Her Heart's Desire (Sunflower Series Book 1) (19 page)

“Good morning, brother of mine.”

“You sound awful chipper.” Craig snapped.

“You’re
not
having a good
morning?”

“Are you okay? I’m really worried about you.
About your future. We need to find you another studio space. Or
maybe a large apartment so you can have an actual bedroom.”

“So I can continue to sublet it to Karen?”
she teased. It would push his buttons. She would not allow him or
anyone else take the joy out of her morning.

“Amelia, be serious. I can’t find Lucas. He
hasn’t answered his phone. I thought he was going home after he got
you settled last night.”

Her eyebrows shot up. Lucas hadn’t mentioned
any calls from her brother. Were they still scheming together
trying to control her life? “Plotting again, are you big brother?
Well, just so you know, I’m sequestered in a fabulous hotel suite
enjoying room service. But it’s Lucas you really want to talk with,
right?” She rose and crossed the room.

Lucas’s pensive expression gave her a bit of
satisfaction. If there was any hope of a future with this man, he
had to stop taking orders from her brother. “For the record, I’m a
grown woman, Craig. I had dessert before I had breakfast.” He
wouldn’t understand the significance of that remark, but Lucas
would. She smiled devilishly. “Here’s Lucas.”

She handed over her phone. Lucas rose and
took the call out in the hall. What the two men had to say that
couldn’t be said in front of her caused her some concern. She
cinched the belt on the robe a bit tighter. A better plan came to
mind. This one included Lucas, her farm, and painting...and not her
brother. She would need Lucas’s help. Could she find an enticing
way to encourage him to agree?

Chapter 14

Lia dressed and gathered her purse. She
folded Lucas’s shirt and placed it on the arm of the couch. On the
floor, his boots waited for his return. Picking up the bowls Jack
had used, she placed them on the food cart. Plopping into a chair,
she mused, only minutes ago she and Lucas had shared breakfast. Her
to-do list was long, and she needed to get a start on the day.
However, without her phone, she didn’t know the time. If Lucas
didn’t return soon, she’d go in search of him.

“That’s all I’ve got to say.” Lucas’s stern
tone meant business. He entered the suite as he ended the call.
“Karen called while I was talking to Craig.” He handed her the
phone. “I think she left a message.”

“I’ll call her in a few. Are there
problems?”

“No. Not on my part.”

“What did you tell Craig?”

“Amelia, you knew exactly what you were doing
when you said what you did. I’m not about to go into detail with
your brother, or anyone else for that matter, about how we spent
our time alone. However, Craig guessed. I neither confirmed nor
denied.”

Her shoulders slumped. Creating more problems
hadn’t been her intention. Her brother wasn’t the enemy. He did
have her best interest in mind. But the days of him trying to rule
her were over. She should’ve delivered the message in a more
sensitive and mature way.

Lucas put on his shirt and buttoned it while
Jack rested beside his feet. He sat on the couch and put on his
socks and boots. How a man could appear so sexy doing the most
mundane things? Lia shook her head to break the spell Lucas wove
around her whenever he was near. Never had she had a single-track
mind, but with Lucas it wasn’t hard.

He walked toward her, crouched down, and
lifted her chin. “That’s a cute little grin. What are you
contemplating?”

“How do you know I’m thinking about
something?”

“I know when the wheels turn in your
head.”

“Would you be happy to know I’m thinking of
you?”

“Well, that deserves a kiss.” Lucas brought
his lips to hers, his lips seducing hers. She gave into his
insistence. Surrendering not only her lips, but her willpower. Heat
lingered when he pulled back. She blinked and lifted her face
begging for more. Lucas kissed her nose. Picking up Jack’s leash,
Lucas hooked up the dog. With Jack in tow, he held out his hand to
her. “We’ve got to start the day now. Lots of things to do. Like
swinging by to pick up my vehicle. Maybe we can get a look at the
building’s damage. The whole thing didn’t burn.”

“You’re right.” She took a final glance at
the room. She would cherish the memories they’d created all night,
last night.

“Want me to drive?” Lucas asked when they
entered the parking garage.

“Thanks, I can manage.”

