Christine Flynn - Tall, Dark, Texas Ranger / Once Upon A Christmas Eve - Tall, Dark, Texas Ranger

“I’m only here to do a job, Lilly. I swear I’m not going to hurt you or the kids.” Not physically anyway. But she’d already been hurt by the man she loved. “Do you really think Alex Casali would hire me to work for him, if he wasn’t sure that I’m reputable?”

Lilly glanced away and concentrated on cooking the eggs. “The past few years haven’t been very good ones for my kids. Their dad left them, and he never even came to visit.” She looked up at him again. “I don’t want Robbie to get attached to someone who’ll be leaving, too.”

“That’s understandable, but you can’t stop your son from making friends with people. That isn’t healthy, either.”

She turned off the stove and took two plates out of the cupboard, then split the eggs between them. He placed the bacon on the paper towel as she made toast. Once the job was complete, she carried the plates as he grabbed two filled coffee mugs, then followed her to the table.

She sat down across from him, but she refused to look at him. He knew Lilly would be a tough sell.

“Would you rather I move out of the cottage?”

Her fork stopped halfway toward her mouth. “Would you?”

“If you can’t trust me around your mother and kids. Yes.” He was taking a big chance here. “I’ll leave, Lilly. The last thing I want is for you to think of me as a con man … or worse. I’ve done nothing to cause you to think like that. So maybe the solution is to just leave and move into the motel out on the highway.”

He took a bite of his eggs then found it was difficult to swallow. He realized that he didn’t want Lilly to think the worst of him. But her husband had made sure that she had a hard time trusting.

“I can’t ask you to do that. It’s my mother’s choice to rent to you.” She put down her fork. “You’re right, Mr. Cooper, you haven’t done anything to cause my rude behavior. Please accept my apology.”

“I’ll accept it under one condition.”

She waited.

“You better start calling me Coop, or I’ll have to call you Principal Perry.”

She fought a smile and lost. “Okay, Coop. What brought you to Kerry Springs?”

“Plain and simple, a job.”

He watched as Lilly began to eat and that helped him relax a little. “I’m from El Paso, Texas. Born and raised there.”

“Any family?”

He shook his head. “Not much. My mother took off years ago. My father left long before that, before my birth. I had a half brother, but he was killed a few years back. He left a wife and a baby daughter behind.” They were the reason why he wanted Delgado. And he was going to get the bastard. “I keep in touch with them.”

She looked concerned. “I’m sorry. How did your brother die?”

“He was a police officer shot in the line of duty.”

He pushed his plate away and began to stand. “I should get back to work.”

Lilly reached across the table and touched his arm, causing him to pause. The warmth and softness caused a reaction. His throat grew dry and his gut knotted in need. Something he hadn’t felt in a long time.

“Is there anything I can do to help you?”

A dozen different pictures shot through his mind. He never thought of a school principal being sexy, but that was until he ran into Lilly Perry.

“I wouldn’t mind if you’d keep some iced tea handy.”

“That’s all I can do for you?”

She didn’t want to know what he wanted her to do for him. She’d throw him off the property.

“That’s all for now.”

Two hours later, Coop moved his work area to the shaded porch. It wasn’t much cooler, but at least the sun wasn’t frying his back.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

Coop glanced down to see Robbie behind him. “I’m trying to get your grandmother’s house ready to paint.”

“Oh,” the boy said. “Did she say you can do it?”

“Yes, and she’s happy about it.”

The kid kicked the floor with the toe of his shoe. “Can I help?”

Coop got off the stepladder. “Well, that depends on how hard you want to work. I don’t like quitters.”

“I’m not a quitter.”

“Good, ‘cause I pay a good wage and I want the best workers.”

Those big eyes widened. “You’re gonna pay me?”

“Sure.” He looked around. “I could use someone to sweep up all the paint chips.”

“I can do that,” he announced.

“Okay, you’ll need a broom and dustpan. And I have a trash can at the side of the house.”

Robbie took off, calling out, “Be right back.”

Smiling, Coop went back to work, but was quickly distracted when a work truck pulling a trailer stopped at the curb. The vehicle had the lettering Perry’s Landscaping on the side door.

Coop felt the rush of adrenaline. “Okay, it’s time to do my real job,” he murmured and climbed off the ladder.

Two Hispanic men got out of the truck and took the mower from the back of the trailer. It looked like they were here for the yard service. Then he spotted the driver as he climbed out.

Also Hispanic, he was above average height with a slender build and thick coal-black hair. He might have been dressed in a work uniform, but Coop doubted he was a day laborer.

He took a closer look at the man. Since he’d studied Delgado’s actions for a few years, he recognized this man’s familiar features. And this guy could be his twin.

And it looked like he was going to get the opportunity to speak with him as the worker walked to the porch.

“Hey, man, are you painting the house?”

“You could say that.”

“Good.” He studied Coop for a second or two. “Rey Santos.”

Coop didn’t offer his hand. “Noah Cooper.”

“Where’s your crew?”

“You’re lookin’ at it.”

Santos frowned. “You need men? I can get you some workers. At a good price, too.”

He bet he could. “No, thanks, I work solo.”

The two studied each other when Robbie came back with the broom and pan. He stopped on seeing Santos.

“This guy here is all the help I need,” Coop said.

Santos nodded. “Is Mrs. Perry around?”

“No!” Robbie said. “She had to leave.”

Coop could see the boy’s fear. Why? Had Santos been bothering the family?

“I’ll catch her later.”

Robbie waited until the guy left the porch, then went to Coop. “What is he doing here?”

“Doesn’t he work for the lawn service?” He knelt down in front of the boy. “Is something wrong, Robbie? Did that man do something to you?”

The boy shook his head. “No, he yelled at my mom once. She told him to go away. And a long time ago he worked with my dad. He got mad when I was there with my dad.”

Coop hated to pump the boy for information, but he didn’t have a choice. “Is it a secret?”

“Kinda. I promised my dad I wouldn’t tell anyone.”

“Tell anyone what?”

Robbie was silent, but fear showed on his face. “It’s okay, Robbie.” He needed to know if Santos had threatened him. “You can’t get into trouble now.”

“One day I was supposed to stay with Kasey, but she got mad at me and made me stay in my room. I sneaked out and went to see my dad at work.”

Bingo.

The kid looked frightened. “Don’t tell my mom. She’ll be sad again.”

Coop gripped the boy’s shoulders. “We don’t want to make her sad. Just tell me one thing. Did Santos see you with your dad?”

Robbie shook his head rapidly. “No, Dad made me hide when the man came in his office. They were yelling and I got scared. After that man left, my dad said it wasn’t a good idea for me to come back. Then he … died.”

The boy’s tears tore at Coop. “I know it’s hard to lose someone you love. I lost my brother.”