A Cowboy To Come Home To

SHE MANAGED TO AVOID HIM for almost two weeks.

Melissa yawned and locked the door to the shop. Saturdays and most weeknights she closed at six, except for Fridays, when she stayed open until nine. Last night had been crazy busy with walk-in traffic, which had been unusual but good. and today she’d had to interrupt her design time to help Penny cover the front. People were purchasing fall arrangements, particularly sunflowers and warm-colored mums and zinnias. Premade silk wreaths for front doors were disappearing like hotcakes and so were decorative sheaves of wheat.

To top it off, she’d barely finished the weekly standing order of flowers for the church when the president of the Ladies’ Circle had come to pick it up. And Melissa had moved directly from that to working on the arrangement for a funeral happening on Monday.

Now orders were flooding in for the funeral home, and instead of taking a day off on Sunday, she knew she was going to be spending her one lazy day a week here at work, rather than at home vacuuming and doing laundry.

She loved the store and owning her own business, but there were downsides, too.

She’d walked to work this morning, taking the extra precious minutes to enjoy the cool air and fall sunshine. Now she wished she’d brought her car. All she really wanted was a quick dinner and a hot bath before falling into bed.

She’d take care of the quick dinner by stopping at the diner, she decided. The sunlight was fading as she made her way down Main Street and around the corner to the busy restaurant. The parking lot was full and she nearly considered just going home and ordering a pizza. But the great thing about the diner was the convenience of a restaurant with the advantage of good home cooking. When she stepped inside and saw that the special was meat loaf and mashed potatoes, she was sold. Total comfort food.

She placed her order and waited just beyond the counter.

The noise was deafening and she closed her eyes, reminding herself that it was only a few minutes and she could find peace and quiet at home.

And then there was a warm hand on her shoulder and a deep voice said, “Mel, are you okay?”

She opened her eyes to find Cooper’s worried ones staring down at her. For a split second something exciting leaped at the recognition of his fingers gripping her shoulder. Embarrassed, she nodded quickly, slipping away from his touch. “Fine. I’m just waiting for my order.”

“With your eyes closed?”

She shrugged, even though she felt ridiculous. “I’m tired and it’s loud. That’s all.”

“Melissa? Your order’s up,” Martha Bullock called out from behind the counter, holding up a white paper bag.

Relieved, Melissa stepped forward to collect it, only to hear Martha announce, “Yours, too, Coop. Extra cheese and a side order of onion rings, just like you wanted.”

He took the bag from Martha and handed her a twenty, then leaned forward and kissed the older woman’s cheek. “You sure know how to look after a man,” he teased, sending her a wink.

“Oh, go on with you,” she answered, flapping a hand at him but grinning widely. “Your charm’s wasted on me.”

“Did you put in extra ketchup?”

“Sure I did.”

“Then it’s not wasted. Have a good night, Martha.”

Melissa restrained herself from rolling her eyes. The thing about Cooper was that the teasing truly was genuine. He was a charmer, but there wasn’t anything fake about it. If there had been, people would see clear through it. Maybe that was what had hurt so much. Coop had been the most honest, genuine man she’d ever known. Until, of course, he’d lied.

It was quieter outside. Melissa expelled a huge breath. “Well, good night.” She started walking across the parking lot to the sidewalk.

Cooper’s voice stopped her. “Hey, Mel, you want a lift? Getting dark for you to be walking home alone.”

“I’ll be fine. I like the air.”

“But my truck’s right here. I can drop you off, no trouble.”

She halted and turned back, pasting on a smile. She did not want Cooper Ford driving her home or anywhere else. “Really,” she said firmly. “I’ll be fine.”

He frowned. He was wearing the same battered jean jacket as he had that day in her shop, and she marveled once more at how broad his shoulders were. She should not be noticing these things. She wasn’t exactly blind, she reminded herself, but the real problem was they shouldn’t matter. She couldn’t honestly say they were simple detached observations. She noticed, and then she got this odd feeling. Kind of tingly and warm.

“If you won’t take a drive, I’ll walk you home.”

Suddenly he didn’t seem so attractive. Why did he have to be all up in her business lately? Hadn’t they managed to avoid each other quite successfully the past three years? It had been an unspoken agreement, and suddenly he was breaking it left, right and center.

She decided to ask. While the smell of meat loaf wafted up and teased her nostrils, she squared her shoulders and faced him. “Why now, Cooper? For three years we’ve barely said two words to each other. Now all of a sudden you’re making conversation and offering to walk me home—in Cadence Creek, and on a route I’ve walked a million times.”

He stepped closer. “How long did you think we could each pretend that the other didn’t exist? I guess I thought three years was enough time for you to stop hating me quite so much. That we could stop avoiding each other in a town this small. It’s gotten to be quite a challenge, you know. Trying to stay out of your way.”

“I don’t hate you.”

“Really?”

He raised his eyebrow again, and she could practically hear what he was silently saying. Riiight.

She sighed. “You’re not going to just let me go home, are you?”

“Not walking alone. Cadence Creek is a nice town, but it’s not totally crime free, you know. Stuff happens.”

“Fine. But I’m still walking. I need the fresh air. It’s been a long day.”

He caught up to her and fell into step beside her on the sidewalk. “I haven’t seen you at the house this week.”

“I was there one afternoon and did some painting in the living room. You were gone already when I arrived.”

“I’m sure you planned it that way.”

She kept walking. It was kind of surreal, strolling through town in the semidark with Cooper. “I ended up being swamped this week,” she confessed. “If this keeps up, I’m going to have to hire a part-time designer.”

She bit down on her lip. She’d also made a trip to Edmonton, to the clinic, when conditions were “right.” A few weeks from now she’d know whether or not she needed to pee on a stick. She kept telling herself not to get her hopes up, but each morning when she woke, the first thing she thought of was that this time next year she could be a mother.

They were passing by the Creekside Park and Playground when Cooper reached out and put his hand on her arm. “Hey, why don’t we stop and eat? There are a few picnic tables here, and our food’s getting cold.”

“You want to eat in the dark? Are you crazy?”

“By the time I walk you home and get back to my truck, my stuff will be cold.”

“You didn’t have to walk me,” she pointed out.

“Yes, I did.”

She recognized that tone. Cooper was charm itself, but he was also incredibly stubborn. Not only that, but she was so hungry her stomach was actually hurting, and the food smelled unbelievable. “Fine. You’re going to pester me until you get your way, anyway.”

They crossed the grass to a picnic table and Melissa spread out the paper bag as a place mat. Cooper took the spot across from her and began pulling take-out containers from his own bag. She gaped as she counted three: an extra-large one holding his burger and fries, a medium-sized one with onion rings that smelled fantastic and a smaller one with the Wagon Wheel’s special recipe coleslaw.

“You’re going to eat all of that? Yourself?”