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

“There’s no hurry,” her mother said. “Just make a salad. We’re having the rest delivered.”

“Mother,” she warned as she started to empty the grocery bag. “We talked about this. I thought the rent money was to pay off bills?”

“It is. I promise you, I didn’t spend a penny on supper.” She smiled. “I’ll go and round up Kasey and Robbie.” There was a knock on the back door as she started toward the hall. “Would you get that, honey?”

“Mom …” Lilly started to go after her when the knock sounded again. “Okay, you win,” she murmured as she went to the door and opened it. Standing on the porch was their new tenant. He looked as if he’d showered and shaved and he was holding three pizza boxes. “Mr. Cooper?”

“It’s Coop.” He nodded toward the boxes. “I hope you’re all hungry.”

What was going on? “Why?”

“I told your mother I was treating tonight. Since you let me move in early.”

He took a step toward her and she immediately moved out of his way. “You didn’t need to do that. I was going to fix supper.”

He put the pizzas on the counter. He placed his hands on his hips, causing his navy T-shirt to stretch across his broad chest and flat stomach.

“If you’re making salad, I can help you.” He went behind the island counter. “Tell me where the bowl is and a knife.”

He already had the head of lettuce under the water washing it. Well, make yourself at home, she thought. With no choice but to keep up she retrieved the ingredients.

Within a few minutes they’d thrown together a salad and he placed the bowl on the table when she heard the kids on the stairs. They soon appeared in the kitchen.

“Hey, I know you,” Robbie said. “What are you doing here?”

“Robbie,” she warned her son. “Mr. Cooper brought us supper.”

“How do you feel about pepperoni pizza?”

Robbie’s eyes brightened like it was Christmas morning. “It’s my favorite.”

“I don’t like pepperoni,” Kasey said. Her thirteen-year-old daughter didn’t like much of anything these past months, especially her mother.

“Then it’s a good thing that I also brought a vegetarian one, too.”

“That’s my favorite,” Lilly said.

“I’m not hungry.” Her daughter pouted.

“You’re going to stop being rude and eat.” She turned her daughter toward Coop and brushed back her long blond hair from her pretty face. “Coop this is my daughter, Kasey. Kasey, this is Mr. Cooper. He’s the new tenant and he was nice enough to bring supper.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Kasey.”

She nodded, but there was suspicion in her large eyes. “Thank you for the pizza.”

Lily released a long breath as her mother appeared in the room. “Okay, maybe we should sit down and eat.”

Beth showed Coop to a chair at the round table. Once in their seats, Lilly said, “Kasey, I believe it’s your turn to ask for the blessing.”

She glared at her mother. “Why? I don’t have anything to be thankful for.”

Lilly felt her cheeks flame in embarrassment. “Okay. Robbie why don’t you do it?”

“Sure.” He folded his hands and bowed his head. “I’m thankful that I got to go swimming today and now I get pizza, too.”

Lilly bit back a groan as she looked at her mother.

“You’ll survive, honey,” Beth said. “I survived you.”

Lilly took charge and said the blessing herself. Once she finished she was grateful everyone concentrated on the food. She wasn’t surprised to see her daughter didn’t have a problem eating. Finally the kids were excused to go watch television. She wanted to leave, too, but then she’d be just as rude as her kids. She wouldn’t be setting a good example and her mother was still there.

Lilly went to the coffeemaker. “Would you like a cup?” she asked Noah Cooper and her mother.

He looked up at her and smiled. “Thank you, I wouldn’t mind one.”

After her mother declined, Lilly came back to the table, handed him a cup and sat back down. The conversation turned to the repairs of the house.

“You have a wonderful house here,” Coop told her mother.

“Thank you. I’ve lived here since I was a girl. After my parents died, I inherited this house and my husband, Charles, and I raised Lilly here. I want it to go to her.” She looked sad. “But I can’t keep up with the repairs.”

Coop reclined in the ladder back chair. “From what I can see the structure is in good shape. Most of the damage seems to be from the elements. The porch needs some of the boards replaced. The concrete steps are crumbling. That should be the first repair.”

Her mother looked at him. “I’m not sure I can afford you.”

A slow, easy smile spread across Coop’s face. “I work pretty cheap. If you buy the materials, my labor is free.”

Beth smiled. “I like that, but it doesn’t seem fair.”

Coop looked thoughtful. “How about if you throw in a few meals?”

Lilly wanted to object. The last thing she wanted was another man around. “Noah, I would think you’d get pretty tired of spending the evening with bickering kids.”

“I think I’m up to it,” he assured her.

She was losing this battle. The privacy she needed so desperately since her marriage and life fell apart.

She looked at the good-looking man across from her. All she wanted was a nice quiet summer break. But it didn’t look like that was going to happen now.

CHAPTER THREE

LILLY tried to ignore him, but how could she ignore a shirtless man right in her line of sight? And that was exactly where Noah Cooper was. It was only eight o’clock the following morning, and the man stood on a ladder scraping the peeling paint off the back of the house.

Finally giving in to the old adage “What was the harm in looking.” And that was exactly what she did. Look.

She leaned a little to the side of the kitchen sink to get a better view. To see how his faded jeans fit across his nice rear end. How those muscles over his back and shoulders bunched with his movement. The tiny beads of sweat that gathered along his spine and ran down into the back of his Levi’s.

She blew out a breath. Whoa, must be the heat getting to her. She turned away. She didn’t need to get all worked up just noticing a man, especially not a man who’d just arrived in town.