Cooper's Charm
by Lori Foster
CHAPTER ONE
THE SUN SHONE brightly on that early mid-May morning. The crisp, cool air smelled of damp leaves, an earthy scent that wasn’t unappealing. A mist from the nearby lake blanketed the ground, swirling around her sneaker-covered feet.
Phoenix Rose stood at the high entrance to the resort and looked down at the neat rows of RVs in various sizes, as well as the numerous log cabins and the rustic tent grounds. All was quiet, as if no one had yet awakened.
She could have parked in the lower lot, closer to her destination, but she wanted the time to take in the view. Besides, after driving for a few hours, she’d enjoy stretching her legs.
Breathing deeply, she filled her lungs with fresh air while also filling her heart with hope.
It was such a beautiful morning that her clip-on sunglasses, worn over her regular glasses, only cut back the worst of the glare; she had to shade her eyes with a hand as she took in the many unique aspects of the Cooper’s Charm RV Park and Resort.
Before submitting her resume to the online wanted ad, she’d scoured all the info she could find. She’d also studied the map to familiarize herself with the design.
The website hadn’t done it justice.
It was more beautiful than she’d expected.
Dense woods bordered the property on one side and at the entrance, giving it a private, isolated feel. To the other side, a line of evergreens separated the park from an old-fashioned drive-in that offered nightly movies not only to the resort guests, but also to the residents in the surrounding small town of Woodbine, Ohio.
At the very back of the resort, a large lake—created from a quarry—wound in and around the land before fading into the sun-kissed mist, making it impossible to see the full size. Currently, large inflated slides and trampolines floated in and out of the mist, randomly catching the sunshine as they bobbed in the mostly placid water. Phoenix couldn’t imagine anyone getting into the frigid water, but the online brochure claimed the lake was already open, as was the heated inground pool.
She was to meet the owner near the lake, but she’d deliberately arrived fifteen minutes early, which gave her a chance to look around.
After she’d spent six months in hotel rooms, and a month familiarizing herself with the park, Cooper’s Charm already felt like home. She could be at peace here and that meant a lot, because for too long now, peace of mind had remained an elusive thing.
Knowing her sister was waiting, Phoenix pulled out her phone and took a pic of the beautiful scenery, then texted it to Ridley, typing in, Arrived.
Despite the early hour, Ridley immediately replied, Are you sure about this?
Positive, Phoenix responded. She hadn’t been this certain in ages. I just hope the interview goes well.
Loyal to the end, her sister sent back, He’ll take one look at you and fall in love.
Phoenix grinned as her heart swelled. Through thick and thin, Ridley was her backup, her support system, and the person she trusted most in the whole world. It didn’t matter that Ridley lived a very different lifestyle, or that their goals in life were miles apart.
Phoenix loved working with her hands, staying busy and took satisfaction from a job well done.
Ridley enjoyed seeing the world in nearly nonstop travel to posh destinations, had an exquisite flair for the latest fashions and detested being messy in any way.
Different, but still sisters through and through.
She knew Ridley was still worried, and that bothered her. Much as she appreciated her sister’s dedication, she wanted to portray an air of confidence and independence...just as she once had.
She didn’t like being weak, and she didn’t like allowing others to impact her life, yet both had happened. This was her chance to get back to being a strong, capable woman.
If all went well, today would be the start of reaching that goal.
Taking her time, Phoenix strode through the grounds, familiarizing herself on her way to the lake. She really wanted to explore the woods, and the small, quaint cabins where she would live.
More than that, though, she wanted to be at the lake when Cooper Cochran arrived. She wouldn’t be late, wouldn’t be nervous and wouldn’t screw up her fresh start.
Unfortunately, just as she rounded a play area filled with swings and slides, she saw the lone figure standing along the sandy shore, a fishing rod in hand.
Was that Cochran?
Good Lord, he was big, and impressively built, too, with wide, hard shoulders and muscular thighs. She hated to admit it, but that could be a problem for her.
After all, she’d learned on a basic level that big men were powerful men.
Pausing to stare, she pressed a hand to her stomach to quell the nervous butterflies taking flight at the sight of him.
The sunrise gilded his messy sandy-brown hair. As he reeled in his line, then cast it out again, muscles flexed beneath a dark pullover with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows, showing taut forearms and thick wrists dusted with hair. Worn denim hugged his long legs.
He seemed to stand nearly a half-foot taller than her five foot four. God, how she’d prayed he’d be a smaller, less...imposing man.
Finding information on the resort had been easy. Finding information on Cooper Cochran...not so much.
She stood frozen to the spot, trying to convince her feet to move, doing her best to conquer her irrational reservations, but she was suddenly, painfully aware that they were all alone on the shore. Logically, she knew it wasn’t a problem. Plenty of people were around, in their RVs or cabins, so there was no reason to be afraid.
Not here, not now.
Lately, though, fear had been a fickle thing, often re-emerging out of nowhere.
As if he’d known she was there all along, he glanced over his shoulder at her. Reflective sunglasses hid his eyes, and yet she felt his scrutiny and a touch of surprise. She knew his gaze was burning over her and it caused her to shift in nervous awareness.
She guessed him to be in his midthirties, maybe nine or ten years older than her. No one would call him a classically handsome man. His features were as bold as his body, including a strong jaw, masculine nose and harshly carved cheekbones.
Not classic good looks, but he certainly wouldn’t be ignored.
She could see that he hadn’t yet shaved this morning, and she wasn’t sure if he’d combed his hair. The breeze and fog off the lake might have played with it, leaving it a little wavier than usual.
