Lili couldn’t remember a holiday she’d enjoyed so much.
Playing with the Rocking L campers warmed her heart and made her feel like a kid again herself. The children, all of whom qualified to attend the camp because each had suffered a significant loss of some sort, reminded her that in the big scheme of things her problems weren’t bad at all.
Shoot, in the little scheme of things she didn’t have anything to whine about.
The game of Frisbee had evolved into another game of tag. That ended when twilight fell and the Callahan men broke out sparklers for the children. Lili watched Brick tease and joke with his younger siblings, cousins, and campers, and her heart gave a little twist. If only …
“He’s awfully good with children,” Annabelle Callahan said, slipping her arm through Lili’s. “Better than with Hollywood starlets, for sure.”
“That woman is not a nice person.”
“No, she’s not. Although you have to admire the way she’s capitalized on the publicity. By the way, you sure looked cute in that picture on the front of yesterday’s Star.”
Lili winced. At least the photo had been small and she’d been wearing her sunglasses. “Oh. Don’t remind me.”
“Brick said his phone rang off the wall yesterday. He’s booked halfway through next season. He owes you. At the very least he should give you a free vacation at Stardance River Camp.”
Liliana grinned. “I might take that.”
A shriek of squeals and laughter interrupted them, and they turned to watch Maddie’s daughters being chased by Nicholas Lancaster’s dog. Annabelle said, “It’s noisy here. Will you walk with me a bit, Liliana? There’s something I’d like to show you.”
“Okay.”
Lili thought Annabelle Callahan’s voice sounded just a little too casual. She hadn’t missed the speculative looks the group of women had been giving her earlier. She hoped Brick’s stepmother didn’t plan to serve grilled Lili for dessert.
Lili sensed Annabelle could do it if she wanted. The Callahan wives were impressive. Beautiful, strong, and obviously devoted to their families—and their men had eyes only for them.
Yearning pulled at Lili. She wished …
Annabelle’s next comment surprised Lili. “Mark and I are so proud of the life Brick is building here. I know that you are aware of his background, his family, and how he came to know that Mark was his dad. When I first met Brick, he was almost a grown man. Ready to head off to Hawaii for college. He’d been raised with love and was strong enough to take on the world—and he did. Mark was so proud of him. We wanted him to settle in Texas, but he knew what he wanted. He’s always known what he wants.”
Tiffany. Lili didn’t think she said the name aloud, but maybe she had, because Annabelle went there, too. “Of course, like anyone, sometimes he wants something that isn’t good for him. That’s when it’s difficult to be a parent.” She gave Lili a sidelong look and said, “Brick’s father couldn’t stand Tiffany Lambeau.”
Me, either, Lili wanted to say.
“There was just … something … about her. Something manipulative, and when the breakup finally happened none of us were surprised. Frankly, I was relieved. But I was sad that she broke Brick’s heart.”
“She recently went to work at my firm,” Lili shared. “Believe me, he’s better off without her.”
“I’m sure. But enough about her.” They both looked up as a bright red cardinal flitted from a fir tree to a spruce. Annabelle continued, “The thing I’ve learned about Callahan men is that when they love, they do it with their whole hearts and without reservation. They may all be big, strong, powerful men, but when their hearts are wounded, it takes them a long time to heal. And young love—first love—is especially binding.
“John Gabriel almost grieved himself into a grave over the loss of his first wife. Mark took years and years to put the loss of Brick’s mother behind him. And Branch … that cantankerous old dear … his heart still bleeds for his Margaret Mary.”
A string of firecrackers exploded and both women glanced over their shoulders to see the Callahan men with punks in their hands and maniacal grins on their faces. Lili smiled and said, “They’re acting like boys now.”
“They do so love the Fourth. And family. The journey here has been a long and hard one for my husband, his brothers, and Branch. That’s part of the reason why they appreciate it so much. They came so close to losing it forever.”
“It’s wonderful that Mark was able to find his son.”
“Yes, isn’t it? What is fascinating—and a bit scary to be honest—is that despite an eighteen-year separation, Brick and his father are so much alike.”
She looked at Lili as she said, “Mark likes to think that if he’d been around, he could have nipped the Tiffany thing in the bud. I disagree. I think Brick needed that experience to make him the man he is today.”
Mr. Three-Dates-and-You’re-Out?
“I know he’s relationship shy. Another thing about Callahan men is that they have a tendency to learn things the hard way. With Brick you have to add in the fact that he’s so, well … brick headed. I fear he’s the most like his grandfather in that regard, heaven help him. Makes him a challenge. Makes him a lot of work.”
Lili wouldn’t argue that.
“But like anything else in life, if it was easy, anyone could do it. It takes a strong woman to love a Callahan man. It takes a patient woman to earn his love in return. I have to tell you, Liliana, it’s more than worth the effort.”
