Page 10 of Wyoming Bodyguard (Sunrise Security #1)

M adden stalked toward the front door with the taste of Lily still on his lips and yanked it open. “What the hell did you bring?”

Reid stood on the porch carrying two large brown bags. “Eve sent me with food. Where do you want me to put it?”

He glanced at his watch, shocked to discover the time. Somehow late afternoon had crept in without so much as a thought to eating lunch. “Set it on the island in the kitchen. I’ll grab something once we’re done with the cameras.”

While Reid crossed through the living room to unburden his load, Madden padded down the hallway and poked his head into the office. “Reid brought food from Tilly’s. It’s in the kitchen if you’re hungry. I’m going to help him outside.”

Glancing up from the computer, her eyes locked on his and she gave a small nod. “Tell Reid thanks.”

“Will do.” He left her to find his partner. He couldn’t handle another second sharing such close quarters with her. He needed fresh air. A task to focus on that would take his mind away from his own stupidity.

Reid stood in the kitchen and shoved french fries in his mouth. “You really should eat these now. They won’t be as good if you have to warm them up.”

“I thought you said the food was for me and Lily?” He followed the savory scents of grease and salt.

“Trust me. She won’t mind. Want me to find you a plate or just eat from the containers? There’s burgers and a big ass salad. Fries and onion rings. Eve even threw in some of her homemade apple pie.”

Madden reached in the bag for a fat onion ring and took a bite, closing his eyes as he savored the crispy coating. A part of him wanted to dig in and fill his empty stomach, but he didn’t want his presence to deter Lily from coming into the kitchen to eat.

“We have work to do. I’ll eat when we’re done.”

Reid’s eyebrows shot up. “I thought I was supposed to put up the cameras so you can keep an eye on Lily?”

“We won’t be far.” He stomped past Reid and out of the house.

“Everything okay, boss?” Reid asked, following.

“Dude, I told you. Stop calling me that.”

Reid grinned. “She’s really getting to ya, huh?”

Madden fisted his hands at his sides so he wouldn’t smack the amusement off his friend’s face. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Now, where are the cameras?”

“In my truck.” Reid climbed down the porch steps to his truck and pulled a duffel from the passenger seat. “Did you already figure out where we should place them?”

Madden pointed out the spots he’d already picked. “I want some floodlights, too. One by the front and back doors. Maybe by some of the barns.”

“I brought two lights. We can cover the house, but I’ll need to head back to the office to grab more. Can you get the rest of what we’ll need from the back?”

“Sure.” Madden found the red, rusted toolbox and ladder. He lifted them from the cab and placed them on the ground. He rummaged around inside to get to the tools they’d need and carried them to the starting place for the first camera.

The sun beat down and sweat dripped between Madden’s shoulder blades.

His stomach growled. Hunger hadn’t been on his mind until Reid had shown up with food.

Now he just wanted to get the cameras installed so he could grab a meal and a shower and settle his nerves.

Nerves that were a tangled mess after his dumb decision to kiss Lily.

They didn’t say another word as they worked quickly and efficiently until the areas outside the house were properly outfitted.

Climbing down the ladder, Madden plopped on the grass and leaned against the side of the barn. The muscles in his injured shoulder screamed but being active settled him.

“We done in this area?” Reid asked, and sat beside him in the shade.

“Yeah. We found drugs in a shed at the edge of the property. I want to set something up there. See if anyone comes snooping around. The rest of this place is too damn big to patrol, but as long as we know Lily’s safe, that’s the main objective.”

Reid let out a long, low whistle. “Drugs, huh? You think that’s connected to her dad?”

Madden shrugged. “Seems like a hell of a coincidence if it’s not, but I can’t jump to conclusions.

I want to talk to my dad. See if we’ve had any issues with trespassing or he’s heard about a drug problem.

He doesn’t leave home much these days, but he gets an earful every week when his buddies stop by.

