Although Paige had it programmed on her phone, she punched in the number and waited as it rang three times before Cooper answered it.
“This is Super Cooper. How can I make you smile today?”
His resonant voice made something respond inside Paige that she battled to push aside. She cleared her throat and took a deep breath. “Mr. James, this is Paige. I’d like to speak with you about a business matter. Would you have time to meet with me after the rodeo this evening?”
Complete silence echoed over the phone for the length of several heartbeats. When Cooper spoke, she could hear the hint of a smile in his voice. “I think that can be arranged, Miss Porter. What do you have in mind?”
“According to the gift certificate I’m holding in my hand, you owe me dinner. I’d like to redeem it and discuss your potential as the model representing my client’s new clothing line.”
“Where do you want to meet?”
Paige named a ritzy new restaurant in a newly opened property on The Strip.
“I’ll meet you there at ten,” Cooper said and disconnected the call.
Paige stared at the phone in her hand for a few moments before she got to her feet and went in search of her sister. She tapped on Randi’s bedroom door, not surprised to find her sister propped up in bed watching a Christmas movie.
“Can you help me with something?” Paige asked, stepping into the room as Randi motioned her to come in.
“Sure.” Randi clicked off the television and turned to Paige. “What do you need?”
“I want to go shopping for a little black dress that will set Cooper James on his ear. He’s held the upper hand this whole time, and I think turn-about is fair play.”
Randi squealed and leaped off the bed. In swift movements, she tugged on her boots and grabbed her purse while propelling Paige toward the door. “I know just the place. I saw it yesterday.”
That evening, Paige and Randi left the rodeo half an hour early so she’d have plenty of time to change before meeting Cooper.
He’d given her plenty of glances during the rodeo, but she’d pretended not to see him. Although he didn’t do anything to mortify her, she felt unsettled every time he looked her way. Most likely, she imagined the current that sizzled between them. After all, she had no interest, none at all, in a guy like Cooper James.
Someone with all those finely honed muscles and fabulous jaw line not to mention that alluring cleft in his chin wasn’t someone to turn her head.
Paige tried to conjure up an image of Dexter, but all she could see were scrawny legs encased in a pair of skinny jeans and a wad of messy hair trapped on top of his head.
Throughout her adult life, Paige had dated urban men who paid detailed attention to their appearance and cultivated an upscale lifestyle. Then she’d started dating Dexter. She couldn’t even remember how they met. It might have been at the grocery store or a restaurant.
Plagued with guilt, she tried to recall the moment she’d decided she was interested in Dexter. Nothing came to mind. Not when her thoughts continued circling around to Cooper, with his fantastic smile, mesmerizing gaze, and athletic body.
Besieged by her tumultuous thoughts and on the verge of screaming, she focused on getting ready for her dinner meeting with Cooper.
Randi styled her hair and helped with her makeup, refusing to let Paige look in the mirror until she was finished.
When she finally pulled her in front of the full-length mirror in the bathroom, Paige sucked in a frantic gulp.
“Maybe I better change into one of my suits.” Paige started to turn toward the bedroom, but Randi pulled her to a stop.
“Oh, no, you aren’t. That dress was made for you. If you want to intimidate Cooper, leave him off balance, this is the way to do it. Not one of your business suits, Paige. I’m telling you, he’ll be so far off kilter, he’ll agree to anything you say.”
“I don’t want him to think I’m trying to use my femininity to coerce him.”
Randi laughed. “He’ll be so rattled by your appearance he won’t be able to think that much. Besides, it’s not like you plan to seduce the guy.”
Paige’s face whitened. “Good grief, Randi! I would never do that. No matter how badly I want Cooper to be the model. I just want to throw him a little off his game.”
“Oh, that outfit will definitely do that.”
Paige gave one last glance in the mirror then accepted the small handbag Randi handed to her. She dropped in her cell phone and a tube of lipstick before walking to the door.
