Tall, Dark, Texas Ranger

by Thayer, Patricia

  There he went, being nice again.

  “No, it wasn’t easy and I owe you a big thanks. And it’s not bound to get any easier for a long time. Mike was the one who could deal with Kasey’s moods. Now she blames me for him being gone.”

  “She has to blame someone. You’re the closest and the one she feels most safe with.”

  Lilly looked at him. The night’s darkness was an intimate setting. “Were you a psychologist in a previous life?” She took a sip of wine. She didn’t need it; this man could quickly go to her head—if she let him.

  “No, I just made my mother’s life difficult too many times to remember.”

  “For how long?” she asked hopefully.

  “Too long. She’s gone now.” He sighed. “I wish I’d been a better son.”

  She was curious. “What about your father?”

  “He wasn’t in the picture.” He shrugged. “So I don’t remember him much.”

  “So with your brother gone, you’re all alone.”

  Coop didn’t want her to see that much of himself. “I have a sister-in-law and a niece. I should stay in touch more.” Just not when he was working undercover.

  “You should. But you shouldn’t have to subject yourself to listening to a woman crying in her wine.”

  “No one is forcing me to do anything. And I doubt you complain much, Lilly.” He took a drink of his beer. Mainly because he was fighting the urge not to get too personal. “I wish I could tell you that everything will turn out all right, but I can’t. You’ve got good kids, just hang in there.”

  The moonlight illuminated the area as she looked at him with those big eyes. Man, she was stirring feelings in him, and that was dangerous for both of them. He needed to redirect his thoughts, to business. “Do you get any help from their aunt?”

  “Stephanie? She’s been trouble from the get-go. She’s a lot younger than Mike. He even helped raise her. Then he trained her in the family business after their parents passed away.”

  “So she has the business now,” he coaxed for more information.

  Lilly turned and looked at him. “It might be a coincidence, but a lot of the trouble between Mike and me started when she got more involved with the company.”

  Go easy, he told himself. “Didn’t your husband run things then?”

  “He did the books, but the day-to-day scheduling of the work crews was Stephanie’s job. And for a while they were doing great, the money was rolling in. The only problem was Mike was working more and more hours as the business expanded. Then Rey Santos came in as a manager for the crews. And I thought that would free Mike up and he could cut back on his hours. But Stephanie and Rey started dating.” She shivered. “Nothing changed. Then our marriage started…falling apart and finally Mike moved out.”

  She shrugged, staring out at the night sky. “Then one day I got served with divorce papers.”

  He saw her blink rapidly, her voice grew soft and shaky as she said, “I just never thought he would divorce the kids, too, and then the suicide.” She looked at him. “Can you see why Kasey acts up?”

  Coop had a dozen questions he wanted to ask her but was afraid to tip his hand. Was Mike Perry a total jerk, or was he the Feds’ informant trying to protect his family?

  The next day, Coop worked the morning repairing the walkway with Robbie. By noon, he’d sent the boy off to go swimming with his friends, while he went to see about his new boss.

  He pulled his truck into the construction site at the west end of town. There were to be twenty-five affordable, two-story homes to be built in the development called Vista Verde. The first dozen homes were to be completed by September.

  In fact, Alex Casali was listing the prices well below market value. It seemed the millionaire rancher wanted to pay back his good fortune to the community. The people who qualified to buy a house were low to moderate income families. And there was already a waiting list for the energy efficient homes that included a small park and community pool.

  Coop knocked on the construction trailer door.

  “Come in,” a man called.

  He pushed open the door and walked inside. Although the space was large, it still seemed crowded with two men and a pretty auburn-haired woman and two toddlers running around.

  The man behind the desk was Alex Casali, a big man with brown hair and gray eyes. He was a formidable man until he looked at his wife. Their affection for each other was obvious.

  Alex finally noticed him. “Coop. Good to see you.”

  “Hello, Alex. I thought I’d stop by to see about my starting time, but I can see you’re busy. Hello, Mrs. Casali.” He removed his hat. “Good to see you again.”

