The Maverick Returns

by Roz Denny Fox

  He crooked a forefinger and raised her chin so he could look into her eyes. “Know this, Willow. It’s always been about more than just sex between us.”

  She nodded shyly.

  Coop carried her back inside, where they gave the lumpy old couch a workout until they fell asleep wrapped in each other’s arms.

  Willow’s internal clock woke her at her usual time—five o’clock. The day was dawning hot and humid again, but she stole an extra five minutes to remain snuggled up against the man she loved. The man who’d shown her in so many ways throughout the night that he loved her, too, as they whispered sweet things to each other. She didn’t think Coop had said he loved her in so many words, but maybe he had… .

  She felt herself smiling. He looked totally relaxed in sleep. She imprinted every naked line of his lean, muscular body on her mind before she bent and tickled him, then kissed him awake. “Time to get up, sleepyhead,” she whispered when his eyes opened and he grabbed her. “Lily’s an early riser. We can’t risk having her pop out and finding us together like this. After we get dressed I’ll make you a ham, cheese and mushroom omelet.”

  “I’m thinking about taking your mind off food… .”

  She climbed over him and off the narrow couch, and dressed quickly in the clothes that lay wadded on the floor. “I’m a sensible mother and rancher, yet I can’t believe how tempted I am by your suggestion, Cooper Drummond. And aren’t you ashamed of yourself for leading me astray?” She gathered up his jeans and shirt and tossed them at him.

  He jackknifed up, his brown eyes laughing, his dark hair rumpled. “Not on your life, sweetheart. Not on your life.”

  Chapter Ten

  In the kitchen, after they’d each taken a turn freshening up in Willow’s small bathroom, Coop made his coffee and put water on for Willow’s tea while she assembled the ingredients for their omelet.

  Reaching over her to take down plates, he rubbed his chin on top of her damp hair. “We’re pretty good at this. Anybody might think we’re an old married couple.”

  She ducked away and pulled out the chopping board with shaky hands. “Have you ever thought about getting married, Cooper? I mean, have you ever come close?”

  He paused in the act of setting the table. “Not after you dumped me.”

  “Hold on. Who dumped whom?”

  “Okay. After we split. I never found any woman I cared to invite to the next rodeo.”

  “Oh, really?” she scoffed.

  “I swear. The women who competed in rodeo events were just buddies. The hard-core followers, you know, like the ones you saw in the restaurant, are superficial.”

  “They looked beautiful.”

  “Yeah, well, I’ll give them points on that score. A few may have been on the prowl for husbands. The rest were just on the prowl. Out for a good time. They flocked around winners.”

  “I noticed,” she murmured, beating the eggs. “Of course, you were a champion most of the years you competed.”

  “Five years. I called it quits at the beginning of last season and started earning an honest living,” he joked, tweaking the end of her ponytail. He was saved from having to defend his wild bachelor days by the sudden appearance of a sleepy-eyed Lily. She wandered into the kitchen, rubbing an eye with one fist, dragging her rabbit by an ear with the other.

  “Hey, there, babycakes,” Coop said, dropping down on one knee to put himself at her level.

  She quit rubbing her eye and blinked solemnly at him.

  “What does she eat for breakfast?” Coop asked Willow. “Most kids don’t like omelets. Not the stuff in them like mushrooms and onion, anyway.”

  “Right on all counts. She’ll eat a biscuit with jelly, no butter, and bacon. But the bacon I put in the oven to warm can’t touch the edges of her biscuit.”

  “Why? They all mix together in your stomach.”

  “I don’t know. That’s something I’ve learned from observation. It’s a fetish with some autistic children. Come to think of it, she’s never had anyone but me prepare her meals. Why don’t you watch the omelet and I’ll take her into the bathroom, them I’ll fix her breakfast.” Willow smiled. “I’m so lucky she’s potty trained.”

  Rising, Coop took the spatula. “Those other quirks are symptoms I’m assuming will be addressed and modified once she starts in a proper school.”

  Willow glanced up from cutting the biscuit in half. “Maybe. The curriculum I read about was quite comprehensive.” Frowning a bit, she grew quiet. She left with Lily, then returned after a while and lifted the child into her makeshift booster seat, removed the toy rabbit and pushed her plate closer.

