They ate their meal, making small talk about general things. Macy seemed so down-to-earth for a country star, and the people of Sweet Ridge let her eat in peace. Maybe because she grew up in town they weren’t as star struck by her.
“So, are you a big country-and-western music fan, Charlotte?”
“Ahh, not really. I don’t listen to it much. Sorry.”
Macy chuckled. “It’s okay. You either love country music or you don’t. I won’t hold it against you.”
“Thanks.” Charlotte pushed her plate forward. “I swear if I lived here, I would put on so much weight. Betty Lou’s fried chicken is the best.”
“Tell me about it. I’ve had to make sure I keep up with my exercising, otherwise I’d be stacking on the pounds, too. I’m a judge on America’s Next Country Star, and we’ve just started filming again. The cameras add pounds.” She laughed as she said it. “Have you had Betty Lou’s donuts? I swear I tried every donut shop in Nashville to find something that tasted half as good as Betty Lou’s with no luck.”
“Yep, I have and I’m addicted to them, too. I’m thinking of getting some to take back to the hotel with me so I can have them for breakfast.”
“Well, make sure you get one of the orange-flavored ones. They are to die for.”
Not wanting to offend Macy, she nodded. “I’ll have to do that.”
Charlotte slid out of the booth. “It’s been great meeting you, Macy. Maybe I’ll see you again this weekend in my travels.”
“Oh no, girl, you can’t leave yet. Betty Lou would take me to task if I let you go back to a lonely hotel room. You’re coming with me to the Silver Spurs.”
The last place Charlotte wanted to be was anywhere near Gage Cooper. Although, would he act differently in a relaxed, non-work environment? Would he let his animosity toward her show, or would he be pleasant in front of his brothers?
As much as she was tempted to throw Gage off-balance by turning up at the local watering hole, she thought better of it. She had to set up a meeting with him or at least call him to let him know that selling the land wasn’t a possibility now.
“Thanks for the invite, but I don’t want to intrude.”
“Oh, girlfriend, trust me, you won’t be intruding. Besides, I won’t take no for an answer. So let’s get your donuts, drop them off at your hotel, and then go to the bar.”
Did she really want to spend the night alone in her hotel room? And who said she had to stay and hang around with Macy and the Cooper boys all night? She might find herself a cute cowboy to hang out with. Maybe she wouldn’t need the work-sponsored green card after all. She could fall in love with a Texan and get married instead.
Charlotte laughed out loud at the absurd thought.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing, just letting myself think pie-in-the-sky thoughts. But okay, I would like to see the Silver Spurs and spend some time with you. Thanks, Macy.”
“You’re welcome. It’s going to be fun. Trust me.” A wicked gleam entered Macy’s eye.
What had she just agreed to?
CHAPTER 5
Gage eyed the multicolored balls scattered across the pool table. Grayson snickered in his ear.
“Snookered you real good, didn’t I?”
“Whatever. Now move, so I can whip your ass.”
“Whatever you say, little brother. Whatever you say. But this game is mine. Like always.”
Gage laughed at his brother’s antics. He had to admit, he was glad he’d made the time to come to Sweet Ridge. He’d spent the day walking the perimeter of the land he would soon own. He planned to head out there again tomorrow to take photos to send to his survey people.
“Geez, Gage, watching you decide what to do is like watching paint dry. I’m going to be turning gray if you take too much longer to sink a ball. Macy’s not gonna love me with gray hair.”
“Aww, baby, I’ll still love you when you’re old and wrinkly.”
Gage looked up and almost dropped his cue when he spied who was standing behind Macy.
What the hell was Charlotte Wilkinson doing in Sweet Ridge? And why the hell was she with Macy, of all people?
Her chin rose a notch, like she knew what he was thinking. She certainly didn’t look shocked to see him.
Gavin finally released Macy, and Miss TV Personality walked over, dragging Charlotte with her.
“Gage, darlin’. Good to see you again.” He accepted the kiss Macy placed on his cheek.
“You, too, Macy. Although I have to wonder what’s happened to that smart brain of yours, hooking up with a doofus like Gavin.”
