LITMIR.BIZ

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to stopping a young woman from possibly making a big mistake.

      A little voice in his head told him to back off and let Lauren find out about Kelsey on her own. A leopard always revealed his spots...or some such notion. But Lauren had been hurt enough and so had Loretta, for that matter. He’d given Tony’s mother his word.

      Loretta was busy putting hot rolls into a lined basket. He pulled the aroma into his nostrils, but the garlicky cheese scent did nothing to whet his appetite.

      “Say what’s on your mind,” the older woman said quietly.

      Cooper ran a hand down his face. “Loretta, she’s asked me to walk her down the aisle. Man, that puts me in a difficult spot. Lauren is so damn happy.”

      “What did you say to her?”

      “What could I say? I couldn’t hurt her. I told her it would be my honor to take Tony’s place by her side.”

      The hand Loretta put on his shoulder was warm and comforting. “She doesn’t know her own heart, Cooper. Trust me on this. She’s thought herself in love half a dozen times in her lifetime. Kelsey is not the man for her. You won’t hurt her, but he will.”

      He hadn’t told a soul about Tony’s suspicions about his partner cheating him, but maybe now was the time to broach the subject. “Loretta, what’s going on at Kelsey-Abbott? How often do you go into the office?”

      “Me? I’ve been a nurse for thirty-five years. What do I know about real-estate development? I told my Tony years ago not to include me in his will. I’m comfortable and have everything I need.”

      “So, you’re saying that Tony’s half of the company—”

      “Goes to Lauren. Yes, that’s the way we’d agreed.”

      Cooper stared at her. Soon, Loretta’s eyes began blinking almost as fast as his mind was spinning. “Oh, dear. You don’t think that he’s marrying her to gain control of the entire company, do you?”

      It wasn’t unheard of and, in fact, the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. If Roger Kelsey was married to Lauren, there would be no need for anyone to check over the books, to reframe the partnership, to find out he’d been cheating Tony. It was likely that Lauren wouldn’t want to get involved in the company at all, not if her new husband had everything under control. She was as dedicated to nursing as her mother had been. “Could be, Loretta,” he murmured.

      “Hey!” Lauren came bounding into the room, a big smile on her face. “There you are. I was wondering what happened to you, Cooper. And my ears are burning. Were you both talking about me?”

      “Yep, as a matter of fact we were,” Cooper said, giving Loretta a glance. “You told me you haven’t picked a venue for the wedding yet.”

      “Yes, that’s right. We’re going to do something simple.”

      “But, honey, you’ve always dreamed of a big wedding,” Loretta interjected, disapproval clouding her soft brown eyes. “That’s the least Roger can do for you.”

      “I know, Mama. But there isn’t time for that and I’m fine...with it.” The disappointment on her face told a different story.

      “You shouldn’t be fine with anything. You should be ecstatic. We’re talking about your wedding day, honey.”

      “Problem solved,” Cooper announced and two curious female gazes landed on him.

      He hoped like hell he wasn’t making a whopper of a mistake, but the idea taking shape in his mind wasn’t anything short of brilliant. What he needed was time with Lauren to make sure she wasn’t getting in over her head and marrying this guy impulsively. Which seemed likely. Tony hadn’t trusted him, Loretta thought she was being rash and now Cooper was smack-dab in the middle of it all. Keeping Lauren close—and away from Roger—was key. There was only one way he figured he could pull that off.

      “You’re getting married at my ranch at Stone Ridge. I insist. You’ll speak your vows at my home. I’ll open the place up to you and you can come and stay with me while you make your plans. Heck, both you and your mama are welcome to stay on the ranch. The two of you can work together and, Lauren, you’ll have the wedding you’ve always dreamed about. I promise not to get in your way.”

      A promise he would probably have to break because he planned on protecting Lauren from being hurt no matter what.

      Lauren’s pretty, pale green eyes brightened. She opened her mouth to say something but after a split second, she clamped her lips shut again, her shoulders falling. “I can’t let you do that. It’s too much.”

      He wasn’t above playing the guilt card to get her to agree. After all, he was an expert at self-imposed guilt trips. Ultimately what he needed was time to convince Lauren not to marry Kelsey and this was his plan A, B and C. He had no other options.

      “Tony often spoke to me about giving you a beautiful wedding when the time came. And, yes, I may have some reservations about how quickly this is all happening, but in my heart I know your brother would’ve wanted it this way.”

      Tears sprang to her eyes and she trembled. “Oh, Cooper.”

      And then she was in his arms, her supple, firm body plastered against him, her gratitude brimming. When she turned her head slightly, his nose was in her hair, her subtle, fresh, flowery scent teasing him.

      “I take that as a yes,” he whispered.

      Her head bobbed up and down. “Yes,” she said, raw emotion in her voice.

      He glanced over at Loretta hopelessly.

      A full-out approving smile graced her face and she gave him a big nod.

      Which sort of worried him a bit, he wasn’t gonna lie.

      * * *

      “I have the best news, Roger,” Lauren said, coming to sit next to him on the den sofa in his penthouse apartment overlooking the Dallas skyline. The view here was amazing, just as amazing as the tall, dark-haired man she was to marry. She admired Roger’s always-groomed look, his sense of style and his abundant confidence. Up until Tony died, she’d only seen Roger as a casual friend. But he’d been magnificent to her ever since the funeral and they’d had a whirlwind love affair. “My brother’s best friend has offered us the use of his ranch to hold our wedding. Stone Ridge is magnificent. There’s no need to have a simple courthouse wedding, after all. And Mama is pretty sure we can get it all together in a month.”

      Roger pursed his lips, deep in thought. “A ranch wedding?”

      “Not just any ranch, honey. It’s Tony’s best friend Cooper Stone’s ranch. You may have met him at the funeral.” She hated bringing up that sad day. The memory still seared a hole in her heart.

      “Sounds like a lot of work,” Roger said. “Can’t we just get married without all the fuss?”

      Lauren shrugged, feeling deflated. “Yes, I suppose. But finally Mama is on board and even seems excited about planning the wedding with me. And, well, I’ve always dreamed about having a beautiful wedding.”

      Roger stared at her and then leaned forward and kissed her cheek. “Can we keep it small, at least?”

      “Yes, of course. No more than one hundred people. I promise.”

      “A hundred?” His voice hit a high note. “That many?”

      “That’s not very many when we consider your employees and our mutual friends, plus my dear friends at the hospital. I’m so excited about this. Please, please, say it’s okay with you.”

      He scratched his head. Roger didn’t like to mingle and didn’t like crowds. But a woman only got married once and she was sure he’d come around and be just as happy about the wedding plans as she was.

      “Yeah, it’s okay with me.”

      She bounded out

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