The Texan's Wedding Escape

“I know, Mama. But there isn’t time for that and I’m fine...with it.” The disappointment on her face told a different story.

“You shouldn’t be fine with anything. You should be ecstatic. We’re talking about your wedding day, honey.”

“Problem solved,” Cooper announced and two curious female gazes landed on him.

He hoped like hell he wasn’t making a whopper of a mistake, but the idea taking shape in his mind wasn’t anything short of brilliant. What he needed was time with Lauren to make sure she wasn’t getting in over her head and marrying this guy impulsively. Which seemed likely. Tony hadn’t trusted him, Loretta thought she was being rash and now Cooper was smack-dab in the middle of it all. Keeping Lauren close—and away from Roger—was key. There was only one way he figured he could pull that off.

“You’re getting married at my ranch at Stone Ridge. I insist. You’ll speak your vows at my home. I’ll open the place up to you and you can come and stay with me while you make your plans. Heck, both you and your mama are welcome to stay on the ranch. The two of you can work together and, Lauren, you’ll have the wedding you’ve always dreamed about. I promise not to get in your way.”

A promise he would probably have to break because he planned on protecting Lauren from being hurt no matter what.

Lauren’s pretty, pale green eyes brightened. She opened her mouth to say something but after a split second, she clamped her lips shut again, her shoulders falling. “I can’t let you do that. It’s too much.”

He wasn’t above playing the guilt card to get her to agree. After all, he was an expert at self-imposed guilt trips. Ultimately what he needed was time to convince Lauren not to marry Kelsey and this was his plan A, B and C. He had no other options.

“Tony often spoke to me about giving you a beautiful wedding when the time came. And, yes, I may have some reservations about how quickly this is all happening, but in my heart I know your brother would’ve wanted it this way.”

Tears sprang to her eyes and she trembled. “Oh, Cooper.”

And then she was in his arms, her supple, firm body plastered against him, her gratitude brimming. When she turned her head slightly, his nose was in her hair, her subtle, fresh, flowery scent teasing him.

“I take that as a yes,” he whispered.

Her head bobbed up and down. “Yes,” she said, raw emotion in her voice.

He glanced over at Loretta hopelessly.

A full-out approving smile graced her face and she gave him a big nod.

Which sort of worried him a bit, he wasn’t gonna lie.

* * *

“I have the best news, Roger,” Lauren said, coming to sit next to him on the den sofa in his penthouse apartment overlooking the Dallas skyline. The view here was amazing, just as amazing as the tall, dark-haired man she was to marry. She admired Roger’s always-groomed look, his sense of style and his abundant confidence. Up until Tony died, she’d only seen Roger as a casual friend. But he’d been magnificent to her ever since the funeral and they’d had a whirlwind love affair. “My brother’s best friend has offered us the use of his ranch to hold our wedding. Stone Ridge is magnificent. There’s no need to have a simple courthouse wedding, after all. And Mama is pretty sure we can get it all together in a month.”

Roger pursed his lips, deep in thought. “A ranch wedding?”

“Not just any ranch, honey. It’s Tony’s best friend Cooper Stone’s ranch. You may have met him at the funeral.” She hated bringing up that sad day. The memory still seared a hole in her heart.

“Sounds like a lot of work,” Roger said. “Can’t we just get married without all the fuss?”

Lauren shrugged, feeling deflated. “Yes, I suppose. But finally Mama is on board and even seems excited about planning the wedding with me. And, well, I’ve always dreamed about having a beautiful wedding.”

Roger stared at her and then leaned forward and kissed her cheek. “Can we keep it small, at least?”

“Yes, of course. No more than one hundred people. I promise.”

“A hundred?” His voice hit a high note. “That many?”

“That’s not very many when we consider your employees and our mutual friends, plus my dear friends at the hospital. I’m so excited about this. Please, please, say it’s okay with you.”

He scratched his head. Roger didn’t like to mingle and didn’t like crowds. But a woman only got married once and she was sure he’d come around and be just as happy about the wedding plans as she was.

“Yeah, it’s okay with me.”

She bounded out of her seat, wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him for all she was worth. “Thanks, Roger. You’ve made me very happy!”

“That’s the plan, isn’t it? Happy wife, happy life.”

