Cooper's Charm
Page 1
One summer, two sisters and a chance to start over...
Before the burglary that shattered her confidence, Phoenix Rose had a fiancé, a successful store and a busy, happy existence. After months spent adrift, she takes a job at the lakeside resort of Cooper’s Charm. Surrounded by beautiful scenery, friendly colleagues and a charismatic, widowed boss, Phoenix is slowly inching her way back into the world.
Visiting Cooper’s Charm to check up on her little sister, Ridley Rose impulsively agrees to fill in as housekeeper. Still reeling from an ego-bruising divorce, she finds satisfaction in a job well done—and in the attention of the resort’s handsome scuba instructor.
For Phoenix and Ridley, Cooper’s Charm is supposed to be merely temporary. But this detour may lead to the place they most need to be, where the future is as satisfying as it is surprising...
Praise for New York Times bestselling author Lori Foster
“Foster writes a tale that is off-the-charts hot and steeped with mystery.... [S]he is one of the best in genre.”
—RT Book Reviews on Close Contact
“Storytelling at its best! Lori Foster should be on everyone’s auto-buy list.”
—#1 New York Times bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon on No Limits
“Foster brings her signature blend of heat and sweet to her addictive third Ultimate martial arts contemporary.”
—Publishers Weekly on Tough Love (starred review)
“Readers will be thrilled with Foster’s new sexy batch of fight club heroes and the women who love them.”
—Kirkus Reviews on No Limits
“Foster’s writing satisfies all appetites with plenty of searing sexual tension and page-turning action in this steamy, edgy, and surprisingly tender novel.”
—Publishers Weekly on Getting Rowdy
“Foster hits every note (or power chord) of the true alpha male hero.”
—Publishers Weekly on Bare It All
“Bestseller Foster...has an amazing ability to capture a man’s emotions and lust with sizzling sex scenes and meld it with a strong woman’s point of view.”
—Publishers Weekly on A Perfect Storm
“Foster rounds out her searing trilogy with a story that tilts toward the sizzling and sexy side of the genre.”
—RT Book Reviews on Savor the Danger
LORI FOSTER
Cooper’s Charm
Also available from Lori Foster
and HQN Books
Body Armor
Under Pressure
Hard Justice
Close Contact
Fast Burn
The Guthrie Brothers
Don’t Tempt Me
Worth the Wait
The Ultimate series
Hard Knocks (prequel ebook novella)
No Limits
Holding Strong
Tough Love
Fighting Dirty
Love Undercover
Run the Risk
Bare It All
Getting Rowdy
Dash of Peril
Edge of Honor
“Ready, Set, Jett” in The Guy Next Door anthology
When You Dare
Trace of Fever
Savor the Danger
A Perfect Storm
What Chris Wants (ebook novella)
Other must-reads
Tucker (ebook novella)
A Buckhorn Baby
Built for Love (ebook novella)
A Buckhorn Bachelor (ebook novella)
A Buckhorn Summer (ebook novella)
All For You
Back to Buckhorn (ebook novella)
Heartbreakers
Charade
Up in Flames
Turn Up the Heat
Hot in Here
Animal Attraction (ebook anthology)
Love Bites
All Riled Up
The Buckhorn Legacy
Forever Buckhorn
Buckhorn Beginnings
Bewitched
Unbelievable
Tempted
Bodyguard
Caught!
Fallen Angels
Enticing
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Excerpt from Driven to Distraction by Lori Foster
1
The sun shone brightly on that early mid-May morning. The crisp, cool air smelled of damp leaves—an appealing, earthy scent. A mist from the nearby lake blanketed the ground, swirling around her sneaker-covered feet.
Phoenix Rose stood at the high entrance to the resort and looked down at the neat, winding rows of RVs and fifth wheels in various sizes, as well as the numerous log cabins and the rustic tent grounds. All was quiet, as if no one had yet awakened.
She could have parked in the lower lot, closer to her destination, but she wanted the time to take it in.
Besides, after driving for a few hours, she’d enjoy stretching her legs.
Breathing deeply, she filled her lungs with fresh air, also filling her heart with hope.
It was such a beautiful morning that her clip-on sunglasses, worn over her regular glasses, only cut back the worst of the glare; she had to shade her eyes with a hand as she took in the many unique aspects of Cooper’s Charm RV Park and Resort.
Before submitting her résumé to the online wanted ad, she’d scoured over all the info she could find. She’d also studied the map to familiarize herself with the design.
The website hadn’t done it justice.
It was more beautiful than she’d expected.
Dense woods bordered the property on one side and at the entrance, giving it a private, isolated feel. To the other side, a line of evergreens separated the park from an old-fashioned drive-in that offered nightly movies not only to the resort guests, but also to the residents in the surrounding small town of Woodbine, Ohio.
