Tall, Dark, Texas Ranger

by Thayer, Patricia

  The man’s somber look slowly turned into a grin. “Sorry to disturb you.” He glared at Noah. “I wanted to make sure you are all right.”

  Lilly worked to control her breathing, but couldn’t speak.

  “Why wouldn’t she be?” Noah asked. “Except maybe from people sneaking up on her,” he went on as he pulled her closer.

  Santos’s eyes narrowed. “Maybe the woods isn’t the safest place to be…with your mujer.”

  Noah’s woman. Lilly had to admit she liked that idea.

  “We wanted to be alone,” Noah told him. “I had no idea the woods would be so crowded.”

  Santos continued to stare at him. “Next time be more careful.” He turned and marched off.

  Noah dropped his arms from her and she swung around. “Okay, what’s going on?”

  Coop refused to put Lilly in any more danger. “I’m not sure. Santos has been acting strange and I followed him out here. He met up with some men. I didn’t want him to know I was watching him, and when you came…” He looked at her. A mistake. Her lips were still swollen from his kisses. She was killing him. “Why were you looking for me?”

  “Wait! That kiss was to distract Santos?”

  He started to nod, but then confessed, “Okay, I might have gone a little overboard, but you’re a very tempting woman. I apologize for taking advantage of the situation.”

  This time she seemed flustered. Hell, didn’t she know how appealing she was? And that was something he couldn’t let tempt him again. “Why did you want to see me?”

  She shook her head. “Stephanie cornered me in the hall. She insisted I look for a box with Mike’s tax papers. Then when I told her I didn’t know anything about a box, she got irritated again.” Her gaze met his. “It’s not tax papers is it, Noah?”

  He tried to act innocent. “What else could it be?”

  “I don’t know.” Lilly was worried. “The way Mike had been acting the past year…and Stephanie’s boyfriend… Could it be something illegal?”

  Coop shook his head. “There’s no proof.”

  “I didn’t ask that. There’s something going on. I know it. Ever since Rey Santos started working in the business it’s been different.” She tried to swallow her panic. “Oh, God, was Mike involved, too? That has to be it. I know this is Stephanie’s fault. I’m going to give her a piece of my mind.”

  Lilly started to walk off and Coop caught her by the arm. “No, Lilly. If what you suspect is true, it could be dangerous to confront them.”

  Her gaze met his. “Then what do I do, just let them keep threatening me?”

  “Maybe we can find what they’re looking for. Do you think that your husband might have left something with you?”

  She’d been trying to rack her brain. “I can’t swear to it. I know, I told Stephanie I didn’t have anything of Mike’s. And I didn’t take anything from his home office, but that doesn’t mean things didn’t get mixed up.”

  Coop was grasping at anything that might trip her memory. “Would he leave anything important behind?”

  She hesitated. “All the important documents and papers went into the wall safe at our house.”

  A wall safe? “Well, whoever lives there now has probably already looked inside.”

  She shook her head. “The house is empty. Besides, the safe is well hidden. Mike had it put in himself.” She sighed. “Maybe I should remind Stephanie about it and she can look for herself. Then she’ll leave me alone. No! I should go. There could be other important papers in the safe.”

  If there was proof of Santos’s or Delgado’s illegal activity, he didn’t want to hand it over to him. He was pretty sure Mike Perry died because of this. These guys weren’t taking any prisoners. It wasn’t safe for any of them. “I don’t think it’s safe for you to go into that house. Not alone.”

  “Then come with me.”

  Three hours later, Coop didn’t want to think about the rules he was about to violate. Lilly was going to break into her old house. Since nothing he said or did had changed her mind, his only choice was to go along as her accomplice.

  Once the kids were shipped off to friends’ houses for a sleepover, and Beth and Sean left the Casali barbecue for an evening of dancing, it was only the two of them heading back to town.

  “Do you still have a key?”

  “Yes,” she said, digging through her purse. “I haven’t been able to take it off my key ring.” She glanced across the dark truck cab. “How pathetic is that?”