Jack hopped in when she opened the back door.
Lucas climbed in the passenger side. She put the truck in gear.
Having Lucas beside her was the most natural thing in the
world.

Blocks away from the hotel, she turned the
corner and the building she’d stared at most of night on the TV
appeared.

She gasped. “It looks like it’s been bombed,
like pictures I’ve seen from World War II.” Crumpled brick. A
skeletal iron structure visible through shattered windows, now
appearing as ugly eyes of a dying monster. Sourness filled her
mouth. She fought to keep her breakfast down. Her eyes watered. She
wouldn’t accept defeat. Couldn’t allow this to break her.

Lucas shook his head. “It doesn’t look any
better in daylight.” He squeezed her arm gently. “It will be okay.
No one got hurt. What’s left is stuff.”

She stopped her truck in the street at the
barricades. A police officer walked up to her window.

“Lady, were you a tenant?”

“Yes. I want to see if there’s anything left
of my studio. It’s not in the burned-out section.”

“Sorry. Fire marshal is still inspecting
along with a team of experts. The building isn’t safe. I’m not sure
if you’ll ever get inside. This place may be bulldozed as it
stands.”

Lia shook her head. The magnitude of her loss
hit like a smack of a two-by-four. The blanket her mother had
knitted, the antique floor mirror her father had given her, and her
grandmother’s armoire would be bulldozed? No. That couldn’t be
true. “Please. I can take the stairs over there.” She pointed to
the entrance at the opposite end from the damage.

“I can’t let you in. We have a list of
tenants from the landlord.
If
it’s determined to be safe and
if
anything is salvageable, you’ll get a call. But don’t get
your hopes up.”

“But I have family treasures there. I must
talk with someone about this. I can’t leave without getting my
things.”

“Can’t let you in. Sorry. Again, if there’s a
safe way for items to be removed, the fire marshal will be in
contact.”

“Amelia Britton,” Lucas interrupted the
conversation. “Officer, her name is Amelia Britton. Please take
down her name and give it to the fire marshal. There are some
valuable items in the studio.”

“I can remember Amelia, like Amelia
Earhart.”

“Yes, I’m named after her,” Lia said. She
managed a grin hoping to make a good impression. Maybe if he
remembered her, he might be more helpful.

“This is what I’ll do. Here’s my card. Call
me if you don’t hear anything in a week or so. But I’m not making
any promises.”

“Thank you.”

“I need my truck. It’s over there.” Lucas
pointed across the street to the barricaded area.

“Sure. I’ll make it so you can get out.”

“I’ll follow you home in my truck,” Lia told
Lucas. “Don’t drive like a crazy man.”

“That would be your brother in his fancy
BMW.”

Allowing Lucas to lead gave her a sense of
comfort. She rode in silence through the city, then remembered
Karen’s message. After listening to it, she relaxed a bit. No
further need for panic. Karen figured Lucas had everything under
control, but she did need to talk about what insurance might cover
for the loss of their things. As a result of Karen’s calmness, Lia
resolved to not allow thoughts to overwhelm her brain.

After exiting the interstate and picking up
the county road west to Harvest, Lia turned on the radio to the
community station, KKFI, to sooth her racing nerves. Thoughts ran
laps in her mind, round and round. Exactly what and how should she
bring up the subject with Lucas? Before she launched into any one
topic, she had to get him to open up and let her know if he saw a
future for them. She didn’t want to take things slowly. She’d been
on pause with that man for nearly ten years.

With the radio cranked loudly, Lia lost
herself in the bluesy guitar of Tab Beniot. Her phone rang during a
pause between a line and the chorus. If not for the break in the
music, she might not have heard it.

“Amelia, I’ve got to veer off. Megan’s been
in some sort of accident. I’m heading to Manhattan to check on
her.”

“What kind of accident? At school, in a car,
or what?”

“Car. She was rear-ended. I think she’s okay,
but she’s shaken up.”

“Call me later and let me know. If she needs
me, I’ll drive up, too.”

“I’ll keep you posted. And Amelia...”

She waited for him to finish what he intended
to say.

“Accidents can happen at any time. The fire
last night, now this with Megan...”

“Lucas, what are you trying to say?”

