Be My Guest (12 page)

Will wanted to put a stop to her prying, so
he changed the subject. "Lily, I feel bad about asking you to come
over on the weekend. It's just that, well, I wanted a third person
here to sort of keep down any gossip that might arise from Aurora
and me being here alone."

Lily shrugged. "We will see about this
Aurora. Now, go, lie down to rest your leg while I get these
clothes washed and clean up the kitchen. Maybe I can use your rope
to make a clothes line."

"I'll string it up for you in the garage,"
Will volunteered.

Lily glared at him in disgust. "Ha, and have
the clothes smell like the generator exhaust? No, gracias, but I'll
fix something. You go get off that leg now or I'll get Raul over
here to help me use that rope to hog tie you. Go, now, andale,
andale!" Lily made shooing gestures with her hands.

Long ago Will learned arguing with Lily a
total waste of time, especially in her current mood. She and Raul
and he had been friends since they were children in school. She
bossed Kelly and him around just as she did Raul and their kids,
treating he and Kelly like extended family.

Raul already worked on the ranch when Will
and Nancy married. Lily started helping in the house as a favor
when Nancy became ill. After Nancy's death, Lily remained to help
with Kelly and the house. Efficient and resourceful, she also took
very good care of Kelly--and of him when necessary. Gratefully, he
went to the nearest guestroom and lay down on the bed.

Chapter Six

Will's
explanation to Aurora about
the family he and Nancy planned unleashed harsh memories. The pain
of Nancy's miscarriages, the blow of learning she had cancer, her
terrible illness, and her death once again invaded his thoughts. He
bore the loss with anguish, even though able now to view it as
somehow outside himself.

What would his life have been if those
babies had been born instead of miscarried, if Nancy hadn't died?
Damn, damn, damn! Why did she have to die? Such a good, gentle
woman. All she ever wanted was to be a good wife and mother. She
thought only of others, even when near death.

He imagined himself and Nancy with the house
full of the children they had planned, and then directed his anger
at himself. Speculation on what might have been proved pointless.
He must deal with today--the reality of life as it was now, not as
it might have been. He must go forward.

Would there ever come a time when he could
remember the past without so much pain? He doubted it. He doubted
it very much.

At least he had Kelly, little Kelly Marie.
What a treasure, what a joy. And now he had met Aurora--how could
he convince her he wasn't like that guy who used and ditched her?
Could he lose this feeling of unfaithfulness to Nancy in showing
interest in Aurora? Maybe he moved too fast, but he knew no other
way to react. That's the way he operated his life--open and
direct.

Aurora sure acted skittish, though. Each
time he thought he reached her, she retreated back into her shell.
Here he lay, stuck with this damn cast, no way to woo a woman. Some
impression he made tottering along--hardly the dashing hero! Damned
if he didn’t plan to give it his best shot.

Will conceded Kelly and Lori Beth and Lily
were right. He needed someone else in his life, and he believed
Aurora could be that someone. He wondered if she were attracted to
him. At times he thought he saw sparks of interest in her eyes.
During those times he thought she might feel some attraction to him
as a person and not just as a man. Did she like kids? His missed
night's sleep caught up with him and his eyes fluttered closed.

Will awoke with a start and realized it was
almost time for dinner. He sat up and frowned. Something seemed
wrong, and it took a few seconds to realize it was the total quiet.
The rain had stopped and the generator must have run out of fuel
and stopped also. Cursing to himself, Will wondered why Lily hadn't
called him.

The sight through the glass as he passed
through the family room caused him to stop and stare. A rope tied
to the support posts of the covered patio hung heavy with clothing.
More lay on all the porch furniture. In the process of gathering
the clothes to move them into the kitchen, Lily stopped when she
saw him.

"The air is so humid that even with the wind
most of these aren't dry, but now it's time to start supper. You'll
have to let Aurora use one of your shirts as a jacket. I'm moving
these to the kitchen and laundry room."

"I have to see what's wrong with the
generator. It's probably just out of gas." Will turned toward the
garage door.