  “Not pathetic at all. It was your home, where you raised your kids. More than likely the bank changed the locks.”

  “Probably. After Mike’s suicide there was an investigation for a few days.”

  The night sky didn’t allow him to see her face, but he could hear the pain in her voice. “Did he die at the house?”

  “Yes,” she said in a soft voice. “The garage. He died of asphyxiation from carbon monoxide.”

  Coop knew all this. “God, Lilly I’m sorry.”

  Lilly nodded, trying to keep it together. “Not many people want to live in a house where someone has died.”

  “Then you shouldn’t go back there, either.”

  “Yes, I should. I need to end this once and for all. If Mike did something illegal, I need to know. I have to protect my kids. If he didn’t and we find these papers, Stephanie will be out of my life for good.”

  When Coop reached across the truck console and took her hand, it gave Lilly the strength she needed. It was wonderful to get comfort and reassurance, but she felt something else was happening between them. It had been since the kiss. If she was truthful, it had been since the moments he met this man.

  “At least you’ll know,” he said.

  They were silent as they reached town. Lilly gave him directions to the house. Since it was after ten the neighborhood was quiet. They didn’t take a chance of being noticed and parked in the alley down the street.

  With the aid of a penlight, Lilly led him through the gate and the backyard toward the one-story, ranch-style home.

  Silently she took out her key and attempted to work the lock. It didn’t fit any longer.

  “Darn. I guess it was too much to ask to make this simple.” She glanced around. “There’s only one other way to get inside.”

  “How’s that?”

  “The window in the garage doesn’t lock. And if they hadn’t changed the door to the house, it can be easily shimmied.”

  She started to go and Coop stopped her. “I can’t let you go there. I’ll go through the window.”

  She nodded.

  He took off, found the window and with a couple of whacks on the frame, it gave way. After raising it, he climbed inside and across the empty double car garage to the door leading to the house. It wasn’t locked. He went inside, and quickly searched for a security alarm. There was none. He then unlocked the back door for Lilly.

  Lilly didn’t want to look around. She didn’t want to remember her time here. The months she and Mike had spent remodeling the kitchen. How the kids had sat at the bar eating breakfast, doing their homework. All the wonderful times in this house. Then it was gone.

  She made her feet keep moving down the hall to the den. Mike’s office. She opened the door to find it empty, too, but it didn’t stop the flash of memories. The big old schoolteacher’s desk she’d found and sanded and stained for this area.

  No! She wouldn’t give in to the memories. That life was over. With the aid of the light, she took Noah to the wall with built-in bookcases that now were empty.

  “Where is the safe?”

  She handed him the light. “Hold up the light.” She reached for the middle shelf and unlatched a hook, then swung it out to reveal a safe built into the wall.

  “This would be hard to find.” Coop felt hopeful. But were they going to hit the jackpot this time? “Do you know the combination?”

  She nodded. “Unless he changed it, it’s our birthdays. She began to spin the dial first right, then left, th
en right again. She paused, then pulled down on the handle. It opened.

  Coop shined the light inside the box. Empty. There was nothing. If there ever was anything, it was gone now.

  Lilly’s shoulders sagged. “Nothing. I’m sorry.”

  She looked over her shoulder and her hair brushed against his face. He should move away, but didn’t as he breathed in her soft scent. “Don’t apologize to me,” he told her. “I wanted to help you find something to get Stephanie off your back.”

  He found he wanted to reassure her that everything would be okay. He couldn’t do that until he found the proof that Mike had promised them.

  “You’re getting pulled into this mess.”

  “Do you hear me complaining?” Coop asked.

  “But if Rey and Stephanie are doing something illegal…” She gasped. “What if they caused Mike to end his life?”

  From the conversation he’d heard the other night, Stephanie hadn’t sounded too broken up over her brother’s death. “You still have no proof.”

  “Then I’ll find some.”

  He didn’t need her guessing about this. “Whoa, Lilly. That could be dangerous.”

