“No,” she said on a sharp exhalation. “I guess it’s not.”
“With you, I also found multiple news articles after a simple search of your name.”
Horrified, she took a step back.
“I do background checks and research on everyone I hire,-“ he repeated.
She wanted to leave…but knew she couldn’t. Where would she go anyway?
To her sister? No, Ridley was already too concerned. When next she saw her, Phoenix hoped to be back to her usual self, a woman her sister could admire rather than one she fretted over.
Her parents? God no. She loved them dearly, but the last thing they needed was to start worrying about her again. They’d done enough of that already.
Back to a hotel? Though necessary at the time, it had turned into a miserable existence, like a self-imposed exile. Now that she was out, she never wanted to do that again.
She preferred to feel the sun on her skin and the earth on her hands.
This was her chance to make it happen, an opportunity to start over, to reclaim her life. She wouldn’t give it up just because her privacy had been breached once more.
Far too serious, Cooper said, “I haven’t mentioned your personal history with anyone else, and I won’t. Nothing I found factored into my decision to hire you.”
Well, that was something at least. “Thank you.” She drew a deep breath and, putting it in the simplest terms, said, “I was hoping for a fresh start.”
He stared out toward the lake. “I’m sorry for what you went through.”
With more accusation than she intended, she asked, “Why do you even bring it up?” She didn’t want to think about it, much less talk about it with a stranger. She definitely didn’t want his pity.
As if he couldn’t help himself, his gaze met hers again; neither of them looked away. “I mentioned it in case you need anything.”
Phoenix couldn’t blink. The sun behind him set a glow around his brown hair, emphasizing the breadth of his shoulders, his height. It was the oddest thing, but his size didn’t really intimidate her. Not anymore.
And it had nothing to do with what he’d just said, but rather it was something about him, some vague sincerity…or sadness?
She shook her head. What exactly did he think he could give her?
And why were they both standing there staring at each other?
Shifting her stance to break the spell, she said with conviction, “I’m fine.” Then thought to add, “Thank you.”
He didn’t look convinced. “If you change your mind—”
“I won’t.”
Maris called her name, catching up to them. “I have your cabin all ready. Would you like to see it?”
Cooper stepped away. “Thanks, Maris. You’ll help her get settled?”
“Sure. Should I finish giving her the tour, too?”
“If you wouldn’t mind.” Smiling, he said, “Get her set up for our WiFi, too.” He glanced at Phoenix. “You can start tomorrow, Ms. Rose. I’ll email you the names and phone numbers of your helpers, along with our usual schedule.”
Phoenix realized she must have offended him to have him walking off without finishing his instructions, but she wasn’t sure how to fix it. “I’ll be ready.”
He flashed her a subdued smile. “Welcome to Cooper’s Charm. As the sign says, it’s a good place to get away.”
* * *
What the hell just happened? Cooper blindly headed for his house, disconcerted over the tension in his muscles, the hot rush of awareness. True, he’d been intrigued by Phoenix Rose since first reading her unusual name. Everything after that had only heightened the curiosity. Then there was the compassion, too, taking him by surprise, he felt it so strongly; he’d blamed it for his early decision to hire her.
But neither of those emotions explained his reaction when he’d felt her behind him, when he’d turned and met her eyes, widened behind her glasses.
He’d been all set to meet her, to treat her with gentle indifference. But she’d gone all still and quiet, which in turn had dredged up a heated rush of protectiveness.
And something else.
Something he hadn’t experienced in so long, it was almost unfamiliar.
Blocking that thought, refusing to examine his reaction too closely, he headed for his house. He had plenty to keep him busy today. Every day, actually. Phoenix Rose would be one more employee. Nothing more, nothing less.
Somehow before the day was over, he’d convince himself of that.
* * *
June arrived hotter than usual, which meant the park was already packed. He still hadn’t found a housekeeper, but now that Phoenix was with them and helping to split the extra work, the complaints had dwindled.
