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

“Nice to see you, too, Sean. And thank you. This chardonnay will go well with the chicken.”

He tossed her a wink. “It’s nice to have access to a winery.”

Lilly smiled. The new label Rafferty Legacy graced the golden bottle. “This is lovely, thank you. How’s the family?”

“Wonderful. Sean Michael is a blessing, and a strapping lad he is. Much like his da and his uncle.”

“He’s adorable,” Beth added. “Jenny brought little Mick into the shop this morning.”

“Sorry I missed that.” Lilly was disappointed. “Will they be coming to the Casali’s barbecue?”

“Of course,” Sean said. “Jenny says she’s had enough of staying home. She can’t wait until she gets back to the shop.”

Lilly felt out of touch. “Jenny’s coming back to work?”

“Part-time,” her mother told her. “She’s going to set up a nursery in the back, and also use the upstairs apartment for naps and feedings.”

Lilly would have loved to stay home with her babies, but she didn’t have that choice. She’d had to go back to teaching to help support the family.

Suddenly there was a noise from above as her kids made their way down the stairs. Robbie was the first to speak. “Hi, Mr. R.”

“Hi, Robbie. I hear you’ve been practicing playing baseball.”

Her son beamed. “Yeah, Coop’s helpin’ me. I catch pretty good now.”

Sean turned to Kasey and grinned. “Well, who’s this pretty lassie?”

Lilly held her breath waiting for her daughter’s reaction. She actually smiled. “Hello, Mr. Rafferty.”

He reached for her hand. “You look like your mother and grandmother. Beautiful.”

“Oh, Sean.” Beth blushed. “She doesn’t want to hear that.”

“Why not?” He looked at the three generations of women. “You ladies are a picture.”

Lilly smiled. “Thank you. I’ll go check on supper.” She took off, not wanting her mother to leave her guest.

Lilly walked into the kitchen as Noah came in the back door. “Sorry, I’m late. What can I do to help?”

He was dressed in a nice pair of jeans and a collared shirt. Handsome as usual.

“Not much to do,” she told him, trying to ignore her racing heart. “I’ll just put the food in the bowls and carry it out to the dining room.” She stopped and sank against the counter. “I can’t believe it. I mean I believe it because my mother is an attractive woman, but I just never thought she’d seriously date someone.”

Seeing Lilly’s anxiety, Coop went around the island to her. “It’s a good thing, isn’t it? I mean this man makes her happy, doesn’t he?”

She nodded. “That’s just it. What if she wants a life of her own, and the kids and I are in the way?”

Coop frowned. The Beth Staley he’d gotten to know in the past week would never turn away from her family. “I doubt that. She loves having you here.”

“But it’s different now. She’s dating. She’s never dated, not that I know of.”

“Look, your mother has just started seeing this Sean. It might not lead to anything.”

She pointed to the other room. “You didn’t see how the two of them were looking at each other.” She paused. “I don’t want her to feel she can’t think of her future because of us.”

Coop reached out and gripped her upper arms. She was a combination of softness and strength and he found he liked both. “Lilly, you can’t do this to yourself. Your mother seems like a person who speaks out when there’s something on her mind. If there was a problem with you and the kids being here, I’m sure she’d talk to you about it.”

She raised those green eyes to meet his and it sent a jolt through him. “I’m being silly, right?”

Hell, he wasn’t sure of anything, except he had to fight to resist her. “No, not at all.” He managed to release her and when he tried to step back, she reached for his hand.

“Noah, thank you.”

He nodded, feeling the warmth of her hand. “Anytime.”

“Lately it seems you spend all your time talking me in from the ledge.”

“That’s me, rescuing damsels in distress,” he said, trying to make light of the situation.

“It’s not the usual me. There’s been a lot of changes in my once-organized life. I actually run an entire elementary school, and do it very well.”

He smiled. “So you’re a real tough guy underneath.”

She began to laugh. “It’s a hard job but someone’s got to do it.”

He couldn’t help himself and did the same.

Once she sobered, she reached up and brushed her lips across his cheek. “Thank you again, Noah.”

He could only nod and glance away, feeling a burn throughout his body. What was she doing to him? “Hey, we better get this food on the table. I’m hungry.”

“Then I better feed you.”