Macy laughed and shrugged. “What can I say? I love him.”
“Well, there’s no accounting for taste,” Gage said drily and smiled when Macy hit him on the shoulder.
“Babe, aren’t you going to introduce us to your friend?” Gavin came to stand by his girl.
“Oh, yes. This here is Charlotte Wilkinson. I had dinner with her at the diner after Betty Lou introduced us. Actually, she insisted that I meet Charlotte. I’m glad she did. Although Gage already knows Charlotte, don’t you?”
“Yes, I do. It’s good to see you again, Charlotte. What brings you to Sweet Ridge?”
“Gage.” She inclined her head like she was the queen of England and he was a lowly servant.
He had a feeling he knew exactly why she was here.
“This is Charlotte Wilkinson?” Grayson whistled long and low. “Bro, you’ve been holding out on us. I wonder why.”
Gage’s temper simmered below the surface.
“Hello, Charlotte Wilkinson,” Grayson drawled. “I’m Grayson, the best Cooper brother of the lot.”
Charlotte smiled. “Hello, Grayson. The best brother, huh? Guess we’ll see if that’s true.”
“Ignore him, Charlotte.” Gage sent him a back off look, and Grayson laughed.
“Hang on a minute,” Gavin burst out. “Charlotte Wilkinson. You inherited Gage’s piece of land from Dad, didn’t you? Why are you here?”
“Leave it, Gavin. It doesn’t matter.” His tone was harsh, letting both his brothers know he would take them to task if they continued to be jerks toward Charlotte. It surprised the hell out of him that he lifted a finger to help her. Wasn’t she supposed to be his enemy?
“Thanks, Gage, but I don’t need your help.” Charlotte looked first at Gavin and then Grayson. “Yes, I did inherit land from your dad. I liked Jack, and I wasn’t expecting the inheritance. And that’s all I’m going to say on the issue. What I do with that land is none of your concern.”
Fine, she didn’t need his help. And seeing the stunned looks on Gavin and Grayson’s faces, they hadn’t expected her to stand up to them.
“Ha, you boys just got burned.” Macy laughed loudly. “How can you be angry when you get told off in that cool accent?”
“Easily,” Grayson muttered.
Gage had enough. Another minute of this shit and his bad mood would start a new family rift.
He handed his cue to Macy, who automatically took it. “See if you can whip Gray’s butt. I’m going to get Charlotte a drink.”
Not waiting to see what his brothers did, Gage cupped Charlotte by the elbow and led her through the tables until they reached the bar. The noise level here was higher than in the corner where the pool tables were located.
He leaned down and spoke into her ear. “What can I get you to drink?”
Charlotte repeated his action. “Classic mojito, please.”
Her lips brushed his ear and his body stirred to life. What the fuck? He managed to conceal the unexpected shiver from her. How could he want to take her to the corner and have her whisper to him some more when she had been nothing but a pain in the ass to him? He couldn’t deny what Macy had said about her accent being cool. He’d thought the accent was all prissy on the phone, but in person, it was sexy as hell.
Dragging his thoughts out of the gutter, he gave their order to the bartender and turned so his back rested against
the wooden bar.
“So, why are you here, Charlotte?” he spoke loudly enough to be heard over the background noise.
“Here as in the bar, or here as in Sweet Ridge?”
“Both.”
“Well, you know why I’m here at the bar—Macy invited me. And as for being in Sweet Ridge, I figured it was time I saw the piece of land I inherited.”
He wanted to ask her whether she’d spoken to the lawyer about selling the land to him, but the middle of a bar on a Friday night was hardly the place to do it. Still, he couldn’t wait to sign the papers granting him ownership. He would ensure he paid her a fair price. Fuck it, what did it matter if he asked her now? He opened his mouth to speak.
Charlotte placed a finger on his mouth, and his whole body zeroed in on her touch. “Don’t do it.”
“Do what?”
“I see the look in your face, Gage. I know you want to ask, but can we please not do this tonight? I just want to enjoy my drink and then go back to the hotel. I don’t want to get into any discussions about land or inheritances.”
