Love Me (Coopers Creek #1)

by Bronwen Evans

  Emily enjoyed watching his expression harden. “Are you seeing someone?”

  She gave him a sidelong look. “Let’s just say that I’m not lonely. I have to go change my airline reservations and I’ll help Hayley get packed, too. She’ll have to stay with me at my place until I can get my stuff packed and arrange for someone to sublet my apartment.”

  “That’s fine,” he said. “It should only take me a couple of weeks to get Ric up to speed around here. Are you okay with getting Mom’s house ready?”

  “Of course,” Emily said. “Although, it won’t take much since I’ve been dusting and watering the plants there. Maggie gave me a key a while back and, since I didn’t know what you were doing with the house, I just kept it nice like your mom always did.”

  “I didn’t know that you were doing that.” He looked uncomfortable. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. I’ll call you to let you know what time the new flight is,” Emily said. “I’ll see you tonight.”

  “Right. Okay,” he said.

  Emily slipped out the door before she changed her mind about going through with the arrangement.

  Chapter Five

  The night before Tyler was supposed to leave New York, he and Ric sat in his living room, drinking beer and going over some last minute details. Ric would be using Tyler’s apartment for the year so that Tyler didn’t have to find someone to sublet it. Allison had left on her world trip and Hayley was now in Cooper’s Creek, leaving Tyler to rattle around alone in his place. He’d never felt lonely here until after Hayley had left.

  “I know I suggested this plan but that was when I thought you two were together—what were you—a couple? But now I’m not sure. There is tension in the air,” Ric said for the hundredth time.

  Tyler sighed. “It’s going to be fine. It’s for Hayley’s sake and it’s only for a year.”

  Ric’s gaze met Tyler’s. “A lot can happen in a year. Do you still have feelings for Emily?”

  Not quite as tall as Tyler’s six-foot-three height, Ric was more heavily muscled. Years of working with cattle and doing ranch work had built his body into a powerful machine of flesh, bone, and sinew that women found delicious. Combine that with his thick blond hair, sky-blue eyes, and strong jaw and he was downright irresistible to the opposite sex.

  Tyler took a swig of beer. “No. I’ve told you that repeatedly. That was over and done with a long time ago. Let go of it. I have.”

  Ric had heard the same thing from Emily, but he wasn’t convinced. However, there was nothing he could do about it. Tyler and Emily were grown people and could make their own decisions. That didn’t mean that he had to be a fan of the situation, though.

  “You do anything to hurt Emily and I’ll make you sorry,” Ric said.

  Playing with the label on his beer bottle, Tyler said, “I’m not going to hurt anyone. Emily and I have an arrangement. We know what we’re doing. Now, on to something more fun. I need the keys for the Beast.”

  Ric grimaced as he pulled his key-ring out of his jeans pocket. Sighing, he took off the keys to the Beast, a kickass Hummer 3 that had belonged to his Uncle Johnny. Reluctantly, he dropped the keys into Tyler’s palm. “Make sure you wash it good if you go mudding around and take it to Tucker to keep it tuned up.”

  Tyler grinned. “It’s a car, Ric, not a baby.”

  “It’s much more than that and you know it.”

  Holding up his right hand like someone testifying in court, Tyler said, “Okay, okay. I, Tyler Jeffries, do solemnly swear to take care of the Beast to the best of my ability and guard it with my life.”

  “Shut the hell up,” Ric groused.

  Tyler stood up and saluted him. “Yes, sir! Well, I’m going to hit the hay. Five a.m. comes early.”

  “Okay.”

  “Thanks for doing this for me, Ric,” Tyler said.

  Ric snorted. “I’m not doing it for you. I’m doing it for Hayley.”

  “Of course, you are,” Tyler said, grinning. “Night.”

  “Night.”

  *****

  As he got ready for bed, Tyler tried to quell his misgivings. There were times when his pride got in the way of making good decisions, and, despite what he’d told Ric, he had his own doubts about his arrangement with Emily. But, he loved his niece and he truly felt that Emily was the best person to take care of Hayley when he wasn’t home.