Five minutes later, they’d managed to carry the food in and called everyone to the table. Sean was filling the wineglasses as the kids took their seats. Once seated around the linen-covered dinner table, he realized it had been a mistake to sit so close to Lilly.

In the short time Coop had been in the Staley household, he’d been made to feel like a part of this family. Something he’d never felt growing up.

Most of the time it was just him and his brother. His mother either worked, or had a date with some guy. Why would Cindy Cooper-Morales want to hang around a slum apartment with her kids, anyway?

This was the homiest he’d ever gotten, and it was a farce. He had to remember that, too. Not real. Remember why he was here and not get personally involved.

However, the family thing might be a good cover, for people to think that he was dating Lilly. But the last thing he wanted to do was lead her on. She’d been hurt and lied to enough.

In the end, a lot of people could be hurt. This time, he could be included in the scenario.

Saturday was a perfect day for a barbecue, sunny, but not too hot. Coop drove Lilly and the family in his truck. It was silly to take two vehicles since Beth would meet Sean there and he’d take her back home.

Once again, he was geared up to do his job. The problem was he had to use Lilly and the kids for cover. If something didn’t happen soon, he had to wonder if his captain would pull him from the operation.

Of course that didn’t mean that Santos and Stephanie were going to stop being a threat to Lilly. The entire family could be in danger. He needed to get more information and soon.

Every night this past week, he’d returned to Perry’s Landscaping, hoping to learn more, or at least see something happening. Nothing. He hoped today would provide a break, because his captain wasn’t going to leave him here forever.

“I can’t wait to ride the horses,” Robbie called from the backseat.

Lilly smiled. She knew Alex would have horse rides for the children, along with swimming and several games so parents could enjoy themselves.

“What are your plans, Kasey?”

She shrugged. “It’s going to be boring.” She stared out the window. “I wanted to stay home but you wouldn’t let me.”

“Come on, Kasey, it’s going to be fun,” her grandmother coaxed. “A lot of your friends will be here today.”

Lilly agreed. “Yes, they will.” She reached back and touched her daughter’s leg. She felt her tense. “Just give it a chance, Kasey. If you’re going to be so bored this vacation, I could put you into summer classes.”

That got a cold stare. “You can’t do that.”

“I’m not going to put up with your bad attitude for the next two months. Your choice, Kasey, so think about finding something constructive to do. And I’m not talking about you staying up in your room all day, either.”

Lilly turned back around and saw a happy look on her daughter’s face when they drove through the large, iron gate that read, A Bar A Ranch. They stopped beside the ranch hands standing on either side of the road, greeting each carload of guests and giving directions.

Noah continued on past the ranch compound to the wooded area that was Cherry’s Camp.

The summer camp for handicapped kids was opened a few years back by Alex and Allison. Their eldest daughter, Cherry, had been in a wheelchair after a childhood accident. Now she was fully recovered and walking.

The facility wasn’t scheduled to open until the following week, so there was plenty of room for today’s barbecue.

Once parked, they all got out and walked past several of the family cabins to the large two-story structure where several barbecues and smokers were set up on the deck.

Inside the main hall there was a huge common area with a wonderful stone fireplace. Already friends and neighbors were milling around the area. The building also housed an exercise room, an indoor pool and a large kitchen and dining area.

Along the walls were tables of food; everyone brought a dish to share. By the looks of the limited space left, no one would go hungry.

“Lilly.”

She turned to see her friend and new mother coming toward them. In her arms was her new son. “Jenny. I was hoping you would be here.”

“Wouldn’t miss it.”

Lilly smiled down at the baby. “Oh, and look at this guy.” The baby was dressed in a little shirt that read, Cowboy In Training along with jeans. “Oh, could I hold him?”

With Jenny’s nod, Lilly scooped up the infant in her arms. She inhaled the baby’s scent, the warmth of having his sweet weight against her. She rocked him and kissed his head as she smiled and cooed at his sweet face, then looked up and caught Noah watching her.

She glanced at her mom and Jenny. They were talking and not paying attention to her. “I get a little carried away,” she finally said to him. “There’s something about new babies.”

Coop nodded in agreement, but in truth he had never thought much about babies. He had a niece, but with his work, he’d never been around her much. Yet something about Lilly holding the kid got to Coop. He didn’t like that, reminding himself he needed to stay focused on his job.

