Jennifer Greene - Irresistible Stranger

The next stretch of time passed in a blur. Griff got her downstairs, set her up with a blanket in the front yard-and a medic. The medic was cute as a button, but it really, really hurt to have her palms cleaned, even though he talked to her nonstop. Jason hung tight to the periphery of her blanket like a scrawny, stubborn watchdog. Neighbors-some faces familiar, some not-clogged up the sidewalks and the yard.

Someone brought lemonade. Someone brought sweet tea. The party atmosphere built, completely at odds with the fire truck and official cars blocking the street. Louella, though, was holding court. Lily caught snatches of her conversation as the older lady poured lemonade and passed out spice cookies.

“See now? What did I tell you? She saved my house, she did. And Susannah’d be the first to tell you that she was at her house when this all happened. It’s primarily Lily’s things that were hurt. The child doesn’t even have a change of clothes to wear. She’s one of ours, has always been one of ours, and look at her now, bless her heart.”

The medic, the one who had gorgeous blue eyes and looked about nine years old, finished putting salve and bandages on her palms and various other places, and then examined the side of her head. Shook his head.

“Not a pretty picture?” she asked.

“It’s a gorgeous picture.” Griff seemed to show up from nowhere-for the second time-and looked as covered in soot and dirt as she did. “Hair grows, besides.”

“Uh-oh.” When he came closer, she said quickly, “Don’t come near me.”

“Why?”

“I think I smell worse than anything I’ve smelled in my entire life.”

He grinned. “Beneath all that fire and smoke, it’s still you, sugar.”

She remembered that. Remembered how his smooth soft lips had felt against hers. Remembered the sudden quiet of neighbors watching. Smiling. Griff…so not smiling.

Later, after talking to Cashner Warden and Herman Conner and Louella and Susannah-who had her purse and papers, thank heavens-Griff took her home. She seemed to need to cough her lungs out several times. Jason was there. He had ideas-like ice cream. Lots of cool, soothing ice cream. He thought she needed to watch a nice, soothing movie, an old one, like Batman, or The Fantastic Four.

But Jason wasn’t there when Griff lowered her into a bathtub. He’d started by sealing up her hands in bags with rubber bands, so the water wouldn’t touch the burns on her palms. Kneeling behind her, he washed her hair, washed her face, washed her toes, washed everything, slowly, carefully, tenderly. Silently.

“You know what I figured out?” she asked him.

“What?”

“That it’s about anger. Setting these fires. It’s not about destruction. Even those fires years ago didn’t actually destroy that much property. Or specifically aim to hurt a human being. It’s all about anger. Someone with a rage that’s just out of their control.”

When Griff said nothing-he was spraying water to rinse her hair at the time-she waited until she could open her eyes to look at him. Really look at him.

“I think I’m a little in shock,” she admitted.

“I know you are.”

“I’m afraid I’ll have to go shopping tomorrow. I’m down to today’s clothes. Which aren’t exactly fit for man or beast.” When she couldn’t win a smile from him, she said, “In the background, I thought I heard Louella saying that insurance would cover the damage. Completely.”

“There was an insurance agent right there. Won’t be a problem.”

“I’ll need to borrow a toothbrush until tomorrow.”

“No sweat.”

“And from the way people have been looking at me, I’m afraid I’m definitely going to have to work in a haircut tomorrow, too.”

Again, that same expression in his eyes. What few words he said were short and curt, even as his hands, his magic hands, lingered as he soaped and rinsed, and finally, let her stand up so he could fold a towel around her.

“Griff.”

He looked up.

“What’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong?” he echoed, his tone tight as a snap. But then he went back to his lazy, laid-back tone. “You’re going to take a nap, sugar. Nothing’s wrong. Everything’s going to be one hundred percent fine.”

“You know this how?”

“Because tomorrow-we’re getting to the bottom of this. Whatever sabers we have to rattle. Whatever it takes. You’re not going to be hurt again. There aren’t going to be any more fires. You can take it to the bank, we’re solving this once and for all.”

Lily heard the anger in his voice, and loved it-not that he was worried about her, but that he finally felt free with her, to let out that unsettling anger that so troubled him.

Yet her heart suddenly twisted in a totally unexpected knot. She, too, had had it with fires. She had had it with exhaustion and fear and worry. She thought she’d come to this town of her childhood to find answers.

Yet the irony hurt worse than any burn. If, by any chance, she and Griff did find the answers, her reasons for being in Pecan Valley disappeared.

She had no more reason to be with Griff.

No reason to stay.

Lily woke up in a first-class grump, starting with the note on her pillow. Griff unwillingly had to return Jason to his mother, at least temporarily, and then he was headed for the sheriff’s.

He wanted her to rest and sit tight.

Right.

One look in the mirror sent her jogging for a phone. Her singed hair looked like something out of a horror movie. No matter what she wanted to do with her day, she was stuck getting a few chores out of the way first. As often as she’d ranted about getting a haircut since she got here, now she had no choice but to call Mary Belle. The sheriff’s daughter promised her she’d clear the schedule for ll:30-leaving Lily enough time to run through a few stores on Main Street.

Temporarily, she had nothing to wear but a shirt and shorts from Griff, which no amount of makeshift belting was going to pass for acceptable clothes. She had her purse, so at least she had a brush and lip gloss-and her phone. She’d barely headed out the door before getting the first barrage of calls from her sisters.

“I’ll send you money. Get all the clothes you need,” Cate started with. “And buy a first-class ticket to me. I don’t care what it costs. You either get out of that town, or I’m flying there to get you myself.”

Sophie’s call was more of the same, just in a softer tone.

The truth was, Lily hungered to see both her sisters. And she could hardly stay in Pecan Valley much longer. Once, her answers had seemed terribly important to her-but not as important as a whole town burning up because of her. Leaving needed to be her priority. It was just…leaving town also meant leaving Griff.

How a woman could fall so fast, so hard, so irrevocably, she couldn’t fathom. For her whole life, it had been so, so easy to stay untangled. She’d never risked loss-at least the kind of loss where the hurt might never really heal.

Damn it. How was she supposed to forget Griff?

Most stores on Main Street opened at ten. It took almost that long to pull herself together, between her bandaged hands and edgy mood. Clouds were bunching and punching overhead, threatening rain, adding humidity to an already gasping temperature. She hit the drugstore first, picked up the obvious toiletries, like deodorant and toothpaste and cosmetics, then stashed those in her car.

There were several clothing stores and boutiques on Main Street. She didn’t have a clue what they offered. She just wanted to pick up enough basics to wear for a few days. So she started with the first one-Jane’s Boutique, the sign said. Opening the door set off a tinkling bell, and almost immediately she panicked.