’d say beef jerky and MREs—meals ready to eat.”
“That’s just crazy talk to trash my reputation. I respectfully request the opportunity to redeem it.”
She looked up, onion in one hand and knife in the other. “Just how will you do that?”
“Put me in charge of cooking the hamburgers. I promise not to let you down.”
“Really? Completely?”
“Yes. Requesting permission to season the patties and be in charge of cheese.”
“Wow.” Amusement brought out the gold flecks in her brown eyes. “You take hamburgers pretty seriously.”
“It’s beef, this is Montana, and I’m a rancher. Enough said.”
“Permission granted. Do I need to salute?”
“Just this once you get a pass.”
She smiled, then pulled a long-handled metal spatula from the drawer and put it on the platter with the patties and cheese. “I’ll make a salad and open a can of beans. The rest is up to you.”
Caleb found the grill on the wooden deck just outside the kitchen’s sliding glass door. After lighting it, he cleaned and prepped the grill.
Lily came outside. “Can I watch?”
“Sure. Just don’t get too close and burn yourself.”
“I won’t.”
He threw the meat on and closed the lid, waiting for the sizzling and smoking to start. In spite of his teasing, very little skill was involved in cooking burgers and Lily kept up a running commentary while he flipped and checked. There was a time when he’d have thought all the chatter would make his ears hurt, but she was sweet and funny and cute as could be.
When the patties were cooked all the way through, he put them on a plate. Lily opened the slider and he brought everything inside, then set it on the table. “Mission accomplished.”
“Smells good. Mmm.” Mallory closed her eyes and drew in a breath. “I’m starving.”
Caleb drew in a breath, too, but for different reasons. The realization hit him like a wrecking ball that he was hungry, too. But it had nothing to do with food and everything to do with thoughts of her that he couldn’t seem to shut down. This was getting more complicated than he’d expected. The dinner invitation had caught him off guard. That was the only explanation for why he’d accepted. On the drive over he’d rationalized that it wouldn’t be a problem. He’d been wrong.
Now he needed to get out as soon as possible. Right after dinner, if possible.
“I think we’re ready. Lily, did you wash your hands?” Mallory looked at the little girl, the mom look Caleb remembered from his own childhood when no rebellion would be tolerated.
“I’ll do it now.” She went to the kitchen sink and stood on tiptoe to do as ordered.
When she was finished they all sat at the table and put the stuff they wanted on their burgers. Caleb wolfed his down, but Mallory and Lily ate at a snail’s pace. That probably had something to do with all the talking. Sharing details about the day. What they were going to do over the weekend.
In his little house not too far from the ranch, mostly he ate dinner by himself. Sometimes there was a woman, but he could truthfully say there were no children. This was new and felt as different as walking on the moon.
Finally the two of them had eaten until stuffed and he was nearly home free. He would wait an appropriate amount of time, then plead an early start to his day tomorrow before taking his leave. It was only polite to help with cleanup, so he and Lily cleared the table while Mallory put away leftovers. Plates and utensils were stacked in the dishwasher and counters cleaned off. He was about to say good-night when Lily clapped her hands.
“I have an idea. We should play a game.” She looked at her aunt. “It’s not bedtime.”
“You’re right. What game did you have in mind?” Mallory asked.
“Caleb, do you like word games? Like Scrabble? Aunt Mallory just taught me to play and it’s my favorite!”
He’d been told he was pretty good with words, but that had to do with charming the ladies, not keeping score and tallying up the numbers on tiles. The thing was, if he said no, she would come up with something else. Best to tell the truth, then follow that quickly with how disappointed he was that he couldn’t stay.
“I do like word games,” he said, “but—”
“Me, too.” Sheer joy and excitement glowed