and time for me to settle down. I’m twenty-six years old and I want more out of life. The one thing Tony’s death taught me is to not take life for granted. I’m ready, Cooper.”
His gaze roamed over her face as she waited breathlessly for his approval. More than anything, she wanted his blessing. Finally his lips parted in a small, encouraging smile. “Okay. Well, then, I’m happy for you.”
“Oh, Cooper. Thank you!” She lunged for him and squeezed his neck, hugging him tight. Whiffs of his manly cologne surrounded her, but she was too happy to dwell on how much that appealed to her. “This means so much to me...you’ll never know.” Tears welled in her eyes. She had his blessing. It would be easier for her mama to accept her marriage to Roger now. “There’s one thing, though...a favor I need to ask you. You’re not like family to us, you are family, and...well, since my dad is gone, and now Tony, too, I was hoping that on my wedding day, you’d do me the honor of walking me down the aisle.”
* * *
Cooper paced inside Loretta’s kitchen. He’d come in here the second Lauren had excused herself to take a phone call and now he was realizing how hard this mission would be. If he spoke negatively about Kelsey without any proof of his bad intentions, Lauren would shut him down. He’d seen it happen before. Lauren was strong-willed, stubborn and independent. Through the years, Tony had learned how to rein her in. He’d gained her trust and had actually gotten her to listen to him at times. But he wasn’t Tony. Cooper only had a brother and was the first to admit he had no skills understanding the female mind. Not when it came 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