Lili had to ask her question past the lump in her throat. “Why are you telling me all this, Annabelle?”
“You love him, don’t you?”
That left Lili speechless. She’d only recently figured it out herself. She’d loved him since she was nine years old, but fear had kept her from admitting it now at twenty-nine.
When Lili didn’t respond, Annabelle continued, “Here we are. This is what I wanted to show you. Our men always have one special project they work on together here at the North Forty. After the dance hall, which turned out to be a much bigger project than they had planned, they chose something smaller. This was Brick’s idea. It’s not finished, of course, but it’s pretty spectacular even now. Don’t you think?”
A tree house. Lili’s lips lifted in a smile. “It’s a real tree house. Not like the fancy things up at his River Camp. It reminds me of the one he and my brother built in his backyard. You know, I wasn’t allowed in that tree house.”
“Because it wasn’t safe?”
“Because I was a girl.”
Annabelle frowned in disgust. “Those dogs. Well, Liliana Howe, you are allowed in this tree house. In fact, I’m inviting you to watch the fireworks from here. I promise you a beautiful view.”
“That sounds like fun,” she replied, meaning it. “Thank you. I’ll do that.”
Annabelle gestured toward the ladder. “Be our guest, Lili. Be courageous. Welcome to our world.”
Lili climbed the ladder, expecting Annabelle to follow her. But when she poked her head through the opening in the tree house floor and spied the items stacked in one corner, she suddenly understood. Quilts. Champagne. Condoms.
How weird was this? His mother!
And yet the fact of Annabelle Callahan’s approval both warmed her heart and encouraged her. Lili repeated, “Be courageous.”
She drew a deep, bracing breath and climbed the rest of the way into the tree house.
* * *
“Do I have to?” Brick whined.
“Oh, for crying out loud,” Aunt Torie said. “You sound just like Benny.”
Matt and Torie’s Benjamin was eight years old.
Nevertheless, Brick didn’t want to leave the lakefront and go retrieve the binoculars his aunt had left up in the tree house. He still had a few more aerials to shoot off before the professional show started, and he needed to find Liliana. Call him a fool for torturing himself, but he wanted to sit beside her to watch the fireworks.
As Brick bent over to peer into his sack of fireworks, his grandfather kicked his ass. “Do as your aunt asks, whippersnapper.”
“Yessir. Just one last Spider.”
He set out the shell, set the punk to wick, then stepped back when sparks began to sizzle. Thwump! A white trail of sparks wiggled up into the sky and exploded into fast-burning legs of red, white, and blue. Brick extinguished his punk, glanced around once more for Liliana, then hurried toward the tree house.
It had been a great day. Ever since his family had purchased the property on Hummingbird Lake and begun spending the Fourth in Eternity Springs, the holiday had eclipsed Christmas in his enjoyment. Nothing like having both his families together.
That thought reminded him of his Oklahoma siblings. Courtney never had shown up today, and his parents hadn’t been able to hide their disappointment. It teed Brick off. No wonder Josh had tried to dodge him all day. He wondered what excuse she’d given their brother for having bailed on the family get-together. Whatever it was, it wasn’t good enough. Paul and Cindy Christopher had been nothing but kind to Courtney—just like they’d been to all of their foster children.
Something was up with Court. Probably that asshat ex-boyfriend in Denver. Brick wished she’d confide in him so he could help.
Thinking about that situation threatened to totally ruin his good mood, so Brick chose to put it out of his mind for the rest of the holiday. As he approached the tree house, the patriotic strains of “The Stars and Stripes Forever” sounded from the outdoor speakers stationed about the property and the first percussion explosive launched into the sky.
He climbed the ladder quickly and had just stepped onto the tree house floor when a huge golden Peony burst above him and momentarily illuminated the inside of the tree house. He identified the shadowed figure immediately. “Liliana,” he said. “Here you are.”
“Here I am.”
“Aren’t you smart to grab the best viewing spot on the property? Except…” He folded his arms and teased in an accusing tone, “Some things don’t change. You shouldn’t be here. No girls allowed.”
Wryly, she drawled, “Tell that to your stepmother.”
“Annabelle?” Brick’s delight at discovering her in the privacy of the tree house suddenly faded to wariness. “What does Annabelle have to do with it?”
From below, he heard interfering Annabelle’s familiar voice call, “I invited her.”
Immediately it clicked. He knew what the wives were up to. Brick moved toward the ladder but proved to be half a step too slow and the ladder slipped below his reach. He stared down into the darkness toward the ground, twelve feet below. “Seriously?”
“Enjoy the fireworks,” Aunt Maddie called.
“Bet they’re all down there,” he grumbled. “I should have known.” Raising his voice, he called, “I can climb down, you know.”
