LITMIR.BIZ

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sighed with what seemed to be remorse.

      “Well,” Lauren said, contemplating their surroundings, “this place will make for a beautiful wedding. There’s plenty of room to speak vows by the pool. Maybe under the gazebo.”

      “But Cooper has some other spots to show you, honey,” her mother said. “Don’t you, Cooper? You know, those places you told me about out by the lake.”

      “Yeah, I sure do,” he said, coming out of his slump. “I was planning on taking you there today. That’s if you’re up to it.”

      “I’d love to see the lake,” Lauren said.

      “Actually, you two go on.” Loretta briefly closed her eyes. “I’m a bit tired. I’d like go up to my room and take a rest.”

      “We can wait for you, Mama. Do it another time,” Lauren said.

      “Nonsense, Lauren. You need to work this out as soon as possible and Cooper has the time today.”

      “That’s right. I sure do.”

      “Can I help you up the stairs?” she asked her mother as they went back inside and sat down.

      “Lauren, I said I was tired, honey, not decrepit.”

      Out of the corner of her eye she saw Cooper try to hide a smile by twisting his mouth in an unbecoming way. Which was saying something, because Cooper was pretty much handsome no matter what kind of face he made. Then he faked a cough to contain a laugh, but her mother didn’t seem to notice.

      “Of course you’re not decrepit, Mama.” A nurturer by nature, the last thing Loretta wanted was to be deemed incapable of taking care of herself. Lauren should’ve known not to put it that way, but being here was a bit daunting, no matter how welcoming Cooper was at the moment. With planning her quickie wedding and all the changes in her life lately, Lauren was a little bit at loose ends.

      She turned to Cooper, the tilt of her head telling him she knew he’d been laughing at her. “Am I good to go like this?” she asked, gesturing to her attire.

      “Let’s see. Boots, jeans, check. The hat I’ll take care of. Spring weather can be iffy. Do you want to bring along a light sweater?”

      “Nah, I’ll rough it. Besides, the sun is out and it doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere today.”

      “Okay, then I’ll see you two later.” Mama popped out of her chair like a piece of well-done bread from a toaster. “I’ll just go up to my room now.”

      “Have a good rest, Loretta,” Cooper said.

      After her mother walked out of the room, Cooper turned to Lauren, a smirk emerging on his face again. She rolled her eyes.

      “What?” he said, innocent as a baby.

      “You’re a brat, you know that, Cooper Stone.”

      “At least you aren’t inferring I was decrepit.”

      She punched him in the arm. It felt good, to give back his teasing in a playful way.

      “Ow.” He put his hand over the arm she’d just whacked.

      No way had she hurt him. Those muscles were like granite. A silly smile appeared on his face. “Now that’s the Lauren Abbott I remember.”

      She smiled back. “Be careful or you just might see more of her than you want.”

      “That could only be a good thing,” he said softly, placing his hand on the small of her back, grabbing his hat and leading her out the door.

      The kind words and special touch brought familiarity.

      And a mass of tingles she hadn’t expected.

      * * *

      Cooper stood by the Jeep. “Drive or ride?” he asked Lauren.

      Her pretty green eyes narrowed, as if she thought he was messing with her again. “Isn’t it the same thing?”

      “Well, I can drive us in the Jeep to see the grounds or we can mount up.” He pointed to the stables just within eyeshot. “On a horse.”

      “Oh.” She shook her head. “I haven’t been riding in eons. I think the Jeep is the safest bet today.”

      “Okay. Another time,” he said. He hadn’t quite figured Lauren out. At times she seemed impetuous, a girl who liked to take a risk. That was the girl who’d punched him in the arm just a few minutes ago. That punch had surprised him in a good way.

      She was back to being the girl he remembered, never taking any guff from anyone. Whenever Tony had teased her, she’d always shot back at him, giving as good as she got. Marrying Kelsey on a whim after six months of dating was another impulsive move on her part. That’s why he was puzzled. Lauren seemed hesitant in coming here. Was she uncomfortable around him? Was she feeling manipulated into living at Stone Ridge for the month? Or was she having second doubts about the sudden marriage?

      He hoped it was the latter. He hoped she’d put a halt to the wedding on her own terms so he could end this ruse. But at least having her here lent him the time he needed to find out what Kelsey was really up to. He could keep an eye on Lauren, as well.

      “Hop in,” he said, opening the door for her. She climbed in and buckled her seat belt as he took his place behind the wheel. “Ready?”

      “Ready.”

      He grabbed a tan suede hat from the backseat and plopped it on her head. It sank onto her forehead and pushed her blond locks down past her shoulders, making her look damn cute.

      “This yours?” she asked.

      “Uh-huh,” he said. “Hang on to it when we take off.”

      Then he revved the engine and pulled away from the house.

      After a minute she asked. “Where is the lake?”

      “Back there.” He gestured behind him. “We passed it a ways back.”

      “But aren’t we going there?”

      “Yep, but there’s someplace else I thought you’d like to see.”

      “You’re full of surprises, Coop.”

      He liked the sound of his nickname falling off her lips. That and the way she looked in his hat was messing with his head a little. “Not really. Pretty much what you see is what you get with me.”

      At least it always had been. Now he wasn’t quite so sure. He’d surprised himself when he’d invited Lauren to have her wedding here. And he’d surprised himself even more by asking her to move into his house. He had underlying motives for having her here, true, and saving her from heartache would be something Tony would’ve wanted from him.

      That one fact made all of this seem more palatable.

      “Here we are,” he said, stopping the Jeep in front of a stand of shade-bearing oak trees. “We have to walk from here.”

      He came around the end of the Jeep and helped Lauren gain her footing as she got out. He held her steady and she gazed at him, gratitude glowing in her eyes. “I know where you’re taking me.”

      His brows lifted. “You do?”

      “Of course. Tony would talk about this place incessantly and I would be green with envy.”

      “Yeah, this was a special place to us,” he said, taking hold of her hand. “Be careful, the land’s uneven here. Lots of roots breaking through the soil.”

      They walked a bit, her hand gripped in his, reminding him just how long it’d been since he’d held a soft woman. And Lauren was that and more. He didn’t like noticing her that way, or feeling even remotely attracted to her. She was cute and funny and nice. Emphasis on nice. Any other thoughts about her weren’t going to happen. He had a job to do. Protect Lauren. Stop

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