At the very back of the resort, a large lake—created from a quarry—wound in and around the land before fading into the sun-kissed mist, making it impossible to see the full size. Currently, large inflated slides and trampolines floated in and out of the mist, randomly catching the sunshine as they bobbed in the mostly placid water. Phoenix couldn’t imagine anyone getting into the frigid water today—or even this month—but the online brochure claimed the lake was already open, as was the heated in-ground pool.
She was to meet the owner near the lake, but she’d deliberately arrived fifteen minutes early, which gave her a chance to look around.
After six months in hotel rooms, and a month familiarizing herself with the park, Cooper’s Charm already felt like home. She could be at peace here and that meant a lot, because for too long now, peace of mind had remained an elusive thing.
Knowing her sister was waiting, Phoenix pulled out her phone and took a pic of the beautiful scenery, then texted it to Ridley, typing, Arrived.
Despite the early hour, Ridley immediately texted back, Are you sure about this?
Positive, Phoenix replied. She hadn’t been this certain in ages. Hope the interview goes well.
/>
Loyal to the end, her sister sent back, He’ll take one look at you and fall in love.
Phoenix grinned even as she rolled her eyes. Ridley had the misguided notion that everyone else shared her skewed but adoring perception. I’ll settle for a job, thank you very much.
Keep me posted. Love you.
Her heart swelled. Through thick and thin, Ridley was her backup, her support system, and the person she trusted most in the whole world. Her parents were great too, very attentive and protective, but it was her sister who best understood her. It didn’t matter that Ridley lived a very different lifestyle, or that their goals in life were so different.
Phoenix loved working with her hands, staying busy, and took satisfaction from a job well done.
Ridley enjoyed seeing the world, traveling nearly nonstop to posh destinations, had an exquisite flair for the latest fashions and detested being messy in any way.
Different, but still best friends through and through.
Phoenix signed off in her usual way. Love you, too. Byeeeee...
She knew Ridley was still worried, and that bothered her. Much as she appreciated her sister’s dedication, she wanted to portray an air of confidence and independence...just as she once had.
She didn’t like being weak, and she didn’t like allowing others to impact her life, yet both had happened. This was her chance to get back to being a strong, capable woman.
If all went well, today would be a start toward reaching that goal.
Taking her time, Phoenix strode through the grounds, familiarizing herself on her way to the lake. She really wanted to explore the woods and the small, quaint cabins where she would live.
More than that, though, she wanted to be at the lake when Cooper Cochran arrived. She wouldn’t be late, wouldn’t be nervous and wouldn’t screw up her fresh start.
Unfortunately, just as she rounded a play area filled with swings and slides, she saw the lone figure standing along the sandy shore, a fishing rod in hand.
Was that Cochran?
Good Lord, he was big, and impressively built, too, with wide, hard shoulders and muscular thighs. She hated to admit it, but that could be a problem for her.
After all, she’d learned the hard way, on a very basic level, that big men were also powerful men.
Pausing to stare, she pressed a hand to her stomach to quell the nervous butterflies taking flight at the sight of him.
The sunrise gilded his messy, sandy-brown hair. As he reeled in his line, then cast it out again, muscles flexed beneath a dark pullover with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows, showing taut forearms and thick wrists dusted with hair. Worn denim hugged his long legs.
He seemed to stand nearly a half foot taller than her five feet four inches. God, how she’d prayed he’d be a smaller, less...imposing man.
Finding information on the resort had been easy. Finding information on Cooper Cochran...not so much.
She stood frozen on the spot, trying to convince her feet to move, doing her best to conquer her irrational reservations, but she was suddenly, painfully aware that they were all alone on the shore. Logically, she knew it wasn’t a problem. Plenty of people were around, though in their RVs or cabins, so there was no reason to be afraid.
Not here, not now.
Lately, though, fear had been a fickle thing, often re-emerging out of nowhere. She’d always been able to hide that fear from her parents, but Ridley was a different matter. Her sister would take one look at her and understand.
But Ridley wasn’t here now, and this job was important...
As if he’d known she was there all along, he glanced over his shoulder at her. Reflective sunglasses hid his eyes, and yet she felt his scrutiny and a touch of surprise. She knew his gaze was burning over her and it caused her to shift with nervous awareness.
She guessed him to be in his midthirties, maybe nine or ten years older than her. No one would call him a classically handsome man. His features were as bold as his body, including a strong jaw, masculine nose and harshly carved cheekbones.
Not typical good looks, but he certainly wouldn’t be ignored.
She could see that he hadn’t yet shaved this morning, and she wasn’t sure if he’d combed his hair. The breeze and fog off the lake might have played with it, leaving it a little wavier than usual.
She couldn’t look away, couldn’t even blink.
His scrutiny kept her pinned in place with a strange stirring of her senses, unpleasant only in its unfamiliarity.
