Whatever Happens in Texas

by Delores Fossen

  WHATEVER HAPPENS

  IN TEXAS

  Delores Fossen

  USA TODAY bestselling author Delores Fossen has had more than one hundred novels published, with millions of copies of her books in print worldwide. She’s received the Booksellers’ Best Award and the RT Reviewers’ Choice Best Book Award and was a finalist for the prestigious RITA® Award. In addition, she’s had nearly one hundred short stories and articles published in national magazines. Married to an air force colonel, Delores is the mother of four children and has lived in England and all over the United States. She’s had a variety of careers and jobs: an air force captain, a special education teacher and a rehab counselor. None were as fun or challenging as the time she spent as a stay-at-home mom. You can get updates about Delores’s books or contact her through her website at www.deloresfossen.com.

  Contents

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER ONE

  “A TEN-SECOND French kiss can spread eighty million germs,” Lila Novak heard her eleven-year-old niece, Sophia, mutter.

  The girl angled her eyes toward the bride and groom and had spoken behind the fluffy bridesmaid bouquet that she’d lifted in front of her face. “And that kiss is definitely French and is lasting way over ten seconds,” Sophia added.

  Lila couldn’t exactly argue with the duration or the type of kiss, but using her “maid of honor” bouquet to hide it, she shot the girl a disapproving frown. Now wasn’t the time for such a discussion. They were literally standing at the altar where Sophia’s mom and Lila’s sister, Crystal, had just exchanged vows with her brand-spanking-new husband, Jeremy Kendall.

  Crystal and Jeremy finally finished the “you may kiss the bride” lip-lock, but they kept their hands linked and their gazes fastened on each other. Lila could practically see little cartoon hearts flashing from their eyes.

  No one in the room could doubt these two were crazy in love, and Lila was reasonably sure the pair didn’t care diddly-squat about sharing germs. Besides, the amount of kissing Jeremy and Crystal had done over the past six months since they’d gotten engaged, they had to be immune to each other’s germs by now.

  “Well, it’s done,” Sophia declared on a sigh, and Lila used the cheers and applause of the onlookers to cover her whispered reassurance to the girl.

  “It’ll be fine,” Lila told her. “Jeremy will be a great stepdad.”

  Sophia made a noncommittal sound, practically mandatory for a preteen who seemed to be in a constant Debbie Downer mood. Still, Lila knew the girl got along with Jeremy just fine. Ditto for getting along with her new stepbrother, Noah Kendall, the fourteen-year-old groomsman who was standing across from Sophia and her. Next to Noah was Cooper Kendall, the best man and the groom’s brother.

  “I’m betting you wouldn’t kiss Cooper like that,” Sophia added when the bride and groom finally turned to face the guests seated in the small country church.

  Lila frowned again and glanced at the girl to see why she’d made such an out-of-the-blue comment. When she followed Sophia’s gaze, Lila saw that it was now on Cooper. He wasn’t paying attention to Sophia, though. Nope.

  He was looking at Lila.

  Since she’d arrived back in their hometown of Lone Star Ridge three days ago for wedding preparations, Lila had done her level best to avoid prolonged eye contact with Cooper, but she certainly failed at it now. She was looking, all right, matching him lingering gaze for lingering gaze, and she had to wonder if he was thinking about her previous trip home two years ago.

  When Cooper and she had landed in bed.

  That had happened after the wedding of their mutual friends. She couldn’t even blame it on too much alcohol. Not on her part, anyway. Maybe it’d played into it for Cooper. For Lila, it’d been her getting caught up in the romance of the wedding and the prospect of a happily-ever-after. Even though the friends’ marriage hadn’t lasted past the first year, the memories of that night with Cooper lived on.

  The corner of his mouth lifted in a lazy underwear-melting smile. Yes, he was remembering it. And she was trying very hard to convince her body that it didn’t want another round with the hot cowboy.

  Emphasis on hot.

