Tall, Dark, Texas Ranger / Once Upon A Christmas Eve: Tall, Dark, Texas Ranger

She shook off the sad thoughts, knowing she needed to get home. She turned toward the window and found Mr. Cooper leaning against a pillar.

She nearly groaned. Why was he still here? Well, she would soon find out as he started toward her.

“I take it everything’s okay?”

She nodded, not wanting him to see that his presence bothered her. “A healthy baby is always the best news.” She finally made eye contact with him. He did have great eyes. “You didn’t need to hang around. I can get a ride back.”

“Not a problem. I was hoping to find out when I can move into the cottage.”

She still wasn’t sure she wanted a stranger so close to her kids. “You’ll have to ask my mother.”

“I did, she said it depends on when you finish cleaning. Not that I can’t finish the rest on my own.”

“I was planning on cleaning the carpets. No one has lived in the place since my uncle stayed a few years back.” She sucked in a breath and caught his scent. A tingle of awareness she hadn’t felt in a long time went through her. She quickly got back on track. “Oh, and there are still some boxes I’ll need to move into the garage. I haven’t made the bed, and there aren’t any towels.”

The sound of his phone interrupted her rambling. He grabbed his cell off his belt, checked the number, shut it off, then looked back at her.

He seemed far too comfortable, while she couldn’t even manage to put a sentence together. “I can move boxes and make a bed,” he told her. “I have a few towels in my duffel. Tomorrow I can shop for whatever else I need. So when do I move in?”

Never! Lilly wanted to scream. She didn’t need the complication, but for now they could use the extra income from renting the cottage. That was if she ever wanted to get out of debt. And thanks to her mother, she and the kids had a roof over their heads.

She glanced back at Mr. Cooper. “I guess now is fine.”

He nodded and they started toward the exit, but she detoured and stopped by her mother first. “Are you ready to go home?”

Beth glanced past her daughter and saw Noah Cooper. “Well, I wanted to get a glimpse of little Mick. Why? Do you need something?”

“Mr. Cooper wants to move in right now. So I need to finish up a few things.”

“Okay, I’ll be home in about an hour.” Her mother went to the new tenant. Lilly watched the two in conversation, then Beth came back smiling.

Great. Was she the only one who was suspicious of strangers?

Coop was careful not to push for conversation on the drive back to the Staley house. He already knew Lilly Perry wasn’t exactly happy to have him in the cottage. One wrong move and she would find an excuse to cut him loose. He needed to be here. It was a perfect place to possibly learn more about Delgado.

A long shot maybe, but it was the best he had.

Lilly instructed him to pull into the driveway and park on the far side of the garage. “There’s enough room for all our vehicles.”

“Thank you. That’s a lot more convenient.” He got out and grabbed his duffel from the truck bed.

He waited until Lilly came around and together they walked to the cottage. She took out a set of keys.

“I thought small towns were safe enough to leave your houses unlocked.”

Coop watched a panicked look mar her pretty features. “It used to be that way. Things change.”

From the information he had about Mike Perry’s death, Lilly’s home had been broken into. Shortly after that she’d lost the house to creditors and moved herself and the kids back here. Probably the safest place for her. But he wondered about that, too. Not with Delgado out there.

They walked inside. This time he took a better look at the rental. It was small, but homey and the furniture looked comfortable. He carried his bag into the other room where a queen-size bed took up most of the space.

He peered into the bath. A small shower stall and a pedestal sink and toilet were accounted for. “Everything I need,” he said.

“There’s a television, but only basic cable.”

“That’s more than I expected.”

“Tell that to my kids. They seem to think they’re deprived without the premiere channels.”

“With you as their mother, and Beth as their grandmother, I’d say they’re pretty lucky.”

That seemed to frazzle her. “Well, having a mother who’s the school principal doesn’t exactly make them the most popular kids.”

It beat the heck out of having a mother who didn’t care about anything but the next man in her life. After two bad marriages, Cindy Morales was still looking for the elusive husband. That meant leaving her two boys alone. “They’ll live,” he said.

That comment got him a smile. “Well, I’ll let you get settled in. Holler if you need anything.”

“Wait.” He pulled out his wallet and took out five one-hundred-dollar bills. “Here’s part of the deposit. Tell your mother, I’ll have a cashiers check for her in the morning.”