“Oh, we’ll sure have that,” she said, smiling. “I’m taking a good chunk of the vacation I’ve stored up to plan the wedding. Oh, Roger, it’s gonna be so much fun.”

“If you say so. But remember, I’ve got that big, new deal coming up this month. I’m going to be extremely busy.”

“But not too busy to help with the wedding plans. I’ve always wanted a June wedding. I can’t wait to start planning.”

She got up from the sofa and grabbed her purse. “I’m off now. Mama and I have a date to start the plans.”

Roger stood and walked her to the door. “Just don’t break the bank on this,” he said.

“Never. If I’m one thing, it’s frugal. Had to be, with my dad leaving us and my mama a nurse. We didn’t have much, but we always managed.” With Tony’s financial help, she’d made it through nursing school without having to take out a huge college loan.

Roger kissed her briefly. As she waved goodbye to him from the elevator, she took one last look at his apartment. With its sleek furniture and state-of-the-art kitchen, everything about the place screamed edgy. It was sure a far cry from the humble home she lived in with her mother on Masefield Avenue.

After Tony died, Lauren had given up an apartment she’d shared with a fellow nurse. Her mama needed her, but in truth, Lauren had probably gotten just as much comfort as her mother had from staying in her childhood home on the outskirts of town.

Pretty soon, though, once she married, she’d be living in the heart of Dallas with Roger.

The drive home at this time of evening wasn’t easy. Dallas traffic bottled up and she found herself on the road rocking out to Carrie Underwood singing about bad boys and payback.

It was a good twenty minutes later when she pulled onto Masefield Avenue. A man holding a ledger under his arm was just leaving the house. He nodded to her.

“Evening, miss,” he said.

“Hello.” Puzzled, she slowed her steps and watched him get into a car and drive off.

She entered the house. “Mama?”

“In the kitchen, honey,” Loretta said.

Her mama glanced at her as she stepped into the room. The table was littered with papers and paint samples. “Well, I finally got that estimate to paint the entire house, inside and out. And looks like if I agree to have them start tomorrow and pay them cash, he’s gonna give me a nice discount.”

“Mama? What are you talking about? We have a wedding to plan. We can’t have painters in here.”

“Honey, actually it’s the perfect time to have the house painted. I’ve delayed it for so long because it’s a nuisance to have workmen here and everything all covered up. You know what the smell of paint does to my sinuses. But, if we take Cooper up on his offer, we can move into his place until the wedding. That’ll give the workmen more than enough time to get the house done.”

“Mama, it was awfully sweet of Cooper to invite us to stay at his ranch, but he wasn’t serious.”

“Oh, yes, he was. He called up today asking when we were coming.”

“He did not.”

“He did. That Cooper is as fine as they come.”

“He’s still feeling guilty about Tony, Mama. That’s all it is. He doesn’t really want us underfoot.”

“Well, it’s too late for that now. I told him yes.”

“Mama, you didn’t.” It wasn’t like her mother to be this impetuous.

“Honey, this house hasn’t been painted since your father left. You know how many years that’s been? More than fifteen. The paint’s peeling in every room! I’ve got the money saved up for this, and it’s the perfect time.”

“But how...what am I supposed to... Mama, I can’t believe you did this without checking with me first.”

“It’ll be fine, darling. You’re taking time off to plan the wedding starting Monday so you won’t have to commute to the hospital. It’ll be like a little staycation, isn’t that what they call it?”

“Yes, that’s what it’s called, but that means staying at your own house.”

“Oh. Well, no matter. I’ve given Turner Painting a cash deposit. So pack a bag or two, sweetheart, and don’t forget your wedding binder. We’re moving to Stone Ridge tomorrow.”

Two

On the drive out to Stone Ridge, Lauren couldn’t stop wondering if she’d been bamboozled into moving into Cooper’s house by her wily mother. Boy, when her mama put her mind to something, she was like a wrecking ball. That was one of the traits she loved most about her. And her mama wasn’t about to let an opportunity like this one slip between her fingers. She wanted her house painted inside and out, and they didn’t have the funds to move into a motel for the weeks it would take to finish the project. So what if her mother saw living at Stone Ridge as a perfect solution to a problem? Even Lauren saw the merits. It was just that...she didn’t want to take advantage of Cooper.

Sure, he was wealthy and could afford having guests in his home, especially if those guests were like family. Maybe he was lonely and wanted company.

