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“Good afternoon, ladies,” he said. “I apologize for interrupting, but I’m looking for Mrs. Beth Staley.”
“That would be me.” A tiny woman in her late fifties raised her hand. “Are you sure you got the name right?”
The other woman laughed and Coop relaxed a little. “I’m sure if you’re the woman who has the cottage for rent?”
When Beth smiled, he saw the resemblance to her daughter. Same sapphire eyes and shape of the face. The woman flashed a look at her friends, then back to him. “Why, yes, I do.”
“Then I’m interested in renting it. I hope I’m not too late.”
Mrs. Staley looked confused. “Why, Mr. Cooper, would that be?”
“Your daughter said there’s another interested party.”
Mrs. Staley sobered. “Oh, yeah, right. Well, that fell through so the cottage is still available. But, young man …”
“Sorry, it’s Noah Cooper. Everyone calls me Coop.”
“And I’m Beth, and these are my friends, Liz, Lisa, Millie, Louisa and Caitlin.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you all.”
They all returned greetings.
“Excuse us, ladies.” Beth stood and moved away from the table for more privacy. “Well, Mr. Cooper, if you’re serious about the cottage, I’ll need references … and a deposit.”
Coop nodded in agreement. “Not a problem. My new job is with AC Construction. But I can give previous references from San Antonio.” His superiors wouldn’t have any problem coming up with something.
“You’re working for Alex?”
Coop nodded again. “Yes. I’m a finish carpenter by trade. I’d rather not live in a motel for the next six, or eight months.” He’d had worse accommodations. “When I saw your cottage, it was a nice surprise.” He needed to sweeten the deal. “And I’ve done a lot of home restoration work in the past, and I could help with some repairs around your beautiful home.”
“I’m ashamed to say, my home has been neglected so badly. When my husband was alive he did all the repairs.” She folded her arms over her chest covered by a shirt that said, I’d Rather Be Quilting. “Would you have the time to work on my place with your other job?”
“My job doesn’t start for a few weeks. And I’m ready to move in right now. Of course, you need to check my references first.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I figure if you work for Alex Casali, you must be top-notch. His wife, Allison, owns this shop.”
“So Mrs. Casali quilts, too.”
Beth grinned. “You could say that. She’s one of the best.” She motioned him back to the table. “Ladies, Noah Cooper is going to be my new tenant.”
“Mother?”
Everyone turned to see Lilly Perry walking toward the group. She’d cleaned up from earlier, and changed into a pair of khaki shorts and a pink T-shirt. Her brown hair was brushed and laying in soft waves against her shoulders. He’d never guess this woman was in her mid-thirties, and the mother of two.
“Mother, what’s going on?”
“Good, Lilly, you’re here. I want to introduce you to Mr. Cooper.”
“We’ve already met,” Lilly said, not looking happy. “He came by the house earlier.” She stared at him. “How did you know to come here?”
“Your son, Robbie. He told me where to find Mrs. Staley. I didn’t want to miss the opportunity. You said someone else was interested in it.”
Beth looked at her daughter. “Who else?”
“Mandy Hews.”
The older woman frowned. “She’s only eighteen. Not only couldn’t she afford it, but I’d spend all my time chasing off that boyfriend of hers. Good Lord, don’t the women of this generation have any taste in men? The kid doesn’t even have a job.”
Lilly didn’t like being called out in front of a stranger. “Excuse us, please.” So she took her mother by the hand and pulled her away. Once across the room and out of earshot, she spoke. “Mother, you shouldn’t have agreed to rent to this man before you checked him out. Besides, I thought we decided to rent to a woman.”
“If I remember, you decided that. Besides, I wasn’t born yesterday and I know how to size up people. Don’t let your relationship with Michael cloud your judgment.”
“Michael did a hell of a lot more than cloud my judgment. He kicked me and the kids to the curb and took every dime of our money. Not to mention he humiliated me.”
Beth’s expression softened. “I know, honey. And I wish I could change that, but I can’t. Don’t you think it’s time to move on? Start a new life for you and the kids.”
Lilly did not want to rehash her problems right here in the Blind Stitch. There had been enough gossip about her around town to last a lifetime.