Her eyes rounded as she stared down at the money.

“The banks are closed now.”

She nodded and started for the door. He didn’t want her to leave. That wasn’t a good thing. He was here to do a job, nothing more. “I’d like to do some repairs around here,” he called to her. “Will that bother you?”

She turned around. “You don’t have to.”

He shrugged. “I’ll have some time before my job starts. Let’s say my hobby is old Victorian homes.”

She didn’t look convinced. “I would think that you’d want to take advantage of the free time.”

“I’ve had too much time off already. And I’ll get to do something I love.” That wasn’t a lie. He did like to repair and refinish things.

“Well, Mother could use some help with the upkeep. It’s really too big for her since my dad died, but she’ll never leave here.”

“It’s a great house. And there seems to be plenty of room for you and your kids. I’m sure your mother likes having you all here with her.”

She shrugged. “There wasn’t a choice. We didn’t have anywhere else to go. Goodbye, Mr.—Coop.” She turned and walked out.

This time Coop didn’t stop her departure. He didn’t want to scare her off for good. If he wanted to get any information, he needed to tread lightly.

His phone vibrated and he pulled it off his belt and checked the caller ID. It was his captain’s private line, because they didn’t want any of his calls traced back to the off ice.

“Coop here.”

“How’s it going?” Ben Collier asked.

“Fine, so far. I checked in with Casali yesterday.” The lucrative rancher/businessman had hired him for the project with only the sheriff’s request. No more details given. “He’s awarded Perry’s Landscaping the housing project job. I’m also renting a cottage at the Staley house.”

“Good.” There was a long pause. “I’d tell you not to take any unnecessary chances, but I know I would be wasting my breath. Since you’re pretty much working on your own, just tread lightly around Delgado. If he gets wind of you nosing around, it could be dangerous for all involved. Outside of the local law enforcement, you have no partner as back up.”

Coop’s immediate concern was Lilly Perry and her family. “I’m good at my job.”

“No one questions that, but you’re personally involved.”

His chest tightened as he thought about his half brother, Devin Morales. “We’ve got to get this guy off the streets.”

“We will.”

The connection was broken when Coop closed his phone. He knew firsthand that Raul Delgado was trouble. For years, he’d been involved with drug and weapons trafficking along the Mexico border. Yet, they couldn’t link him to any of the killings or the thousands of pounds of illegal drugs coming into the U.S.

Even with the government’s increased patrols, Delgado had managed to do business until one night a local cop was killed trying to break up a drug deal. Of course there were no witnesses to the crime. Coop fisted his hands, remembering how his younger brother Devin’s life had ended too soon.

Yet, Delgado got away. Last word on the street was he’d relocated his operation from the El Paso area, possibly to Laredo.

Last year, he’d been tracked to Kerry Springs and to Perry’s Landscaping. Four months ago, the Feds had received anonymous tips about Delgado’s activity.

They’d set up a meeting with the informant at a secret location outside of town, but the guy never showed. A strange coincidence occurred when a partner in Perry’s Landscaping, Mike Perry, committed suicide a few days later.

Coop strongly suspected Perry had some help with his death. No proof, yet. They weren’t one hundred percent sure it had even been Perry who’d notified the authorities, either.

Coop thought about Lilly. Had she known what happened to her husband? Was that why she was leery of strangers?

Then he remembered the file on her. Mike and Lilly had been divorced for nearly a year by then. Had it been because of her husband’s involvement with Delgado?

That was what he had to find out.

There were only two leads. Lilly’s ex-sister-in-law, Stephanie Perry, was involved with a man named Rey Santos who looked remarkably like Raul Delgado. And the informant had told the Federal agents he had proof of Delgado’s illegal activity.

Now all Coop needed to do was keep the promise he made at his brother’s gravesite to catch this bastard while keeping the fact that he was a Texas Ranger a secret. Not too hard.

“Mom, Robbie’s being gross again,” thirteen-year-old Kasey Perry yelled from the top of the stairs.

Lilly sighed. It had been a long day already. She’d only walked in the door and hadn’t even put down her grocery bags.

“Get washed up so we can eat.”

