“I haven’t decided yet,” he said honestly, “but it’s not something I need to worry about right now.”
His sister stroked the jewelry box. “Have you opened this?”
He shook his head.
“May I?”
He nodded. Inside they found a pin with a woman’s portrait on it and a pearl necklace. Cooper had never seen either piece before. He could only guess they had once belonged to someone in Lulu’s family.
“Oh, they’re beautiful,” Frannie said. “The base of this cameo pin looks like it could be black onyx. Anthony’s mother must’ve wanted them to go to him someday.”
Deciding to keep the fact that Lulu needed to sell the jewelry to pay for her way to Texas to himself, Cooper closed the box and put it and the letters back in the envelope.
Ross returned the birth certificate. “So, how did things go with Uncle William? Julie and I were out there last week to see him, but he was still very distant.”
“It went okay, I guess. I thought I was prepared to see him, but except for one moment, he’s very different from the William Fortune we all know.”
“What moment was that?” Frannie asked.
Cooper explained about their uncle’s reaction to seeing his medallion. “He wanted it so desperately I let him keep it. But you guys know we’ve always thought those coins were pieces of junk that Cindy picked up in Vegas on her way home for Christmas.”
“And that silly story she told us about buried pirate treasure brought to Red Rock from South Padre Island,” Frannie added. “Of course, at the time, I believed her.”
They stopped talking as the waiter arrived with their food.
“You were young,” Ross said, after taking a bite. “Of course you believed her. We all wanted to believe the stories she told us. It just got harder as the years went by.”
“We were always going to have a big house with a huge yard, remember?” Cooper dug into his chicken enchiladas. “With a swimming pool and a barn and one of those wooden playground sets with a swing for each of us? Boy, no one could spin a tale like Cindy Fortune.”
“And then another ‘man of her dreams’ would come along and we’d be left in the dust.” Frannie spoke with a soft voice. “Sometimes I’m still amazed I have a stable and loving marriage after watching all the relationships our mother went through.”
“With everything you’ve gone through, again thanks to Mom, you’ve earned your happily-ever-after with Roberto,” Ross said.
“Yes, I did, and I’m glad to see at least one of my brothers has joined me in the world of being joyfully married.” She nudged him in the ribs. “Even if it did take you forever to get there.”
Ross returned her smile. “Julie was well worth waiting for. Now we just need to get this one,” he nodded to Cooper, “and Flint, to join us.”
Frannie laughed. “I’m not sure there’s a member of my fair sex who can put up with either one of them.”
“You do realize I can hear you?” Cooper waved his fork in the air. “Seeing how I’m sitting right here?”
“Yeah, and amazingly you haven’t been scared off.” Ross grinned as he picked up his glass of iced tea. “Of course, we haven’t actually used the words ‘settle’ and ‘down’ in the same sentence yet.”
“Maybe I’m looking at things a little differently now.”
His sister’s eyes narrowed. “What things?”
“You know, the future, putting down roots, settling down.” Cooper paused to clear his throat, then he continued. “And I think I might’ve found the one worth waiting for.”
Chapter Six
Cooper’s brother and sister stared at him for a full minute before they turned to look at each other, and then back at him, clearly shocked.
Well, he was, too. He had no freaking clue where that declaration had come from. When Ross spouted off about Julie being the right woman for him, the words just burst from his mouth. “Forget I said that. I must be sniffing too much diaper cream lately.”
“Is it Anthony?” Ross asked. “You seem to have taken to fatherhood pretty well, Coop. You don’t need to find a mother for him right away.”
Cooper pushed back against the booth’s seat and sat a bit straighter. “I’m not looking for a mother for my son.”
“Why not?” Frannie asked. “If you’re crazy enough to be thinking about settling down already, you can’t go off and marry some floozy who thinks you’ve got access to a lot of money because of your last name.”
“Well, she’d be wrong about that. My bank account was earned the hard way. And Kelsey’s not a floozy.”