  “Please, call me Allison. It’s nice to see you again, Coop. You don’t have to leave, I’m taking Will and Rose home for their nap. I think their dad’s had enough of family at the work place.” She kissed her husband. “See you later at home.” She paused. “By the way, Coop, we’re having a barbecue this weekend at the ranch. It’s for all the workers on the Vista Verde project. You are invited, and please relay the message to Lilly, Beth and the kids. It’s really a community event.”

  He nodded. “Thank you, I’ll tell them.”

  Alex walked his wife and children out, then returned with a smile. Coop found he envied the man, not for all his money, more so for his life and family. He’d felt the same way around his brother and his wife, Clara. Then he recalled the reason he was here: Devin’s death.

  Alex walked to the desk. “Sorry the kids like to come and see me at work.”

  “No apologies necessary. You’re the boss.”

  “Boy, have you got that wrong.” He grinned. “My wife and kids run things. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  Casali sobered as the two other workers grabbed their hard hats and headed out of the trailer. Once they were alone, he said, “You ready to start Monday?”

  “All set.”

  Casali smiled. “I hear you’ve been doing some repairs on Beth Staley’s house, too. She’s been bragging about you at the shop.”

  Small town grapevine. “I’m not busy right now, and it’s a win-win situation. I get free meals out of it.”

  “I’m glad you’re helping out. That family has had a rough few years. Come on, I’ll show you around.” Casali picked up a hard hat, handed him one and they walked outside.

  They headed along the row of framed structures, the sound of hammering and power saws made it difficult to talk.

  Casali walked him to an open field area away from the workmen. “I’ll introduce you to my foreman, Charlie Reed. He’ll be the one you report to, and he hands out the job schedule.” They continued to walk along the recently paved road and they reached four nearly completed homes at the end of the block.

  “We’re proud of this project and I want the community involved in it as much as possible.” Alex studied him a moment. “Sheriff Bradshaw asked me to hire you. I take it there’s a good reason for that.” He raised a hand. “I’m not asking what it is, I’ve already got that lecture from Brad.” Sheriff Oliver “Brad” Bradshaw was Coop’s contact in town.

  Casali went on to say, “I only worry about keeping my family and friends safe.”

  “I don’t see why they wouldn’t be.”

  “Well, I’m going to make sure of that. Just so you know, I’ll have extra security at the party and on the job site.”

  “That’s always a good idea. It’s not unusual to have some vandalism on construction sites.”

  Casali was a powerful presence. He didn’t doubt the man could take care of himself, or get things done. “Damn. I don’t like what’s going on.”

  Coop knew he hadn’t fooled this man. He needed to change the subject. He told Alex about Kasey Perry’s adventure at the Dark Moon Arcade. “From what I could gather it’s not a good place for kids.”

  “Not even close,” Alex agreed. “We’ve been trying to shut it down the past few years. I even offered to buy it, but the owner refused my offe
r.” Again Alex studied him. “It seems you’ve gotten involved in a few things since your arrival.”

  He shrugged. “Just a little painting, and helped Lilly find Kasey. Like you said, it’s small-town living.”

  “As a friend of Lilly and her family, we appreciate it. Maybe it’s time I alert the sheriff so he can keep a watch on the place.”

  There were so many things that Coop didn’t feel safe involving a civilian in. If it was Perry who contacted the Feds, that might have been what caused his death. Did he leave behind some incriminating information? Stephanie and Santos were too interested in Mike Perry’s things. How far would they go to get it? His main job was to keep Lilly and her kids safe.

  That was his number one priority.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  TWO mornings later, Lilly’s heart swelled at hearing laughter from outside the window. Her son was again working with Coop. Today, their resident handyman and his trusty helper were putting flagstone pavers over the already patched walkway leading up to the porch.

  Coop had convinced her mother it would be cheaper to lay stone over the patched concrete than tear it out and pour a new walk.