She scoffed out loud at the thought.

“You say something, honey?”

She cleared her throat. “No, Mama. Just a little froggy.”

Her mother smiled.

Cooper couldn’t be lonely...not for female companionship, anyway. That man was hot with a capital H. Lauren had noticed. Any red-blooded woman would. And she wasn’t going to beat herself up about how hard her heart pounded when he walked into a room. She’d crushed on him as a girl, and you never really get over first crushes. Especially if the crush had deep, sea-blue eyes, a square jawline and long, thick, dark blond hair. Especially if the man filled out his shirt with broad shoulders and granite arms.

Cooper Stone was all man, all Texan, all the time. She giggled.

“What’s funny?” her mother asked.

“Nothing. Oh, look, Mama.” She distracted her mama by pointing to the gates of Stone Ridge. “Gosh, I haven’t been here in ages. I’ve forgotten how beautiful it is.”

Acres upon acres of rich green pastures surrounded the property. This time of year, the dogwood trees that lined the road to the house were in full bloom, flourishing in pinks and whites. She recalled Cooper telling her years ago those trees were his mother’s favorite thing about the ranch.

For Lauren, catching her first glimpse of the house as they drove up was the ultimate experience. The design had a modern-day, country-home feel, with slate stone and cedar wood and a beautiful wood-framed, glass double-door entry. It was hardly a traditional ranch house from the past, but more a contemporary marvel.

The barns and stables were quite a distance off, so the scent of fresh blooms didn’t have to battle with cattle smells and packed earth. It was something, this ranch, and suddenly inspiration hit, giving Lauren a million ideas for her wedding. She particularly noted the well-groomed garden leading up to the steps to the mosaic stone-front entrance.

She parked her Honda and took a breath. “Ready for this?”

Her mother only smiled. “You have no idea how much.”

It did her heart good to see her mother finally coming around, finally warming to the idea of her marrying Roger. Once the initial shock had worn off, her mother seemed to be all-in.

Lauren was jumping over one hurdle at a time, heading toward the finish line.

It was awesome to feel this way. To know her life had direction. The shock of Tony’s death had stymied her and she hadn’t known where to turn. Then she’d starting dating Roger, and found him compassionate. They’d shared their grief over losing such a wonderful man and things just sort of rolled along from there. Up until that point, she hadn’t had much luck in love.

Her friends said she was a dreamer, a passionate soul who got restless too easily with the opposite sex. As grounded as she was in nursing, her private life hadn’t been all too...stable.

Cooper drove up in his four-wheel-drive Jeep and pulled in front of her car, grabbing her attention. He parked, then gripped the roll bar in one hand and hopped out.

“Oh, look, there’s Cooper,” her mother said.

How could she miss him? He was slapping dust off his chaps and blue chambray shirt as he began his approach, his stride confident, his smile welcoming. All golden tanned and muscled, he sauntered over.

“Hey,” he said.

The rich, deep tone of his voice made her gulp air. She’d grown up in Texas and rugged cowboys were a dime a dozen.

But Cooper Stone was in a class by himself. And the feminist in her said she could react this way about a handsome guy without tripping over guilt about Roger. Her fiancé.

Plus, Coop was doing her a big favor.

“Hi, Cooper. We made it,” she said lamely. Of course, they’d made it. It wasn’t as if she’d traveled across state lines to get there. Stone Ridge was a mere twenty miles from the Dallas city limits.

“I can see that.” He ducked his head into the turned-down window, which brought his face within inches of hers. “Morning, Loretta.”

“Cooper, it’s good to see you. Looks like you’re working already.”

“I like to get my hands dirty every so often, reminds me of my heritage.” He winked. “I was helping my crew tear down an old shack we had on the property. Glad I made it back in time to greet you.”

He pulled off his tan leather gloves and stuffed them into his back pocket. “Let me help you carry your luggage into the house,” he said. “I’ll show you to your rooms.”

“Are you sure we’re not putting you and Jared out? We don’t want to get in your way,” Lauren said. She’d never even considered the fact that this might inconvenience his brother, too.

“You’re not putting me out,” Cooper said automatically, which made her feel a ton better. “And my brother has his own place. He lives up the road at the other end of the pasture, and he’s on board with having the wedding here.”

