Tall, Dark, Texas Ranger

by Thayer, Patricia

  No one wanted him worse than Coop did. The man was responsible for his brother’s death, and more than likely he was responsible for Mike Perry’s death, too.

  “What should my men and I do then?”

  “Keep an eye on the Dark Moon Arcade. It’s a gut feeling, but I think something is going to happen there. And soon.”

  It was nearly lunchtime when Coop returned to the Staley house. He had to face Lilly, and he didn’t want to see her disappointment. He cared too much to lead her on. She’d be upset anyway when she learned why he was really here.

  He’d been undercover for the past two years, working every angle, hoping to get a chance at Delgado. If this one panned out, then he could go back to regular duty. Have a normal life again back in El Paso. He thought about his home. It had been an apartment close to the Ranger company office.

  At thirty-seven, he couldn’t even say he had put down roots. Not that he’d ever wanted to before. He drove into the Staleys’ driveway and glanced at the grand Victorian house and the generations of family who’d lived here.

  He thought about Lilly. She deserved a man to give her stability. Someone in this town. Someone who’d help raise her kids. He knew nothing about being a parent. His mother was preoccupied and his father had never showed up at all.

  No. When he finished here, he’d leave and take another assignment, just like he always did. It was safer that way not to get involved. He wasn’t even sure he could settle down in one place.

  He parked and climbed out just as Robbie ran out of the house. “Hi, Coop. You want to play catch with me?”

  Coop smiled. “Sure. Just let me talk to your mom for a second. Is she home?”

  “Yeah, she’s in the kitchen.” The boy wrinkled up his nose. “I don’t think she’s very happy.”

  “Why is that?”

  “’Cause when I talked to her, she wasn’t listening.”

  “Maybe she’s tired.”

  He shrugged. “Maybe you can make her happy.”

  Coop tugged on the boy’s baseball cap. “I’ll try.”

  He watched Robbie run off, then he knocked and walked into the kitchen. He found Lilly at the table with a notepad. She glanced up at him, and it was like a punch in the gut. Damn, if she didn’t have that effect on him.

  “You have a minute to talk?” he asked.

  Lilly hesitated. She wanted to act as if nothing had happened, but it wasn’t working. “Okay.”

  Noah walked in and Lilly got a funny feeling in her stomach. She had to stop acting this way. Noah Cooper was not the man for her. He’d told her that clearly enough last night.

  His voice drew her attention. “I’m worried that last night wasn’t a one-shot deal with Santos and Stephanie. How far are they willing to go to find these missing papers? What if they come to this house?”

  Her eyes widened. “Here? You mean like break into my mother’s house?”

  He nodded. “They’ve approached you several times already. Could there be some of Mike’s things mixed up with yours?”

  She thought about it. “I left so much furniture at the house. I only took the beds and dressers. The kids’ personal things, of course. Since Mike handled the finances…” That had been her mistake. “So I pretty much left all the papers with him. I always kept any job-related things separate from any of the landscaping business. Since I had custody of the kids, I took all their papers.”

  “Would you mind if I asked what they are?”

  “A life insurance policy, birth certificates and my divorce papers.”

  She glanced down at the notepad. “That’s what I’ve been doing here, making a list of places Mike’s so-called papers could possibly be.”

  He seemed interested. “What did you come up with?”

  “Of course, they’re long shots. All my stuff I didn’t want to go through went up to the attic. It’s mostly pictures. I didn’t want to bombard my mother with twelve years of things from my marriage. And a lot was thrown out.”

  She hated that she had to share her personal failings with this man. “Why do I feel like I’m in the middle of a nightmare, and I can’t wake up?”

  “I wish I could do more to help you,” he told her. “But while I’m here I promise I’ll do my best to keep Santos away from you and the kids.”

  Lilly was suddenly faced with the realization that Noah wouldn’t always be around. But there was something else. Even though she didn’t want to question his generosity, she couldn’t help wonder about his interest in her problems.