He wasn’t surprised that she’d fit right in, at least with the women. With all men, him included, she seemed far more reticent. Polite always, friendly enough, but lacking any real warmth.
He understood why, of course. He’d read the awful details of the attack, of what she’d suffered. What he didn’t understand was his continued fascination with her, a fascination that had grown each day.
Everything about her drew him. With no encouragement from her, he thought of her too often. When she was near, or hell, even just in view, he couldn’t look away.
He recognized his interest as protective, concerned—the same things any moral, normal man would feel toward a woman who’d been hurt. But it was more than that, too.
It was personal.
That shouldn’t be a surprise given her ripe curves, compelling pale blue eyes and air of quiet vulnerability tinged with pride.
The surprise was that it was more than just physical attraction. He wanted to seek her out, talk with her more, get to know her better.
With every other female employee, he’d had no problem drawing a professional line. It was only Phoenix who pushed him past a comfortably detached relationship.
However, her ‘do not touch’ vibe, along with his respect for her privacy, kept him from showing any overt interest.
He’d lied when he told her that her background hadn’t factored into him hiring her. It absolutely had. His routine research on a potential employee had taken him well beyond the usual superficial work record and into personal, life changing issues. Of course he’d sympathized with her.
And admired her.
The woman was a fighter.
Caught in a web of his own interest, he stood at the kitchen door overlooking the park, coffee in hand, and waited for her to emerge from her cabin. Like clockwork, she stepped out promptly at 7 a.m. and started on her walk. She always went around the park first thing, checking for problems and getting her equipment out so she could start her work when quiet time ended.
Wearing modest shorts and a loose T-shirt, her inky black hair in a clubbed ponytail, she headed for the maintenance building.
He studied her, not quite smiling but definitely… Hell, he didn’t know what to call it. Enthralled?
Though she didn’t seem to realize it, Phoenix Rose was a sexy little thing, short at 5ꞌ4”, especially when standing next to him. Most women would consider her plump, but most men—himself included—would focus on her big soft breasts, rounded hips and beautiful legs.
Definitely enthralled.
Her purposeful stride made her ponytail bounce. Made her breasts bounce too. When her sleek hair was loose, the ends teased over her chest right where her nipples would be. She had a dimple in her chin, dainty but strong hands, a surprisingly narrow waist, and eyes the color of a summer sky.
Never before had he considered glasses sexy. But now… Maybe he liked them on Phoenix because he knew she used them to hide—much like Superman. Whenever she got nervous, she touched them as if to remind herself they were there, adjusting them needlessly.
He could have told her that the glasses didn’t conceal a thing. Neither did the loose shirt.
At his age, after what he’d had, what he’d lost, he didn’t indulge relationship games—o
r even relationships, really. Those had ended with the death of his wife six years ago. These days, if he found a woman attractive, he let her know it. She either reciprocated and they had sex, or she didn’t and he let it go. Neither outcome troubled him much.
Either way, he didn’t get involved.
Phoenix was different.
Her vulnerability was as obvious as her hope. She wanted to make this work and because, in some ways, her reasons for coming to Cooper’s Charm were the same as his, he’d been happy to give her the chance.
Smart move on his part.
She did a great job with the grounds, keeping everything tidy, well-trimmed, and adding a professional flare that really classed it up. Flowers bloomed in every bed, the walkways were cleanly edged, and even the trees looked healthier after she’d removed several branches.
Did she throw herself into her work to help her forget, as he’d once done? At twenty-four, she’d run a successful landscaping business. That is, until the incident six months ago. So maybe she was just a workhorse by nature.
Admirable for someone so young.
When Phoenix disappeared from his sight, he turned back into the kitchen and went to the computer station at the end of the counter. The laptop was already open and on, an image frozen on the screen.
Phoenix stared straight ahead, battered, her glasses missing, her eyes wide and vacant with shock as paramedics tended her. A moment that personal and devastating should have never been posted, but in the social media world of today, a lot of things were online that shouldn’t be.