“Good to know,” she said. She didn’t know Jared very well. He was younger than Cooper and Tony by a few years. She was happy that Jared didn’t mind. “But if we ever get in your way, you just say the word and we’ll make other arrangements.”

“Lauren.”

Okay, so maybe she was overdoing it, but Lauren wasn’t too good at accepting big favors like this. Or was it something else, something that had to do with her breath catching as soon as Cooper smiled at her?

“We appreciate your hospitality, Cooper,” her mother said.

“Anything I can do to help.” He walked around the car and gave her mother a hand as she got out of her seat.

Lauren climbed out, as well, and popped her trunk. Her life for the next month was crammed into her luggage, four bags in all. Her mom had brought two bags.

Cooper walked to the trunk. He didn’t blink an eye as he hoisted four of the bags like they weighed nothing. “I’ll get the rest on my next trip out.”

“I can get them,” Lauren said, pulling two pieces of rolling luggage out and setting them on their wheels.

“Cooper, for heaven’s sake, I’m not ancient,” her mother said. “Give me one of those bags.”

Copper grinned. “Sure thing.” He handed her the smallest one. “Here you go.”

In that one move, he’d saved her mother’s pride, telling Lauren he had enough confidence in his own manhood to allow her mom to help. Lauren made a mental note. Add that to the growing list of things she found appealing about Cooper Stone.

Once inside, Cooper stood in the foyer and pointed to a wide, winding staircase. “I’ve given you both the rooms facing west. You’ll see some amazing sunsets.”

“Thanks, Cooper,” she said. “Gosh, it’s been so many years since I’ve been to your ranch. This place is completely transformed.”

The living room was huge, with a floor-to-ceiling fireplace made with sleek slate and light wood. A sitting area faced the fireplace and another faced a set of windows overlooking the gardens and green pastures beyond. Overhead, thick beams lent a slightly rustic tone to the contemporary décor.

“I’ll show you around a little later, after you get settled in.” He began climbing the stairs and the two of them followed until they reached the first guest room.

“Oh, this is lovely,” her mother said immediately.

“Then I chose correctly,” he said. “I figured you’d like this room, Loretta.”

It was bright and cheerful with white-shuttered windows and ivory furniture upholstered in a floral motif. The room almost looked too girly for a bachelor’s ranch home.

Cooper dropped off her mother’s bags and then led Lauren to the next guest room, done in light blues with pale gray walls and stained mango wood furniture that instantly made her feel at peace. “This is nice.”

“Glad you like it.” He set her luggage down on the bed. “Here you go. I’ll see you later after a quick shower and change of clothes.”

Her eyes dipped to his body, an involuntary movement that brought a flush to her cheeks. If he noticed, he didn’t react.

“Okay, thanks again. See ya.”

“Lauren,” he said, a serious tone in his voice.

“What?”

“Stop thanking me. Please.”

She scrunched up her face. She couldn’t help it if her mother had drilled manners into her, could she?

“I’ll try.”

He gave her a nod. “Good enough.”

And then he was out the door, heading for a shower.

This time, she forced an image of Roger into her head.

Yes, that was a nice, safe place to be.

* * *

Cooper pulled out a pitcher of lemonade just as Loretta walked into the kitchen. “My goodness, what a pretty kitchen you have.”

Cooper only smiled. He’d had this house built seven years ago on the same spot as the old ranch house. His mother hadn’t minded tearing the old place down. She was quite progressive and didn’t like to dwell in the past. She and his dad had had a good life, but after he’d died, she’d spent all her energy on helping Cooper plan out a new modern-day version of the house. And his mother was a perfectionist, down to the last detail.

The enormous room had white cupboards, dark granite countertops and stainless-steel appliances. There was everything imaginable, from a brick oven to a six-burner stovetop with a covered grill to a table that seated eight. “My mom’s doing.”

“How is Veronica these days?”

“Mom’s good. She’s remarried, as you know, living down in Houston. Her husband keeps her pretty busy traveling.”

“Well, you tell her I said hello next time you talk to her.”

“Will do. Lemonade?”

“Sure, thanks.”

He poured them both a glass and handed one to Loretta. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“Me, too,” she said as she glanced out the kitchen doorway. “Cooper, I had to do some scheming to get my daughter here,” she whispered. “But I know it’s the right move. Otherwise, I’d never be so underhanded.”

“What did you do?”

She smiled. “Hired a crew to paint my house inside and out.”