  At breakfast, Robbie had explained that the big tree in the front yard shaded the sidewalk in the morning so it was cooler to work there. They’d go back to painting when the sun moved from the side of the house.

  Whatever Noah Cooper was doing, she wanted him to continue because her son was a lot happier these days. So was she. Her smile quickly died. If only she could say the same for her daughter.

  She rolled her eyes at the ceiling, feeling the vibration, hearing the loud music coming from Kasey’s bedroom. It was the only thing she hadn’t taken away from the teenager.

  She knew this wasn’t the end to this struggle between mother and daughter. Somehow, Lilly had to figure out a way to get through to her. What terrified her was that she might not be able to.

  “Mom! Mom!” Robbie cried and she hurried outside afraid he’d gotten hurt.

  A quick scan told her he was fine. So was the man standing next to him, shirtless. She felt a catch in her breath as she eyed that beautiful sculptured chest, flat stomach and…

  “Come see.” Robbie interrupted her thoughts as he waved her down to the sidewalk.

  She descended the steps. “What’s wrong?”

  “See, Mom. I put my initials in the cement,” he told her proudly.

  “Yes, you did.” She looked down at the “RP” along with the date in the grout beside the flagstone. “That looks great. So does the walk.”

  “Coop said in a hundred years people will know that we did this work.”

  She stole a glance at the man who rocked her son’s world these days. “That’s a lot of hot Texas summers and hard winters.”

  Robbie nodded. “Coop said you should always do the best job so your work will last. So people can depend on you.”

  She felt emotions welling in her throat. “That’s true. You should be proud of everything you do.”

  “Do you think Daddy would be proud of me?”

  She had to swallow hard as she glanced at the stoic look on Coop’s face. “I know he would.” She put on a big smile as she hugged her son.

  After a moment, Coop spoke, “Hey, Robbie, we need to clean up before we go and get ice cream.”

  “Ice cream?”

  Coop gave Robbie a questioning look. “You did ask, didn’t you?”

  Robbie looked down. “I guess I forgot. Mom, can we go get some ice cream?”

  “How about we eat some lunch, then go.”

  Robbie opened his mouth to argue, then looked at Coop. “Sure.”

  Lilly turned to Coop. “It’s tomato soup and grilled cheese.”

  “My favorite,” he told her.

  “It’s my favorite, too,” her son chimed in.

  Coop picked up his shirt and slipped it on. He hadn’t missed Lilly’s interest, nor did he mind it, but this was work. He needed to concentrate on doing his job and she wasn’t making it easy.

  He followed them into the kitchen and heard the music from upstairs. He fought a grin. “I take it Kasey’s letting you know she’s not happy.”

  Lilly went around the island and pulled out the flat griddle. “Drama for Kasey started when she was about a year old and it hasn’t let up yet.”

  Coop went to the sink and turned on the water to wash his hands. He liked being in this kitchen. It was a little worn, but he bet there’d been plenty of good times here.

  He glanced over his shoulder just as Lilly went to get something from the refrigerator. When she bent slightly, her shorts pulled tight over her shapely rear end and long legs.

  Oh, boy. He felt the stirring low in his gut.

  As if she sensed his attention, she turned around. Her expression was one of surprise, though there was awareness in her eyes, but she quickly glanced away. “What kind of cheese do you want on your sandwich?”

  He shut off the water and grabbed a towel, wiped his hands as he leaned against the counter. “Anything is fine.” He’d be damned if he would apologize for staring at a beautiful woman. Wasn’t that what guys did? Except he was a Texas Ranger who was supposed to be doing his job, and Lilly Perry was a part of it.

  She looked at him again. “Why don’t you go sit down? I can handle lunch.”

  He started to argue when Robbie came running into the room. “Coop! Coop! See what I got.” He was holding up a baseball in a plastic case as he climbed up on a stool at the island.

  “What do we have here?”

  “It’s a baseball. See it’s got Nolan Ryan’s name on it. Just like your baseball card.”

