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Tall, Dark, Texas Ranger / Once Upon A Christmas Eve: Tall, Dark, Texas Ranger
Tall, Dark, Texas Ranger / Once Upon A Christmas Eve: Tall, Dark, Texas Ranger
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Tall, Dark, Texas Ranger / Once Upon A Christmas Eve: Tall, Dark, Texas Ranger

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“You didn’t ask, I offered to help. Lilly, it’s not rocket science, it’s tossing a baseball with a boy. Besides, I don’t start my construction job until next week.”

She raised her chin and smiled at him. Good Lord, she was pretty. Her skin was rosy and flawless.

“I have another favor to ask.”

She was getting to him. Bad. “Sure.”

“Would you please go with us to get some ice cream?”

He smiled. “Okay.”

Lilly knew she was acting schoolgirl crazy, and she knew better. Something about this man brought out those silly, giddy feelings in her.

“Thank you. Of course, it’s my treat for all the work you’ve done.”

“Sure. I don’t have a problem with a lady buying my favors.”

“I probably couldn’t get much with two scoops of Rocky Road on a sugar cone.”

He stared down at her and her heart began to race. “Change that to Cherry Pecan and your smile, and it’s worth a lot more.”

Oh, boy, she was in trouble. “We better go round up the kids.” She scurried ahead of him to the kitchen door and hollered for Robbie and Kasey. Surprisingly they both appeared and followed her outside.

Her daughter headed for the car. “No, Kasey, we’re walking.”

“Mom,” she whined. “It’s too hot.”

“It’s getting rather pleasant,” Lilly insisted. “Besides, we’re only four blocks from town. I’m a school principal who pushes physical fitness. How would it look if we go driving around everywhere?”

Kasey stomped over to her. “Then I don’t want to go.”

“You don’t want any of Shaffer’s ice cream?” She slung her arm over her daughter’s shoulder, and she didn’t shrug away.

The girl shook her head.

“Well, you still have to go along anyway.”

The teenager opened her mouth to complain again when Coop appeared. “Is he going, too?”

“Yep. Looks like you’re stuck with me.” He motioned to Robbie. “C’mon, Rob. Let’s see if the ladies can keep up with us.”

The boy looked over his shoulder. “Yeah, see if you can keep up.”

Lilly looked at her daughter. “Are you going to let them win?”

Her beautiful child got an ugly look on her face. “I don’t care.”

Lilly started moving, but kept well back behind the guys. “Look, Kasey, I get you’re angry with me. But when you don’t obey the rules, there are consequences.”

“I know. You run things like a prison around here. I have no freedom.”

“I don’t think I did at thirteen, either. But you are still young and you went to a place that was off-limits. It’s my job as a mother to protect you.”

“Fine. I get it, but I don’t have to like it.” She marched up ahead, past the guys. Robbie took off after his sister and Coop dropped back with Lilly.

“I take it she’s still angry with you.”

She nodded. “My mother says it’s payback for how I treated her.”

“You’re doing the right thing. Stay on her because it’s tough out there.”

Lilly frowned. “Is there something you’re not telling me? Something more that happened at the arcade?”

He shook his head. “It’s just the element that hangs out there isn’t the best.”

Coop glanced around the tree-lined street, and the manicured lawns and hedges. It seemed like the perfect place to live and raise a family, but looks could be deceiving. “At that age they think they can conquer the world, that nothing can harm them.”

“I remember those days. Yet, this town doesn’t have the problems that large cities do. We all know each other and watch out for each other.”

An older woman standing on her porch called Lilly’s name and waved.

“Hello, Miss Olivia. How are you feeling today?”

The fragile looking, gray-haired woman came down the steps as Lilly went to her. They exchanged a hug and he could see her hands were crippled with arthritis.

“I’ve heard your mother’s working at the quilt shop these days.”

“She’s filling in for Jenny.”

A big smile appeared. “Oh, yes, she had her baby, didn’t she?”

She nodded. “Sean Michael will be christened next Sunday at church. I bet you can get a look at him then.”

“I’ll make sure my sister takes me.” Miss Olivia patted her hand.

“How is Miss Emily these days?”

A loud sigh. “Sister complains a lot, but she’s well. I’ll mention that you asked about her.” Her expression changed. “I never got the chance to tell you how sorry I am for your loss. Michael was always a kind person to me.”

Coop could see that Lilly was uncomfortable. “Thank you,” she said and took her hand away.

That’s when Miss Olivia took an interest in him. “And who is this young man?”

“Noah Cooper, ma’am.” He shook her hand. “I’m a carpenter on the Casali housing project. I’m renting Beth Staley’s cottage.”

“Isn’t that nice.” She glanced between the two. “A pleasure to meet you, Noah.”

“Well, we should be going,” Lilly said, pointing to the kids already nearly a block away. “I promised Robbie and Kasey ice cream.”

“Then ya’ll run along,” she told them.

Coop didn’t need to be asked twice as he followed Lilly. “I take it she’s been your neighbor a long time.”

“Before I was born. She never married and argues with her sister all the time. She’s only a few years older than Mom, but has to rely on her sister to get around.” She gave him a sideways glance. “But she can dial a phone pretty well, and with the information you gave her, you’ll be the talk of the town by tomorrow.”

