Lone Star Valentine. Cathy Gillen Thacker

comfort, Lily closed her eyes. Swallowed. Instructed herself to use every ounce of common sense and treat him like the extraordinary lawyer he was, nothing more.

      Recognizing that it would be a mistake to lean on him in a more intimate way, she opened her eyes, returned to the conference table and pointed to the sheaf of papers she had been served that very morning. “Back to the request for a modification to our custody order.” She forced herself to sit down calmly once again. “What’s our battle plan?”

      “I’ve already filed a request, asking for an extension. If we’re granted it—and we should be—that will give Liz roughly forty days to file an answer. I am also going to file a motion for dismissal this afternoon.”

      “You think we’ll get it?”

      “Probably not. But it will send a clear signal to Bode’s attorneys that you intend to fight this with everything you’ve got. Given everything else he has going on career-wise, that alone may give him pause.”

      Deciding everything was well in hand, Lily reached for her bag. She had to get out of here before things turned even more personal. “You’ll let me know?”

      He nodded. “One way or another, as soon as I hear. But that likely won’t be until early next week.”

      Which meant she’d be spending the weekend wondering and worrying, Lily realized unhappily.

      Knowing she’d spent way too much time alone with Gannon in any case, she said sincerely, “Thanks for all your help.” Then made her way for the door.

      Lily spent the rest of the day dealing with the fallout over the “fire statue” and working on putting together a weekend work schedule for the upcoming chili festival.

      By the time four o’clock rolled around, she was exhausted and ready to call it a day. And that was, of course, when Gannon walked in. She hadn’t expected to come face-to-face with him again today, but truth be told, he was a welcome distraction.

      He was still wearing the nicely pressed shirt, tweed wool sport coat and dark jeans he’d had on earlier. She was just as drawn to him now as she’d been before, and in the fading wintry light in her office, she could once again see the inherent protectiveness in his midnight-blue eyes. Except now his dark brown hair was rumpled—as if he’d been running his fingers through the thick, touchable strands. And the hint of evening beard lined his strong, stubborn jaw, further adding to his masculine allure.

      Just looking at him made her quiver deep inside.

      Oblivious to the sensual nature of her thoughts, he ambled closer and handed her the papers, their fingers touching briefly in the process. “I thought you might like to see a copy of the motion for dismissal for your own files.”

      She did, but...seeing him again so soon, being alone with him, was something else entirely. Wishing she weren’t so attracted to him, she swallowed to ease the parched feeling in her throat. “You could have emailed it to me...via attachment.”

      The corners of his lips twitched at the exaggerated lack of enthusiasm in her voice. He stepped closer, his eyes heavy lidded and sexy. Smiled. “I wanted to see how you were doing.”

       Better. Since you walked in the door...

      Lily pushed the unwanted emotion away. She stiffened her spine. “I’m fine, as you can see.”

      And she did not need his protection.

      She did, however, temporarily need his legal help. Heart racing, she flipped through the brief. His legal rebuttal was just as she expected—concise and hard-hitting. She sighed in relief. “Looks good.”

      He flashed a wry smile. “Thanks.”

      Unsure whether it was the long-simmering, never-acted-on attraction or nerves from all the turmoil of the day causing the butterflies in her midriff, Lily took the document back to her desk and dropped it into her briefcase. She turned back to him, all business now. “So you’re all done with your part in my case?” Which meant they’d no longer need to see each other. At least in that regard.

      He gave her a long, thorough once-over, then returned his gaze to her face. “Unless Liz needs me again, but yeah, you can consider me officially off the clock.”

      “Speaking of fees...” She dreaded calculating his hourly rate—which was bound to be exorbitant—times the six or so hours spent. “What do I owe you?”

      His hand stopped hers before she could open her checkbook. “Nothing. I work for Liz.”

      Trying not to notice how the width of his shoulders blocked out the fading winter sunlight, she eased away from his touch. Although the morning had been sunny and clear—almost warm—the weather had shifted again, bringing in cooler temperatures and dismal gray skies. Trying not to feel as depressed as the vista encouraged her to be, she tilted her chin and continued, “Then what do I owe Liz on your behalf?”

      He spread his palms and remained maddeningly aloof. “Nothing.”

      Trying not to wonder if the rest of him was as big and capable as his hands, she gave him a look. Waited.

      He shrugged again. “I’m doing this pro bono.”

      Charity? He was doing this as a charity case? Anger warred with pride. It was true, her salary as mayor wasn’t much, but she didn’t need much since she had accrued some savings before running for public office. “I don’t need your professional largesse, Gannon.”

      A contemplative silence fell. He gave her a slow, reckless smile that quickly set her heart to pounding. “You really want to pay me back for my help?”

      Talk about a loaded question! She regarded him matter-of-factly, letting him know with a glance she did not want to owe him any other favors, either. “Absolutely,” she snapped. “The sooner the better.”

      He edged closer, inundating her with the sandalwood and spice scent of his cologne and the brisk, masculine fragrance unique to him. “Then how about dinner—tonight?”

      Lily blinked. “Are you for real?”

      Another slow, seductive smile. “Very.”

      She drew a quavering breath, held up a staying hand and reminded herself all the reasons why not. “We went through this eight years ago. I’m not going to date you, Gannon.”

      He comically palmed his chest, as if he’d received a major blow to his heart. Or was it his ego? she wondered. Then he frowned at her in reproof, adding wryly, “I wasn’t asking for a date, Lily. I was asking if you wanted to go out to dinner with me.” He waggled his brows mischievously. “But...if you want to call it a date...”

      Lily flushed in embarrassment, as he had obviously meant her to. “I don’t,” she responded. Pausing, she narrowed her eyes at him. “And I can’t have dinner with you because when I’m not working, I’m with my son.”

      “No problem,” Gannon said, not the least bit discouraged. “We can take Lucas with us.”

      Without warning, she felt an intimacy she didn’t expect welling up between them. Most of the men she met viewed the fact she had a child as a major deterrent. Not Gannon. “You really are serious about this.”

      His lips took on a sober slant. He stepped closer. “I’d like to get to know your son—and I need to talk to you.”

      Lily’s pulse raced at the gentle undertone in his low voice. “About?”

      Their eyes met, and Gannon regarded her seriously. “Becoming friends again.”

      * * *

      JUST THE THOUGHT of that, Gannon noted in disappointment, was enough to cause Lily to take a step back, away from him.

      She held up a delicate left hand, conspicuous only for its lack of wedding and engagement rings. “That’s not really necessary, Gannon,” she told him archly.

      “So