Lilly looked away when her kids were asking her questions, then Kasey and Robbie quickly took off.

Beth was looking around. “Jenny, have you seen Sean?”

“He’s in the kitchen, dropping off his barbecue beef and chicken. He’ll be out here soon.”

“So I’m finally getting to sample some of this famous sauce I’ve heard about,” Coop said.

“You haven’t been to Rory’s Bar and Grill?”

Coop shook his head.

“Well, you’re in for a treat,” Beth said. “People come from miles for a taste of his sauce. He’s been talking about marketing it.” Then she realized how much she was giving away. “Well, he’s talked about it a little.”

“What a great idea,” Lilly said.

It didn’t take long before Sean Rafferty came out of the back followed by two younger men. Coop recognized one as Jenny’s husband, Evan. Seeing the close resemblance to the other male, he guessed him to be Matt Rafferty. The one who had quite the reputation with the ladies.

Sean grinned when he spotted Beth. “Beth. You made it.” He kissed her on the mouth, then hugged her close. “I missed you.” He had no trouble showing affection, and he wasn’t the only one in the family. His sons followed suit, hugging Beth. So everyone was happy with the couple.

“Hello, Coop.” Sean shook his hand. “I’d like you to meet my sons, Evan and Matt. Boys, this is Noah Cooper. He rents Beth’s cottage and works for Alex.”

“Good to meet you,” Coop said to Evan. “I saw you at the hospital, but I guess you were a little preoccupied.”

Evan laughed and hugged his wife close. “Yeah, Jenny has a tendency to distract me, along with this little guy.”

“Can’t say I blame you. Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

Coop looked at Matt. “Hello, Matt. I hear you run a vineyard and a cattle ranch.”

The younger brother put on a grin. “Among other things. So you’re working for Alex?”

“I’m a carpenter.”

He nodded. “And a lucky man to be staying with Beth and Ms. Principal here?”

“I’m renting the cottage out back.”

Beth jumped in. “Coop is also helping out with some repairs on the house.”

Matt nodded, but didn’t respond. Was the guy wondering if there was something going on between him and Lilly? Had the two dated before?

There were loud voices and they all looked to see more people coming. “Oh, the Merricks are here,” Lilly announced. “Look at Louisa, doesn’t she look great? I hear her and Clay are off on another trip soon.”

Coop recognized the older gentleman as Senator Clayton Merrick, soon to be retired after he finished this last term. He wasn’t sure who the others were.

“I didn’t expect to see her here,” Matt Rafferty murmured.

Coop turned around to see a petite raven-haired woman. She was beautiful. Seemed Matt Rafferty wasn’t exactly happy.

“Of course Alisa would be here,” Beth said. “She’s the project manager on Vista Verde.”

“What’s the matter, Matt?” Evan asked as he nudged him. “Wouldn’t Alisa give you the time of day?”

“I don’t need her to give me anything.”

Jenny stepped in. “Oh, come on, Alisa’s not like that. You just don’t know her.” She smiled at her brother-in-law. “It couldn’t be anything you said or did to her, could it?”

Matt shrugged, but Coop could see that the woman got under his skin. “Doesn’t matter,” he said. “There’s too many other women around.” He wandered off and found two willing females to spend time with.

Beth patted Sean’s hand. “He just needs to find that special one.”

Sean didn’t look convinced and suggested, “Why don’t we go and see Clay and Louisa and find out about their latest travels?”

Beth looked at her daughter. “Would you mind?”

“Of course not. Go and enjoy yourselves.”

The baby had fallen asleep and Lilly gave him back to Jenny.

“You have the touch,” the new mother said. “I better go put him in his carrier.” Jenny walked off with her husband.

With everyone’s desertion, that left Coop with Lilly. “My mother looks so happy.” She beamed. “I couldn’t have picked any better guy for her. Sean raised his sons on his own after his wife left them years ago. Never complained, and his boys came first. So he hasn’t seriously dated anyone.” She sighed. “What am I doing? They only started seeing each other and I have them married. Maybe it’s just a friendship.”

He cocked an eyebrow at her. He’d seen how Rafferty looked at Beth. He might be in his late fifties, but the man’s look showed desire.

