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

One was Stephanie Perry and the other was a man with a thick Spanish accent. Santos aka Delgado.

“Rey, you can’t bring another shipment in here,” she said. “Not yet.”

“You worry too much,” Santos said.

“We still haven’t found Mike’s papers.”

“I curse su hermano for all our troubles. He could have had so much if he’d gone along with us. I’m thinking he lied about the papers.”

“What if he didn’t? You can’t bring in the shipment.”

“I can’t stop it. It’s crossed the border, so it’s not safe to leave it out there unprotected. And my men need their supplies to fill the demand.”

Coop wondered if it had come through Ciudad Juarez at El Paso, or Nuevo Laredo at Laredo.

“And what about Lilly?”

Santos cursed in very colorful Spanish. Coop recognized several unflattering words directed at the woman.

“You’ve got to get inside the house,” he told her.

“How can I do that?” Stephanie argued. “She warned me off. She’s the type that’ll call the sheriff on me.”

“Then you’ll wait until everyone leaves, or maybe I can persuade her.”

“Good luck with that,” she said.

A shiver snaked down Coop’s spine. They would go after Lilly? No way in hell. He stole a look into the office as Santos whispered something in Spanish. Stephanie giggled, then Rey grabbed her roughly. “My luck is always good.”

Then his mouth ground over hers. She let out a groan of pain and fought him to break free. “Hey, that hurts,” she cried, trying to push him away.

“That’s it,” he growled. “Fight me.”

Santos forced Stephanie down on the desk, and Coop moved out of sight, leaving the lovebirds. He figured he wasn’t going to get any more information tonight.

Coop made his way off the property and headed back to the house. He needed to make some calls, to figure out his next move. One thing there was no doubt about: drugs were coming into Kerry Springs. His job was to stop them.

The next morning, Lilly was up at dawn. She was never one for sleeping in. Having been a teacher most of her adult life, she found early mornings had helped keep her sanity. And she’d always been the one to get the kids up and moving, allowing Mike to sleep in. He did so without a problem. Of course, he’d worked ten-to-twelve-hour days. Had that been to stay away from her? She shook away the thought. Don’t go there. It’s too late for regrets.

She made her way down to the kitchen. She had dressed in shorts and a sleeveless top, ready for the hot day that had been promised.

She glanced out the window toward the cottage, surprised to find the door open. She was even more surprised when Noah stepped out into the small covered porch.

“Oh, boy,” she breathed as he leaned against the post, dressed only in a pair of jeans. Her gaze lowered to the top two buttons that were undone, causing his pants to ride low on his hips.

For heaven’s sake, she’d seen a man shirtless before. Oh, but never had she seen anyone who looked like Noah Cooper. His muscular chest and broad shoulders looked like they could carry the weight of the world. She lowered her eyes to his flat stomach. That was an understatement. He had what they called a six-pack. The man had to work out all the time.

Slowly his gaze went to the house and the kitchen window. Busted. Their eyes met and she was frozen in place. It seemed like an eternity that his eyes held her in a trance, then finally he raised his mug toward her like a salute, turned and walked back inside the cottage.

Lilly released a breath and sank against the counter. What was she doing? She wasn’t the type to ogle a man. In school she’d been the shy, studious one. Mike had been her first boyfriend, then her husband.

“Morning, dear,” Beth Staley said.

Lily jumped as her mother strolled into the room. “Oh, hi, Mom.”

Beth frowned. “Is something wrong?”

A lot. “No. You just surprised me. What are you doing up so early?” She glanced at the clock. Six-ten. “You don’t have to go to work until nine.”

The older woman smiled and went to pour some coffee. “Oh, I don’t know. I guess I couldn’t sleep.”

Lilly examined her mother closely. Something was different about her. “Did you get your hair cut?”

“Yesterday. Do you like it?”

The shorter cut would be easier for her to care for. “I like it. The color is pretty, too.”

“It’s just a shine Cassie talked me into trying. It’s to take the yellow out of my gray.”

Her mother had great hair, thick and healthy. Lilly looked over the fifty-eight-year-old widow. At five foot four, she was trim and kept in shape. She had pretty green eyes and a warm smile.

There were other subtle changes about her. Her style of clothing was different today. She had on white capris and an aqua-colored knit top, partly covered with a multicolored blouse.

“Mom, you look … so pretty.”

She sighed. “Thank you.”

“Is there some reason you’re all dressed up this morning?”

She gave a sheepish grin. “Could be.”

Lilly folded her arms and waited. “Well, aren’t you going to tell me?”

Her mother actually blushed. “I have a breakfast date.”

“A date?” She swallowed. “You mean a date, date?” Her mother hadn’t dated since her dad’s death ten years ago. “Who?”

“Close your mouth, daughter. It isn’t becoming.”

“Mother.”

“Okay, I’m meeting Sean Rafferty for breakfast.”

The good-looking, charming Sean Rafferty? “What? How long has this been going on?”

Beth sent her daughter a sharp look. “That’s not anybody’s business, but we’ve spent some time together. We happened to run into each other in San Antonio last month when I was shopping there.

“Sean asked me to lunch, and we found we enjoyed each other’s company. And since we’re both so busy this is the only time we have to see each other.”