“Who’s Kelsey?” Ross and Frannie asked in unison.
Damn. He’d managed to shove his size-ten boot right into his big, fat mouth. “Kelsey Hunt. She works for JR on his ranch. She’s in charge of his equine program.”
“I don’t think I’ve met her, but I’ve heard JR talk about how great she is with his horses.” Ross reached for his drink. “It figures you’d find someone who shares your affinity for the four-legged creatures.”
“I haven’t found anyone,” Cooper protested, back-pedaling. “I only met her a few days ago.”
Less than a week, he realized. Why did it seem like he’d known her longer than that?
Maybe because he found her so easy to talk to? Or the way she’d pitched in and helped with the baby? Not to mention how right it felt to hold her in his arms and how fast his blood boiled when she touched him. But did that really mean he was ready to settle down? Maybe leaving that rose on her desk this morning hadn’t been such a good idea after all.
“Well, considering you have more than your fair share of notches on your—”
“Watch it,” Cooper interrupted, Ross’s words pulling him from his thoughts. “We’re in mixed company here.”
“Yeah, the same ‘company’ that knows you started your dating career before you turned fifteen,” Frannie snorted. “And you haven’t slowed since. Don’t you think it’s a bit soon to be thinking this Kelsey is ‘the one’?”
Cooper didn’t know what pissed him off more, his sister’s tone or the way she emphasized the end of her question. “I think I’m smart enough, and experienced enough, to know the right thing when I see it.”
“Have you ever felt this way about any other woman?” Frannie continued.
He hadn’t. Not once, and he’d been dating for a quarter of a century. All types, from secretaries to showgirls, and he’d never considered the idea of asking any of them to share his last name. Hell, he was usually out the door with their not-so-subtle hints to stick around still ringing in his ears despite him being up front with them from the very beginning that he wasn’t a relationship kind of guy.
“Did you feel this way about Anthony’s mother?”
Ouch, direct hit. Cooper’s grip tightened on the napkin next to his plate of food. “No, I didn’t.”
Contrition filled Frannie’s eyes. She laid a hand over his. “Coop, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”
“You could’ve fooled me,” Ross muttered under his breath.
Frannie shot him a dark look before concentrating on Cooper again. “It’s just that I know how easy it is to want to believe someone is perfect for you only to find out too late that you were wrong.”
“You’re talking about your history, sis. Before Roberto, that is.”
“And our mother’s history,” Frannie countered. “We grew up with more ‘uncles’ and pretend daddies than we can remember. She never presented a good example for any of us to follow of what it takes to have a strong and loving relationship. I just don’t want you to get in over your head.”
“Who, me?”
“I know you, big brother.” Frannie smiled.
“Hell, that doesn’t mean Cooper can’t ask Kelsey for a date, right?” Ross said. “I mean, you’re not at the bended-knee stage yet, are you?”
Cooper had no idea what stage he was in.
For someone brand-new in his life, Kel
sey was so familiar to him—yet having her in his arms was like nothing he’d ever felt before. It was almost as if he’d been biding his time with a life lived on the road—no ties, no settling down—until he met her. “Cooper?”
He blinked and saw amusement in his brother’s gaze while Frannie’s blue eyes carried a hint of concern.
“Hey, don’t lose sleep over this,” he replied. “I’m far from shopping for a ring.”
“See?” Ross leaned over and nudged at Frannie’s shoulder. “Stop your worrying, mother hen. There’s nothing wrong with him spending some time with a pretty lady at this weekend’s Spring Fling.”
“That’s this weekend?” Cooper asked. The annual fair was a big draw for Red Rock and it’d been years since Cooper had attended.
Ross nodded. “Lots of food, rides, a midway filled with game booths, crafts and dancing.”
“Sounds like the place to be.”
“And Anthony will be a perfect chaperone,” Frannie added. “How much trouble can you get in with a five-month-old around?”
Friday night and nowhere to go.