“But, Mom, aren’t you going to do something?”

Lilly leaned against the open banister and said, “I’ll talk to him.”

She headed down the hall ignoring any and all comments from the kids. Inside the big homey kitchen, she found her mother sitting at the counter, sipping a cup of coffee.

This room was Beth’s space. Cabinets lined the walls and the tiled countertops were still in good shape and an island provided a good work space.

Beth Staley loved to cook and this big old kitchen had seen a lot activity over the years. Not so much lately. At least the table was set and ready for food. It was Lilly’s turn to cook, but she wasn’t ready.

“Give me a few minutes.”

“There’s no hurry,” her mother said. “Just make a salad. We’re having the rest delivered.”

“Mother,” she warned as she started to empty the grocery bag. “We talked about this. I thought the rent money was to pay off bills?”

“It is. I promise you, I didn’t spend a penny on supper.” She smiled. “I’ll go and round up Kasey and Robbie.” There was a knock on the back door as she started toward the hall. “Would you get that, honey?”

“Mom …” Lilly started to go after her when the knock sounded again. “Okay, you win,” she murmured as she went to the door and opened it. Standing on the porch was their new tenant. He looked as if he’d showered and shaved and he was holding three pizza boxes. “Mr. Cooper?”

“It’s Coop.” He nodded toward the boxes. “I hope you’re all hungry.”

What was going on? “Why?”

“I told your mother I was treating tonight. Since you let me move in early.”

He took a step toward her and she immediately moved out of his way. “You didn’t need to do that. I was going to fix supper.”

He put the pizzas on the counter. He placed his hands on his hips, causing his navy T-shirt to stretch across his broad chest and flat stomach.

“If you’re making salad, I can help you.” He went behind the island counter. “Tell me where the bowl is and a knife.”

He already had the head of lettuce under the water washing it. Well, make yourself at home, she thought. With no choice but to keep up she retrieved the ingredients.

Within a few minutes they’d thrown together a salad and he placed the bowl on the table when she heard the kids on the stairs. They soon appeared in the kitchen.

“Hey, I know you,” Robbie said. “What are you doing here?”

“Robbie,” she warned her son. “Mr. Cooper brought us supper.”

“How do you feel about pepperoni pizza?”

Robbie’s eyes brightened like it was Christmas morning. “It’s my favorite.”

“I don’t like pepperoni,” Kasey said. Her thirteen-year-old daughter didn’t like much of anything these past months, especially her mother.

“Then it’s a good thing that I also brought a vegetarian one, too.”

“That’s my favorite,” Lilly said.

“I’m not hungry.” Her daughter pouted.

“You’re going to stop being rude and eat.” She turned her daughter toward Coop and brushed back her long blond hair from her pretty face. “Coop this is my daughter, Kasey. Kasey, this is Mr. Cooper. He’s the new tenant and he was nice enough to bring supper.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Kasey.”

She nodded, but there was suspicion in her large eyes. “Thank you for the pizza.”

Lily released a long breath as her mother appeared in the room. “Okay, maybe we should sit down and eat.”

Beth showed Coop to a chair at the round table. Once in their seats, Lilly said, “Kasey, I believe it’s your turn to ask for the blessing.”

She glared at her mother. “Why? I don’t have anything to be thankful for.”

Lilly felt her cheeks flame in embarrassment. “Okay. Robbie why don’t you do it?”

“Sure.” He folded his hands and bowed his head. “I’m thankful that I got to go swimming today and now I get pizza, too.”

Lilly bit back a groan as she looked at her mother.

“You’ll survive, honey,” Beth said. “I survived you.”

Lilly took charge and said the blessing herself. Once she finished she was grateful everyone concentrated on the food. She wasn’t surprised to see her daughter didn’t have a problem eating. Finally the kids were excused to go watch television. She wanted to leave, too, but then she’d be just as rude as her kids. She wouldn’t be setting a good example and her mother was still there.

Lilly went to the coffeemaker. “Would you like a cup?” she asked Noah Cooper and her mother.

He looked up at her and smiled. “Thank you, I wouldn’t mind one.”

After her mother declined, Lilly came back to the table, handed him a cup and sat back down. The conversation turned to the repairs of the house.

“You have a wonderful house here,” Coop told her mother.