  “Robbie,” his mother cautioned. “Remember that’s not a toy. It’s valuable.”

  “I won’t take it out,” he promised her. “I only wanted to show it to Coop.” The boy turned back to him. “He played for the Texas Rangers baseball team. Dad said Nolan Ryan’s the greatest pitcher ever.”

  “I know.” Coop took the plastic case and examined the ball to see Ryan’s signature. “He had seven no hitters. He was the strikeout king. He was nicknamed The Ryan Express.”

  The boy’s eyes rounded. “Wow! You know a lot.”

  “That’s because I love baseball, too. I used to play in high school.” It had been the only thing that kept him out of trouble. “Do you play?”

  The boy hung his head and murmured, “I don’t know how to catch very good.” He looked at his mother. “I don’t have anyone to practice with me.”

  Coop felt for the kid, knowing sports had kept him and his brother off the streets. “I bet you can play tee-ball and learn.”

  Lilly turned the sandwiches on the grill, surprised at her son’s comment. She would have loved to sign him up. Give him an activity to keep him busy. “If you want to play, I can talk to one of the fathers, maybe they will help you.”

  “Ah, Mom. I don’t want to do that.”

  Lilly was at a loss. She wasn’t much of an athlete, so she couldn’t help.

  “Maybe I can help you,” Coop said. “You got a mitt and another baseball?”

  “Sure. I’ll go get ’em.”

  Lilly called him back before he left the room. “First, we eat. So go and wash up and get your sister.”

  The boy looked disappointed, but did what he was told.

  Lilly went to stir the soup, then pulled down the bowls.

  “Is there something wrong?” Noah asked.

  She hated to say anything critical about his act of kindness. She looked at him. “I’m just a little worried. Robbie has been so excited these last few days with you around.”

  “So you want me to stop being friends with your son.”

  She sighed. “No, but he’s a little boy who misses his father. Doesn’t that make you uncomfortable?”

  Coop was more uncomfortable about not being truthful with her. “Look, if you don’t want me to spend time with your son, that’s your right. Since I was a kid who didn’t have a father around, I know it’s nice t
o have another man provide some attention.”

  “Did you have someone?”

  Don’t get too personal, he told himself. “My brother and I spent a lot of time at the boys’ club.” He smiled. “A gruff, old guy named Gus. He told us to leave the attitude at the door if we wanted to come in. He kept all the kids in line.”

  She smiled, then quickly sobered. “Don’t get me wrong, Noah. I’m happy you spend time with Robbie, but I don’t want him hurt when you leave.”

  He went to her. “You mean like their father hurt all of you?”

  He saw her hesitate, but also the pain in her eyes. She finally nodded.

  “You can’t keep your kids from getting hurt, Lilly. They have to get out there and learn to survive, not to be afraid. And they need to learn that from you.”

  “But Robbie isn’t even six.”

  “And he and his sister have already been hurt. You couldn’t protect them from the pain of losing their father.” He paused. “You’re an adult, and you couldn’t even protect yourself.”

  An hour later, Lilly had to get away from the house. She ended up leaving Kasey brooding in her room, and drove Robbie to the library for the children’s reading hour, postponing the trip to the ice cream store. Okay, she needed time to brood after Noah’s declaration.

  She walked into the Blind Stitch, needing some adult time. Some girl time. As usual the popular shop was busy. Since Jenny was on maternity leave, it had been ever harder to keep up with customers. The regular employee, Millie Roberts, was behind the counter.

  Lilly found her mother in the other room of the shop, where they held the quilting classes. Beth Staley was instructing a patron on a quilt pattern. She looked up and smiled, then excused herself and walked over.

  “This is a surprise. What brings you in?”

  “I miss my mother,” Lilly said.

  Beth smiled back at her. “That’s nice to know. I take it the kids are getting to you.”

  She groaned. “I know I’m a terrible mother, but I can’t wait until the school year starts.” And she wouldn’t be daydreaming about a shirtless man in her backyard. “So can you go on a break?”