  “Everything’s ready,” Coop announced, deftly cutting the omelet in half and sliding it onto two plates already holding buttered toast. He poured himself a second cup of coffee and handed Willow her tea.

  “You know your way around the kitchen, Coop. I must admit that surprises me.”

  “I got tired of eating out so much. If I had a block of time between rodeos, I booked into residence motels—one bedroom with a kitchen and living room. Young guys on the circuit often travel with motor homes. Those camps are a hotbed of activity and some of them party day and night. Married guys usually had a home base. Unmarried older riders get tired of the hullaballoo and they went to motels.”

  “Oh, yeah, you’re so old.” Willow laughed, cutting into her omelet. “Aren’t some contenders thirty-five or forty before they quit?”

  “Not too many. A few diehards. Trick riders and ropers hang in longer. Maybe the guys who really have rodeo in their blood. But it takes brute strength and agility to keep riding sixteen-or seventeen-hundred pounds of bucking horse day in and day out. Casey Tibbs, the greatest bronc rider of all time, stayed with the sport eleven years. I guess I never got so addicted to the roar of the crowds that I couldn’t let go. I prefer life a little quieter.”

  “Last night you said you like it here, Coop,” Willow ventured. “You said you might want your own ranch.” Idly she spun her fork in an uneaten portion of omelet. “You even said you could stay here. Did you mean it?”

  “I meant it. But you’re the reason why. You might not think I’d be lonely on the rodeo circuit with so much action. But I sorta like coming in after a day of hard, satisfying work out on the range, being able to sit down with you and talk. Or say nothing, for that matter.”

  “What about the Triple D?”

  Coop pushed back his empty plate. “What about it? You’re not there. And Sully’s put his stamp all over it. This is a great little place that could be a lot better. I could make it better for you and the munchkin. On the other hand, Lily needs the facilities offered in a bigger town.” His gaze cut to Lilybelle, who’d licked the jelly off both halves of her biscuit and was now eating her bacon. “The sun’s getting high,” Coop said as he rose from his chair. “It’ll be a sauna out there soon. You wanted to paint the trim. And, if it’s okay with you, I thought I’d start trying to break a colt that’s taken up residence on your upper forty. The colt and his mother are half-wild. There’s open range down in Mexico, and I figure they strayed here. Once he’s broken, the colt can be gelded and will bring you a pretty penny. Enough to tide you over until you decide whether to restock your cattle, or sell and move on.”

  “I’d consider restocking if you stayed, Coop. Although I’d have to find a way to get Lily the services she needs.” Willow sighed. “I’d never send her to boarding school.” Rising, too, she collected their plates. At the sink, she ran water and rinsed them. Her back remained rigid as she waited for Coop’s response.

  Stepping up behind her, he turned her around and delivered a steamy kiss. “I want to be with you,” he said. “A man needs a good woman.” Moving toward the table again, he pressed a softer kiss on Lily’s curls. “And a family,” he added.

  The girl hunched her little shoulders and screwed up her face, but instead of crying as Willow feared, Lily brushed a hand over her head, stared at Coop and gave a passable giggle.

/>   Willow clutched her heart. “That’s another first. A huge one.”

  “See?” Coop said. “I’m good for her. Maybe we can look into schooling her ourselves. With a satellite dish we could go online for help.”

  “Is that true? Cooper, you’re good for both of us. You give me something I’ve had so little of—hope that Lily’s life can be better.”

  Coop picked up his hat. “So, uh, maybe you should call your Realtor and take the ranch off the market. However, don’t let me influence you. It has to be your decision, Willow.”

  She gnawed the inside of her mouth. Was that a commitment or not? So many worries and concerns flashed through her head. There before her stood the man she’d always loved. Big and bold. Solid and sexy. With his encouragement and assistance, perhaps they could school Lily and make her life happier. “I’ll phone Marcus Realty today,” she said, knowing she sounded tentative.

  Coop bobbed his head and turned to leave. “Okay. Sure.”

  Sobering, Willow gripped the fabric of her blouse at the base of her throat and called out to Coop. “I know you read my book on autism. I know you’re enthusiastic about her progress—and helped make it happen. But I have to tell you that the doctor and counselor said she’ll likely never catch up with other kids her age. There’s no magic potion or cure-all for autism, Cooper.”