“Thank you. I’ve lived here since I was a girl. After my parents died, I inherited this house and my husband, Charles, and I raised Lilly here. I want it to go to her.” She looked sad. “But I can’t keep up with the repairs.”

Coop reclined in the ladder back chair. “From what I can see the structure is in good shape. Most of the damage seems to be from the elements. The porch needs some of the boards replaced. The concrete steps are crumbling. That should be the first repair.”

Her mother looked at him. “I’m not sure I can afford you.”

A slow, easy smile spread across Coop’s face. “I work pretty cheap. If you buy the materials, my labor is free.”

Beth smiled. “I like that, but it doesn’t seem fair.”

Coop looked thoughtful. “How about if you throw in a few meals?”

Lilly wanted to object. The last thing she wanted was another man around. “Noah, I would think you’d get pretty tired of spending the evening with bickering kids.”

“I think I’m up to it,” he assured her.

She was losing this battle. The privacy she needed so desperately since her marriage and life fell apart.

She looked at the good-looking man across from her. All she wanted was a nice quiet summer break. But it didn’t look like that was going to happen now.

CHAPTER THREE

LILLY tried to ignore him, but how could she ignore a shirtless man right in her line of sight? And that was exactly where Noah Cooper was. It was only eight o’clock the following morning, and the man stood on a ladder scraping the peeling paint off the back of the house.

Finally giving in to the old adage “What was the harm in looking.” And that was exactly what she did. Look.

She leaned a little to the side of the kitchen sink to get a better view. To see how his faded jeans fit across his nice rear end. How those muscles over his back and shoulders bunched with his movement. The tiny beads of sweat that gathered along his spine and ran down into the back of his Levi’s.

She blew out a breath. Whoa, must be the heat getting to her. She turned away. She didn’t need to get all worked up just noticing a man, especially not a man who’d just arrived in town.

One thing for sure, she didn’t need any more complications in her life, or in her kids’ lives. After the disaster with Michael, she couldn’t risk it.

The man she thought she loved and respected had seemed to change overnight. Something she couldn’t believe at all. She’d known Michael Robert Perry since grade school. They’d gotten together in high school and then went to the same college. There had never been anyone else.

She thought she knew the man she’d married at twenty. Until he turned into a stranger and he started keeping secrets and then finally left her and the kids. It was still hard to believe that man she’d loved and shared two children with had abandoned his family.

Worse, after the divorce, he refused to even see his own children. Gave her full custody. He did pay child support for a while, but she soon discovered that he’d mortgaged their house for the business. She couldn’t afford the payments.

Thank God she could come back home to live with her mother. Her kids needed the stability of having their grandmother there when she couldn’t be. And they helped each other out financially.

Even after all that, Lilly kept praying that the old Mike would return and want his family back. But he never showed up, never spent time with Kasey and Robbie.

For the past two years, she had to deal with the aftermath of two kids losing a parent, then the finality of his death a few months ago. Robbie seemed to be doing fine, but not Kasey. She’d always been Daddy’s little girl. Now, she was sad and angry.

Lilly could still remember when the sheriff came to tell her about Mike’s death. He said it was suicide.

That day part of her died, too. For the man who’d been such a big part of her life. The man who she’d vowed to love, honor and cherish. Mike’s desertion from his family had ended that long before his death.

“What happened, Mike?” she breathed, unable to stop wondering if she’d been the cause. “Why did you change? What made you stop loving us?”

Lilly glanced out the window again to see Coop. Why was she drawn to him? Okay, it had been a long time since she’d had a man’s attention. And Noah Cooper was easy to look at, in a rugged male sort of way. He wasn’t afraid to get down and dirty. She felt heat rush through her as he climbed off the ladder. He went to the hose, turned it on and raised the spray over his head, allowing the water to run over him.

“Oh, my,” she groaned as the water dripped over his chest and ran down to his waist. He reached for a towel and she couldn’t look away from the erotic scene as he rubbed the towel over his muscular chest and arms. Already the sun had bronzed his skin, contrasting with the white line along his waistline.

He turned and exposed his wide back and she caught a dark mark on his left shoulder. A tattoo. She squinted but couldn’t make it out.

“What’s so interesting?”