  Yes, he still blamed Emily for Lizzie’s death, but Hayley was a child and Emily would never let anything happen to her. He was willing to take a chance on this scheme for Hayley’s sake. He just hoped that he wasn’t making a huge mistake—in a lot of ways. Lying down to sleep that night, he was plagued by images of his time with Emily.

  It hadn’t just been the phenomenal sex that had kept him addicted to her. They had both lost a parent, her mother to cancer and his father to jail for being a lying son of a bitch. Jack Jeffries had been killed while in prison, in a fight, and Tyler felt guilty that he did not really care.

  He still clearly remembered the day he suddenly noticed that Emily had grown up. The kid sister of his best friend Ric, who was always in his home with his mother, had come over to help her alter Emily’s prom dress.

  He’d walked in to see he,r twirling in the living room. The dress was a halter neck made of creamy satin, and the floor length sheath clung to her young curves. Against her lightly tanned skin, it made her look like an angel. He’d wanted her the minute their eyes met and he read her matching desire. All thoughts of how Ric might feel fled. He didn’t care. His heart soared in his chest as he’d gazed at perfection.

  Over the coming months they’d had so much fun together and he’d loved her sweet, fun nature. She cared more for the people around her than herself. There was nothing fake about Emily, unlike his many NY lady friends who were fake from their tans to their boobs.

  He’d even begun to dream about a happy ending between them like the kind in the romance books Emily edited. Then Emily’s betrayal had torn that fairytale to shreds.

  Tyler calmed his turbulent thoughts by turning his mind to what he needed to do when he started working at the Denver office in a couple of days. Ric had told him that he should take a week off to get his bearings, but Tyler knew that he wasn’t going to be able to stay away from work that long.

  It wasn’t only the business he was worried about, but he knew that keeping distance between him and Emily was the best course of action if they were going to avoid fighting in front of Hayley. With renewed determination, Tyler focused on keeping his emotions under wraps so he could do what was right for Hayley. He owed Lizzie. He vowed to raise her daughter to the best of his ability and never let Hayley down the way he had Lizzie.

  *****

  For the third time in fifteen minutes, Emily looked out the window over the sink in Maggie Jeffries’ kitchen to see if Tyler had pulled in. Her nerves were stretched as taut as a bow string as she waited for his arrival.

  She’d made sure the house was spic and span and had placed fresh floral arrangements in various places to add fragrance and color. She and Hayley had been living there for a week and Hayley was ecstatic to be back in familiar surroundings again. However, Emily felt like she was staying in a hotel. Even though she was very familiar with the house, it didn’t feel like home yet.

  Emily kept cautioning herself against starting to think of it as such because it was a temporary arrangement. That’s right. It’s only for a year and then Tyler and Hayley will be gone. And I’ll be all alone.

  Emily closed her eyes against the tears that thought brought on. That won’t be for a while. Concentrate on today. What would living with Tyler be like? Once upon a time, she’d dreamt of marrying him, creating a life together. But that dream had been crushed by Lizzie’s death and Tyler’s refusal to listen to reason. He’d betrayed her as much as he thought she’d betrayed him. He had not believed her—believed in them.

  Over the last couple of weeks, she and Tyler had come to an agreement about some th
ings. No fighting in front of Hayley. The little girl was having a hard enough time adjusting and dealing with her grief to be subjected to arguments that caused her more stress.

  Emily had fought with Tyler over finances. She’d insisted on paying for half of everything, but he’d been tenacious in his refusal. She’d informed him that she had a good income and that she wasn’t going to accept a salary from him. Hayley was her goddaughter and she wasn’t about to take money for caring for her.

  They’d finally agreed on Emily paying one third of the bills. Tyler’s reasoning was that Hayley was his niece and that he bore the most responsibility in raising her, which included supporting her financially. While they would keep things friendly, nothing of a romantic nature would occur.

  Both of them had been emphatic about that. Being so close to Tyler and not being able to make love with him was an unfortunate side affect that she was willing to endure for Hayley’s sake. She’d been with a few guys in the last four years, and while she’d enjoyed it, they hadn’t come close to being as good a lover as Tyler. She just couldn’t get over her feelings for him and until she did, she knew she’d never move on. Perhaps this year would finally give her the closure she needed. She just hoped she did not end up hating him.