  He started to say they’d do whatever they could, whatever was necessary to improve Lily’s quality of life, but he was stopped by the sound of a car pulling into the driveway out front. He lifted the curtain and huffed out a jerky breath. Muttering a surprised curse, Coop dashed for the door, letting the screen slam behind him.

  Slower to react, Willow crossed the kitchen to move the curtain, allowing her to peer outside. She didn’t recognize the vehicle, a late-model silver SUV. It wasn’t the one that had passed the ranch the other day.

  Willow would have gone back to work and let Coop deal with the stranger but then he yanked open the SUV door—and out crawled a shapely woman with a lot of red hair. She wore jeans, boots and a bright yellow shirt that should have clashed with her hair, but somehow looked fashionable instead.

  Willow’s mouth went slack as she watched Coop, the man who’d recently left her after a night of loving, haul the redhead into an embrace that went on far too long. At least that was how it looked to Willow. A sick feeling washed over her. She let the curtain slip through trembling fingers as the old insecurities flooded her. She’d seen enough, yet couldn’t resist gawking. She was well aware that Cooper Drummond collected women. The pair had parted, but Willow saw them grinning at each other. Then they walked toward Coop’s pickup, his arm casually looped around the other woman’s narrow waist.

  Her legs gave out, and Willow dropped into the nearest kitchen chair. The one where Coop had sat to eat his breakfast. She covered her hot face and wept quietly. Once again he’d shattered her hopes and dreams. But why was she surprised? She’d witnessed for herself how he had acted with those female fans at the restaurant. She remembered how Tate used to rub it in about Coop’s exploits with women along the rodeo trail. He swore the stories printed in the rodeo trade magazines were true. Of course they were. Cooper would have all the women he wanted. He was gorgeous—and available.

  *

  THE MINUTE COOP recognized the silver SUV, he’d dreaded going out. But he didn’t want to create a scene in front of Willow, either. Once outside, he was relieved to have his sister-in-law, Blythe, emerge from the vehicle; he’d been so sure it was, Sully come to confront him over his request for money.

  Cooper guided Blythe away from the house, into shade provided by a stand of live oak, because there was no sense involving Willow in his money woes until he learned what had brought Blythe here. As it turned out, he didn’t have to ask, she volunteered.

  “You’re looking good, Cooper.” Then she got right to the point. “I came to bring you a check.” She handed him a folded blue square she extracted from her back pocket. “Sully said the other day that you’d phoned and needed money.”

  “Sully sent you?”

  “Not exactly.”

  Coop glanced at the check. It was for ten thousand dollars, twice what he’d requested from his brother. “This is drawn on your clinic account, Blythe.” Coop raised an eyebrow. “I can’t take money from you.” He tried to hand it back.

  She curled her fingers around his, urging him to pocket the check. “We’re all family, Coop.”

  “Does Sully even know you’ve come to see me? Does he know you’re bringing me this kind of cash?” He waved the check.

  “I doubt I have to tell you how stubborn he can be sometimes.”

  “Sometimes?” Coop flared.

  “Yes, sometimes. Mostly he’s a softie.” Blythe’s eyes were tender as she said that. “Sully has unlimited patience with Gray. And he’s a wonderful husband to me. I feel a certain amount of guilt for canceling appointments today to come and see you, Coop. But darn it, I want you two to reconcile. You’re brothers. Not only that, the Triple D is too much work for Sully alone.”

  “He hires ranch hands. And I heard he advertised for a part-time manager.”

  “Because I begged him to. It’s temporary. Just until Christmas. He wants you to come home for the holidays. He’s counting on it, Cooper. We’re all counting on it.”

  Coop stared at the house and at the nearby rolling hills, but he tucked the check in his shirt pocket. “Maybe there’s too much water under the bridge,” he mumbled.

  “The Triple D is your heritage.”

  “It hasn’t felt like it. Not since Dad died.”

  “That’s another thing. Matt would hate to see this rift between you guys. You were the world to him, both of you, after your mom died.”

  “Losing Mom and then Dad tore my world apart, Blythe. Sully handled the loss much better.”

  “I don’t think he did. He hides his pain. He keeps his anxiety bottled up inside.”

  Coop snorted.