In a matter of minutes he refueled and
restarted the gasoline-powered generator. With only enough fuel
left for about ten to twelve more hours, he hoped the electricity
would be restored soon.

When he first broke his leg, Will's Aunt
Rose gave him a couple of large plastic-lined canvas shopping bags
with handles to slip over his hands for use with his crutches. He
used them now to carry some of the dinner supplies to the patio.
Lily helped also and they had dinner almost ready when Aurora came
onto the patio.

She had added slacks and replaced her
nightwear with a soft knit shirt. Her feet snuggled once again in
her canvas shoes. She had brushed her hair until it glowed--except
for the area of the lump on her head, which had tangles and made a
strange contrast to her otherwise neat appearance.

"I didn't mean to fall asleep, but I must
have slept for a long time. Am I too late to help?" Aurora’s eyes
were puffy from sleep and the imprint of a wrinkle in her pillow
case made a soft crease in her cheek.

Will beamed at her. She was perfect. He knew
he grinned like a sappy schoolboy with a crush but had ceased to
care. "Your timing is perfect, especially if you're hungry. I’m
just about to add the steaks to the grill. The potatoes and corn on
the cob are baking. Lily has everything else ready."

Lily disappeared into the house and
reappeared carrying a lantern like the one in the bedroom. She
placed it on the table and laid a box of matches beside it but
didn't light the lantern. She peered around thoughtfully.

"I think here everything is bueno. If you
can't think of anything else for me to do, I'll go home. I'll be
back before church mañana to help you, Aurora, unless you need me
before then."

"Thank you for washing my clothes, Lily.
That's a big relief to me. I don't know if I'll ever find my car
with the rest of my things in it. They'll probably be ruined even
if I do. These few things may be all I saved."

"Ha, you're not going to like what happened
to that linen suit, I can tell you. I think it's ruined, but maybe
the dry cleaner can fix it. Also, there's a silk blouse that might
not be all right--I think it must be the one that goes with the
suit. Other things will be stiff from air drying, but will be
fine." She patted a shirt laid over a chair back. "I put this
flannel shirt of Will's here for you. Even in May a rainy evening
can be cool."

"Thanks, I appreciate your help, especially
since it's your day off," Aurora said.

"Well, good night, then. Will, you remember
what I said," Lily gave him a telling glare and left them.

The sky blazed with brilliant pinks,
oranges, and reds. Great masses of purple clouds streaked across
the sun as it neared the horizon and dusk gathered around them.
Colors reflected on the western-facing bluffs before them, as if
the sunset merged into the land below it. Other bluffs shaded dark
blue and purple as they hid from the sun.

The cool, moist breeze slid against her
skin. She inhaled deeply and took delight in the freshness of the
air as she watched nature’s spectacular display unfold. So great
was her delight in the beautiful sunset that, for once, she forgot
to concentrate on what she ate.

When she finished her meal, she leaned back
in her chair, savoring the beauty of the evening. "This is the most
beautiful sunset I've ever seen." Aurora relaxed in her chair. The
fading light softened the contours of the land, blending colors
like a master artist.

"You can't get a sunset like this in the
city. I planned it just for you, fair maiden." Gratified that she
shared his appreciation of the beauty of his domain, Will took
great pleasure in Aurora's company on such a beautiful evening.

She inclined her head in a mock curtsy.
"Well, thank you, kind sir. How very thoughtful of you. You're
right. The sunsets here are much nicer than in the city. I'll bet
the stars are, too." Aurora stood and stacked his plate on hers.
"Now, for the serious stuff, like what's for dessert?

"There's ice cream surprise," Will said
innocently.

She tilted her head and frowned. "What's ice
cream surprise?"

"Ahh, I'm surprised you fell for that old
line. The surprise is that there's only ice cream. My culinary
talents don't run much to desserts and Lily was busy." He ducked
the napkin she threw at him.

"I should have seen that coming. Since you
fixed dinner, let me bring out the ice cream." Aurora hoped to save
Will an unnecessary trip on crutches, even just to the adjacent
kitchen.

