9. Delilah #3
“That’s not what I meant at all. I was trying to pay you a compliment. You don’t need all of that crap on your face or those sparkly, glittery dresses to look beautiful. I think you’re gorgeous just the way you are. Right here. Right now. With me.” I let my fork clatter to my plate.
Her eyes went wide. “I was just teasing, Jasper. Thank you for saying that. Most people forget there’s something beyond the Miss Lovin’ Texas sash. I appreciate you noticing.”
I didn’t want to acknowledge the vulnerability. “I grabbed some stuff from my dad and I’m going to run over to the trailer now. Do you want to come with me so you can pick out some clothes?”
“Yes, thank you.” She gathered our empty plates and took them to the sink.
“I’ll clean up when we get back. Come on, I’ll run you by the house and you can borrow something more appropriate from my mom or sister.”
“Oh, I couldn’t.” Her mouth twisted into a frown. “Can’t we just sneak back so I can grab something of my own real quick?”
“Not on a Sunday. Helmut does a full brunch buffet at the Burger Bonanza. You show up looking like that and tongues will start wagging.”
“Okay then. I guess I don’t have much of a choice.”
Less than fifteen minutes later I finished introductions.
My mom had been in a flat-out tizzy since I’d walked through the door with Delilah on my heels.
But then she and my twelve-year-old sister, Abby, took Delilah upstairs and promised they’d find her something appropriate.
At least something she could wear long enough to get back to the parking lot and pick up some of her own things.
“She spent the night at your place?” My brother Lucas asked.
“That’s what I said.”
“Anything happen?” Lucas arched a brow.
“Nothing like you’re thinking.” I settled onto the couch while I waited for the women to finish upstairs.
“You had a woman like that at your place last night and nothing happened?” Lucas bounced his daughter, Maggie, on his hip. He and Maggie had been living at the house for the past two years. Ever since Lucas’s one-night stand, aka Maggie’s mother, took off.
“Out of all the people in this family, aren’t you the one who should be cautioning me about getting carried away?
” I held out my arms and Maggie launched herself at me.
My niece might not have a mother in her life, but she was absolutely cherished by her daddy, her grandparents, and the rest of the family.
“I miss women,” Lucas admitted as he lowered himself into our dad’s favorite recliner.
“You’re not dead, you know. You should ask someone out.”
“Who? Nobody I know wants to go out with someone who comes with a built-in family. Not at my age.”
I held on to Maggie’s hands as she sat on top of my boot and commanded me in her giggly two-year-old way. “Bounce.”
I grinned as I gently bounced my leg up and down. She laughed, the high-pitched giggles like music to my ears. Lucas was trying to make the best out of a rotten situation. A one-night stand that left him with a lifelong commitment to an adorable little girl.
“Don’t give up. There’s someone out there for you.”
“You ever listen to your own advice?” Lucas’s gaze shot to the steps. “She’s here for what? A month?”
“Not going to go there.” I shook my head.
“Sounds like a wasted opportunity if you ask me.”
“Good thing no one’s asking.” I bounced Maggie high enough to grab her in my arms. “Don’t you have to work today?”
“I’m going. Hey, are you really trying to get Dad to turn the big barn into some kind of wedding place?”
“I sure am. He said if we could win the title of most romantic small town in Texas, he’d give me his blessing. We’ve got to do something to keep our heads above water until we can plant and harvest some new trees.” I hoped my dad would keep his word.
Lucas shifted to the edge of his seat. “If we do, does that mean I can give up my job in town and come back to work here?”
“Hopefully.”
“Well, let me know if you need help. I’ll do what I can to make sure I don’t have to leave Maggie for so long every day.”
“If you have any ideas on how to make things romantic, feel free to share. Mayor Cherish needs me to plan some big event before the judging period is over. So far all I’ve got is an idea to work on something around the Fall Festival.”
“Apples and pumpkins aren’t romantic.” Lucas slapped his baseball cap against his leg as he stood. “If only Colin were here . . . he was always the ladies’ man.”
I tried not to react. Everyone seemed to think Colin was the answer to their prayers. It wasn’t my place to tell them the truth. “Yeah. If only . . .”
“Hey, can you keep an eye on Mags until Mom’s done? They’re going to the apple orchard later on today.”
“You got it.” I tickled Maggie under the chin.
“See you later, bug.” Lucas pressed a kiss to the top of his daughter’s head. “You know I wouldn’t change a thing, right?”
“I know.” My brother might have messed up, but a Taylor always made things right.
That was one mantra that had been ingrained in all of us by our parents.
And I would do right by Delilah. Which meant sticking to the plan of carting her around Ido, making sure we stayed on schedule, and not letting myself think of her as anything but the contest judge I’d agreed to work with.
No matter what.