Montana Sky

the door shut behind them.
     
    S HE FELT LIKE A FOOL . A FOOL WHO WOULD undoubtedly freeze her ass off in this excuse for a dress before the evening was over. As she stood in front of her mirror, Willa tugged at the hem. That little action had the effect of moving it down close to an inch, while the low-cut neckline dipped distressingly in reaction, toward her navel.
    Tits or ass, she thought, scratching her head—which did she want to cover more?
    The dress did have sleeves, which was something. But they began at mid-shoulder, and nothing she tried seemed to convince them to settle a bit closer to her neck. Whatever the dress was made of was thin and soft and clung like a second skin.
    Grudgingly she stepped into her heels and got a quick lesson in physics. As she went up, so did the hemline.
    “Oh, screw it.” Stepping closer to the mirror, she decided she might as well go all out and use her miserly hoard of cosmetics. It was, after all, New Year’s Eve.
    And the dress, what there was of it, was a pretty color. Electric blue, she supposed. Maybe she didn’t have much cleavage, despite the best efforts of that dipping, clinging V neck, but her shoulders weren’t half bad. And damned if her legs were toothpicks. They were long, sure, but they were muscled, and the dark-toned panty hose she struggled into hid the couple of new bruises she’d discovered after her shower.
    She refused to fuss with her hair. She wasn’t any good with curls or complicated styles in any case, so she left it straight, spilling down her back. Which would at least keep the flesh warm that the plunge back bared.
    She remembered earrings only because Adam had given them to her for Christmas, and she fixed the pretty dangling stars on her lobes.
    Now if she could manage to stay on her feet all night—since sitting down in that dress wasn’t an option—she’d be fine.
    “Oh, you look wonderful” were the first words out of Lily’s mouth when Willa came downstairs. “Just wonderful,” she repeated, dancing to the landing in something floaty and winter white. “Tess, come see. Willa looks fabulous.”
    Tess’s comment was a grunt as she stepped out of the room looking dangerous in basic black. “Not half bad,” she decided, secretly thrilled with the results as she tapped her pearl choker and circled Willa. “A little makeup and you’ll do.”
    “I have makeup on.”
    “Christ, the woman has eyes like a goddess and doesn’t know how to use them. Come on.”
    “I’m not going back up there and glopping gunk on my face,” Willa protested as Tess dragged her back up the stairs.
    “Honey, for what I pay, it’s first-class gunk. Hold the fort, Lily.”
    “All right. Don’t be long, though.” And she beamed after them, flushed with the warmth of sisterhood.
    She wished they could see how much fun they were together, from her point of view. Squabbling, just as she imagined sisters would. And now sharing clothes, makeup, dressing for a party together.
    She was so grateful to be a part of it all. Giving in to the thrill, she spun in a circle, then stopped short when she saw Adam standing in the hall behind her.
    “I didn’t hear you come in.”
    “I came in the back.” He could have looked at her endlessly, the dark-haired fairy in a floating white dress. “You look beautiful, Lily.”
    “Thank you.”
    She felt very nearly beautiful. But he, he was so outrageous, so perfect in every detail, she could barely believe he was real. A thousand times over the past months she’d longed to touch him. Not just a hand, a brush of shoulders, but to touch him. Part of her was certain he would beoffended or amused, and that she wouldn’t risk.
    “I’m glad you’re here,” she said, speaking too quickly now. “Tess took Will back up for some last-minute touches, and people will start coming any minute. I don’t do very well playing hostess. I never know what to say.”
    She stepped back as he stepped forward, then made herself stop. Her heart turned over when he brushed his fingers down her cheek. “You’ll be fine. They won’t know what to say either, once they look at you. I don’t.”
    “I—” Oh, she would make a fool of herself now, she was certain, with this need to fling herself into his arms and be held close. Just to be held. “I should help Bess. In the kitchen.”
    “She’s got everything under control.” He kept his eyes on hers and his moves slow as he reached for her hand. “Why don’t we pick