Tall, Dark, Texas Ranger

by Thayer, Patricia

  Lilly smiled at the couple, knowing how long it took for both of them to find one another. Their happiness was wonderful to see, but also painful. Not everyone was so lucky.

  What if she couldn’t be the woman that Noah needed? She already knew that she still wasn’t the woman she needed to be.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  HOURS later, Coop pulled into his parking spot at the Staley house. He’d been at the sheriff’s department with DEA, and then his captain, for hours. He finally begged off and said he needed to get some sleep. After all, this was supposed to be his vacation. He’d worked so long to find Delgado that he hadn’t taken any time off. He planned to use every minute of his time here to woo Lilly. Did they even use that term any longer? And did he even know how to do it right? Since he’d avoided all relationships for years, he wasn’t sure how to begin.

  Climbing out of the truck, he locked it and headed to his front door. He’d think about it tomorrow. Maybe he’d ask advice from Alex or Sean. Both men seemed to know how to keep a woman happy. He’d take any pointers on how to win Lilly.

  Maybe it was a crazy idea. Could a thirty-seven-year-old man suddenly change and take a chance at having a family?

  Coop started to put the key in the lock and discovered the door was ajar. A warning went off. He placed a hand on the weapon at his waist, ready if this was retaliation for earlier. Pushing on the door revealed a dim light and he spotted a shadowy figure seated on the sofa.

  He blinked and took another look. Lilly?

  He released his weapon and walked in. She turned toward him and tried to smile, but he could see she looked a little tired.

  “Lilly, is something wrong?”

  She stood and crossed the room. “No, and I’m sorry for the intrusion. I guess I got too comfortable in the quiet. Anyway I wanted to thank you for what you did for Kasey today.”

  He didn’t want her gratitude. “There’s no reason to thank me,” he told her. “You have to know I would never let anything happen to Kasey or Robbie.”

  She nodded. “I still wanted to tell you how grateful I am that you were there for Kasey. She and I had a long talk tonight, and I’m going to get her some help, some counseling.” She glanced away and drew a shaky breath. “I’ve been so worried about me that I’d forgotten how all this affected the kids. And they are so vulnerable…”

  He couldn’t stand to see her fight so hard to hold it together. He reached for her pulling her into his arms, locking her in an embrace, not wanting her to ever leave. His chest tightened as he felt her warm tears against his shirt, and wished he could take away all her pain and sadness. “It’s going to be okay, Lilly,” he breathed against her ear.

  She raised her head and looked at him in the dim light. “How can you say that?”

  “Because I know you. I know your strength, your determination. Kasey and Robbie know they can depend on you.”

  A tear hit her cheek. “I don’t think I’m exactly a candidate for mother of the year.”

  “You’re a great mother.” When she didn’t look convinced, he went on. “I should know bad mothers. My own didn’t have time for me or my brother. She was too busy trying to find the next guy who would take care of her.” His gaze locked on hers. “You’re strong and loving, Lilly.”

  He cupped her face and held his breath waiting for her to pull away. She didn’t. “Don’t ever think you’re not.” He brushed a kiss across her lips, her sweet lips.

  She sucked in a breath. “Noah…”

  He didn’t give her a chance to say any more. Like a starved man he went back for more. This time he needed to let her know how much he cared about her, desired her, but more than that, he wanted to be a part of her life.

  He pulled her against him as his mouth moved over hers. When his tongue touched her lips, she opened for him so he could deepen the kiss. He eagerly tasted her sweetness, aching for more. He wanted all of her.

  Finally he tore his mouth away, wanting to tell her how he felt about her. “Lilly, I’ve missed you so much.”

  She tensed and pulled free. “I’m sorry.” She shook her head. “I didn’t plan for this to happen. Thank you again for what you did.”

  He let her go. “I care about you, Lilly.”

  She turned away. “I can’t do this now, Noah. The kids need me…”

  He knew she’d gone through so much. “Let me help you.”