  “I can’t depend on you for my safety.” She had no idea what to do to get Stephanie to leave her alone. Then it came to her. “Or I’ll just have to beat Stephanie to it, and find those papers myself.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  LATER that evening, Coop stood inside the dark cottage and waited until he saw Lilly’s bedroom light go out. He’d managed to talk her out of doing anything crazy. For now. But how long would that last? She was asking too many questions, and he couldn’t answer them. Not without blowing his cover.

  After lacing his running shoes, he headed for the door. It was safe to go out now. Not only was it a good cover so he could meet his contact, but it helped relieve stress, especially with Lilly talking about confronting Stephanie.

  After a quick series of stretches, he started jogging down the driveway and headed north toward the edge of town, three miles to Perry’s Landscaping. He was to meet up with a federal agent, Rico Vega, halfway there. Vega worked undercover as a day laborer and he’d been hired on the landscape crew for Vista Verde.

  Coop picked up his pace as the adrenaline surged through him, unable to keep Lilly out of his head. He’d known he’d overstepped when it came to her. He never should have touched her. The way she made him feel was something he’d never allowed himself to think about.

  Until now. When a certain blonde, green-eyed woman got under his skin. He felt the warning signal go off.

  Yet, he couldn’t seem to help himself when it came to elementary school principal Lilly Perry. Surprisingly she wasn’t even his type. He’d stayed far away from women who wanted a commitment, who came with kids.

  He’d directed all his energy into getting the drug dealer who’d managed to slip away from the authorities on both sides of the border. They’d only been able to catch his lapdogs, never the head guy. Santos, or Delgado—whatever he called himself.

  Coop blew out a breath in frustration and turned the corner, heading toward the designated spot. He had to get the guy this time. A man lost his wife and his family trying to do the right thing and protect them. Like his brother, Devin, Perry’s life needed to stand for something. Something to make his kids proud.

  Again he thought about Lilly. She deserved to know the real man she’d been married to, and that Mike didn’t leave her because he didn’t love her but because he’d loved her enough to do what was right. To keep his family safe.

  Coop slowed his pace as he approached a vacant building. This time of night the street was deserted, but that didn’t allow Coop to let his guard down. He glanced around the darkness. Bad things happened even in a perfect small town like Kerry Springs.

  Right before the corner, Coop saw the shadowed figure leaning against a doorway. He glanced around once again, then stopped and rested against the building’s facade.

  “Vega.”

  The man nodded. “Coop. Good to see you, amigo.”

  The man pushed open the door and stepped inside the gutted storefront. There was just enough moonlight coming through the window for them to see each other.

  He’d worked with Vega off and on with this investigation. “Tell me you got something for me,” Coop said.

  “Wouldn’t that be nice? Make our job easy for a change.” Vega sighed. “We might have a slight break this time. I’ve heard there’s a delivery coming in at the end of the week. They say it’s special fertilizer for Vista Verde.”

  “What makes you think it isn’t just that?”

  “Sant
os himself is going to be there. From what I learned from one of the workers, there are about four men who get to hang with Santos. They’re the ones supervising this delivery.”

  “Do you know the time?”

  Vega shook his head. “No. Just that the shipment is due by the end of the week. If it shows up, we’re supposed to let the boss know ASAP.” Vega pulled out a cigarette but didn’t light it. “You have any info?”

  Coop shook his head. He told him about Lilly’s idea to search for the missing papers. “I’m worried about her and the kids’ safety,” he added.

  Vega cursed in Spanish. He knew the history of Mike Perry. “I guess you’ve got your hands full with her.” He released a breath. “I’ve already alerted my superior about the delivery. But we’ll need backup. We can’t risk losing this guy again.” The agent paused. “There’s another bit of info I received before I came here. Delgado was spotted in Laredo yesterday.”

  Coop froze. “They’re sure it was him?”