Going inside Shaffer’s Ice Cream Parlor was like stepping back in time to the 1950s. The Happy Days TV show, Western style.

Robbie and Kasey were already sitting on high stools at the counter, going over the selections on the wall. If ever Coop felt out of his element, this place would do it. His hangout had been a pool hall.

This would be the childhood every kid wanted, and those who were lucky enough to get it didn’t even have a clue how wonderful their lives were.

From a street kid’s perspective, one who had to beg, borrow or steal to survive, he knew he’d have been chased out of a place like this. As a teenager, he’d hung out in a pool hall to hustle players, or just helped clean up the place for money.

Coop sat down beside Kasey. She tensed and glared at him.

He ignored it as the teenage waiter appeared. “Hello, Mrs. Perry.”

“Hello, Tim. Good to see you’re working this summer.”

“Saving for a car.”

“Are you that ancient?”

The boy’s ears reddened. “I was sixteen last month.”

“Now, I’m feeling old.”

He turned his attention to his other customers, namely Kasey. “What are you going to have?”

“Vanilla,” Kasey told him.

Coop frowned. “Vanilla? That seems rather dull from someone so …” He looked at the girl’s scrubbed face, a hint of freckles across her pert nose. Those big blue-green eyes. She was the image of her mother. “So daring. So vibrant.”

Although Kasey tried to hide it, the compliment affected her. “Sometimes I get Peach or Raspberry sherbet.”

He nodded. “I’d go for the Raspberry sherbet.”

“I want Chocolate Chip,” Robbie said to the waiter.

“And I’ll have Mint Chocolate Chip,” Lilly announced.

“What about you, Coop?” Robbie asked.

“Cherry Pecan.”

While they were waiting as the boy scooped up the cones, the bell chimed over the door. Coop glanced toward the entrance to see a dark-haired woman walk in. He immediately recognized Stephanie Perry from the case files.

In her mid-twenties, she had a husky voice and dressed in a pair of jeans about a size too small, emphasizing her wide hips. She might have been attractive, but her heavy layer of makeup made her look hard.

He tensed as the woman made her way to the counter. “Lilly, I need to talk to you.”

Lilly swung around and frowned. “Suddenly you want to talk. No, we have nothing to say, Stephanie.”

“There’s a lot to say. You have some of Mike’s things and I want them back.”

Lilly didn’t want to air any dirty laundry in front of the kids or the rest of the town. She stood and walked across the store and her ex-sister-in-law followed. “I don’t like you attacking me, especially in front of my children.”

Stephanie folded her arms over her breasts. “Then give me Mike’s things.”

“And for the hundredth time, I don’t have anything of his. When he moved out, he took almost everything. When I moved out, I only took my things, Mike came by and took the rest. What exactly are you looking for?”

Mike’s sister glanced away. “Papers from the business. They must have been in his home office.”

“I left Mike’s home office alone. So I don’t know what happened to his papers after that.”

Stephanie glared. “You’re lying. You never liked me so you’re getting back at me because Mike divorced you.”

Lilly was thrown off guard. Not that Stephanie’s words hurt anymore, she’d said worse during the years of her marriage to her brother. “I’m not going to listen to this again. I want you to stay away from me and the kids. Go and run your business.”

Stephanie glared. “You’ll be sorry if you’re keeping anything from me.”

“Is there a problem?”

Lilly felt Coop come up behind her. Even though she could handle her sister-in-law, she liked having him there.

“Not anymore. I think we’ve finally settled it. Haven’t we, Steph?”

Lilly got a little satisfaction at using the nickname that her sister-in-law hated.

Stephanie looked at Coop. “Got a new boyfriend so soon, Lilly? How long before you drive him off?”

Coop did something that surprised her. He slipped an arm around her waist. “Oh, I don’t think this pretty woman could drive me away with a shotgun.” He smiled. “In fact, you’ll be seeing me next week. I’m one of Casali’s carpenters on the housing project. So get used to it, Ms. Perry, I’m going to be around a long time.”

CHAPTER SIX

LATE the next evening, Cooper sat on the sofa in the cottage. He had to figure out a way to stop thinking about Lilly Perry in any way but as a lead for his job.

He knew he had to play the part and get close to the family. It was getting harder all the time, especially when he’d put his hands on her narrow waist, or been close enough to breathe in her soft scent.

He cursed and stood. It was time to get to work.

He waited until dark and dressed in a black T-shirt and jeans and running shoes. He left the cottage, bypassing his truck, and headed out on foot down the alley to avoid being seen by the family. People had to think he’d been home all night, plus he didn’t want his vehicle parked outside where he was doing surveillance.

He took alleyways as much as possible until he got to the edge of town. Perry’s Landscaping and nursery had ten acres that had a tree and plant business, in addition to the professional lawn service. There were several buildings and a half dozen work trucks parked in a line all enclosed by a chain-link fence.

He checked the area for any sign of electronics or otherwise. There wasn’t a security guard or a dog, so he found a weak spot in the fence and climbed through. Staying in the shadows, he made his way past the greenhouse and a row of buildings, including one that was labeled as the office. There was a light on inside.

He made his way around to the back and to an open window. That was where he heard the voices.