  “I have to do this on my own.” She turned to face him. “Besides, you’ll be gone soon on another case.”

  He couldn’t make her any promises, yet. “What if I’m here, Lilly?”

  She stood there unable to speak, but he saw the anguish on her face. “I need to go,” she said, her voice rough with emotion. She walked out, closing the door behind her, leaving Coop alone. He’d been alone most of his life, but this time, he wasn’t going to let her walk away. “No, Lilly, I can’t give up on us.”

  Over the next few days, work had been the only thing that kept Coop distracted from Lilly. Not seeing or hearing from her, he was beginning to doubt that they were going to come together.

  He cut another piece of crown molding.

  “Hey, Coop, you’re playing havoc with the overtime.”

  Hearing Alex Casali, he turned around. “I thought you wanted the model home ready to show by the weekend?”

  “I do, but I don’t want you working so many hours that you get injured. Don’t you have a pretty lady to spend time with?”

  He wished. “She’s spending time with her kids. She needs some time. Oh, hell, truth is, I could be wasting my time.”

  Alex nodded and pushed his hard hat back off his forehead. “Yeah, it’s hard to know what they want.”

  “Alessandro Casali, you didn’t just say that.”

  They both swung around to see Allison Casali. The pretty auburn-haired woman was visibly angry. “Coop, ignore this man. If you care about Lilly then you figure out what she needs from you.”

  “I do care for her. But she keeps pushing me away.”

  “Then push back. Let Lilly know you aren’t going to hurt her like Mike did.” She raised her hand. “To be honest, their marriage was in trouble long before Santos showed up. That did a lot of damage to Lilly. Trust comes hard.” Allison glanced at her husband. “It’s all about sharing things.”

  Alex pulled his wife against his side. “Yeah, that one was a hard one for me.” He grinned down at Allison. “But the rewards are so worth it.”

  “How do I convince Lilly?” Coop asked, envious of the exchange between the two.

  “Prove to her that you’re going to be there no matter what. That you love her.”

  “Tell her?”

  Allison shook her head. “No, show her.”

  Lilly awoke Saturday morning feeling a little groggy. Lack of sleep will do that to a person, especially when it’s several days. She sat up in bed and saw the reason: Mike’s letter. It took her a while to be brave enough to read, then finally, two days ago, she’d realized that if she was going to move ahead with her life, her kids’ lives, she needed to deal with the past.

  Mike’s handwritten letter had explained so many things. The reason why he’d left his family. The reason he’d divorced her and refused to see the kids. He told her how much he loved her and the kids, and he’d wished he’d spent more time with them.

  Lilly had allowed herself the tears for what they’d lost. Mike had done a wonderful thing for his family and she’d always love him for that. But she couldn’t go back to that time.

  Yesterday, Lilly had shared parts of the letter with Kasey and Robbie and she held them as they all shed tears. It had been the first time that either one of them let go and showed emotions over their father’s death.

  Later, she’d taken them both to the cemetery to see Mike’s grave again. She wanted to do everything possible to help them heal. In time they’d all deal with the sadness, hers included.

  Robbie announced that his dad was a hero. And Kasey’s change in attitude was remarkab
le. She’d always been so close to her father; Lilly still had no idea how much his death had affected her. Maybe because she’d been too wrapped up in her own bitterness to see her daughter’s pain.

  While the kids headed back to the car, Lilly had stayed at the graveside and made her own peace with Mike. The man she’d been married to for thirteen years. The man she’d loved since college. She knew they’d been having problems a long time before their breakup. They’d been going in different directions for a few years before he’d left her. Their busy careers had a lot to do with it. But they’d both been to blame for the failures. No matter what, she would always love the father of her children. She would never let Kasey and Robbie forget the man who’d died protecting them.

  She wiped away the tears. It was time, and she finally said goodbye to her past.

  Smiling, Lilly sat up and hugged her knees. She began to think about her future and a certain Texas Ranger who’d been haunting her day and night. Did he have room in his life for her and her kids? Was there a chance for them?

