When Escavez merely regarded him as if he were full of it, Zach shrugged. "You just don't get it, do you? Lily was right—you're nothing but a dumb-ass kid."
Miguel slapped a hand on his puffed up chest. "I am a man."
"Listen, amigo, if you were a man, you'd know it isn't about saving face. It's about sucking it up and getting the job done. But that's a lesson you're either going to learn for yourself or you're not. I've got better things to do than to sit here debating the matter with you." He tied Miguel's wrists together with a length of sisal he'd brought from his toolbox, and escorted his prisoner to his vehicle.
It took longer than he thought it would to get Escavez settled in at the sheriff's office and figure out who had jurisdiction over the young man's fate. But finally, Zach cut himself loose and headed back to the Beaumont compound, happy to devote the drive time to the topic that mattered most—figuring out the best way to handle the situation with Lily.
If he lived to be a hundred, he was pretty certain he'd still never understand the female mind. What the hell did they—did she —want from him? He'd said he was crazy about her, told her he wanted a real, honest-to-God relationship with her. What more was he supposed to do—drop down on bended knee and profess his eternal love?
Zach stood on the brakes, and the Jeep slammed to a halt on the dark country road, its headlights slicing through the night to illuminate towering evergreens, budding alders, and rural mailboxes. The silence outside his windows was broken by a lone cricket that was soon joined by others and then by the more distant sound of a bullfrog. Zach barely noticed.
Well, duh. Give the man a cigar. That's probably exactly what she'd wanted. But what the hell had he said to her anyhow? Shoving aside all the emotion his exchange with Lily had brought into play, he thought back to the actual conversation.
And could have happily sliced his own throat. Then he laughed without humor. For he'd pretty much already accomplished that verbally, hadn't he? Nice going, dumb shit .
He'd never said he loved her at all. He'd managed to limp out the word exactly once, but hadn't linked it with "I" or "you" and had instead mumbled something about being ready for a relationship "thing." Christ on a cracker. No wonder she'd gone off on that tangent about not wanting his big sacrifice.
He had some freaking balls lecturing Miguel about letting pride get in the way. Although—he straightened— at least he knew he'd fucked up, and he planned to do something about the problem he'd created. He'd drop to his knees, if that was what it took. And Lily might not believe it, but he not only could but would beg if that was the only way she'd give him a second chance.
Feeling a powerful rush of euphoria, he put the Jeep in gear and gunned it down the road, anxious to get back. A stupid grin stretched his mouth—one that probably made him look like an imbecile on some kick-ass meds, but he didn't care. Because he had a sneaking feeling that once he got past the fear of saying "I love you" out loud, making amends might be a whole lot of fun.
He was surprised to see his sister come out of the parlor to greet him when he burst through the door a short while later, but he merely grabbed her up, whirled her in a circle, then set her back on her feet and headed for the stairs. He took them two at a time.
"Zach, hold up," she called after him. "I need to tell you something."
"It'll have to wait." He didn't break stride. "I've got to talk to Lily."
Asecond later he was rapping his knuckles against Lily's door, but he didn't bother waiting for permission before he reached for the knob and pushed the door open.
The room was empty, and when he strode into the bathroom, she wasn't there, either.
Well, okay. She was down in the parlor with everyone else. He was turning to go join them when a detail niggling in the rear of his brain stopped him. He looked back at the countertop.
It was as pristine as an unoccupied hotel room, with none of the girly clutter he'd come to associate with Lily. Euphoria fading, the muscles in his neck starting to knot up, he turned on his heel and marched into the bedroom, where he went directly to the closet. He yanked open the doors.
It was empty of all but a handful of hangers.
As he stood there staring at them, Glynnie arrived in the doorway. "I'm sorry, Zach," she said breathlessly. "That's what I was trying to tell you. Lily's gone."
Chapter 26
LILY REFUSED TO CRY ANY MORE. SHE'D SHED enough tears in the past however-many hours to keep a small armada afloat, so she set her teeth and kept her eyes resolutely torrent-free as she threw her belongings into the boxes she'd dragged from the garage into her bedroom at Glynnis's Laguna Beach house. Two of the cartons were already heaped to overflowing with shoes— when on earth had she accumulated all this footwear? She'd swear she hadn't owned this much when she moved in.
Like it's important, Lily. She gave herself an impatient shake. The only thing that mattered right now was to be long gone by the time Zach returned from Orcas Island. To that end, she was making steady inroads on the packing, and she'd made arrangements with Mimi to crash on her friend's couch for a few days until she could find a place of her own.
She had a couple of restaurants on her string that were usually more than willing to take her on as a fill-in chef, and the minute she got settled at her friend's apart-ment she intended to start making calls to them to see if she could pick up some work. Certainly sitting around for the rest of the time the Argosy was at dock was no longer an option. She'd go crazy if she had nothing to do but think.
Because, sure as sugar, her thoughts would head straight back to Zach. To how he saw her as someone he had to "do right" by. Or worse, to how he probably lumped her into the same category as Miguel—just one more person looking to screw up his life. She had never felt for another man even a fraction of the emotions she felt for Zachariah Taylor… and to him she was nothing but a burden.
Her teeth clenched tighter. She would not cry again, darn it!
She was straightening with an empty box in her hand when something sailed past her and landed on the bed. While she stared blankly at the lavender ruffle-edged tulip lying on the comforter, a variegated purple and white one landed next to it. She whirled around.
And her heart did the impossible, taking flight even as it sank to her toes. Oh, gawd . Zach stood in the doorway, one large shoulder propped against the doorjamb. In his left hand were more tulips.
"Let's get a few things straight right up front," he said, plucking another flower from the bunch and tossing it at her feet. "No man with a drop of red blood in his veins would ever consider you a charity case. That's number one." He appeared to consider, then shook his head as a deep purple tulip drifted to settle on the floor next to her toes. "No. That's number two. One is that I love you."
"You—"
"Love you," he repeated in that deep voice that always vibrated right down to the heart of her. He lobbed another flower. "I choked trying to get out the word last night, and then I acted like an ass when you didn't read my mind and immediately fall into my arms." More flowers rained softly around her. "But I love you, Lily. I love you like I have never loved anything or anybody in my life."