He might have heard things that could prove useful. ”

“And how’s Lily? She holding up? All of this has to be a huge shock to her system.”

At the sound of her name, he swore he could taste her again. Feel her. “She’s fine.” The words squeaked out, his throat tight.

“Damn, you’ve got it bad.”

He growled, low and menacing. “Watch yourself. Lily’s a client, one who drives me crazy most of the time. Nothing more.”

Reid turned and studied him, eyes narrowed. “Tell yourself whatever you need to, but I know you. Something’s going on in your head. If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s no skin off my back. But if you do, I’m here.”

Sighing, Madden scrubbed a palm over his face.

Talking about his complicated feelings for Lily was the last thing he wanted to do, but if he didn’t get them out, he’d choke on them.

“I don’t know, man. Lily’s exactly who I thought she was but also so different.

The minute I have her figured out, something new comes out of her mouth that has me rethinking everything. ”

“Do you need a break? I can take over. I can think of worse ways to spend my day than hanging out with a beautiful woman on a gorgeous piece of land. Just say the word and I’ll take that burden off your shoulders for a little while.”

The urge to punch the smirk off his best friend’s face was enough to have Madden considering the offer. He was in way too deep with Lily, but he couldn’t back off now. And he definitely couldn’t stomach the idea of her spending time alone with Reid.

“I can handle her. I just need to keep things professional and do the work. Same as any other assignment.”

As if reading his mind, Reid snorted. “Sure thing, boss.”

Grumbling, he rose to his feet. Leaving the coolness of the shade was the last thing Madden wanted to do, but he had a job to finish. “Come on. We have one more camera to install by the shed.”

Then he had to prepare for spending the rest of the night with Lily. He’d dive into the details of this case and keep his lips to himself, even if it killed him.

* * *

An intrinsic need for comfort food had Lily reaching for the double cheeseburger over the sensible salad.

She debated eating while standing in the kitchen but decided to retreat to the office.

Madden might have changed his plans to help Reid with the equipment, but she wouldn’t tempt fate.

Better to keep looking through her father’s computer while also staying as far away from Madden as she could get.

The memory of their too-quick kiss flashed in her mind, and she pressed her fingertips to her lips.

The earth hadn’t just shaken when he’d kissed her, it’d been shoved off its axis.

She might not have a ton of experience with men, but she wasn’t a prude, and never had a man made her insides melt with a simple kiss before.

Settling back in her father’s desk chair, she took a giant bite of her burger.

Better to stuff her face with food than get lost in silly fantasies that would never come true.

Hell, she wasn’t even sure she wanted them to.

Finding Madden attractive and interesting was one thing, taking things between them a step further was another.

When her father healed and was released from the hospital, she didn’t need to send him right back to the emergency room. Which was exactly what would happen after he suffered a heart attack because she’d fallen for a McKay.

With the burger halfway finished and nothing of note so far on the computer, her mind drifted to Madden. She needed to get a grip before he returned. She couldn’t spend the rest of the evening with him if heat flooded her body every time she thought of him.

Especially since he’d made it clear he regretted the kiss and had fled the room as soon as the opportunity arose.

Needing to dissect her feelings with someone other than herself, she picked up her phone and called Eve.

“Hey, Lily. Did you get the food?” Eve asked when she answered on the second ring.

“Yes, thank you. You’ve already done so much and now you’re feeding me more. The burger was amazing.”

“Burger? Can’t remember the last time you came into Tilly’s and didn’t have a salad. I made sure to put your favorite in there.”

Eve’s confusion coaxed a smile from Lily. No matter how the next few days played out, she had to make more of an effort to connect with such a caring person. “Comfort food won out today. It’s been one for the books. I’m not sure how things keep getting worse, but they do.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” A beat of silence pulsed on the line. “How’s it been spending time with Madden? You two are like oil and water.”

Lily snorted out a short laugh. “You have no idea. The more time I spend with him the more he gets under my skin. But I’m also confused. He’s not exactly the man I thought he was.”