Coop started to respond when he saw Stephanie Perry walk in with Santos. “Your sister-in-law has arrived.”

“My ex-sister-in-law. Darn, I was hoping she wouldn’t show today. If she comes anywhere near me, I’m calling the sheriff.”

“No need, I’m here,” he told her, knowing he wanted to keep an eye on Santos. He only hoped that he’d show his hand today. Maybe get some idea what was going on. They could slip and say something. It was a long shot, but that was what he lived for.

After eating far too much, Lilly ended up alone at the table. Robbie and Kasey had both finished and run off with friends. Since her daughter had been so cheerful, Lilly let her off restriction for a few hours. Her mother was with Sean and their friends. Noah had taken off, to speak with Alex about something work-related.

Okay, pity party of one.

“Well, well, sister dear. Seems you’re all alone. Again.”

Lilly tensed as she turned to see Stephanie. “Go away, or I’ll get someone to remove you.” She glanced across the room but no sign of anyone to help. She got up to leave.

Stephanie stopped her. “Just give me a moment.”

Lilly sank back down on the bench. “Why should I? All you do is harass me. You have everything already, what else could you want from me?”

Stephanie raised a calming hand. “Just something that’s gone missing. Some tax information that Mike had. I just thought he might have left a box that got mixed up with your stuff.”

Lilly didn’t trust her. “Why would I have anything of Mike’s. He’s been gone nearly two years.”

Stephanie seemed to stumble over her words. “Well, we need all the tax records for the last seven years. We’re being audited.”

Lilly shook her head. “I don’t have it.”

The bigger woman was crowding her space. “Maybe there’s a box somewhere. In the attic, or a closet.”

“I told you it’s all gone. Now I’ve got to go.”

“To your new boyfriend?”

Lilly froze. “That’s my business. We’re done here.”

“But you need to help me find the papers.”

“For the last time, no. And if you don’t stop harassing me, I’ll get a restraining order.”

The woman looked shocked, but then a sneer came across her face. “You don’t have the guts.”

* * *

Coop had been keeping a close watch on Santos all afternoon, but the man had stayed pretty close to Stephanie. They spent time with neighbors and friends, also with the hosts Alex and Allison Casali. One thing for sure, Rey Santos seemed to be well acquainted with just about everyone in town. Of course he helped run a business that serviced a lot of the residents of Kerry Springs.

Was this a dead end?

Coop was about to give up on anything happening when a Hispanic man came up to Santos. Their body language told him that this was more than just a friendly conversation. After a few minutes, the stranger walked off. Next Santos glanced around and he, too, started to leave the barbecue area. He acted as if he were going for a smoke, holding an unlit cigarette as he backed into the wooded area behind the cabins.

Keeping his distance, Coop followed Rey through the trees behind the cabin. Santos kept walking, looking over his shoulder.

Coop circled around to the other side, using the trees and brush for cover. If Rey was going for a smoke he was walking quite a ways to do it. He finally stopped in a clearing.

Behind a large tree, Coop waited and soon two more men made their way out of the trees.

He crouched lower and managed to move a little closer so he could try to decipher their voices from the music and noise coming from the party. They were speaking in Spanish. No surprise.

Growing up in El Paso, he knew enough to get by, but with everyone speaking at once, he only managed some key words, like “delivery” but he needed to hear a time or a date.

What the hell was being delivered? Drugs? Was this what the informant was trying to tell them? Give us the times and dates of the deliveries. Was this what Stephanie and Santos wanted from Lilly? Damn, he needed more answers.

Suddenly he heard his name and turned around to see Lilly coming toward him. Coop glanced toward the clearing. The others had heard her, too. The men dispersed, except for Santos who headed their way.

There wasn’t anything Coop could do but fake his way out of it. When Lilly finally reached him, he grabbed hold of her and pulled her against him as his mouth covered hers.

CHAPTER EIGHT

LILLY was caught totally off guard when Noah reached for her. He wasn’t gentle as his mouth closed over hers, but raw hunger didn’t allow finesse. Nor did she want it to.

Slipping her arms around his neck, she had no plans to stop what was happening. The feel of his mouth against hers stole her breath, causing her heart to drum against her ribs. The sound pounded in her ears. Mostly she reveled in the joy of being in Noah’s arms.