She glanced at the handsome Noah Cooper as he talked with the ladies around the table. He seemed to be very charming. That was the problem.
Mike had been charming when he wanted to be during their thirteen-year marriage. Then overnight things seemed to sour between them and he left her and the kids.
Suddenly there was a loud groan and everyone turned to Jenny who was doubled over. She gasped as a puddle formed on the floor below her.
She blushed. “Oh, God. My water broke.”
The group got up and went to her.
“My baby’s coming.” Jenny sucked in a breath. “I’ve got to call Evan.”
“I’ll do it,” Liz said to her. “You sit down.”
Jenny shook her head. “No, I need to keep walking. I want this over quickly. Call Jade, see if she’s on duty today. I want her in the delivery room.”
Lilly watched as Jenny shouted orders, but everyone seemed confused. She’d had enough. She stuck her two little fingers in her mouth and whistled. The frenzy stopped.
“Okay, let’s get organized here. Liz, you call Evan and tell him to meet us at the hospital. Millie, you phone Jade and let her know that Jenny’s in labor, then get Jenny’s phone and call her doctor to let her know she’s on her way.” She glanced around. “Now who brought their car?”
Silence. Then Noah Cooper spoke up. “I have my truck. It’ll carry four people.”
Jenny groaned with another contraction.
“Okay, Mr. Cooper,” Lilly said. “You’ve been designated as official driver. Let’s go people.”
Lilly put her arm around Jenny and Liz took the other side and walked the expectant mother to the door. Her mother went with Coop to the door. “My daughter is a school principal,” she told him. “She’s good under fire.”
“And she keeps a cool head,” Coop said as he went outside, and he hurried to his truck at the curb. Opening the passenger side Millie placed a towel on the seat. Jenny apologized for making a mess.
“Not a problem, ma’am.” He helped her in, then raced around the other side, took his duffel bag out of the backseat and tossed it in the pickup bed. He climbed in the driver’s seat and started the engine. Lilly and her mother got in the back and gave directions to the hospital.
Lilly hoped to give up her supervisory position when they arrived. And the way Mr. Cooper was driving, it would be soon. She had to say one thing for the man: he hadn’t run away when things got dicey. That was a point in his favor, but only one.
A little over two hours later, Noah was on his second cup of hospital coffee and still no baby. At least the father had arrived and was with his wife. He would have left but he wasn’t sure how the rest of the women would get home. And it was his chance to get to know more townspeople. He leaned against the wall and watched as so many people came in and out of the waiting area. It seemed Jenny Rafferty was well liked in this town. According to Beth, Jenny’s husband, Evan Rafferty, was a local rancher/vineyard owner. The grandfather, Sean Rafferty, walked into the waiting area with his ten-year-old granddaughter, Jenny’s stepdaughter, Gracie. Both were very excited about the upcoming arrival of the new addition to the family.
Sean Rafferty was the one who drew the women. They were swarming around the older gentleman as if he were a rockstar. Beth let it be known to him that Sean was the most eligible bachelor in town for their age group.
Coop’s attention went to Lilly Perry who stood outside the sliding doors as she talked on her cell phone. She was probably checking on her kids. He recalled seeing her earlier, giving orders to everyone. She was a strong, takecharge woman. Was it possible she knew what had been going on? Had she known what her husband was involved in? Had that been the reason they split up?
Man, she’d be a hard woman to walk away from.
The door swished opened again and his new employer, Alex Casali, walked in with an attractive redhead he knew to be his wife, Allison Cole Casali.
Alex spotted him and excused himself. “Cooper, what are you doing here?”
“I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. I was the only one who had a vehicle close by to drive Jenny to the hospital.”
Casali smiled. “Welcome to small-town living.”
CHAPTER TWO
“IT’S a boy!”
Lilly looked up to see Evan Rafferty, dressed in hospital scrubs, in the waiting-room doorway. Several of the others in the group jumped up and offered their congratulations.
Sean was hugging his son when Lilly approached. “It’s wonderful news, Evan.”
The handsome new father grinned. “Yeah, it is. I wanted a boy, but another girl would have been great, too.”
Lilly felt tears of joy, recalling the happiest days of her life had been when she had her children. “How is Jenny doing?”
“She’s a champ,” Evan said. “Not one complaint. Jade was with her, and I was her coach.”