She couldn’t look away, couldn’t even blink.
His scrutiny kept her pinned in place with a strange stirring of her senses.
Turning back to the lake, he said, “Ms. Rose?”
The words seemed to carry on the quiet, cool air.
Phoenix swallowed. “Yes.” She watched as he cast out yet again. It almost seemed that he gave her time to get herself together. Of course, he couldn’t know why she was so reserved. Still, his patience, his apparent lack of interest, finally helped her to move forward.
She watched the way his large hands deftly, slowly, reeled in the line.
Her feet sank in the soft, damp sand. “Mr. Cochran?”
“You can call me Coop.”
He had a deep, mellow voice that should have put her at ease but instead sharpened her awareness of him.
“I like to fish in the morning before everyone else crowds the lake. Are you an early bird, Ms. Rose?”
“Actually, yes.” A white gull swooped down, skimmed the water and took flight again. Ripples fanned out across the surface. By the minute, the mist evaporated, giving way to the warmth of the sun. “You know I had my own landscaping business.” She’d told him that much in their email correspondence concerning her application. “In the summer especially, it was more comfortable to start as early as possible. I’ve gotten in the habit of being up and about by six.”
“You won’t need to be that early here.”
“Okay.” She wasn’t sure what else to say. “The lake is beautiful.”
“And peaceful.” This time when he reeled in the line, he had a small bass attached. “Do you fish?”
He hadn’t faced her again and that made it easier to converse. “When I was younger, my sister and I would visit our grandparents for the weekend and we’d fish in their pond. That was years ago, though.” This was the strangest interview she’d ever had. It was also less stressful than she’d anticipated.
Had Cooper Cochran planned it that way—or did he just love to fish?
“You don’t fish with them anymore?”
“They passed away several years ago. Granddad first, and my Grandma not long after.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Sounds like you made good memories with them, though.”
“Yes.” Fascinated, she watched as he worked the hook easily from the fish’s mouth, then he bent and placed it gently back in the water before rinsing his hands. “Too small to keep?”
“I rarely keep what I catch.” He gestured toward a picnic table. “Let’s talk.”
Until then, she hadn’t noticed the tackle box and towel on the summer-bleached wooden table.
She followed Cochran, then out of habit waited until he’d chosen a spot so she could take the side opposite him—a habit she’d gotten into with men. These days she preferred as much distance as she could manage.
He stepped over the bench, dropped the towel, pushed up his sunglasses and seated himself.
Golden-brown eyes took her by surprise. They were a stark contrast to his heavy brows and the blunt angles of his face.
She realized she was staring, that he merely stared back with one brow lifted, and she quickly looked away. Thankfully, she still wore the clip-on sunglasses over her regular glasses, giving her a hint of concealment.
She retreated behind idle chitchat. “I studied the map online and feel like I know my way around. The lake is more impressive than I’d realized. The photos don’t do it justice.”
“I’ve been meaning to update the website,” he said. “It’s been busy, though. We lost our groundskeeper and housekeeper at the same time.”
“Someone had both positions?”
He smiled with some private amusement. “No. Either position is a full-time job. But without any of us noticing, the two of them fell in love, married and then headed to Florida to retire.”
“Oh.” She expected to find many things at the resort, but love wasn’t on the list. Love wasn’t even in her universe.
Not anymore.
“You said you checked out the map online?”
“Actually, I researched everything I could about the place, including the surrounding grounds, and I’m sure I’d be a good fit for the job.”
When he looked past her, she quickly turned her head to find a woman approaching with a metal coffeepot in one hand, the handles of two mugs hooked through the fingers of the other.
Cooper stood. “Perfect timing, Maris.”
The woman’s smile was easy and friendly. “I was watching.” Long dark blond hair, caught in a high ponytail, swung behind her with every step. Soft brown eyes glanced at Phoenix. “Good morning.”
“Morning.”
“Coffee?” She set one mug in front of Cooper and filled it.
Phoenix nodded. “Yes, please.”
Maris filled the second mug, then dug creamer cups and sugar packets from a sturdy apron pocket, along with a plastic wrapped spoon. “Coop drinks his black, but I wasn’t sure about you.”
Anyone who presented her with coffee on a cool morning instantly earned her admiration. “I can take it any way I get it, but I prefer a little cream and sugar, so thank you.”
Cooper reseated himself. “Maris Kennedy, meet Phoenix Rose. Maris runs the camp store. Phoenix is here about the position for groundskeeper.”
Slim brows went up. “Really? I was assuming housekeeper.”
Cooper’s smile did amazing things to his rugged face, and disastrous things to her concentration.
He explained to Phoenix, “We’ve never had a woman tend the grounds.” Then to Maris, he said, “Ms. Rose used to run her own landscaping company. She’s more than qualified and we’d be lucky to get her.”
Phoenix perked up. Did that mean he’d already made up his mind to hire her?
“Especially now.” Maris leaned a hip against the end of the table. “I don’t know if Coop told you, but we’re starting this season short-handed. We were all taking turns with the grounds and the housekeeping, so everyone will be thrilled to take one thing off their list.”
Still unsure if she had the job or not, Phoenix said, “It’d be my pleasure to make things easier. If I’m hired I can start right away.” She glanced at Cooper and added, “Today even.”
Maris straightened. “Seriously?”
Already feeling a sense of purpose that had been missing for too long from her life, Phoenix nodded. “I’m anxious to get started.”
Cooper put his elbows on the table and leaned forward. “Then consider yourself hired.”
Copyright © 2018 by Lori Foster