  “As sure as we can be.”

  “Damn. Why can’t this be easy for once?” Coop shook his head. “I’ll see you at the construction site tomorrow.”

  “Be careful,” Vega warned. “I saw Santos work over one of his men yesterday. He enjoyed it too much.”

  Coop wasn’t worried about himself, only Lilly and the family. If she had something Santos wanted, that put her in danger.

  Coop made it back to the cottage in record time. He didn’t like Lilly being alone. What would happen tomorrow when she was home all day by herself? And there were Kasey and Robbie. He needed to talk with Bradshaw again. Maybe he could get at least some extra patrols to come by the house.

  He headed for his door as he stripped off his T-shirt, only wanting a shower and a few hours sleep. He stopped when he saw Lilly sitting on the back stoop.

  “Lilly, is something wrong?”

  She shook her head. “I just couldn’t sleep.” She stood and walked toward him, wearing a tank top and shorts, covered partly by a cotton robe that was loosely tied at her waist. “And by the looks of things, you couldn’t, either.”

  He knew he had to back away, but he was frozen to the spot. Then she put her hand on his chest. He felt a different kind of burn and all rational thoughts went right out of his head.

  “I usually run at night,” he said weakly. “So I can sleep better.”

  She nodded, and finally looked up toward his face. “I went to the attic, and I found some boxes. I was wrong, there are some of Mike’s things in them. I guess when we moved out of the house, things got mixed together.”

  “Are they papers?”

  She nodded.

  “Did you go through them?”

  She shook her head. “I was afraid of what I might find. Would you go through them with me?”

  “Of course.” He didn’t want to appear too anxious, but if there was even a chance of finding something against Santos…

  “I can’t sleep until I know what’s there.”

  He slipped on his shirt. “What if it’s nothing?”

  “Then I will gladly hand everything over to Stephanie.”

  What he wouldn’t give for a break on this case. “Then let’s go.”

  “One box is on the porch. I didn’t want the kids or my mother to know what’s going on.” She glanced away. “Would you mind if we went through it at the cottage?”

  “No.” Coop went to the porch and retrieved a large box, then carried it inside. Lilly followed him and he placed the overflowing box on the coffee table.

  Lilly looked at him. “I’m not sure where this box came from but from what I see on top, it’s probably just some old bills, tax returns and some statements from our joint bank account. It’s probably a long shot.”

  “Hey, it’s a shot.” He didn’t hesitate and began digging through the stack. She’d been right. Utility and department store bills, receipts, even a few greeting cards.

  Lilly sat down and started sorting. She picked up a card that first brought a smile, remembering the Mother’s Day card Kasey had made in school, then sadness followed.

  “Lilly? Are you okay?”

  She wiped a tear away and nodded. “Just some memories of my sweet little girl.” She set it aside. “Maybe I should show her this and she might treat me a little nicer.”

  She didn’t want to relive her the past, so she started digging out another stack of papers. Several were billing statements with the letterhead of a company, Collier Shipping. The amount was for over ten thousand dollars. On the bottom was a handwritten note. “Talk to S. about this.”

  “Noah, it’s probably nothing but…” She handed it to him. “I never worked in the landscape office, so I’m not sure what this is.”

  Noah looked it over, frowning. “You don’t know Collier Shipping?”

  “They aren’t local,” she told him. “But I think ‘S’ stands for Stephanie.”

  “It’s dated June nearly two years ago.” He looked at her. “How long has Santos worked here?”

  She frowned. “About two years. Mike mentioned some guy Stephanie was dating. School wasn’t out yet.” She swallowed. “That summer Mike and I started having trouble.”

  She stood as Noah continued digging through the box. “There are several more statements from Collier,” he said. “Fifteen thousand, and this one is for almost thirty. Whatever they shipped was expensive.”

  “Plants and fertilizer? They started up the greenhouse and nursery that year.”