Lilly jumped as her mother came into the kitchen. “Nothing, just Mr. Cooper working on the house.”

Beth glanced out the window and grinned. “And what a nice view, too.” She sighed. “Oh, to be young again.”

Lilly tried to concentrate on her coffee. “Mother, at your age.”

“At any age,” she countered. “There’s nothing wrong with enjoying looking at a man, Lilly. You’re a healthy, young woman.”

“And I’m a mother and a school principal. I have to set a good example.”

“Then show your kids that you haven’t shriveled up and died. Get out there and live.”

Before she could put up any argument, the back door opened and Mr. Sexy walked in. He’d put on his shirt, but it wasn’t buttoned yet.

He nodded. “Mornin’, ladies.”

Her mother smiled. “Good morning, Coop. I see that you’ve already started working.”

“Wanted to get an early start before the heat really hit,” he informed her as he went to the coffeepot and poured some into the mug.

“Then you’re in time for some breakfast. Lilly is about to fix hers.” She turned to her daughter. “You wouldn’t mind cooking up some eggs for Coop? With Jenny out with the baby, I promised to help out at the Blind Stitch this morning.”

Lilly didn’t like this. “Sure.” She went to the stove, grabbed the skillet, then went to the refrigerator to take out the bacon and eggs. “How do you like your eggs, Mr. Cooper?”

“Any way is fine.”

Lilly cracked the eggs into a bowl. “Scrambled.”

“Well, I better get going,” her mother said. “I’ll be home for lunch. Anything you need from the store?”

“No, Mom, I can’t think of anything.”

“Okay, bye.” She was out the door and Lilly was left alone with the first man who, in a long time, made her aware of the fact she was a woman. She didn’t need this right now.

Coop watched as Lilly Perry stomped around the kitchen. He knew she wasn’t happy about him being here, but he had no choice. He had a job to do.

“Here, let me help.” He went to the stove and took the bacon from her and began to lay strips in the flat skillet.

“You don’t need to do this. You and my mother have a deal.”

He looked at her, catching her pretty blue eyes. “That’s right, your mother and I made a deal. You had nothing to do with it.” He felt a stirring and glanced down at the sizzling bacon. “This is your vacation, Lilly.”

“I have children, Mr. Cooper. I don’t get a vacation, summer or otherwise.”

“Okay, then I don’t want to add to your chores.”

“Cooking breakfast isn’t going to kill me.”

He stopped her. “What’s the problem? No one can help you?”

She stiffened. “It’s easier to go it on my own.”

“Sounds like you’ve been let down a lot.”

They both held the standoff until the bacon began crackling. He turned down the flame.

“You’ve made it clear you don’t want me here,” he told her. “And I’m not sure why.”

“I don’t know much about you. And with you being around my kids and mother … I need to watch out for them.”

“I’m only here to do a job, Lilly. I swear I’m not going to hurt you or the kids.” Not physically anyway. But she’d already been hurt by the man she loved. “Do you really think Alex Casali would hire me to work for him, if he wasn’t sure that I’m reputable?”

Lilly glanced away and concentrated on cooking the eggs. “The past few years haven’t been very good ones for my kids. Their dad left them, and he never even came to visit.” She looked up at him again. “I don’t want Robbie to get attached to someone who’ll be leaving, too.”

“That’s understandable, but you can’t stop your son from making friends with people. That isn’t healthy, either.”

She turned off the stove and took two plates out of the cupboard, then split the eggs between them. He placed the bacon on the paper towel as she made toast. Once the job was complete, she carried the plates as he grabbed two filled coffee mugs, then followed her to the table.

She sat down across from him, but she refused to look at him. He knew Lilly would be a tough sell.

“Would you rather I move out of the cottage?”

Her fork stopped halfway toward her mouth. “Would you?”

“If you can’t trust me around your mother and kids. Yes.” He was taking a big chance here. “I’ll leave, Lilly. The last thing I want is for you to think of me as a con man … or worse. I’ve done nothing to cause you to think like that. So maybe the solution is to just leave and move into the motel out on the highway.”

He took a bite of his eggs then found it was difficult to swallow. He realized that he didn’t want Lilly to think the worst of him. But her husband had made sure that she had a hard time trusting.