She added the cutlery to their plates to
take with her as she went into the kitchen. Aurora found the
freezer packed with food. No wonder he keeps an emergency
generator, she thought. Otherwise, all this food would have
spoiled. I wonder how long and how often the power fails here?

Barely enough light remained to allow her to
scoop ice cream into dishes and return to the patio. Will lighted
the table lantern as she reappeared. Traces of the spectacular
sunset faded and night gently enveloped them.

They ate the ice cream in comfortable
silence until Aurora issued a great sigh. "Now I'm full. That was a
wonderful meal."

Genuinely amazed, he asked. "Aurora, how do
you stay so thin? You eat like a field hand."

"That's something I get from my grandmother
Aurora. I have this really high metabolism, you see, and I never
gain any weight. My family teases me about it but I hope my luck
continues, because I'm almost always hungry!"

Will stood and grappled for his crutches,
"Let's sit on the swing again until you need to go inside."

Aurora stacked some of the remaining dishes
before Will placed his hand on her arm, "Come on, that can wait.
There aren't many nights like this to enjoy. Remember--you were
going to take time to stop and smell the roses?"

She smiled and moved toward the swing at the
other end of the patio. "You're right. It's a beautiful night, one
of the most beautiful I can remember. Oh, Will, is that a
firefly?"

He followed her to the swing. "Yes, the
storm must truly be over. The crickets and fireflies are out.
Fireflies are all around the trees by the creek every spring and
summer and some make their way near the house."

Shyness enveloped her, as if she were a
teenager on a date with a new beau. He sat beside her and put his
arm along the back of the swing behind her again as he had earlier
in the day. He wasn’t really hugging her, but close enough for her
to be aware that it was there. As if she were likely to forget his
presence.

She sighed again, replete with the food and
the pleasure of the beautiful evening. "It's been years since I've
seen a firefly. I thought maybe they'd disappeared because of all
the pesticides and pollution."

"They have in some areas, but we have them
here all spring and summer. I used to catch them in a jar until I
got old enough to realize that killed them."

He gestured to indicate the trees by the
creek. "On some nights in summer the trees are so full of fireflies
that it looks as if there are twinkling lights in the trees. Kelly
calls them fairy lights."

"This is a wonderful place for your daughter
to grow up, isn't it?" Aurora fought the impulse to snuggle up to
the fascinating man beside her, gave up, and rested her head on his
shoulder. She had fallen under some magic spell with no control of
her own will.

Will dropped a kiss on her hair and took her
hand in his as he answered, "Yes. Of course, we do have some crime,
as you certainly found out. All in all, though, I think it's a more
wholesome life than we'd have in any city."

He gently folded her to him. "Even with
inconveniences like losing lights and telephones during storms, I
think we're way ahead on the quality of life as a whole compared to
a large urban area. We have access to cultural events and shopping
in nearby cities without having to live with the congestion every
day."

"Mm, This is so peaceful. Houston seems
light years away."

There was caution in his voice as he warned,
"It is light years away, Aurora. This is a very different life and
not everyone can adjust to it." He flashed her a mischievous grin
and added, "I think it's much nicer than Durango. I don't remember
any fireflies in Durango."

Startled, she asked, "When were you there
last?"

He chuckled. "I went skiing near there over
Thanksgiving with some friends from church. We didn't see even one
firefly."

Aurora glared at him, "Will Harrison, you
should be ashamed. That's hardly a fair comparison."

A particularly hardy specimen of firefly
came near. Aurora held her breath as she watched it dart about.
When at last it fluttered out of sight, she sighed. "I think I
could stay here and look at the fireflies and listen to the night
sounds forever, but believe it or not, I'm getting sleepy."

Will glanced at the luminous dial of his
watch. "Right, I'll put the supper stuff in the kitchen. Lily said
she would be very angry if she doesn't find them dirty in the
morning."

"Okay, but it seems unfair. I'll at least
carry them in and put them in water to soak."