Aunt Nic’s voice drifted up. “Only if you’re stupid.”
He knew his aunt wasn’t referring to the possibility of falling and breaking his neck.
“What’s the matter, Callahan?” Aunt Torie asked. “Scared of the dark? Good thing you have … protection.”
The women cackled. Darned if he didn’t hear Mom’s voice saying something about hot rockets, too.
Feeling a bit like a caged mountain lion, he whirled on Liliana and demanded, “Did they put you up to this?”
“I’m innocent. Honestly. Annabelle said she wanted to show me something. I didn’t expect a thing until I saw the champagne.”
“Champagne?”
“In the corner.”
His eyes adjusted to the added darkness of the tree house, and he was able to identify the bucket and blankets in the northwest corner of the tree house.
“We’re missing the show. I’m going up.”
“Up” was the platform attached to the tree house’s roof designed for cloud watching on a summer day. While Chrysanthemums and Horse Tails burst in the sky above, he considered his options. It was true. He could climb safely to the ground, replace the ladder for Liliana, and go on his way. This attempted manipulation by matchmaking meddlers rubbed him the wrong way.
But at the same time … champagne and a beautiful woman and the night sky? Fireworks? He’d wanted to watch the fireworks with her, hadn’t he?
In public. Around his family. Around the children.
Not in private.
With champagne. And … “Oh … no. Tell me they didn’t.”
Protection.
He looked closer at the supplies in the corner. Boxes. Three boxes of condoms. For the first time in longer than he could remember, Brick sensed the heat of a flush of embarrassment on his cheeks. What sort of parenting was this? I’m selling everything and moving to Alaska. And I’m not leaving a forwarding address.
But despite his misgivings, Brick couldn’t stop himself from reaching for the champagne. The pop of the cork blended with the boom of rockets. Moments later, carrying two glasses of a fine sparkling wine, he climbed the staircase to the platform and Liliana.
She lay atop a blanket, her hands cradling her head, watching the fireworks show. He sat down beside her. “I brought champagne.”
She levered herself up and accepted the glass. “Thank you.”
He held his out for a toast. “To … freedom.”
“To freedom,” she repeated.
They clinked glasses, sipped the champagne, and watched the sky. A full five minutes passed before he said, “My family drives me crazy.”
“I love your family. My parents wouldn’t have done this on a bet.”
“They’re a bunch of busybodies. The guys are just as bad as their women. Sometimes worse.”
“You’re lucky to have them.”
He sighed. “Yeah. I know.”
“They love you very much.”
“Yeah. I know. I love them, too. More when they’re in Texas, but…”
She laughed and his body responded, his pulse pounded, almost keeping time with the patriotic music that was itself timed to the fireworks. It took all his discipline not to roll over on top of her and kiss her senseless.
When a particularly spectacular shell lit the sky and she purred with pleasure, he closed his eyes. “Why are you here tonight, Liliana?”
She waited until the glitter of a star’s tail effect faded to respond. “To watch fireworks?”
Then she turned to look at him, as if to dare him to disagree. Her seafoam eyes were soft and slightly challenging, luminous and heated as a teal-green sunburst lit up the night sky. She wanted him.
“Is that all?” He let his hand curl in the waves of her hair, allowing a faint whisper of Heavenscents gardenia to envelop his senses.
This time a full minute passed before she answered his question. “I’d like more than three dates and we’re done. I’d like tonight and the rest of the summer before I leave for romance. I’ve never had a summer romance. I’d like to have that with you.”
He rolled up onto his elbow, reached out, and caressed her cheek. “I can give you romance, Lili-fair, but I don’t know if I can give you anything else. Anything more.”
He wished he could. If he had the ability to give anyone anything more, it would be her.
His heart pounded like a drum until she spoke.
“No strings, Mark. I’m here until summer’s end. Can you give me a summer romance with no strings attached?”
It was an offer he’d be a fool to refuse. Brick was no fool. She wanted him, just him. No strings. No demands. Him, not all he brought with him. A summer romance. And yet the idea rested uneasily on his mind, even as he rolled over and kissed her. His voice low and rough, he said. “I can do that. I will be honored to do that.”
She reached up and touched his face, moving her slender fingers over his skin. “Then take me down into your tree house, Mark.”
He groaned deep in his throat. “Don’t you want to wait for the grand finale?”
“Well … hmm…” She lifted her head and nipped at the lobe of his ear. “I’m sort of hoping that won’t happen for hours yet.”
With aerial explosions in every color of the rainbow lighting the sky, Brick leaned in and quickly caught her mouth with his own and then led Liliana down the steps to shelter.
With careful, almost reverent, attention, he stripped her clothes from her body.
And then the pyrotechnics began.