“I know you two have had your differences, and I won’t pretend like I completely understand either side, but he’s a good guy. Always has been. I’m glad you’re seeing a different side of him.”

“I’m not sure it’s a good thing,” Lily said, rolling her eyes to the ceiling.

“Far be it for me to pry, but now I’m really curious about what you guys have been up to out there all alone.”

Lily winced at the amusement in Eve’s voice. She considered dodging her interest, but the whole reason she called Eve was to get everything off her chest. “He kissed me.” The words shot out of her mouth before she could change her mind.

“What?” Eve’s question came out in a shriek of excitement. “How the heck did that even happen? I mean, you and Madden hated each other, and after just twenty-four hours you’re kissing?”

Groaning, Lily dropped her head in her hand, elbow propped on the desk. “Not kissing . Kissed. Singular. One time. And you are not to tell a soul because I’m sure it won’t happen again.”

“Okay,” Eve said, drawing out the word. “Do you not want it to happen again?”

She shrugged, even though no one could see her. “I don’t know. It was one hell of a kiss, but it’s Madden. No matter how nice and helpful he’s been, I can’t ever get past what his decision to sell his land has done to my family.”

“Have you talked to him about that?” Eve asked. “I mean, really talked to him. Open and honestly with no jabs or mean comments.”

She winced then clicked a new file on the computer. “Not really. I mean, we haven’t exactly been having heart-to-heart chats.”

“Maybe you should. You might never have a better time to really get to the bottom of a problem. Sometimes people make choices because they’re shoved in a corner that no one else sees.

I understand Madden and his dad made a decision that can’t be undone, but understanding their thinking might at least help you let go of some of your anger. ”

A spreadsheet filled with numbers littered the computer screen.

The ranch’s dwindling bank account reminded her of why she was so angry.

But Eve had a point. Life was too short to hold on to hostility that wasn’t helping anyone.

Especially if Eve was right and there was a deeper reason the McKays hadn’t shared.

She pulled up a different spreadsheet and sighed. “Having one less problem in my life would be nice.”

“And then if you happen to kiss again…”

Lily couldn’t help but laugh imagining Eve wiggling her eyebrows and smirking. “Not a good idea. Besides, he jumped up like he’d been bit by a rattlesnake and ran out of the room. I didn’t even get a chance to talk to him about it before Reid showed up and Madden decided to get out of Dodge.”

“Men. I swear they’re always making things worse by being idiots. So you didn’t get a chance to say anything about the kiss?”

She brought back the moment, replayed it in her head for the hundredth time. She’d been so flustered, she couldn’t remember the words that had poured from her mouth. “I…said something but can’t recall exactly what.”

Eve chuckled. “Sounds like you two have a lot to talk about. I may not be the best person to offer advice on relationships, but the one thing I learned from my parents is don’t gloss over a conversation just because it might be uncomfortable. Those are usually the most important ones.”

“That’s good advice, even if I’m cringing on the inside just thinking about it.”

The sound of the front door opening followed by heavy footsteps reached her ears. She hated the fear that hitched high in her throat.

“Hey, Lily,” Madden called out. “It’s me and Reid. We’ll be in the kitchen.”

Her muscles instantly relaxed. “He’s back. Guess I better work up the nerve to have a fun talk. Thanks for listening.”

“Anytime.”

Lily disconnected and placed her phone beside the keyboard. The paper she’d discovered sat on the other side. She picked it up and read through the numbers then flicked her glance at the computer screen.

Her pulse quickened. The spreadsheet on the screen consisted of dates, months and years, followed by a number that corresponded with ones listed on the page from her father’s book. Maybe the other figures her father had written down were dates, not just random amounts.

Holding the paper up to the monitor, she gasped. She added one more thing to discuss with Madden. Even though she needed to address the elephant in the room, their kiss had just dropped to the bottom of her list.