Chapter Twenty
The drive back from the high school auditorium after yet another rehearsal seemed interminable to Zach. It had taken everything he had in him not to ravish Tilly in the greenhouse, amongst the poinsettias and in front of her sisters.
During rehearsal, she’d put everyone through their paces. It was all coming together, and he knew that the actual event was going to be amazing.
Chrissy had been smiling big during the run-throughs, and it reminded him how much her sister’s words had meant to Tilly when she’d told her how proud she was of Tilly at the farm.
He wasn’t sure of the dynamics between the sisters but, the few times he’d seen them interact with each other, Chrissy, while displaying signs she loved her sister deeply, also didn’t trust or believe in her.
Like with the poinsettias today, Tilly had given a number, but Chrissy had doubted her.
Hopefully, after the event, Chrissy would see her sister in a different light and know that, while she was the youngest of the family, she was more than capable of being a success.
Finally, they pulled up to Tilly’s house. He unclipped his seat belt and was out of his truck and around to her side.
“Madam?” He held out his hand and gave a short bow.
Tilly giggled and placed her hand in his. “Why, thank you, kind sir.”
“Can’t have you slipping on the black ice, now can we?” Zach said and then promptly skidded.
Tilly’s giggles turned into a full belly laugh. “No, we can’t have that. Do you need me to hold on to you?”
“I think maybe I do.” Zach pulled her tight and nuzzled her neck, inhaling her intoxicating musky scent. He found out it was perfume and lotion that she used every day. He was addicted to it.
Her arms tightened around his and they stood in her driveaway, where everyone could see them holding each other. He could stay here all day. Words of love welled up inside him. He couldn’t deny it any longer—she owned his heart, and he knew she would look after it better than anyone else.
“Tulip,” he whispered. He smoothed his hand across her cheeks, his fingers cold because he didn’t have any gloves on, and he was glad he didn’t have the barrier of thick fabric.
He opened his mouth but found he couldn’t speak. In all his life he’d never said, ‘I love you,’ not even to his mother. “I like you a lot,” he said instead.
“I like you a lot too,” she said, smiling.
Groaning, he swooped down and caught her lips with his. He poured everything he was feeling into the kiss. Letting her know how important she was to him. The kiss saying everything he was finding impossible to say.
When they broke apart, they were both breathless. “I think we should go inside,” he murmured, needing more than just kisses to keep him warm on the cold winter’s day.
“I think we should too.”
They walked up the short path to her front door and the second they were inside, he slammed the door shut and pushed her against it, taking possession of her mouth again.
This unquenchable desire to lose himself in her every opportunity he could get was madness. Tilly had cast a spell over him, and he was more than happy to let it possess him. Tilly owned him—heart, mind, body, and soul.
*
Tilly awoke warm and hungry. Lunch had been a long time ago, and feasting on Zach’s body, while satisfying in one way, didn’t satisfy her empty stomach.
A gentle snore came from the man beside her, and she rolled over to look at him, still not quite believing that someone as handsome and sexy as Zach Langley liked her.
For a moment, as they’d been standing by his truck, she thought he might tell her that he loved her. Instead, he’d said he liked her, and then he’d kissed her silly, and they’d ended up back in bed. Not that she was upset about that.
“I love you, Zach Langley,” she whispered. He didn’t move.
Sighing, she got out of bed and padded to the kitchen. She would fix them some grilled cheese sandwiches. They’d come in from the rehearsal, and dinner had been the last thing on their minds.
As she prepared the sandwiches, she thought over everything that still needed to be done for the show.
Christmas Eve was only two days away. She didn’t have to worry about when the judges from the contest were coming.
The contest organizers had emailed at the beginning of the month all the details of when they’d arrive and when they’d leave.
They weren’t staying in Marietta. They were basically coming in for the show and leaving the same night.
They wanted to be home for Christmas with their families too, and Tilly totally understood that.
“Rainey’s email!” She shot up from her seat.
After flipping the sandwiches over, she raced to her bag by the front door.
She pulled her phone out and groaned. She only had five percent battery left, so she plugged it in, then took the sandwiches from the pan, placed them on a plate, put it in the oven to keep warm, and started a second lot in the pan.
Finally, she opened the email.
Hi Tilly,
I’m so sorry, but I can’t do your event.
Best,
Rainey Webster
Her stomach dropped. “No. It has to be a mistake,” she whispered.
Rainey Webster had canceled two days before Christmas Eve with no reasonable explanation.
Why was she pulling out?
Why say yes in the first place if she didn’t really want to do it?
A piercing screech filled the air and her phone clattered to the table as she stood, her heart beating wildly as she looked around.
Tendrils of smoke filled the room, and she rushed over to the gas cooktop, where the sandwiches now looked like lumps of charcoal.
She pushed the pan aside and grabbed a hand towel, waving at the smoke.
The bottom of the fabric caught the still-lit burner and ignited.
She screamed and dropped the towel on the ground, the flames eating quickly through the cotton. Tilly froze. Dropping it was the wrong thing to do. It was starting to burn into the mat she had near the sink.
“Tilly! Are you all right? What’s happened?” Zach came barreling into the room, attempting to pull his pants on. His hair was sticking up everywhere. “Shit!”
He jumped into action, pulling open the cupboard beneath the sink and grabbing a red packet, one she’d never seen before. Out of it came a blanket, which he placed over the flames, suffocating them.
Through it all, Tilly stood mute, watching Zach do what he’d been trained to do. In a matter of minutes, he had the fire out and had disposed of her burnt towel and mat.
“Thank you,” she whispered when he returned inside.
“Are you hurt?” His concern sent her over the edge, and she burst into tears. He pulled her tight against his chest.
“No, but it’s all ruined,” she cried.
“Shh, it’s okay, Tulip. It’s just a couple of sandwiches and some towels.”
She couldn’t speak around her sobs. If only it was what had been burned, but while the smoke curled around the room, she could see the entire Nativity event disintegrating in front of her.
She’d worked so hard over the last few weeks. There was so much expectation for it. So many people involved and excited about it and, like with everything she always did, at the last minute, she wasn’t able to pull it off. Wasn’t able to give the people of Marietta what she’d promised.
Zach’s chest was wet from her tears. He kept rubbing his hand up and down her back.
“Tilly. Tilly!”
She lifted her head, hiccupping a couple of times.
“What’s going on? This feels like more than just burnt food.”
She grabbed a paper napkin off the table and blew her nose. She stuffed it in her robe pocket before meeting Zach’s eyes. “It’s over.”
“What is over?”
“The Christmas show. It’s not going to happen.”
“What? Why?”
Reaching around him, she picked up the phone and held it out to him. Rainey’s message was still open.
“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry.”
He pulled her into his embrace again. Zach’s embrace should be comforting, like it was a few minutes ago, but this time it wasn’t. This time it felt stifling, and she pulled away from him.
“I have to fix this,” she muttered, although she had no idea how. Who was going to come and be part of a show they would have no chance to rehearse?
Okay, she could sit there and wallow, or she could do something about it. She still had the list of people she’d contacted. Maybe the Christmas spirit had hit someone.
She’d talk to Ryder and see if he could persuade someone from the rodeo circuit. Of course, Tilly was pretty sure a rodeo cowboy didn’t moonlight as a singer.
“There are sandwiches in the oven,” she muttered as she got up and headed for her office.
“Where are you going?”
She whirled back to face him. “I’m going to fix this.”
It didn’t take her long to gather her binder and come back at the table. Zach was cleaning up the kitchen. She opened it to her list of stars, all thoughts of food forgotten.
She stared at the top name.
Kathryn Lancaster.