to hold it in place.
âI thought you might be afraid of heights,â she said solemnly.
âNow how would you know that?â he asked, content now that she was curving her face into the palm of his hand.
âBecause Iâm scared of heights, too,â she whispered.
âWell,â he said. âWeâd make quite the pair then, wouldnât we?â
He felt her nod with her head against his hand. He curled his hand under her chin and tipped her face up slightly so he could bend down and kiss her. The first one was quick and much too fleeting. But as he angled his head to kiss again, he heard his heart start to pound in an alarming way. He stopped and realized it wasnât his heart that he was hearing.
He turned his head and saw that Lilly was knocking on the window of his pickup. He saw the bus in thebackground and the other children running to other cars. He and Maegan had been in lost in their own world. He glanced over at her and saw she was adjusting her hair.
âThe window,â she whispered at him.
He opened the door instead. Lilly was standing there with her backpack slung over her shoulder. âWe were justââ he tried to think ââI mean, we were waiting for you andââ
âPlease,â Lilly said as she rolled her eyes. âIâve seen kissing before.â
âOh, yes, I suppose.â Clint wondered what the rules were for foster parents. He pulled his seat forward so she could slip into the backseat of his pickup.
âMy dad kisses women all the time,â Lilly declared with indifference as she threw her backpack inside and slid in.
Clint frowned slightly as he turned to face the girl. âI really donât think you ought to beââ
Lilly was getting a belligerent look on her face.
âWe finished painting your room today,â Maegan interrupted with cheer in her voice.
Clint realized that now wasnât the time to question Lilly on the morals of her father. Besides, he didnât need to ask her much. He knew his brother. Thatâs why heâd devised a proposition for Joe that the man wouldnât turn down.
âIs it lavender?â Lilly asked, not quite relaxing yet. âDid it come out looking like the color itâs supposed to be?â
âItâs perfect,â Maegan assured her.
The smile on Lillyâs face made Clint content. He wished heâd taken out a paintbrush when the girl firstcame to his house. Heâd do anything to see that the girl was happy. He hadnât told anyone yet, but heâd figured out what he could do for Lilly. He was going to offer the ranch to Joe in exchange for him raising Lilly. He had already bought Joeâs portion of the ranch from him ten years ago, but Joe might be ready to settle down and he liked owning things.
Unfortunately, if he gave his brother all of his money, he would be starting over himself. He knew a couple of jobs that were open in Dry Creek and heâd get by. He figured it would sour his chances with Maegan, but he was going to ask her to be his wife anyway when everything was settled with the girl. If a man couldnât risk his pride for love, then he was a poor man indeed.
Clint started the pickup again and backed out of the spot where heâd parked. Maegan was going to have dinner with them tonight and then he was going to drive her back to her room over Mrs. Hargroveâs garage. They all had a routine these days and it was one that satisfied him. It was five more days until his brotherâs birthday and heâd called Joe yesterday reminding him he was expected for dinner that night. Lilly planned to make him a chocolate cake with candles and Maegan promised to make a chicken enchilada recipe that Mrs. Hargrove had shown her.
Clint planned to call his brother on Monday and remind him again. As bad as it would hurt to have Lilly ask to go with Joe, he could deal with that better than the hurt Lilly
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