  “It’s true.” Blythe curved her right hand around Coop’s tense wrist. “All I ask in return for giving you that money is that you make your way back to Hondo for a family holiday. You can stay at the home place. I’ll make sure it’s ready. Oh—maybe you didn’t know that Sully and I built a new home closer to my clinic. So the old home is empty, waiting for you.”

  “I’d heard about the new house via the grapevine. Jud Rayburn told me. I’m not sure I can make you that promise. If it turns out I can’t, I’ll pay you back the money. Or else Sully can, because at some point he’ll have to cash out my share of the ranch.”

  “You can bring Willow,” Blythe said.

  Coop swiveled his head toward her. “So you know this is her ranch?”

  Blythe nodded. “Sully and I rarely keep secrets from each other. Sometimes it takes finding the right moment to unburden, but eventually we do. For instance, I’ll tell him about this trip and about the money, probably tonight. So leave Sully to me. Don’t let my advancing you some funds stop you from coming home.”

  “Willow has a daughter,” Coop said. “She’s Tate Walker’s kid, but Willow named her Lilybelle for my mother and hers. Lily is younger than Gray by a few years.” Coop swallowed and finally murmured, “She has special needs.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry, Coop. If you don’t mind my asking, what’s the nature of her…disability?”

  “She’s autistic. Willow has a book on the disorder, which I read along with a couple of magazine articles. The thing is, Blythe, other than one set of tests and a meeting with some visiting professionals, she doesn’t have access to help. I’m not sure if anything is even available in Carrizo Springs or the surrounding towns. Before I got here, Willow was struggling to take care of herself, her daughter and the ranch.” He pulled at his bottom lip. “This place is a far cry from the Triple D, but it has potential. Willow keeps saying she wants to sell and move to a bigger city, but any time I ask if she’s talked to her Realtor, she acts as if she’d rather stay here. I think she’s afraid to let
go of the security. So…this morning, I offered to hang around for a while.”

  “But I can tell you’re not convinced it’s the best option, Coop. You know it’d be a short drive to San Antonio from the Triple D. There are all kinds of medical services there. I can check on some if you’d like me to.”

  He shifted from foot to foot and stroked his jaw without comment.

  “I guarantee no mother could resist an offer of top-notch care for her child,” Blythe continued. “I understand Willow may not be comfortable in a big city on her own. But…she wouldn’t be alone. You love her, Coop. Does she love you, too?”

  Momentary guilt flickered in Cooper’s eyes as they settled on his sister-in-law. “You cut right to the chase, don’t you? I think the answer to both questions is yes. We’re making progress. You have to understand there’s a lot of baggage piled up between us.”

  “Big guy like you should be able to wade through any amount of baggage. It’s July now. My dad is coming for Thanksgiving. Can I plan on having you, Willow and Lilybelle at the dinner table, too?”

  “I thought you said Christmas. Has anyone ever told you that you can be awfully pushy?”

  She laughed. “All the time. I have to be in order to make it in the male-dominated world of veterinary medicine, at least in Texas. Plus I have to show those sick horses and bulls—not to mention Sulllivan—who’s boss.” She raised an arm and flexed her muscles, eliciting a grin from Cooper. “Speaking of sick animals, I need to get back, but I’ll spare an extra few minutes if you’d like to me talk to Willow. You know, pave your way?”

  “No, but thanks. This is something I need to take care of myself. I’ll walk you back to your car. And thank you for the money. Willow’s herd is ready for market, but she doesn’t have the cash to rent trucks. I’d about drained my account catching up on stuff that needed fixing around here. I always figured Tate was a no-good bastard, and seeing the mess he left his wife and daughter in proved me right.”

  “This is a pretty enough spot,” Blythe said, scanning the area as they walked back to her SUV. “But it’s not for you. Your legacy is up north. The Triple D has grown a lot since you left. I’m probably being selfish, but for Sullivan’s sake, I want you to come home. And I can see the advantages of Gray having a playmate on the property. He’s a good kid, Coop. Far more sensitive than Sully will admit. I could see our son growing up to be a doctor, lawyer or accountant—maybe a vet—but not a rancher.” She cleared her throat. “Uh, about Sully approaching you with the papers to make Gray a full third partner…it’s nonsense. Gray is afraid of any animal larger than a kitten.”