Desert Lilly: The Willingham Sisters

By Cynthia Hickey

Rustlers are after her cattle ... Lilly Willingham is after them.

The second installment picks up where the first one left off: As Rose Willingham becomes Mrs. McCammon. Lilly, while happy for her sister, fears the family is being split apart. She has her eye on Luke McCammon, one of Zeke's brothers, and wouldn't mind getting hitched to such a handsome man, but she fears giving in means losing her independence.

When rustlers steal some of the Willingham and the McCammon cattle, Lilly and Luke must set aside their strong attraction for one another and focus on the task of retrieving what is stolen.

This is the continuing story of four volumes with each volume continuing where the one before ends, and in the point of view of another sister.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cynthia Hickey
• Release date: May 7, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201759025

Cynthia Hickey

Multi-published and best-selling author, Cynthia Hickey, has taught writing at many conferences and small writing retreats. She and her husband run the publishing press, Winged Publications, which includes some of the CBA's best well-known authors. They live in Arizona and Arkansas, becoming snowbirds with two dogs and one cat. They have ten grandchildren who them busy and tell everyone they know that "Nana is a writer."   

Book preview

1

Arizona, 1898

Lilly watched as her oldest sister married Zeke McCammon. While Rose had kicked and fought like an unbroken horse at the thought of getting hitched, she had a smile on her face bigger than the Rio Grande. Maybe there was something to this wedding business.

She caught the eye of Zeke’s brother Luke. He grinned and winked. The cad! Flirting at Rose’s wedding.

Ducking her head, she thought of the dance the other night when they’d whirled around the dance floor in a waltz. She hadn’t minded wearing a dress much that night, or today, come to think of it. But, Lilly was the hunter in the family. It was hard to run down a deer wearing a skirt and petticoats.

Once Rose and Zeke said their I do's, his brothers tossed up their hats, hooting and hollering and hoisted the bride and groom on their shoulders. Something else Lilly couldn’t do while wearing a darn dress. Dressing like a girl definitely had its drawbacks.

She clutched the single rose stem in her hand so hard it snapped in two. Groaning, she tossed it on the steps of the church, hefted her skirts, and dashed after the McCammons.

Rose, are y’all going to be living at our place or Zeke’s? she asked.

We’re taking the fence down between the two properties, Zeke said from the top of Jacob and Daniel’s shoulders. You can stay where you want. We’ve a big house with wood floors and a housekeeper.

That meant no bugs falling on them in the night and Rose would have help doing the womanly chores. How many bedrooms?

You and your sisters will have to share until we can build on. He tapped his brother’s shoulders so they’d let him down. Now, I promised my bride a restaurant supper. Him and Rose dashed into the restaurant, leaving the others to stand around staring at each other like wallflowers on opposite sides of a dance floor.

I thought he was buying us all supper, Daisy said, planting fists on her hips. I’m hungry.

Guess they forgot. Daniel said. He crooked his arm for Daisy, Jacob did the same for Belle, leaving Luke to take Lilly.

I’ll buy, Luke said. It’s not every day a man gets four sisters.

The six of them trooped into the nearby restaurant, drawing the eyes of everyone in the place. The hostess led them to a large table in the back, handed them a printed menu, and left them to choose.

Lilly glared at Rose and Zeke at a smaller table. Now that her sister was married, was she going to forget she had a family? That there were others who still needed her? She’d been all gung-ho to be an independent rancher one minute, and dove-eyed over a new husband the next. She rattled her menu and tried to concentrate on the printed words in front of her.

It didn’t help that Luke had made the