Morris gave him a broad smile. “That’s awfully generous, and we’d be honored.”
They settled on a time, and Liam left the saloon on a cloud of hope.
“Liam?”
He turned to see Tilly standing nearby. She eyed him with worry creasing her forehead—and he realized exactly what it must look like with him exiting a saloon at this time of day.
He smiled at her. “I had an early meeting with the proprietor of the Starlight. Where are you off to?”
She relaxed and returned his smile. Her nose and cheeks were pink with cold but her eyes glittered. “Nowhere in particular. I thought I’d explore the town.”
“Will you accompany me to the land office?” He crooked his arm, all of the awkwardness and expectations of their situation forgotten in his jovial mood.
“If you’d like me to.” She took his arm and looked up at him, all wide eyes and innocence and admiration, and Liam remembered his earlier thought—that this was exactly what he was hoping for when he’d sat down to write that advertisement.
“If you don’t mind me asking,” she said. “What was your meeting about?”
It was nice to have someone interested in his plans, someone he wasn’t hoping might contribute to them financially. So, as they walked, he told her about Allen’s inability to invest, but his exciting chance meeting with Morris. “They’re meeting us for supper tonight at the hotel,” he finished. “If it goes well, I can move forward with purchasing the land.”
“You wish for me to join you?” They’d stopped in front of the office, and Tilly looked up at him in delighted surprise.
“Of course.” Despite the chilly air, he suddenly felt warm around the neck with the way she was holding his gaze. He let go of her arm and dug his fingers into his palms to keep from tugging at his collar. “You’re my wife,” he said awkwardly.
It might have been his imagination, but he thought her cheeks had gone a deeper shade of pink. “All right,” she said as she twisted her gloved hands together. “I’ll see you at the hotel.”
Liam stood in the doorway to the office and watched her walk down the sidewalk, her skirts bobbing back and forth under her long coat. She turned around and caught his eye before quickly looking away, and something about that made him smile to himself.
“Hannan! The door,” Gilbert called from inside.
He was standing there staring after her like a fool, the door wide open. He slipped inside and closed it. And for the rest of the day, he had a hard time pulling his thoughts away from supper that evening.
If he was being honest with himself, it wasn’t just the prospect of another investor he was looking forward to. It was also the sweet smile and pair of big green eyes that looked at him as if he were the most respected man in the entire town.
Chapter Twelve
BY THE TIME THE SLICESof chocolate cake were served, Liam had a new investor in his hotel venture.
Tilly could hardly keep the smile from her face as she lifted a bite of cake to her lips. Liam was in a lively, friendly mood, as was his new business partner, Mr. Morris. They traded stories that grew more and more outrageous until dessert was finished and it was time to leave.
Liam stood and shook hands with Mr. Morris. “Tell your partner that I hope he’s much improved. I expect we’ll meet again soon, and I’ll show you both the lot where I plan to build.”
“I’ll relay your kind words.” Morris reached out and shook Liam’s hand before turning to Tilly. “Mrs. Hannan, it was a pleasure and an absolute delight to meet you.” He swept his hat down as he bowed, and she pressed the backs of her fingers to her lips to keep from giggling. He reminded her of some of her brother’s friends, back in Kansas, happy, confident, and eager to make a good impression.
“I so enjoyed meeting you too, Mr. Morris. I hope you’ll join us for supper again soon.”