  Cooper had the body of a Viking warrior. Lean and muscled. The looks, too, with his rumpled blond hair and scorching blue eyes. He’d never had a problem getting women into the sack, but nary a one, including her, had had any staying power. However, Lila hadn’t exactly stayed around so he could give her the boot. She’d left the next day, sneaking out of his bed and leaving him a goodbye note to say that it had been fun. And she hadn’t looked back.

  Well, mostly she hadn’t.

  Lila had thought of him more often than she’d ever admit. Thought about their one perfect night together. The nerd and the star quarterback turned cowboy—who would have thought it? But she couldn’t repeat what had happened between them. Nope. Her heart wouldn’t be able to handle being rejected by the one and only guy she’d ever wanted. Because star quarterbacks and nerds didn’t have any lasting power beyond a “brief opposites attract” kind of thing. It was best for her to keep the memories of their one encounter and move on.

  Except she couldn’t.

  As proof that she’d lost her mind, Lila had agreed to “babysit” Sophia and Noah while Jeremy and Crystal went away for a long honeymoon weekend in Vegas. As proof that Cooper had also lost his mind, he was going to share those duties with her. In the same house. Under the same roof. With sex memories that suddenly seemed as fresh and hot as if it’d happened five minutes ago.

  The bride and groom stepped down from the altar, and Crystal gave Noah a hug as Jeremy did the same to Sophia. Then the couple reversed the gesture. It was a nice show of love for their new blended family.

  “Eighty million germs,” Sophia muttered to her mom when Crystal leaned in to hug her.

  Crystal only chuckled. “Jeremy and I will aim for the trillion mark.”

  Sophia grumbled something about that being gross, but she wasn’t fooling her mom or Lila. The girl adored Jeremy. A good thing since Sophia’s own father had never married Crystal and skipped out on them when Sophia had been just a baby. And while Sophia might not approve of all the smooching going on, Lila knew that would change.

  In a couple of years, if not sooner, her niece would meet some boy she didn’t mind sharing germs with. Sophia would meet her own Achilles’ heel, just as Lila had with Cooper. Maybe the guy wouldn’t be a hot cowboy or star quarterback who would trounce on Sophia’s heart.

  Like Cooper was about to do to Lila’s.

  She saw that heart-trouncing look in his eyes when they fell in step together to walk out of the church. Of course, he’d think of it as an “I want you in my bed again” look, but Lila knew the score. The next three days, and nights, would be long and filled with potential sexual potholes. The saving grace was the kids would be around. Probably not around enough to stop Cooper from making a move on her, but Lila would somehow have to make it work.

  They stepped outside into the sweltering June temp, which was the norm for central Texas. Crystal and Jeremy didn’t seem to notice the sauna level of heat, and the moment they were inside the church’s reception hall, they were on the dance floor—wrapped in each other’s arms.

  Crystal’s petal-pink dress fluttered as Jeremy spun her around to the George Strait song the DJ was playing. Noah, Sophia and Cooper scattered, too, and the guests began to trickle in behind them.

  Lila glanced around the large room, m
aking sure everything had been set up according to the plan Crystal and she had come up with. It was. The tables with the party food and the bar were against the walls, leaving the center space for the dance floor and some tables and chairs. There was no head table for the wedding party, and there’d be no formal toasts. Actually, nothing would be formal, which was why Jeremy, Noah and Cooper and most of the male guests were all wearing Texas tuxedos—jeans, boots and black jackets.

  “Did you know that a ten-second French kiss can spread eighty million germs?” Cooper asked, handing her a glass of sparkling wine. He’d snagged a longneck bottle of beer for himself.

  Lila frowned but accepted the wine. “You’ve been talking to Sophia.”

  “Yeah. I told her in a few years she wouldn’t mind such things.”

  Since Lila had already thought the same thing, she couldn’t dispute that, but Cooper’s choice of conversation seemed to be foreplay. So was the look he gave her. And he chuckled all manly and low when her frown turned to a scowl.

  “Don’t worry, Lila,” he drawled. “I won’t do anything with you that you don’t want me to do.”

