"I'm kind of sure of that too!" She smiled back. When he stared at her so long, she nervously turned to go.
"Lilly?" He said, his voice growing husky.
"Yes?" She barely turned to look at him.
"You sure grow on a man…One thing…I forgot how much I like you too. I don't think I'll ever tire of looking at you."
She blushed hotly, her lips trembling.
Desire speared through Cord like a lightning bolt.
"What are we gonna do if Sam comes back?" Her eyes held a cloud of doubt.
"We'll worry about that later. Besides, he has a lady, I can't see him stirring up trouble. But if he does, he'll get it right back. I want to warn you, if he does come back and causes trouble…"
"You're right, he has a lady and he won't be back." She tried to smile, but something told Cord she worried about it.
She shot him a perplexing glance and left.
He cleared his throat and started picking up the pieces to the chairs.
Chapter Seven
After he had a long talk with Pedro and they decided how many cows they wanted to buy and where the repairs for the fence was needed, he headed into town that next day. He'd ordered the fencing supplies at Appleton's general store. He was his first customer and he looked surprised to see him in town. Appleton was a noisy creature that had little regard for Cord.
"So, you and Lilly huh?"
"That's right, me and Lilly, and Charlie…"
"He's your kid?" the old man scratched his chin. "He's really your kid?"
"Not that it needs clarifying, but yes. That's right, he is."
"But I thought Sam and Lilly…"
"You thought wrong. And don't ever let me hear you say that again." Cord threatened. "Ever. Charlie's mine, and we are going to be a family. And from now on, you better treat Lilly and Charlie right or you'll have me to answer to, is that understood."
The old man backed up and nodded, "Yes sir, never again."
"Charlie's my son, and he's a good kid, and if I ever hear you talking about it, you and me are gonna have a long talk. Is that understood. This town needs to get a few things straight, and I aim to see it does. Lilly is one of the nicest people I've ever known, and so is Charlie, and we're going to be a real family now. And the town better keep its wagging tongues shut, as I'm tired of the gossip. I'm home and I'm making things right, and that's the end of it."
"Yep, it is…can I get you anything else today, sir?"
"No, not today. Just remember what I said. Not one word."
"Yes sir." Appleton nodded, as he went behind the counter.
Satisfied he's set the old man straight, he decided he'd attend to something he felt was very important.
He saw Doc walking down the street and tipped his hat to him. The doc waved.
He headed straight for the Saloon.
When he went inside he found Lilly dealing with a rough customer. The man was obviously drunk, and making a nuisance of himself. He kept pawing Lilly and Cord's blood ran cold.
"Trouble, Lilly?" He asked and watched the man take his hands from Lilly quickly.
"No, this gentleman was just going to sit down and mind his own business." Lilly directed. "Weren't you Judd?"