Not that Kelsey cared. It’d been a long day with her two newest rescue horses, using an approach and retreat method as she worked to get them comfortable with her being near their faces. Both horses had been victims of abuse that left the animals head shy, but they were coming along, slowly but surely.
And at almost eight o’clock, Kelsey was already in her favorite, ages-old, two-sizes-too-big, cotton pajamas with a classic Doris Day romantic comedy ready to go. She’d just covered her face in the latest organic facial cream guaranteed to give her baby-smooth skin even if it did feel like a cross between pancake batter and whipped cream. With her hair wrapped in a towel to allow a conditioning treatment to soak into her long tresses, all she needed was a glass of wine to complete her evening.
But her sister, who was in charge of bringing tonight’s refreshments, was running late.
Moving the mixing bowls containing two other facial options to one side of her kitchen table, her arm brushed against the single yellow rose in the bud vase. She smiled, remembering how she’d returned to her office yesterday afternoon to find Cooper’s sweet gift on her desk.
She’d expected him to come by, maybe to ask why she’d walked out on him. He never showed, even after she’d stayed late in her office tackling never-ending paperwork. Kelsey had looked out the window that faced Cooper’s cottage more times than she cared to count. Despite seeing him twice today, both times at a distance, she hadn’t found the courage to go up and talk to him.
What could she say?
That she was all about being wild and free except when a five-month-old baby was in the picture? That she’d been burned too many times in the past to take a chance?
Maybe she was overthinking all of this. It was just a few kisses. Perhaps the rose was just Cooper being sweet and—oh, could he have meant it as an apology?
When the ding from the oven timer went off, Kelsey jumped. She shook her head to rid it of any thoughts related to the sexy cowboy living just a few hundred yards away and reached for an oven mitt. Removing the warm and gooey Mexican cheese dip from the oven, she placed it, along with a bowl of nacho chips, on the coffee table in front of the couch. Adding two wineglasses, she reached for a chip as a knock came to her door.
“Well, it’s about time you got here,” she called out, walking across the open space that made up the combined living room and kitchen of her apartment. She yanked the door open. “I’ve already glooped on the strawberry facial stuff, so you’ll have either blueberry or…”
Her voice faded when two sets of matching brown eyes stared back at her. The first pair was wide-eyed and filled with sweetness and innocence. The other hooded, but not enough to hide the smoldering sexiness that seemed to live there permanently.
“Cooper.” His name fell from her lips.
A slow grin crossed the man’s face as he shifted his son from one shoulder to the other. “You know, with the way you say my name, it’s a good thing my hands are full at the moment.”
Or you’d be in my arms again.
The words were unspoken, but Kelsey heard them in her head as clearly as if he’d said them aloud. Her blood hummed in her veins as the memory of his hands on her, and her hands on him, caused every inch of her body to respond.
“Of course,” he continued in a low, sexy drawl, “I’d be hoping that pink concoction on your face was edible.”
“Oh!”
Kelsey’s hands flew to her cheeks, her fingertips sinking into the strawberry-flavored cream.
“Oh, no!”
She pulled her hands away and wiped them on her pajama top, her actions pulling the deep V of her neckline even lower. Realizing the thinness of her pajamas and the fact her bra was currently lying on the floor of her bedroom, she whirled away from the doorway and raced into the kitchen, reaching for the closest dish towel.
“Can we come in?” Cooper asked. “You’re letting out all the cool air.”
The air-conditioning unit in the far window agreed with him and kicked on with a not-so-quiet hum. Kelsey gave a quick jerk of her head as she concentrated on wiping her hands. She then aimed for her face when a gentle hand grabbed her wrist.
“Don’t do that.” Cooper stood inches away from her. His eyes scanned the room, taking in the food waiting on the coffee table and the beauty products littering her kitchen table before they returned to her. “Not on our account. We’ve obviously intruded on a special evening.”