  That was the problem. She wanted him to do many, many things to her and vice versa. A repeat performance of their one-nighter. But that couldn’t happen, and even though there were plenty of guests milling around, it was probably time for her to lay down some ground rules.

  “I’m here in Lone Star Ridge to babysit my niece and your nephew,” she reminded him.

  Crystal hadn’t had a choice about tapping her for that duty, either, because none of the grandparents had been able to fill in. Noah’s maternal grandparents had health problems, and Cooper’s folks had passed away years ago. It was the same for Lila and Crystal’s mom. Their dad was on wife number whatever and hadn’t seen fit to visit his only grandchild in years, so he hadn’t been a babysitting candidate, either.

  “I’ll leave in three days and go back to San Antonio,” Lila added a moment later since Cooper appeared to be waiting for her to say something else.

  “Which is less than an hour away,” he pointed out.

  True. Some people in town, including teachers like her, commuted there for work each day. But not her. She liked her job well enough, teaching history at a San Antonio high school. Added to that, Lila couldn’t risk seeing Cooper on a daily basis, or she’d become another notch on his already-seriously-notched bedpost.

  “I don’t want anything temporary,” she insisted. “And you’re the walking, talking definition of temporary.”

  Something went through his eyes. Not the cocky lust she’d seen earlier. Hurt, maybe. A surprise since she’d always believed that he enjoyed his “love ’em and leave ’em” lifestyle.

  “What if I told you I was looking for something more?” he asked.

  Lila had a quick answer for that. “I’d say it sounds like a lame come-on.”

  She thought she saw the hurt deepen in his eyes. He turned away from her, having a long sip of his beer, and he tipped his head to the bride and groom, who were slow dancing and gazing at each other as if they were the cure for all ills.

  “What if I told you I wanted that? What they have. They’re damn happy,” Cooper muttered. That wasn’t a cocky drawl, either. It sounded genuine and coated with relief.

  Lila totally got the relief part. Her sister had been a single mom for over a decade now and deserved some happiness. So did Jeremy, who’d lost his wife three years ago in a car accident. It was a second chance and a fresh start, and Lila couldn’t be happier for both of them. What she wasn’t so happy about was the three-day honeymoon.

  “I don’t want to have sex with you again,” Lila spelled out.

  She would have been proud of her determined tone if it’d been for Cooper’s ears only. It wasn’t. The DJ had paused the music at the exact moment she’d spoken, and without George Strait’s crooning to cover her voice, there were people close enough to have heard every word she’d said. People who included the mayor and Sheriff Leyton Jameson. But the person Lila especially hadn’t wanted to hear that was the tall, attractive brunette, Evelyn Darnell, who owned the town’s flower shop and the antiques store.

  She was also Cooper’s ex-girlfriend.

  Of course, he had plenty of exes, but Evelyn was the woman who had the honor of having had the longest relationship with him. Nearly a year. Their breakup had happened months ago, and judging from the smile Evelyn aimed at Cooper, she wanted him back. Evelyn had no such smile for Lila, and even narrowed her eyes a bit when she finally spared Lila a glance.

  “Lila. Cooper,” Evelyn greeted them. “It’s good to see you.”

  “Good to see you, too,” he mumbled back. Cooper nodded greetings to the mayor and sheriff, who stepped away to go to the bride and groom. Evelyn stayed put.

  “The flowers look amazing,” Evelyn purred. Yes, her voice was a purr. Smoke, silk and sex, and she was aiming all that purring at Cooper. Evelyn definitely didn’t mention the comment she must have heard Lila make about no more sex. “I know you’re happy for your brother.”

  It wasn’t an unusual remark coming from a wedding guest, but Lila read a lot into it. I know you’re happy for your brother, and figured you’d want a dose of that marital happiness, too. Well, you can have it—with me.

  It probably wouldn’t have bothered Lila so much to believe that’s what Evelyn was thinking had it not been for what Cooper had said to her just a minute or two ago.

  What if I told you I was looking for something more?