  When her thoughts strayed to the image of his ripped naked body rising over her, Emily mentally shook herself and checked on dinner. She’d made a roast with all the trimmings. It was important that they start the venture off on a positive note and a nice meal was a good way to do that.

  Once she’d made sure that the roast was coming along nicely, she went to check on Hayley, who was watching TV and coloring in the living room.

  “Hey, kiddo. How are your pictures coming along?”

  Hayley smiled up at her from where she lay on the floor. “Good. You wanna see?”

  “Of course.”

  Hayley slid her coloring book over to Emily. As she looked at the pictures of Dora the Explorer that Hayley had colored, Emily tried to quell her jangling nerves. Everything will be fine. If she kept repeating that to herself, maybe her wish would come true.

  *****

  Everything will be fine, Tyler told himself as he drove the Beast down Sage Road, just outside of Cooper’s Creek town limits. He took his time, enjoying the last few minutes he had before encountering Emily. He would make it work because it all boiled down to one adorable little person: Hayley.

  Needing a quick pep talk, Tyler hit the button on his phone to call Chase. He had a way of putting things in perspective that was usually both positive and entertaining. Besides, this wasn’t something he wanted to talk to Ric about. Emily’s brother wasn’t fond of the arrangement as it was, so letting Ric know that he was a little nervous wouldn’t be a good idea at all.

  “Hey, idiot,” Chase said, his voice a little muffled.

  Tyler smiled. “What are you eating?”

  “Ham and Swiss on rye. I’d offer you one, but I don’t think I can cram it though the phone.”

  “Do you ever stop eating?” Tyler asked. Chase’s appetite was legendary.

  “The answer is no, but you already knew that. What’s up?”

  Tyler blew out a breath. “So tell me that I’m doing the right thing.”

  The sounds of fingers being licked came through the phone. “Last minute doubts, huh?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Do you think you’re doing the right thing?”

  Tyler frowned at the phone. “Yeah. I’m doing this for Hayley. It’s what she needs.”

  “There’s your answer,” Chase said. “And if you wound up in Emily’s bed, what would be the harm in that?”

  “History isn’t repeating itself, Chase.”

  “If you say so.”

  “I do say so.”

  “You sure you still don’t have feelings for her?”

  “That was over a long time ago,” Tyler said.

  “I still don’t understand why,” Chase said. “I thought for sure that you guys would’ve gotten married and had a bunch of kids by now.”

  Tyler heard an odd note in Chase’s voice. “Why the hell would I start a family when I was heading off to New York to work at our company with you and Ric? That would just be dumb.”

  Thoughtful chewing, then, “Well, you and Ric have a totally different approach to this kinda shit than me. Y’all are so focused on timelines and deadlines and staying in the lines and I’ve never understood it. I like to think outside the box. I like the unexpected, the unusual, and marching to the beat of my own drum too much for that.”

  Tyler laughed. “Which is why you’re in charge of marketing. That creative brain of yours amazes us. Your business attire is another matter.”

  “You mean, lack thereof. I don’t need a suit to make my brain work better. Hell, I don’t need clothes at all for my brain to function at warp speed.”

  Tyler groaned. “Can we get back to the matter at hand.”

  “Sure.” Some sort of paper crinkled. “Whoo! That’s a three-pointer!”

  Tyler could just see Chase lobbing a wadded up sandwich wrapper at a garbage can. “Chase!”

  “What? Oh, yeah. Bottom line is that your most important focus in life completely shifted the day your mama passed away. Business is still a high priority, but Hayley is your first concern now. Get used to it and enjoy it.

  “I admire what you’re doing and you taking over raising Hayley shows that you’re loyal and that a heart really does beat under those expensive Italian suits of yours. Now, unless you wanna go to the bathroom with me, I’m hanging up. I know how squeamish you and Ric are about that,” Chase said.

  “Thanks for the warning,” Tyler said and tapped the end button.