  Whoa, she needed to slow down. Since she hadn’t seen him at all in the past few days, she wondered if he’d given up on them and left.

  “He’d better not.” She jumped into the shower and dressed in record time. It was time she talked to the kids about Noah Cooper.

  She went downstairs for breakfast, hearing the happy chatter and laughter in the kitchen. At the stove was Kasey making pancakes and Robbie was seated at the counter, telling one of his silly jokes. Her mother was seated at the table, supervising.

  Robbie spotted her. “Mom, you waked up.”

  “Yes, I did.” She smiled. “Looks like you’ve all been busy this morning.”

  “Yeah, we’re happy today,” Robbie said.

  She knew it had a lot to do with the closure they were all feeling. She had her kids back.

  “And I get to go see where Coop works and—”

  “Robbie,” his grandmother said in a warning tone.

  Her son looked back at her. “If you say it’s okay,” he began again. “Oh, please, Mom. Please! We want to go to where Coop works. You’re invited, too.”

  That would be wonderful, if only… “Honey, Noah works in El Paso.”

  Robbie shook his head. “No, Mom, Coop’s other work, building houses for Mr. C.”

  Lilly shot a look at her mother. “He’s still working on Vista Verde?”

  Beth Staley didn’t even look ashamed that she’d left that part out of any conversation they’d had in the past.

  “Yep, he sure is,” Kasey answered. “And they’re having a picnic today for all the employees’ families.” Her daughter smiled as she brought a stack of pancakes to the table. “Maybe he might even buy one of the houses.”

  “That would be cool!” Robbie got up on his knees, stabbed the cake on top and dropped it on his plate. “Then Coop can be around to play baseball with me. So can we go? There’s swimming in the new pool at the park there, too.”

  Lilly sent a curious glance at her mother. “What are they talking about?”

  The older woman shrugged. “Well, if a man wants to settle down, it seems natural to find a house. I mean the cottage is a little small.”

  Her head was spinning. “But he lives and works in El Paso.”

  “I’m only saying, ‘Where there’s a will, there’s a way,’” Beth Staley said.

  Lilly’s heart pounded in her chest. Noah Cooper living in Kerry Springs? Permanently? She tried to calm herself. “Well, he hasn’t said anything to me about it.”

  Her mother frowned. “If you gave the guy a chance, maybe he would.”

  An hour later, Lilly arrived at the construction site with two excited kids. Their mother wasn’t exactly calm, either. After last week, and the kiss they’d shared at the cottage, she’d been chicken. So she’d stayed clear of Noah Cooper. Yet, she couldn’t stay away today, and she found she was excited that he was possibly staying in town.

  She pulled up in front of the trailer and parked next to Allison Casali’s SUV. There was also a sign hanging from a 4x4 post that read, Verde Vista Family Picnic.

  “See, Mom, everyone is invited today.” Robbie turned to her with a smile. “Kasey and me are part of Coop’s family for the day.”

  Lilly nodded as she climbed out of the car. There were several other families with their kids headed toward the end of the street to the community park where the pool was located.

  “Mom, can I go find Coop?”

  “We’ll all go together,” she told her son, not sure what was really going on. But she was going to find out.

  Allison Casali and her older daughter, Cherry, came out of the construction trailer. The ten-year-old had on shorts and a sleeveless top.

  Lilly smiled and waved. “Hello, Allison. Hi, Cherry.”

  “Hi, Mrs. P. Hi, Robbie, Kasey.” The auburn-haired girl handed them baseball caps with the company logo on them. “You’re here with Coop?”

  “Yep.” The boy puffed out his chest. “He’s going to be my dad for today.”

  “And mine, too,” Kasey answered.

  Lilly didn’t know how to correct them, yet she found she didn’t want to, either.

  Cherry said, “Come inside and I’ll get your tickets for the games and the swimming passes.”

  The kids disappeared into the trailer and Allison stayed with Lilly. “I think it’s nice that Coop is so involved with your kids.”