“I love you. That’s what I’m saying. To you
and everyone else. I love you, Amelia Britton.”

Her heart melted, oozing like warmed honey.
Her foot let up off the gas for a moment as her body relaxed. She
gripped the steering wheel because she couldn’t grab hold of the
man and kiss him silly. Hitting the gas, she raced on the long,
lonely stretch of highway.

“Amelia?”

“Lucas Dwyer, I love you, too! Now get over
to see your sister, and then come home to me. We’ve got a lot of
talking to do. I most definitely want dessert again.”

****

Arriving at the college, Lucas parked and ran
in a full sprint to his sister’s dorm. A student was leaving the
building and before the door closed, Lucas jerked it open. He
entered against school policy, but he had no time to waste. Until
he saw Megan, he couldn’t truly believe she was unharmed.

Running up two flights of stairs, he located
her room and pounded on the door. It opened before he could pound
again. Megan launched herself at him, reaching her arms around his
waist, and broke into a sob.

“I’m so sorry,” Megan wailed.

“Let me look at you.” Lucas’s voice rang out
louder than he intended. Fear had a hold on him. He held her from
him for a better look. He felt up and down her arms as if they
would give him clues about her injuries.

“I was checked out at the clinic. A little
bit of whiplash maybe, but I’m okay. They kept asking me if I hit
my head or if I was knocked unconscious. I wasn’t. But Lucas,”
Megan wailed. Her eyes teared up again. “My car is a total loss.
They towed it way. The cop called it salvage.” She sniffed. “It’s
the only present Dad ever bought me without Mom’s approval.”

His heart thudded like a bass drum in his
chest. His brain failed to believe she wasn’t hurt. “The car is
just a car. You’re important. I understand you’re upset, but I need
to be certain you’re not injured. Why did they keep questioning you
about a head injury? Did you hit the windshield or the side
window?”

Megan shook her head.

“Do you want me to take you home and make a
doctor’s appointment?

Again, Megan shook her head

“If you’re sure you’re fine... Did you get
all your stuff out of the car?”

Megan shook her head again.

“I’d feel better if you’d come home and let
me take you to a doctor who knows you.” He pulled her close for
another bear hug.

“I’m fine. I’ll be sore, but okay.” He
accepted her decision reluctantly and released her.

While he looked for signs of injuries on
Megan, a few students had opened their dorm doors and a few more
hung out in the hall eavesdropping on their conversation.

“Where was the car taken?” Lucas asked.

“I don’t know exactly.” Megan shrugged.

The crowd of students moved closer.

“Dude, are you bothering her?” One male
student stepped forward.

Megan turned to face the guy. She shook her
head at him. “He’s my brother.”

“How about we go inside and talk about this
more?” Lucas asked.

Megan let him pass into the room, then she
followed him in.

“There’s a card on my desk.” She plucked it
from the mess and handed it to him. “Information,” she said,
collapsing on the bed.

“If you’re up to it, let’s go over to the tow
lot and remove your personal things from the car. We have to get
the tag, too, if the car is, in fact, a total loss.”

“The car behind me pushed me into a truck
with a tow hitch that inserted itself into my radiator. My poor car
looks like an accordion.”

Lucas pulled out the chair from desk and sat.
He rubbed the back of his neck. The car was just stuff. Same as the
remains in Amelia’s loft in the city. Same as Amelia’s paintings.
Stuff. Okay, valuable stuff, but still replaceable at the end of
the day. The woman he loved was unharmed. His sister, slightly
bruised, was fine. A lot of trauma in twenty-four hours to the
women in his life. What more could he do to keep them safe?

“Megan, let me give you a hug. I’m so glad
you’re okay. I worried all the way here. I was following Amelia
home from Kansas City...”

“You spent the night in KC with Amelia?”

Lucas nodded. “She says if you need her,
she’ll come.”

“Does this mean what I think it does?” A
smile wiped away all traces of Megan’s earlier discomfort.

Lucas shifted his weight and eyed his sister
warily. “What does what mean? Is that some sort of female
speak?”

“You’re in love with Lia.”

Lucas frowned. Did his sister now read minds
and hearts?

“Oh, big brother, it’s been obvious for
months. The question is, when will you finally do something about
it?”