With a groan, he moved his hands over her back and pulled her tighter against him. She reacted with a moan and opened to him. It didn’t take long as his tongue moved against hers, sending shivers down her spine.

Then his mouth broke away, but she didn’t have a chance to miss it as he nibbled his way along her jaw to her ear.

“Lilly … We’re being watched, follow my lead.”

Watched? Who was watching? She managed to nod. Then his mouth returned to hers. She couldn’t stop a moan as he worked his magic again.

“Perdon, señora.”

Lilly jumped and turned around to find Rey Santos. “Oh, Rey.”

The man’s somber look slowly turned into a grin. “Sorry to disturb you.” He glared at Noah. “I wanted to make sure you are all right.”

Lilly worked to control her breathing, but couldn’t speak.

“Why wouldn’t she be?” Noah asked. “Except maybe from people sneaking up on her,” he went on as he pulled her closer.

Santos’s eyes narrowed. “Maybe the woods isn’t the safest place to be … with your mujer.”

Noah’s woman. Lilly had to admit she liked that idea.

“We wanted to be alone,” Noah told him. “I had no idea the woods would be so crowded.”

Santos continued to stare at him. “Next time be more careful.” He turned and marched off.

Noah dropped his arms from her and she swung around. “Okay, what’s going on?”

Coop refused to put Lilly in any more danger. “I’m not sure. Santos has been acting strange and I followed him out here. He met up with some men. I didn’t want him to know I was watching him, and when you came …” He looked at her. A mistake. Her lips were still swollen from his kisses. She was killing him. “Why were you looking for me?”

“Wait! That kiss was to distract Santos?”

He started to nod, but then confessed, “Okay, I might have gone a little overboard, but you’re a very tempting woman. I apologize for taking advantage of the situation.”

This time she seemed flustered. Hell, didn’t she know how appealing she was? And that was something he couldn’t let tempt him again. “Why did you want to see me?”

She shook her head. “Stephanie cornered me in the hall. She insisted I look for a box with Mike’s tax papers. Then when I told her I didn’t know anything about a box, she got irritated again.” Her gaze met his. “It’s not tax papers is it, Noah?”

He tried to act innocent. “What else could it be?”

“I don’t know.” Lilly was worried. “The way Mike had been acting the past year … and Stephanie’s boyfriend … Could it be something illegal?”

Coop shook his head. “There’s no proof.”

“I didn’t ask that. There’s something going on. I know it. Ever since Rey Santos started working in the business it’s been different.” She tried to swallow her panic. “Oh, God, was Mike involved, too? That has to be it. I know this is Stephanie’s fault. I’m going to give her a piece of my mind.”

Lilly started to walk off and Coop caught her by the arm. “No, Lilly. If what you suspect is true, it could be dangerous to confront them.”

Her gaze met his. “Then what do I do, just let them keep threatening me?”

“Maybe we can find what they’re looking for. Do you think that your husband might have left something with you?”

She’d been trying to rack her brain. “I can’t swear to it. I know, I told Stephanie I didn’t have anything of Mike’s. And I didn’t take anything from his home office, but that doesn’t mean things didn’t get mixed up.”

Coop was grasping at anything that might trip her memory. “Would he leave anything important behind?”

She hesitated. “All the important documents and papers went into the wall safe at our house.”

A wall safe? “Well, whoever lives there now has probably already looked inside.”

She shook her head. “The house is empty. Besides, the safe is well hidden. Mike had it put in himself.” She sighed. “Maybe I should remind Stephanie about it and she can look for herself. Then she’ll leave me alone. No! I should go. There could be other important papers in the safe.”

If there was proof of Santos’s or Delgado’s illegal activity, he didn’t want to hand it over to him. He was pretty sure Mike Perry died because of this. These guys weren’t taking any prisoners. It wasn’t safe for any of them. “I don’t think it’s safe for you to go into that house. Not alone.”

“Then come with me.”

Three hours later, Coop didn’t want to think about the rules he was about to violate. Lilly was going to break into her old house. Since nothing he said or did had changed her mind, his only choice was to go along as her accomplice.

Once the kids were shipped off to friends’ houses for a sleepover, and Beth and Sean left the Casali barbecue for an evening of dancing, it was only the two of them heading back to town.