Hand on the knob, fear rolled over her in a violent wave, making her fight the urge to be ill.
Mindful of her tension and doubt, Randi placed a calming hand on her back. “You can do this, Paige. Picture that spacious corner office in the L.A. office. Focus on your goals. You can and you will do this.”
“Right. I can do this. It’s just a business meeting over dinner with a model. I’ve done hundreds of meetings like this.” Paige took another deep breath.
“Yes, you have. Now, go get him to sign on the dotted line.” Randi opened the door and gave Paige a shove.
All the way from the hotel room to the taxi to the restaurant located in the swanky hotel where she planned to meet Cooper, Paige gave herself a mental pep talk.
She would meet with the rodeo clown, talk him into being Elliott’s model, and leave town tomorrow on a wave of success.
Determination gave her an added boost of confidence as she took the elevator to the restaurant located on the top floor of the hotel. She stepped off and felt her breath catch in her throat at the sight of Cooper waiting for her. The suit jacket he wore enhanced the breadth of his shoulders while dark jeans hinted at the muscles in his thighs.
The blue of his shirt brought out the shining vibrancy of his eyes, making her want to fall into their tempting depths.
Instead, she raised an eyebrow and gave him a cool appraisal, hoping her look unsettled him half as much as his presence disconcerted her.
“Miss Porter, you look amazing,” Cooper said, bending down and kissing her cheek.
His scent, an enticing blend of winter fires, summer sage, and autumn musk, ensnared her senses. Unable to recall when she’d smelled anything half as tantalizing as the man holding his arm out to her, Paige took two shallow breaths then looped her arm around his. When she did, Cooper pulled her a little closer to his side and grinned.
“I thought this was a business meeting over dinner, not a date with a hot chick.”
Paige narrowed her gaze and glared at him. “I assure you, Mr. James, this dinner is strictly business.”
“That…” He gave her a slow, thorough perusal, starting at her head and traveling down to her toes. “Is a shame.”
Goose bumps broke out on her arms at the look in his eyes, but Paige feigned indifference. They followed the hostess to a private table in a corner with a great view of The Strip.
Much to Paige’s surprise, Cooper held her chair and pushed it in for her before taking the seat across the table.
Although her inclination was to get down to business and get away from Cooper as fast as humanly possible, she knew she needed to play nice and make some small talk.
“So, tomorrow is the last day of the rodeo,” she said, taking a sip of the ice water their server placed on the table.
“That’s right.” Cooper gave his beverage order to the server and leaned back in his chair. “Will you be at the final performance?”
Paige shook her head. “No. Randi and I fly home tomorrow afternoon.”
Cooper frowned, creating twin vertical furrows between his eyebrows. “You’re leaving before the end of the rodeo?”
“Yes. My client paid for this trip, the length of my stay is not up to me.” Paige took another sip of water. The restaurant seemed incredibly warm, or maybe it was the undeniably handsome appearance of Cooper that sent her temperature soaring.
Cooper flicked his napkin onto his lap then picked up the butter knife above his plate a
nd fiddled with it, turning it over and over in his fingers.
Unable to bear the silence between them, Paige sought for a topic of conversation. “What happens for you when the rodeo ends? Do you fly back to Portland or drive?”
“I drive,” he said, setting down the knife and relaxing a bit. “I have a trailer full of props and stuff that I haul with me to most rodeos. This one is no exception.”
“How long does it take you to make the drive home?” she asked.
“About seventeen hours, if the roads are good.” He picked up the knife and nervously twirled it again.
“That’s a really long drive, Cooper. Do you have someone to ride with you? Do you stop overnight or drive straight through?”
He smiled. “I drive alone for the most part, unless someone needs a ride. And if I get an early start, I’ll most likely drive straight through. It makes for one really long day, but after I get home, I’m free for almost a month before my next rodeo.”
Paige gave him a thoughtful glance. “How many rodeos do you work at in a year?”