Coop didn’t sit and he didn’t need to read the accompanying story. He’d looked at the story so many times, he already knew it by heart. It still drew him far too often as he struggled to understand her better.
Six months ago, when Phoenix was alone at the business during a frigid day in November, two men had broken in armed with a handgun and an AR15 style rifle. It had been such a successfully busy day selling Christmas trees and wreaths, the till was likely full.
The men had taken all her money along with some personal items—and then they’d assaulted her.
His muscles tensed as his hands fisted.
Not rape, thank God, though apparently one of them had tried as the other kept watch. Overall, they’d badly manhandled her, thrown her around, hurt and robbed her. It wasn’t until a prospective customer stopped in to see if the shop was still open that she’d finally escaped.
The men had run away and to this day, they hadn’t been caught.
Her security cameras showed the attack, but revealed only two very large men wearing ski masks.
Coop closed his eyes. For too long he’d existed in a state of numbness, functioning but unable to feel anything real.
Now he felt Phoenix’s pain and fear, and so much more. It brought back his own pain—and the rage.
But at the same time, it gave him a purpose.
He couldn’t help his wife, but he could help Phoenix.
Not easy to do when she rarely got comfortable with men.
From what he could glean off social media, she’d gone to a hotel after the attack, and stayed there, surrounded by people—protected—until she’d moved to Cooper’s Charm. Her Facebook page, once filled with fun memes, silly videos, and comments from family and friends, had gone silent except for things others had posted—encouragement, words of strength, and the occasional note about missing her.
Eventually, despite her brief, undoubtedly obligatory replies, the posts from others had waned too.
At first he’d wondered about the timeline being public instead of private. But she’d admitted to being tech-challenged, and he imagined she’d had other things on her mind than social media.
As if she’d forgotten all about it, it had taken months before she’d posted on her wall again, and then she’d shared a photo of herself, making a goofy face while holding a cup of steaming coffee. The text had read: Everyone relax, I’m still here.
Hundreds of replies poured in. Phoenix Rose had many people who cared about her, yet she’d moved two hours away to the park.
It didn’t take a genius to realize she wanted to reclaim her life, and moving to his resort was the first big step. He hoped she found what she needed, but as he’d discovered, you couldn’t be alone at a crowded resort, yet you could still be lonely.
The knock at the door drew him out of his thoughts. He closed the laptop and crossed the kitchen to the door, seeing through the glass pane that Phoenix stood there.
A new sensation broke through the gloom. Damned if it didn’t feel like anticipation.
Shirtless and barefoot, dressed in only his jeans, Coop opened the door with a barely banked smile of welcome. “Good morning, Ms. Rose.”
Her startled gaze went over his body first, then locked desperately to his face. She hastily straightened her already-straight glasses. “Mr. Cochran. I’m sorry to bother you, but I have a problem.”
Maybe he should have pulled on a shirt…the hell he would. He was in his own home and if she planned to stick around, she’d have to get comfortable with him. Throughout the summer, most people dressed down, with women in halters and shorts, or bikinis, and men more shirtless than not. People were in and out of the water all day, from sunup to sundown.
Maybe if he hadn’t just been thinking about her and all she’d been through, he would have handled things differently. Instead, he corrected her for the tenth time, saying, “You know, everyone else calls me Coop.” He couldn’t very well call her by her first name if she insisted on boss/employee formality. Not that there was much about the resort that anyone could label as “formal.” It was all about fun, relaxation, and getting away.
She stared up at him.
“Try it,” he urged. “I promise it won’t hurt.”
Don’t miss
COOPER’S CHARM
From New York Times bestselling author
Lori Foster!
Copyright © 2018 by Lori Foster
ISBN-13: 9781488037535
Sizzle
Copyright © 1994 by Jennifer Crusie.
All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 22 Adelaide St. West, 40th Floor Toronto, ON M5H 4E3 Canada.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office and in other countries.
www.Harlequin.com
Sizzle Page 11