  In another moment, he’d reached his childhood home. Pulling the camouflaged painted H3 into the driveway, Tyler experienced a sense of homecoming. It was accompanied by a wave of grief that made his eyes burn with tears. Usually his mother would hear his car and come flying out the door, down the porch steps and open his car door before he could turn the engine off. This time the door remained firmly shut.

  He hadn’t been back since his mother’s funeral. Seeing the house where so many memories had been made and knowing that his mom wouldn’t be there made his heart ache.

  Rolling up to the garage of the big, two-story white farm house with black shutters, Tyler took a few moments to get a handle on his emotions before cutting the engine. He’d shipped a lot of his stuff in advance, so he only had his briefcase and a couple of suitcases to deal with. He hopped out of the Hummer just as Hayley burst out of the kitchen door.

  “Uncle Tyler! You’re here!” she hollered as she ran towards him.

  Her dark brown curls bounced with every step and her blue eyes were alight with happiness. Tyler had heard the expression about a heart smiling and thought that’s what his was doing right then. He knelt and opened his arms to his niece.

  Closing his arms around her tiny body, Tyler laughed and kissed her cheek. “There’s my girl!” How quickly he was coming to think of her as that, even if he didn’t have any idea of what truly raising a kid entailed. He was about to find out. “I missed you.”

  It was true. After Hayley had left with Emily, he’d been surprised by the sudden empty feeling inside.

  “I missed you, too,” Hayley said. “Aunt Emily made supper. It smells great. Come on. I’m hungry.”

  Tyler chuckled. “Okay. You sound like Chase.”

  He ruffled her hair as he rose and then caught sight of Emily, who’d also come outside. Longing slammed into him as solidly as if he’d just run into a brick wall. She looked better in denim shorts and a spaghetti strap green tank top than any fashion model on a New York runway. Natural beauty.

  Tanned, toned legs and a body met his gaze. Not to mention her luscious lips and fantastic hazel eyes. She’d pulled her long hair back into a French braid, leaving the graceful column of her neck visible. He was suddenly ravenous, but not for food.

  “Hi, Tyler,” Emily said, a
n uncertain look on her face.

  Seeing that she was anxious, too, made Tyler feel a little better. Then he pulled the cloak of indifference he was famous for around himself and drew on his inner well of confidence. He could and would do this. Chase was right; Hayley was his main focus now and he wasn’t going to screw things up just because he still lusted after Emily. He could control himself.

  “Hi. Hayley says that you made dinner,” he said, opening the back door of the Hummer.

  “Yeah. I figured you’d be hungry and thought it would be a nice way to start things off,” Emily said.

  “Sounds good.” He slung the shoulder strap of his briefcase over his shoulder and grabbed his suitcases.

  “Do you want help?” Emily asked.

  “No, I’m good. Just open the door, please,” he said.

  Emily pulled it open and stepped back to let him pass through. The savory scent of roast hit his nostrils and his stomach growled.

  “You made roast beef?” he asked as he passed through the kitchen.

  Emily replied, “Yeah. I know how much you like it and so does Hayley.”

  A small dart of anger shot through Tyler. “I see.” He walked through the hallway that led to the front foyer and the stairs of the pale yellow farmhouse.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Emily asked.

  Tyler stopped and turned around, but Hayley was also there, so he reined in his irritation. “Nothing. It was really thoughtful of you. I’m just going to put these in my room and wash up a little. I’ll be down in a bit.”

  “Okay,” Emily said, confusion in her eyes.

  Tyler gave her a tight smile, winked at Hayley, and jogged up the stairs. Going down the hallway to his room, which was at the end, he noticed the open door of the spare bedroom and stopped cold. Apparently, Emily had taken it since there were some things on the bureau that weren’t normally there.

  His eyes moved to the bed and he could imagine her sleeping in it. Did she wear lingerie to bed? Shorts and a T-shirt? Nothing? A smile broke on his lips as he remembered it was usually nothing at all. Reining those thoughts in, he continued on to his room, depositing his suitcases on the full-sized bed and setting down his briefcase.