He grinned. “Did you now?”

“Had to, and even paid them extra to get the crew to start today. I needed a reason to get Lauren to move out of the house. She’s a little uncomfortable about it.”

He knew the feeling. Hell, he hadn’t had a woman here since he’d given up dating six months ago. Now he had two females under his roof. “She’ll be fine. I’ll try to ease her mind a bit.”

Loretta’s eyes softened. “You’re a blessing, Cooper.”

“I’m nothing of the sort, Loretta.”

“You’ve got a good heart for doing this.”

He scratched his chin. “About that, Loretta. I hope you know you’re both welcome here, but I’m not exactly sure how this is all going to work. I mean, Lauren’s set on marrying this guy and I can only do so much. I came up with this plan pretty quick and all.” He hadn’t really thought it through, but Loretta seemed set on breaking up Lauren’s engagement, or at the very least, making sure Kelsey was an upstanding man, deserving of her daughter’s hand.

The only real plan in his head was to keep watch over Lauren while he tried to find out Kelsey’s true intentions. His gut was telling him her fiancé was no good, and he trusted his gut. If the guy had been cheating Tony, then he should be exposed for the creep that he was. Protecting Lauren was Cooper’s job now...at all costs. If his secret plan went awry, he could lose Lauren’s friendship, but it was a risk he was willing to take. He owed Tony that much. Hell, he owed the entire Abbott family.

Period.

“It’s a start. We can keep an eye on Lauren better at your ranch, without too much interference from Roger,” Loretta said, breaking into his thoughts. “We’ll figure it out as we go.”

That was an understatement.

“How’s your brother?”

“Jared’s good.”

“Will we be seeing him while we’re here?”

“From time to time. He’s got an office up at his house and we have dinner a few times a week.”

“You two boys have certainly made a success of this ranch,” she said.

“We just picked up where Dad left off. He started the place and taught us the business. Luckily, we both love ranching. Jared’s the brains and I’m the brawn in the duo.” Cooper smiled and sipped lemonade.

Lauren walked in, her eyes taking in the entire kitchen. “Wow. A girl could go into crazy cooking mode in this place.”

“Feel free. I’m sure Marie wouldn’t mind a bit.”

“Marie? Is she...?”

“She is. She’s the same housekeeper we’ve had since I was a boy,” he said, handing Lauren a glass of lemonade. “She’s getting on in age, so we keep her duties light. She splits her time between here and Jared’s place, but we’ve also got a cleaning crew that comes in to help her out,” he explained. “Have a seat, ladies.”

While they took their seats at the table, he scrounged around for the oatmeal chocolate-chip cookies Marie had made yesterday. “Ah, here they are.” He set the plate on the table. “Snacks. Have some.”

“They look delicious,” Loretta said, taking one.

“They are,” Cooper said, gesturing for Lauren to take one, as well.

“If I do, then I’ll have to jog another mile or two to work it off.”

“You jog?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

“And she does yoga, too,” Loretta added.

“Well, I know nothing about yoga, but anytime you want a jogging partner, I’m your guy.”

“Really?”

She seemed surprised and that surprised him. “Yep. What, you didn’t think cowboys jogged?”

Lauren laughed. “Well, no. I guess I can’t picture it.”

“See me in the morning and I’ll paint you that picture.”

“You’re on,” Lauren said. She delicately picked up a cookie and took a small bite. “Oh, these are delicious.” She began nodding her head. “I can see I’m going to need to step up my game if this is how Marie cooks.”

“It is a challenge,” Cooper admitted. “So, where would you like to start? I can show you around the house and then we can take a tour of the grounds. Were you thinking of a church wedding or having it here?”

“I’m...not sure. I’ll have to speak to Roger about that. Up until a few days ago, we were going to the courthouse to get married.”

Loretta frowned slightly. The idea of her daughter marrying this guy unsettled her, but she was hiding it well.

“I’m sure you have to get to work, Cooper,” Lauren said.

“I have a few hours. Let me give you a tour of the house first.”

* * *

After cookies and lemonade in the grand kitchen, Cooper began showing them the finer points of the room including how to work all the digital electronic appliances and how to turn on the television set in the refrigerator door, which also told the time and local temperature. By the time he was through, Lauren’s head was spinning. But her mama took it all in stride as if she was tickled pink to be here.