Releasing her by turning back to the lake, he said, “Ms. Rose?”
The words seemed to carry on the quiet, cool air.
Phoenix swallowed. “Yes.” She watched as he cast out yet again. It almost seemed that he gave her time to get herself together. Of course, he couldn’t know why she was so reserved. Still, his patience, his apparent lack of interest, finally helped her to move forward.
She watched the way his large hands deftly, slowly, reeled in the line.
Her feet sank in the soft, damp sand. “Mr. Cochran?”
“You can call me Coop.”
He had a deep, mellow voice that should have put her at ease but instead sharpened her awareness of him as a large man.
“I like to fish in the morning before everyone crowds the lake. Are you an early bird, Ms. Rose?”
“Actually, yes.” A white gull swooped down, skimmed the water and took flight again. Ripples fanned out across the surface. By the minute, the mist evaporated, giving way to the warmth of the sun. “You know I had my own landscaping business.” She’d told him that much in their email correspondence concerning her application. “In the summer especially, it was more comfortable to start as early as possible. I’ve gotten in the habit of being up and about by six.”
“You won’t need to be that early here.”
“Okay.” She wasn’t sure what else to say. “The lake is beautiful.”
“And peaceful.” This time when he reeled in the line, he had a small bass attached. “Do you fish?”
He hadn’t faced her again and that made it easier to converse. “When I was younger, my sister and I would visit our grandparents for the weekend and we’d fish in their pond. That was years ago, though.” This was the strangest interview she’d ever had. It was also less stressful than she’d anticipated.
Had Cooper Cochran planned it that way—or did he just love to fish?
“You don’t fish with them anymore?”
“They passed away just before I turned twenty. Granddad first, and my grandma not long after.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Sounds like you made good memories with them, though.”
“Yes.” Fascinated, she watched as he worked the hook easily from the fish’s mouth, then he bent and placed the bass gently back in the water before rinsing his hands. “Too small to keep?”
“I rarely keep what I catch.” He gestured toward a picnic table. “Let’s talk.”
Until then, she hadn’t noticed the tackle box and towel on the summer-bleached wooden table.
She followed Cochran, then out of habit waited until he’d chosen a spot so she could take the side opposite him—a habit she’d gotten into with men. These days she preferred as much distance as she could manage.
He stepped over the bench, dropped the towel, pushed up his sunglasses and seated himself.
Golden-brown eyes took her by surprise. They were a stark contrast to his heavy brows and the blunt angles of his face.
She realized she was staring, that he merely stared back with one brow lifted, and she quickly looked away. Thankfully, she still wore the clip-on sunglasses, giving her a hint of concealment.
She retreated behind idle chitchat. “I studied the map online and feel like I know my way around. The lake is more impressive than I’d realized. The photos don’t do it justice.”
/> “I’ve been meaning to update the website,” he said. “It’s been busy, though. We lost our groundskeeper and housekeeper at the same time.”
“Someone had both positions?”
He smiled with some private amusement. “No. Either position is a full-time job. But without any of us noticing, the two of them fell in love, married and then headed to Florida to retire.”
“Oh.” She expected to find many things at the resort, but love wasn’t on the list. Love wasn’t even in her universe.
Not anymore.
“You said you checked out the map online?”
“Actually, I researched everything I could about the place, including the surrounding grounds, and I’m sure I’d be a good fit for the job.”
When he looked past her, she quickly turned her head to find a woman approaching with a metal coffeepot in one hand, the handles of two mugs hooked through the fingers of the other.
Cooper stood. “Perfect timing, Maris.”
The woman’s smile was easy and friendly. “I was watching.” Long, dark blond hair caught in a high ponytail swung behind her with every step. Soft brown eyes glanced at Phoenix. “Good morning.”
“Morning.”
“Coffee?” She set one mug in front of Cooper and filled it.
Phoenix nodded. “Yes, please.”
Maris filled the second mug, then dug creamer cups and sugar packets from a sturdy apron pocket, along with a spoon wrapped in a napkin. “Coop drinks his black, but I wasn’t sure about you.”
Anyone who presented her with coffee on a cool morning instantly earned her admiration. “I’ll take it any way I can get it, but I prefer a little cream and sugar, so thank you.”
Cooper reseated himself. “Maris Kennedy, meet Phoenix Rose. Maris runs the camp store. Phoenix is here about the position for groundskeeper.”
Slim brows went up. “Really? I was assuming housekeeper.”
Cooper’s smile did amazing things to his rugged face, and disastrous things to her concentration.
He explained to Phoenix, “We’ve never had a woman tend the grounds.” Then to Maris, he said, “Ms. Rose used to run her own landscaping company. She’s more than qualified and we’d be lucky to get her.”
Phoenix perked up. Did that mean he’d already made up his mind to hire her?
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