“It’s beauty night for the Hunt sisters. Pedicures and facials…this is all organic,” Kelsey babbled as she waved at her face. “We do it once a month or so. Our folks watch Jess’s kids. I—ah, I thought you were her. Jessica.”
“I get that a lot.” He released his hold on her, but didn’t step away. “Must be the baby in my arms.”
Kelsey smiled and dropped her hands, but then Cooper’s dark brown eyes deepened when his gaze again traveled the length of her body all the way to her bare toes. The heat in his eyes seemed to torch every exposed inch of her skin.
She clutched the towel to her chest. “What are you doing here?”
He shifted the baby to a basket hold, low in front of his midsection, one hand across Anthony’s chest while the other cradled his bottom. The movement caused his blue T-shirt to tighten across the width of his chest as the sinewy muscles of his arms bunched at the short sleeves hugging his biceps. “Well, we were wondering if you have any plans for tomorrow night.”
Kelsey forced her gaze from those amazing arms and the memory of how it felt to be held by them to concentrate on Cooper’s face. “Plans?”
He cleared his throat and held his son away from his body, probably to avoid Anthony’s kicking feet. “Yeah, it’s been years since I’ve been to the Spring Fling and this will be Anthony’s first. We thought you might like to join us.”
A date.
Cooper Fortune was asking her out on a date.
Not just him, but him and Anthony. Would it technically be a date? It’d be the three of them, not much different than when she tagged along with her sister to help with her kids. So it wasn’t a date. They’d just be hanging out together and the Spring Fling always included a crowd, and trying to maneuver a stroller while eating or perusing the crafts area would be difficult for someone alone—
“Kelsey?”
“Yes?”
“Is that a ‘yes’ you’ll go or a ‘yes’ you need me to repeat the question?”
“Ah, yeah—I mean, yes, I’ll go to the Spring Fling with you. I’m sure this little guy will be a handful, and you’ll need all the help you can get.”
“Okay.” A perplexed expression crossed Cooper’s features. “I’ll be by to pick you up after Anthony gets up from his nap and I get him fed. Say around six?”
“Sounds good.”
“Well, I better get out of here. Say goodbye to the pretty lady, Anthony.”
Kelsey laughed when the baby seemed to
follow his father’s instructions and waved. She grabbed his tiny hand and gave it a quick shake, then walked them back to the door.
Cooper stepped out onto the small covered landing. He turned to face her again, placing his son back to his shoulder. He then leaned in and gave her a quick kiss on the mouth.
Stunned, Kelsey watched as he wiped away the gummy remnants of her facial from his chin stubble.
He licked his lips and grinned. “Hmm, not bad. But you taste sweeter. See you tomorrow.”
He loped down the long stairs that led to the grassy area below. Kelsey watched him go, then shut the door, unable to move except to lean back, her towel-covered head hitting the door with a thump.
Why had he done that? Why had he kissed her?
In a few short sentences she’d convinced—no, fooled was a better word—herself into thinking tomorrow night didn’t mean anything.
Did it mean something?
No. She couldn’t let it. A knock on the door had her swinging around. It had to be Cooper, back to explain and apologize—
“Cooper, I don’t think—”
The sight of her sister stopped her words.
“I’m guessing you were expecting someone else?”
“Hey, Jess.”
“Wow, you look…I don’t know, happy and scared to death at the same time, if that’s possible.” Her sister gently swayed the wine bottle cradled in her hand. “Should I have brought two of these?”
Kelsey took the wine and waved her inside. “Sorry, I thought maybe Cooper had returned.”
“Meaning he was already here once tonight?”
Kelsey nodded as she headed for the coffee table and grabbed the corkscrew she’d left there. Working on the bottle she effectively ignored her sister’s pointed gaze.
“And you looked like that?”
Still ignoring her sister and how her hands shook as she poured the wine into the two glasses, Kelsey then took one glass for herself and handed one to Jessica.
“What did he want?”
“He asked me to go with him and Anthony to the Spring Fling tomorrow.”
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