“Generally, around 35 or so, give or take a few. This year, doing the finals rodeo is a huge honor I didn’t plan on. This is one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences, so I’m grateful I had the opportunity to be here as the official rodeo clown.” He grinned at her. “And, despite what you might think, I’m glad I got to meet you.”
It would have taken a woman with far more restraint and reserve than Paige possessed to ignore his endearing, boyish grin. She smiled in return. “I’ve not yet decided if it’s a pleasure or not to have met you.”
Cooper chuckled and shook his head. “If you keep on with flattery like that, you really will hurt my feelings.”
“After all you’ve put me through this past week, you rather deserve it,” she said, giving him a look that dared him to argue.
“I was just having fun with you, Paige. I didn’t mean anything by any of it.” He leaned forward and placed his hand over hers. “Do you think we could try this again, get off on a better foot?”
The warmth from his hand over hers rendered her incapable of speech, so she nodded her head in agreement.
Cooper moved his hand off hers and leaned back in his chair again. Politely, he tipped his head to her and grinned. “Good evening, Miss Porter. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Cooper James, rodeo clown, barrelman, and sometimes rancher, when I’m home.”
Paige smiled. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. James. I’m an advertising executive with a bossy older sister and a client who is desperate to launch a new clothing line.”
“I see. Tell me more about the bossy older sister. Do you have other siblings?”
“No, just Randi. She’s really the best sister a girl could have. Her husband, Dave, is a great guy. The two of them are incredibly special to me.” Paige glanced out the window, taking in the spectacular view. She took out her phone and snapped a few photos. At Cooper’s curious look, she offered him a sheepish shrug. “They’re for Randi. She’d love this view.”
“That’s right. She’s a painter, isn’t she?”
“Yes.” Paige tucked her phone back into her handbag. “Mostly, she paints portraits, but she also does amazing landscapes. I sometimes wish I could be more like my sister.”
Cooper raised an eyebrow in question. “You two look quite a bit alike. From what I’ve observed the past few days, you share many similarities, like a great laugh and a tenacity that would put a half-starved bulldog to shame.”
The peeved glare she shot his way only made him chuckle and drew out her smile. “I don’t think being compared to a bulldog is a compliment, Cooper James. Not in the least.”
He reached across the table and took her hand in his, gently stroking his thumb across her palm.
Sensations exploded up her arm and made her heart leap into a frenzied beat while all rational thought flew right out of her head.
All Paige could think about was how good it felt to have Cooper touch her hand and how badly she wanted to kiss him. Cooper had rich, full lips that would have been a temptation for any single woman, particularly one already thoroughly enamored with him.
In spite of her determination to remain cool and aloof, to conduct the evening as she would any other business meeting, Paige tumbled headlong into the beckoning glow of Cooper’s eyes. Cocooned in his warmth, she forgot all about clothing lines and cowboys, and career plans.
Every thought in her head centered on how much she wanted the moment to last forever.
With white Christmas lights twinkling around them, the sound of a holiday love song playing softly in the background, and the flames of a gas fire flickering in the fireplace across the room, Paige wished she could capture what she felt at that moment and preserve it for when she returned to her normal hectic life.
As she stared into Cooper’s expressive face, she could see he felt something, too. Emotion and longing mingled with raw desire as he looked at her.
Awed by him, by his reaction to her feminine powers, she basked in the admiration of his gaze until their server arrived with their orders.
Cooper wrinkled his nose as Paige cut into her entrée. “I can’t believe you ordered that,” he said, pointing with his fork at the bite of veal scaloppini she’d just cut.
She glanced down at the tender piece of meat, covered in a saffron cream sauce. “What’s wrong with this?” she asked, putting the bite in her mouth and chewing.
Cooper waited a few moments, until she swallowed before he spoke again. “You do know where veal comes from, don’t you? You don’t strike me as the type to enjoy that sort of thing.”
Confused, Paige glanced from him to her plate and back to him again. “Veal is just beef, isn’t it?”