  Lila had blown that off, but she wasn’t doing any dismissing now. Maybe Cooper was ready to settle down, and Evelyn was rich, attractive and likely in love with him. The woman definitely wasn’t a nerd and was more of a match for a hot cowboy star quarterback than Lila ever would be.

  And that cut Lila to the core.

  Lila cursed that feeling. Cursed herself for even wanting Cooper to be hers.

  “If you need any help with Noah or Sophia,” Evelyn went on, speaking to Cooper, “all you have to do is ask.”

  “Thanks, but I think we can handle it,” he answered before he slid his arm around Lila.

  Because she hadn’t been expecting the contact, Lila went stiff, and it took her a moment to realize this was an act. It was Cooper’s way of getting Evelyn to back off. That pleased Lila. Sort of. She didn’t want his ex using the kids to try to make a play for him. Still, Lila didn’t like being used, either. Especially since Cooper’s mere touch sent her body into a heated tizzy.

  “All right,” Evelyn said. Her voice was a little less purry now. “But the offer still stands.” She patted his arm, letting her fingers trail down his sleeve before she finally stepped away.

  Cooper did no such stepping away from Lila, though. He kept his arm around her, probably because Evelyn didn’t go far. The woman went over to the bride and groom to offer her well-wishes and congrats.

  “Eighty million germs,” Sophia muttered to Lila as she walked behind Cooper and her.

  Obviously, her niece had noticed the embrace. Thankfully, though, no one else seemed to be gawking at them. The mayor was partly responsible for that. He bumped into one of the chairs and sent it crashing to the floor. The noise caught everyone’s attention. Everyone but Evelyn. Aiming another smile at Cooper, she walked out of the reception hall.

  Lila released the breath she’d been holding and looked up at Cooper. “Evelyn’s gone now, so you can cut the act.”

  Cooper still didn’t move, and he stared down at her. Not good, because those amazing eyes could do amazing things to her already-needy body. So could other parts of him.

  And Lila soon remembered that when Cooper lowered his mouth and kissed her.

  CHAPTER TWO

  COOPER DIDN’T HAVE to guess if what he was doing was stupid. Nope. It was stupid with a capital S to kiss Lila in a place where half the town would see them. Where it would
stir up enough gossip to get back to every ear in the county.

  However, the actual kiss wasn’t a mistake.

  Cooper was certain of that. This was just a case of the wrong time, wrong place, but that didn’t make it wrong. Not totally, anyway. He’d wanted to let Lila know that he hadn’t been using her to try to distance Evelyn. Also, he’d thought it best to clarify that he hadn’t been BS-ing when he’d asked her—What if I told you I was looking for something more?

  More was exactly what he wanted, and he thought he might have a chance of getting that with Lila.

  Or not.

  Lila didn’t exactly look aroused or pleased when he pulled back from the kiss. Her cat green eyes were wide with shock, and color had pinked up her cheeks. Her mouth was slightly open, too, making him wish that he’d just gone ahead and tried for French. He’d do that later. If he got the chance. For now, though, Cooper stood there in case Lila was about to give him a piece of her mind.

  “You,” she managed to say.

  So, definitely not an eloquent bashing of why he shouldn’t have done that. She attempted to say something else, but when that failed, Lila took hold of his arm. Weaving them through the other guests, she led him outside. She had to keep leading him, though, because there were people at every turn.

  Cooper wanted to tell her that the quest to find a secret place for them to talk would only fuel the gossips, but he wanted to hear what she had to say. And there were some things he wanted to say to her. For now, though, he just watched her move, the silky bluebonnet-colored dress slipping and sliding with each step she took.

  The woman had curves. Curves that she hadn’t had in high school, that’s for sure, and the dress was doing them justice.

  Lila finally stopped under a massive oak that would hopefully prevent them from getting heatstroke, and she whirled around to face him. Her cheeks were even pinker now, and she shifted her long brown hair to get it off her neck, probably as a way to cut down on the sweating. But Cooper figured sweat was a given, which hopefully meant Lila wouldn’t want to waste too much time fussing at him.