  Noah nodded, but continued going through the numerous papers. He had other ideas what the money was used for. “Every week? That’s a lot of inventory for a small business. And why would Mike circle them in red ink?”

  “I don’t know. Do you think these papers are what Stephanie is looking for?”

  Coop frowned. “She said they wanted tax papers. These were expenditures. And if there was illegal money coming in, they wouldn’t want the IRS to know about it.”

  “Mike wouldn’t do that,” Lilly insisted. “He was an accountant and an honest man. At least he used to be.”

  Noah wanted to tell her the truth, but he didn’t know it all himself. “Let’s finish going through this before we make any judgments.” He still needed proof. None of this made Santos guilty of anything. “And I’d make copies before giving the originals to Stephanie.”

  “So you think Santos and Stephanie are doing something illegal? What?” Her last guess came out a whisper. “Drugs?”

  He hesitated a moment. “It doesn’t matter what I think.”

  She studied him. “It does to me. If Stephanie is after this, then all I care about is keeping my family safe.”

  He took a step closer. “That’s my first concern, too.”

  After gathering the two dozen receipts from the box, they walked across the backyard and into the house. No twenty-four-hour copy places were available in Kerry Springs, so the best Lilly had was the copier on the fax machine in the den.

  With everyone in the house asleep, Noah shut the door, then closed the blinds before he let Lilly turn on the desk lamp. The computer was in the corner and she went right to work.

  Coop knew there wasn’t any proof of anything. But it was a start that might lead them to more. Could these deliveries be connected to drugs and money laundering?

  Lilly sighed. “I still have trouble believing that Mike got involved in something illegal.”

  “What if he didn’t have a choice?”

  She looked confused then her eyes widened. “Oh, God! It was Stephanie who got him involved. Her and Santos.”

  “We don’t know that, Lilly. This isn’t enough evidence.”

  She stared at him, then said. “I’m sorry to pull you into this. Maybe I should go to the sheriff.”

  “And tell him what? There isn’t enough with only this.” He took the chance. “You said there were more boxes.”

  She nodded. “There are two more upstairs. It’s pictures.”

  “Do you mind if we take a look?”
<
br />   Lilly finished with the copies and left the papers on the desk.

  They went up to the second floor, past the bedrooms to the end of the hall. Opening a door, she turned on a light that revealed bare wooden steps that led them to a large area with open rafters for the ceiling. She took him to a spot where there was furniture and stacked cartons.

  She opened a box where there were photos on top. He couldn’t help but glance over the family pictures. The kids were at different stages of growth. He stared at a very young bride and her groom. And Lilly couldn’t have been very old, barely out of her teens.

  “We were both still in college and didn’t want to wait until after graduation. Our parents were afraid that we’d quit school, but we didn’t.” He watched a sad smile cross her face. “I might have been five months pregnant, but I graduated.”

  Coop wondered what it was like to care about someone so much that he couldn’t wait to be with them. He looked at Lilly. “He must have loved you a lot.” He found he was envious of what Mike and Lilly had together. “Some people never find anyone.”

  She smiled but there was sadness in her voice. “I thought we had it all. Then in a few short years everything changed. The business became his main focus. Sometimes it felt like I was married to a stranger.”

  “Maybe we’ll find the reason why in here.” Coop began to dig through the box, just so he wouldn’t keep looking at Lilly and wondering what it would be like to have her in his life.

  He was too aware of her presence. Too aware of what she felt like in his arms. He inhaled her scent and remembered what her kisses were like. He straightened. What he needed to realize was she wasn’t his, and never would be.

  This was a job, and that was all he needed to remember.

  The next morning came far too soon. Lilly had been up early to fix breakfast for Noah. She knew he hadn’t gotten much sleep, either, and he had to go to work at the construction site today. After they’d sat upstairs and gone through every single box and dresser drawer in the attic but they’d come up with nothing more. So he’d finally gone back to the cottage.