Lilly thought about her good friend. Jade was a nurse at the hospital and had recently married ranch owner Sloan Merrick. “I’m glad. How much did the baby weigh?”
“Sean Michael is eight pounds and six ounces.”
Grandfather Sean appeared. “Did I hear right?”
Evan nodded. “Jenny wants our son to have a family connection so we thought what better way than his grandfather and great-grandfather’s names? We thought we’d call him Mick.”
Lilly could see that Sean was touched. The big burly man didn’t have a problem showing his emotions as tears filled his eyes. “My dad would have liked that.” Sean looked down at his granddaughter. “What do you think, Gracie? Doesn’t that sound like a good Irish name?”
The ten-year-old nodded. “I like it. When can we see him, Dad? He is my brother.”
The group laughed and Evan said, “Come on, I think family has some privileges.”
Lilly watched as the threesome walked down the hall together. She felt envy for what she used to have, and had lost. What her kids had lost. Sadness engulfed her, but she refused to give in to it. She’d spent months trying to figure out what had happened with her marriage. What had happened between her and Mike. She never came up with any answers.
She shook off the sad thoughts, knowing she needed to get home. She turned toward the window and found Mr. Cooper leaning against a pillar.
She nearly groaned. Why was he still here? Well, she would soon find out as he started toward her.
“I take it everything’s okay?”
She nodded, not wanting him to see that his presence bothered her. “A healthy baby is always the best news.” She finally made eye contact with him. He did have great eyes. “You didn’t need to hang around. I can get a ride back.”
“Not a problem. I was hoping to find out when I can move into the cottage.”
She still wasn’t sure she wanted a stranger so close to her kids. “You’ll have to ask my mother.”
“I did, she said it depends on when you finish cleaning. Not that I can’t finish the rest on my own.”
“I was planning on cleaning the carpets. No one has lived in the place since my uncle stayed a few years back.” She sucked in a breath and caught his scent. A tingle of awareness she hadn’t felt in a long time went through her. She quickly got back on track. “Oh, and there are still some boxes I’ll need to move into the garage. I haven’t made the bed, and there aren’t any towels.”
The sound of his phone interrupted her rambling. He grabbed his cell off his belt, checked the number, shut it off, then looked back at her.
He seemed far too comfortable, while she couldn’t even manage to put a sentence together. “I can move boxes and make a bed,” he told her. “I have a few towels in my duffel. Tomorrow I can shop for whatever else I need. So when do I move in?”
Never! Lilly wanted to scream. She didn’t need the complication, but for now they could use the extra income from renting the cottage. That was if she ever wanted to get out of debt. And thanks to her mother, she and the kids had a roof over their heads.
She glanced back at Mr. Cooper. “I guess now is fine.”
He nodded and they started toward the exit, but she detoured and stopped by her mother first. “Are you ready to go home?”
Beth glanced past her daughter and saw Noah Cooper. “Well, I wanted to get a glimpse of little Mick. Why? Do you need something?”
“Mr. Cooper wants to move in right now. So I need to finish up a few things.”
“Okay, I’ll be home in about an hour.” Her mother went to the new tenant. Lilly watched the two in conversation, then Beth came back smiling.
Great. Was she the only one who was suspicious of strangers?
Coop was careful not to push for conversation on the drive back to the Staley house. He already knew Lilly Perry wasn’t exactly happy to have him in the cottage. One wrong move and she would find an excuse to cut him loose. He needed to be here. It was a perfect place to possibly learn more about Delgado.
A long shot maybe, but it was the best he had.
Lilly instructed him to pull into the driveway and park on the far side of the garage. “There’s enough room for all our vehicles.”
“Thank you. That’s a lot more convenient.” He got out and grabbed his duffel from the truck bed.
He waited until Lilly came around and together they walked to the cottage. She took out a set of keys.
“I thought small towns were safe enough to leave your houses unlocked.”
Coop watched a panicked look mar her pretty features. “It used to be that way. Things change.”
From the information he had about Mike Perry’s death, Lilly’s home had been broken into. Shortly after that she’d lost the house to creditors and moved herself and the kids back here. Probably the safest place for her. But he wondered about that, too. Not with Delgado out there.