“Technically.” He waggled his fork at her again. “But veal usually comes from male dairy calves, not full-grown beef cows.”
Paige looked as though she might be ill. “Calves? As in a baby cow? I’m eating a baby?”
Cooper wished he’d kept his big mouth shut. He refilled her water glass from the bottle the server left on their table and handed it to her.
She took a long drink then glared at the meat on her plate. A shudder passed over her and she took another sip of water.
“It looks tender, Paige,” he said. “You might as well eat it. You’re probably starving.”
“No, I’ve suddenly lost my appetite.” She pushed the plate away and nibbled at a piece of bread from the basket on the table.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.” He offered her an apologetic glance and held out a bite of his steak. She shook her head in refusal. “No. I’m glad you did. I had no idea. I… I’m finding more merit in the idea of becoming vegetarian.”
Cooper laughed. “Now, don’t do anything drastic.” Eager to distract her, he changed the subject to Kash and Celia, and their families.
“I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but Kash’s brother Ransom used to be a real piece of work. He hated working as a stock contractor and took out his misery mostly on Kash. A few times, he even pretended to be Kash to mess things up with Celia when the two of them were dating. Of course, Celia didn’t realize Kash had an identical twin at the time. It made for some interesting days, for sure.”
“That sounds terrible, for both Kash and Celia,” Paige said, taking another sip of water since she was no longer hungry. At least not for food. Her thoughts continued to linger on her growing need to kiss Cooper. She’d never wanted to kiss a man as badly as she wanted to kiss him. It had to be the atmosphere. Once again, she forced her attention away from his enticing mouth to the conversation. “But Ransom isn’t like that now, is he? Kelly is super sweet. Dave and Randi both speak well of her. I’d hate to see her get hurt.”
Cooper wiped his mouth on a napkin and shook his head. “Ransom completely changed when he got the job as the marketing director for the football team. Originally, he’d hoped to have a professional football career, but an injury killed that dream before he even got o
ut of high school. It’s amazing how doing something you love, or hate, can alter how you see the world and interact with it.”
“I agree. It’s hard when you see people struggling at a job. So many times, people work just to have a job, not because they have any passion for it or care about what they’re doing.” Paige gave him an observant glance. “After meeting you, I can’t picture you doing anything different than what you do. I’ve never gone to a rodeo before, but it’s easy to see you have a passion for the sport as well as the people. You seem especially good with the children.”
Cooper smiled. “I love interacting with the kids. That’s probably my favorite part of this. I suppose if I had to give up what I do, I’d probably go into some field where I could work with children. I don’t know that I’d make a very good school teacher, but there are other ways I could interact with them. I always thought it would be cool to set up one of those places kids with problems go to get animal therapy, like with dogs and horses. I hope to someday do something like that on our ranch.”
Taken aback by his dreams to help children, Paige didn’t know what to say. On the surface, Cooper came off as a joking, teasing menace. Yet, the more she got to know him, the more complex layers of the man were revealed. If she’d learned this much about him in just a few days, she wondered what she might discover if she had a month or a year to spend time with him.
Thoughts of spending hours just hanging out with Cooper, sharing their dreams and talking about everything or nothing made her long for life to be different.
But tomorrow she’d be on her way back to Portland. Back to Dexter. Back to the demands of her career.
This little adventure to Las Vegas had been the closest thing to a vacation she’d had in years. In fact, Paige had accumulated weeks of vacation time. Perhaps, after Elliott’s new clothing line debuted, she’d take a month off and enjoy life a little before packing up and moving to L.A.
“What about you?” Cooper asked, taking another bite of the juicy steak he’d ordered.
Paige tried not to notice the pink juice pooling on his plate, still repulsed by learning where veal came from. She’d certainly never eat it again. “What about me?”
Barreling Through Christmas: (Sweet Western Holiday Romance) (Rodeo Romance Book 4) Page 9