  All at once the silence was disturbed by the sound of breaking glass. Lilly started to speak, but Coop placed his finger on her lips, knowing they had to get out of there.

  “Is there another way out?” he whispered as he shut the cabinet door and clicked off the penlight.

  Lilly took him across the den to a door that led into a small pantry and the kitchen. They barely got there when they heard voices, then people entering the den.

  Coop left the door open a crack and took a quick glance at the intruders. No surprise, it was Stephanie and Santos. Seeing them go straight to the cabinet and wall safe, he knew they were after the same papers. Coop had little doubt that Mike Perry had been their informant.

  If he didn’t have Lilly with him, he’d have stayed and taken his chances to learn more, but her safety was his first concern. He whispered against her ear, “We need to get out of here. Now.”

  Twenty minutes later, Coop’s heart rate hadn’t slowed. Looking across the truck, he saw that Lilly wasn’t in much better shape.

  He turned down her street and saw Sean’s car parked in front of the house. Great. He didn’t want anyone else knowing what had been going on tonight. There were too many civilians involved already. He parked in front of the garage.

  He climbed out and went around to Lilly’s side. “We need to talk.”

  He walked her toward the cottage and they went inside. After flipping on one table light, and closing the drapes, he took two beers from the refrigerator. He twisted off the caps and handed her one. “Drink.”

  She did as he asked and he followed suit. He motioned to the sofa. “Sit.”

  Lilly shook her head and took another drink. “I can’t. What is going on, Noah?” She brushed back her hair, revealing the panic on her face. “I don’t even know the man I was married to.”

  “You’re not sure Mike was involved in anything illegal.”

  She gave him an incredulous look. “Then why does Stephanie want these so-called papers so badly? They broke into our house. If they are looking for tax papers, would they go that far?”

  Coop shrugged, wishing he could push her suspicions aside. “And we don’t know what we’re dealing with, either. Not until you find some proof. And I’d say that’s too dangerous.”

  “Then I’ll go to the sheriff.”

  “And tell him what?” He didn’t want her involved any further. “We broke the law tonight, Lilly. We trespassed and broke into a bank-owned property.”

  “So did Stephanie and Rey.”

  “I know, but nothing was found or taken, and since we’re the only eyewitnesses…”

  She looked about to cry. “I can’t believe any of this. This is a bad dream and I want to wake up.”

  Coop didn’t know what to say. “I’m sorry, Lilly.”

  “No! Don’t you feel sorry for me. My marriage ended a long time ago. It’s the children I’m worried about. They’ve suffered enough. Mike’s abandonment. His death. You can see I’m losing Kasey.” She brushed a tear away as she paced the small room. “Who knows what’s going to happen to Robbie when he gets older? When he really needs a father.”

  Coop tried to stay uninvolved, but this woman drew him and he had to go to her. “Come on, Lilly. Robbie and Kasey have you. You’re their strength. You’re a great mom.”

  She blinked those watery eyes at him. “I’m so tired of being strong. I can’t…”

  She fought him, but he pulled her against him, and she finally gave in. He held her, hearing her sobs, absorbing her tears in his shirt. It was hard not to react to her sadness.

  After a few minutes, Lilly quieted and looked up at him. His gaze went to her mouth as he remembered how she tasted, how she made him feel.

  She was feeling it, too. She breathed his name and he was gone. He lowered his head at the same time she rose up to meet him. The instant his mouth closed over hers, nothing else mattered as he got lost in her.

  The kiss was deep and searching from the start. He couldn’t seem to get close enough, wanting to feel every inch of her, tasting her sweetness. It only made him ache for more.

  Not breaking the kiss, he pulled her down onto the sofa. He wanted her body pressed against his.

  “Noah…” She said his name in a breathy voice, rough with desire. She turned in his arms, facing him. “Don’t stop, please.”

  He couldn’t do this to her. “Ah, Lilly, do you know what you’re asking?”