He saw the tiredness in Charlotte’s eyes. He could relate to the look. He’d had a hell of a week, and not fifteen minutes ago he’d been enjoying his brothers’ company. Why not continue to unwind on a Friday night and leave inheritance issues alone?
“Fair enough. Do you want to meet for breakfast or lunch tomorrow?”
“Lunch sounds good. Do you want to meet at Betty Lou’s Diner?”
Not even a raised eyebrow in surprise at his suggestion. Nothing seemed to rattle Charlotte Wilkinson.
“Not unless you want the whole town to know your business. Betty Lou isn’t happy unless she’s finding out what everyone is up to. I don’t go to the diner. How about we meet here instead? It’s not as busy as this on a Saturday afternoon.”
“That works, say twelve thirty?”
The bartender arrived with their drinks. Gage handed him some money and picked up their drinks. “Yep. Now, do you want to go back to my lovely brothers and Macy, or do you want to see if we can find a table?”
“If it’s okay with you, I’d rather head back to where your brothers are. I think they know where I stand now and won’t give me too much hassle.”
“Okay.” He began to weave through the crowd again. He made sure Charlotte was by his side. “I think they’ve learned their lesson. Unless, of course, they do decide to torment you like older brothers do just so they can hear you tell them off in your cool accent.”
Charlotte shook her head. “Seriously, I have no idea why my accent fascinates everyone so much.”
He could tell her that he found her accent sexy and wished she’d whisper to him all night. He knew it wouldn’t be appreciated if he voiced his thoughts. Even he was having issues with why he was becoming fascinated with her when two days ago he was ripping her character to shreds. With the way she handled his brothers, he had no doubt she’d captivated Dad with her bright personality and intelligence, and Jack Cooper would’ve been smitten by her accent, too. “That’s because it’s so different and proper and as Macy said, ‘cool.’”
“You’re all crazy, and really you don’t have to worry about me when it comes to your brothers. I’ve got three older ones. I can hold my own.”
“I’ll just bet you can,” he said below his breath.
“Hey, where are our drinks?” Grayson complained when Gage and Charlotte arrived back at the pool table. He placed their drinks on the high table.
“Yeah, why isn’t the oil baron shouting a round of drinks for us?” Gavin piped in. “Oh, and before I forget, I need you at the clinic tomorrow morning. I’ve got something for you that I know you’re going to love.”
“I’ll be there when you open. With regards to your drinks, they’re at the bar, where you can go and order them yourselves. Besides, I’m not going to be seen ordering Gray’s girlie gin and tonic. I’ve got a reputation to maintain.”
Gavin snorted. “Good one, Gage.”
He should make more of an effort to spend time with them. He’d cut himself off because he’d fucked up his life and couldn’t stand to see the disappointment in their eyes. It was bad enough to see it in Dad’s eye. All of the Coopers had wanted him to get drafted to one of the Texas teams; Gavin and Dad didn’t care if it was the Texans or the Cowboys, but Gray was Cowboys all the way. He’d often joked with them about being drafted by the Patriots or Seahawks, but at the end of the day they wanted him close to them.
And then when his dream had blown up amidst underage drinking, breaking athletic curfew, and fraternity pranks, he’d gone and left them anyway. Cut himself off totally.
“Hey, where did you go?” A soft hand touching his arm pulled him from his dark thoughts.
“Down the lonely path called memory lane.”
“Didn’t look like it was a pleasant journey.”
It was amazing how, when he focused solely on Charlotte, all the outside noise from the bar disappeared and they were in a vacuum of silence.
“It is what it is, and I have to live with the choices I made. But this isn’t why we’re here.” He allowed the noise back in to consume his dark thoughts. Bar noise was much better than the noise of his own voice telling him what a fuckup he was.
“I wonder where Macy is,” Charlotte said.
Thank God she wasn’t going to press him for an explanation of his thoughts.
“She’s getting ready to sing a couple of songs. Steve came over and asked if she’d sing,” Gavin said. “I can’t wait.”