  “I just don’t want them to get hurt…if things don’t work out.”

  Allison frowned. “I know a lot has happened, Lilly, I’ve been there, too. If this thing between you and Coop is meant to be, it’ll work out. That is if you want it to.”

  Lilly looked at the woman who seemed to have it all. Allison got a second chance herself, along with her daughter when she met Alex Casali. “I know things worked out for you and Alex. Of course I would like to find happiness like that.”

  Allison arched an eyebrow. “You think it was easy getting that stubborn man to admit to his feelings?” She pointed toward the trailer. “No way. But I knew what I wanted and I fought for Alex, Lilly. Not saying I wasn’t scared to death, and I nearly walked away from him more than once.” A bright smile appeared on Allison’s face. “But when he said the words, ‘I love you,’ I was his.” Allison sobered. “Ask yourself, do you want to hear Coop say the words?”

  As frightened as she was, she managed to nod.

  Just then the kids came out of the trailer and Robbie spotted Noah. “Coop!” Her son took off toward him and Noah hugged the boy. Kasey was next.

  “What’s not to love about that man?” Allison sighed. “Kids and animals are a great judge of character. I’d say your Noah Cooper wins hands down. Your kids are sure he’s a winner. Go for it, Lilly. You deserve to have some happiness.” Then Allison walked inside the trailer.

  Lilly only had time to put on a smile as Noah arrived with her kids hanging all over him.

  Those dark eyes locked on her. “Hi, Lilly.”

  “Hi, Noah.”

  Coop couldn’t take his eyes off this woman; he was hungry for her. She was dressed in white shorts and a pretty blue sleeveless blouse, with her glorious brunette hair lying in curls around her shoulders. He just wanted to keep looking at her. He’d missed her so much.

  His hope was they’d be spending a lot more time together in the future. That was if he could do this right.

  “Well, I should go,” Lilly said, interrupting his thoughts. “What time do you want me back to pick them up?”

  “No, don’t,” he coaxed, a little too anxious. “I invited you, too. Besides, I need your advice.”

  She seemed reluctant as he took her hand. “Come on, I want to show you all something before we go to the picnic. You, too, kids,” he added and they started toward the model homes.

  Since it was Saturday, and with the families on the site, the work was at a standstill. He waved to some of the other employees as they headed toward the park that had been designed for the home o
wners. It included a community pool, a clubhouse, several playgrounds and a baseball diamond.

  “The park is a nice addition,” Lilly said.

  “It is. Alex and Allison wanted a place close where kids could play and parents didn’t have to worry. Perry’s did all the landscaping.” He smiled at her, knowing she’d manage the company until this project was completed.

  She nodded toward the young trees lining the parkways and the green lawns already taking root in the yards of the completed model home. “Mike would be proud of the work.”

  All Coop did was nod as he took the family down the sidewalk passing two different houses.

  “Thought you might like to see what I’ve been working on.”

  “Are you sure it’s okay?”

  He smiled. “I’m sure. Allison has already selected the furniture and it’s staged for viewing tomorrow.” He tugged on her hand and they took the walkway to an inviting porch and double mahogany doors of the two-story house.

  “Oh, my, this is so different than I’d expected. It’s so large!”

  Inside the entry there were high coved ceilings. A formal dining room was off to one side, on the other side an office. What drew their attention was the open staircase leading upstairs. The kids took off for the second floor.

  “And all the trim details.” She ran her fingers over the recently stained wainscoting.”

  “So you like it?”

  “Oh, yes.”

  He smiled. “That’s my work.”

  “I’m impressed.”

  “Then come on, I want you to see this.” He reached for her hand again and led her through a hall and into the open kitchen. Three walls were lined with cherry cabinets and granite countertops. The appliances were stainless steel and there was a big island, too.

  She seemed speechless.

  Coop watched Lilly’s gaze moved around, then to the attached family room. “There’s a fireplace,” he added. “And of course a place for a flat screen television. A major necessity these days.” He grinned, hearing the kids upstairs.