  She kissed his jaw and then his neck. “Yes. I know.”

  Coop knew she wasn’t thinking rationally, but neither was he. He wanted to blame it on not being with a woman in a long time. No, he’d never experienced anything like this. He’d never wanted a woman this badly, but he couldn’t treat her as if she were a convenience. Lilly was too special.

  The last of his common sense prevailed, bringing him back to reality. He had a job to do, and making love to the informant’s widow wasn’t part of it.

  He tore his mouth away. “Lilly, you have to know I want you very much, but we haven’t known each other for very long. My stay here in town is only for a few months.”

  “I’m not asking you for anything permanent, Noah.” She stiffened and tried to pull away.

  He refused to let her go. “I know that, Lilly, but you’re the kind of woman who should expect that.”

  “I don’t dream those dreams anymore.” Her light green gaze lifted to his, her hand on his pounding heart. Could she feel the effect she had on him? “So you don’t want me?”

  He nearly laughed out loud. “I want you more than I can describe, but…this isn’t what you want. I just didn’t expect this… It’s intense.”

  He placed a tender kiss on her lips and pressed her head back to his chest. He was stealing some time, but it was all he could have with this woman. A few stolen moments. And for the first time, he discovered he wanted so much more.

  The sunlight streamed through the window as Lilly raised her head from the pillow. What happened? She got the answer quickly as her mind cleared and she remembered last night and being in Noah’s arms.

  Groaning, she dropped back onto the bed. She’d made a fool of herself, practically begging him to make love to her. Of course he turned her down. How pathetic was she? Yet, she allowed herself to conjure up images of Noah Cooper. Shirtless, with those low riding Levi’s he wore… She grew breathless thinking about his lips moving over hers.

  “The man can kiss.” She recalled how his mouth had devoured hers, then he’d sent her to the house and to bed alone.

  Her body grew hot. She’d never gone after a man before. Mike had been her only boyfriend, her only lover, and that was until college. She’d been a late bloomer. A nerd. A skinny girl in glasses who only cared about getting good grades. Now at thirty-four, she couldn’t think about anything except a handsome carpenter, and how he made her
feel amazing things.

  There were so many other problems in her life. Her kids, her crazy ex-sister-in-law looking for God knows what. She thought about Noah again. How much he’d helped her.

  Glancing at the clock, she knew if she didn’t get up, her mother would come looking for her. She headed for the shower and fifteen minutes later she came downstairs to find the kitchen empty. On the counter was a note. Her mother had gone to church with Sean and they would pick up the kids from their sleepovers.

  Lilly looked toward the cottage, knowing that a lot had changed since yesterday. How would Noah be today? Would he act differently toward her? It was after eight o’clock. Would he be coming to breakfast? She opened the back door to see that his truck was gone.

  The disappointment hit her hard.

  First thing that morning, Coop had put in a call to his captain, filling him in on what had happened at the Perry house.

  Next was to keep the sheriff informed about what was going on. Coop made the second call and met Bradshaw at the edge of the construction site. If they were caught together, it could be easily explained.

  The middle-aged sheriff was friendly but guarded. “Mornin’, Coop. You wanted to talk to me?”

  He explained what happened yesterday with Santos, then last night at the Perry house.

  Brad leaned against his patrol car. “Damn. I don’t like this.” He shook his head. “Do you have any ideas where else to look for these papers?”

  Coop adjusted his hat. “No. And I’m worried about Lilly Perry. Stephanie keeps insisting she’s keeping Mike’s things from her. She hasn’t exactly been friendly about it, either.”

  The sheriff tugged his pants up over his rounded stomach. “This may be your expertise, Ranger Cooper, but this is my town. My first concern are the citizens. So don’t be playin’ hero. Call for backup if need be.”

  “That’s my objective, too, Sheriff. To keep everyone safe.” He stood straighter, but he also knew the ruthless drug lord he was dealing with. “But getting Delgado is our main focus. FYI, he’s not going to make it easy for us.”