“Bro, you’re telling us she doesn’t sing at home for you? Doesn’t she sing sweet lullabies to help you sleep at night?” teased Gage.
“Ha ha ha, very funny. Yes, she does sing. I love her voice. I never get sick of hearing it.”
Gage made a gagging sound. “Oh, please, keep your lovesickness to yourself.”
“I think it’s sweet,” Charlotte commented.
Gage opened his mouth to fire a smart-ass comment, but stopped himself when he saw her quirked eyebrow. She fully expected him to say something snarky.
Instead he brought his bottle of beer to his lips to take a drink.
Conversation became impossible as the bar crowd started chanting Macy’s name, with Gavin leading the charge. Gage sat back and watched his oldest brother. He’d never seen Gavin like this. So open and happy and clearly in love. Would he ever give himself totally to a woman like Gavin had?
“I love you, baby,” Macy said into the microphone and waved to their corner before she started belting out one of her number-one hits.
When you had someone as totally in love with you as Macy was with Gavin, he supposed it would be easy to let your guard down and embrace what they had to offer.
He chanced a look at Charlotte to see what she thought of the exchange. She was cheering and laughing, as well. She moved her chair so she had a better view of the stage. She looked beautiful. Her red hair glittered beneath the low barroom light, reminding him of the glow from a fire. Her foot tapped along with the music, her attention totally on Macy as she played to the crowd.
A few songs later Macy segued into a ballad. A space had opened up and couples started to fill it, swaying to the haunting tune about regrets and wishes to change the past. To start over and beg for forgiveness. He could totally relate.
Someone jabbed him in the ribs. That someone was Grayson.
“Ask Charlotte to dance,” he encouraged.
“I don’t dance,” Gage responded.
“You danced every time you avoided those defensive linemen out on the football field. Swaying to some music won’t be that difficult.”
Gage had to admit, it was a valid excuse to get Charlotte in his arms.
“If you don’t ask her, I will,” Grayson taunted.
“Shove it, Gray.” He pushed his chair back, the wooden legs scraping along the floor.
He walked around the table to where Charlotte sat. He squatted down so she could hear him. “Would you like to dance?”
Her head whipped around and her hair flew around his face. He caught the sweet scent of coconuts, which he guessed came from her shampoo. “What did you say?”
“I asked if you’d like to dance.”
“Yes, I’d like that.”
Gage stood and held out his hand. She took it and he made his way toward the group of people dancing. Macy caught his eye and winked, giving him a thumbs-up. He rolled his eyes. He was having one dance, then it was time he left. He didn’t need to hang around to give his brothers and Macy any matchmaking ideas.
He turned Charlotte and looped his arms around her waist. She placed her hands on his shoulders. The distance between their two bodies was big enough for another person to stand between them as they moved stiltedly side by side. To an onlooker they probably looked like two reluctant teenagers who’d been dared to dance together at their first school dance. It was ridiculous, and he was a lot smoother than this.
Flexing his shoulders, he made himself relax. He pulled Charlotte close so their bodies touched chest to chest, thigh to thigh. Her arms made their way around his neck and she rested her head against his shoulder.
Now they swayed naturally, their bodies moving in time with the beat of Macy’s song. He closed his eyes and let himself get carried away on the music. He breathed in the scent of coconuts again and smiled. He could get used to this. And that was something he couldn’t let happen.
CHAPTER 6
A descending musical tone played over and over in Charlotte’s mind. She wanted it to go away. She wanted to go back to her dream. She groaned. She’d forgotten to turn off her cell phone alarm. Of all the weekends to forget, it had to be this one.
Pulling herself up on her elbow, she reached for her phone and disengaged the alarm. She flopped back onto the pillow and let her mind drift back to the dream she’d been jolted out of. She’d been dancing in Gage’s arms again. Macy was singing a beautiful song just for them. The part she wanted to block out was the memory of where they were and what she was wearing. Unfortunately, her mind wouldn’t let her have dream amnesia, and the picture of her in a wedding dress and Gage looking spectacular in tuxedo wouldn’t fade away.
Sweet Texas Fire Page 4