Chapter Nine
It was mid-morning on Wednesday and Haley was filled with an excitement she hadn’t felt in years. She was heading to the high school to check out the town swap meet and support the football team and their fundraising. A win/win. But the best part was that Cord was joining her.
“I’ll be ready in a few minutes,” he said, walking into the house. He was going with her to scout out some supplies for the stalls. “I need to grab a quick shower first.”
And she needed to wait outside, because being in the house while he was naked and wet just down the hall was way too tempting on her resolve to keep their one-time thing…a one-time thing.
She grabbed her purse, notepad, and pen, and headed outside on the porch to wait for a fully clothed Cord to emerge. Playing it smart was the way she’d have to roll while he was at the ranch. It was safer, too. Taking advantage of the time, she jotted down ideas of supplies to look for, and had just settled on one when Cord stepped onto the porch.
Her heart leaped in her chest. Being fully clothed did nothing to lessen his sex appeal. A pair of jeans—faded in all the right places—hugged his lean hips and stole her breath. With safe and smart uppermost in her mind, she immediately ripped her gaze from the “danger zone” to take in the light gray T-shirt stretched to perfection, and the…Stetson?
Dayam. She was used to seeing either his Ranger cover or simple ball cap on his head. Catching a glimpse of his cowboy side made him appear 100 percent Texan. And she was 100 percent appreciative.
“Ready?” he asked.
Lordy, was she ever…
“Yep.” Shaking off her Cord stupor, she shoved her notepad and pen into her purse and stood. “Let’s go.” Before the stupor returned.
By the time they pulled into the busy high school parking lot, she regained control of her mental faculties and happily answered his questions about the town and the school.
“How long did you go here?” he asked, cutting the engine.
“A year and a half,” she replied. “I was halfway through my junior year when my uncle got custody of me.”
His gaze narrowed on her. “Must’ve been tough.”
She shrugged. “It got easier when I moved in with Uncle John. Bouncing back and forth between my mother’s two sisters was tough. I liked being with him instead.”
Cord nodded. “Upheaval is tough. Especially at a young age.”
His tone bespoke of experience, and her heart lurched at the implication.
“Did you move around when you were a kid?”
“Just once,” he replied. “We sold our ranch after my dad died and moved to Austin to live with my grandmother. Lizzy was ten. It was hard on her at first.”
Her heart squeezed at the thought of all the younger Cord had gone through. She had no trouble envisioning him stepping up to fill his father’s shoes as head of the family. Shame he hadn’t learned to step back yet.
She set a hand on his arm, and he turned a startled gaze on her. “Had to be hard on you, too. How old were you? Fourteen? Fifteen?”
Something unreadable passed through his eyes. “Almost fifteen.”
It explained his responsible demeanor and why he tugged free and slipped from the truck. He was uncomfortable talking about himself.
Too bad.
“You got a job after school, didn’t you?” she asked, meeting him in front of the truck.
His lips twitched, but he didn’t elaborate.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” She chuckled and fell into step alongside him on their way toward the football field full of vendors, and the sign permanently honoring Drew, Whitney High’s all-American hero.
People in town still came up to her gushing about his glory days, or how he’d helped this one out at their ranch, or that one at their hardware store, telling her how lucky she had been to be his wife. And for the most part, they were right. The other part, she kept to herself. They didn’t need to know Drew’s shortcomings. Neither did his Ranger buddies. And they wouldn’t. Not by her.
Her husband’s death had to be hardest on Cord and Brick. The three had gone through training together. That was why it was important to her to make sure their memories remained fond. She could tell by the way he stiffened up after reading the sign that it was still hard for him.
“Drew never mentioned you went to school together,” Cord said.
“Because we didn’t. He was five years ahead of me. We met in Colorado on a rafting trip.”
“Small world.”
She nodded. And a cruel one at times. But she wasn’t going to let it be today. No, today they were going to have a little bit of fun. “How are you at throwing ping pong balls into fishbowls?”
It was one of her favorite game stands sprinkled in throughout the flea market.
His gaze lightened and his lips twitched. “Good. I used to win them for Lizzie all the time.”
“Yeah?” She raised a brow. “So am I. Care to take me on? All the proceeds for the games go to the football team.”
He cocked his head. “Depends. What does the winner get? And don’t say the fish.”
“Darn.” She chuckled. “Fine. How about the loser gets to mow the south pasture in this blazing heat?”
She watched his expression and smiled at the battle she knew was going on in his head. He already assumed she would lose and be the one to cut the pasture, but he didn’t want her to do that chore. Since arriving at her ranch, he had yet to let her cut anything. The way she figured it, she was a winner either way.
“Alright.” Challenge sparked in his eyes and brightened his features. “You’re on.”
Setting his hand at the small of her back, he guided her through the crowd to the fish booth where they settled into a spot between two families. He handed money to a teenager working the stand, and the kid set a basket of ping pong balls in front of them.
“Ladies first,” Cord said, standing back to give her room.
She smiled. “Okay, but I’m only tossing six; you get the other half.”
Last thing she needed was a dozen fish, which was possible if they landed all twelve balls. By the time she finished, four of her six were floating in colored water, and the only reason it hadn’t been all six was because her balls had collided with others midair.
Smiling, she switched places with a smirking Cord and watched him land five out of his six. Dammit.
“Wow, you two are good.” A cute little boy on her right blinked up at her and Cord, adoration rounding his big brown eyes. “I was trying to win some for my sister over there but didn’t get any in the bowls.” He pointed to a sweet toddler in a stroller reaching for him and saying, “Sishy.”
“Well, I think we can help you out,” Cord said, then met her gaze briefly before turning to the teenager manning the booth and held up two fingers.
Her heart cracked open and warmth spread through her chest at his sweet gesture. He was something else.
She cleared her throat and smiled down at the little boy. “I’m sure you would’ve landed two, but mine hit yours and knocked them away.”
“Here you go.” Cord presented the boy with two bags filled with water and a gold fish.
Those big brown eyes widened again. “Wow. Thanks! I’m gonna have my sister name them after you. What’s your names?”
“Cord and Haley,” she replied, her stomach fluttering at the thought of their namesakes sharing a fish bowl. Silly, she knew this, but somehow it also felt intimate.
After the little boy’s parents thanked them and walked away, Cord turned to her and raised a brow. “You want the other fish we won?”
“No.” She laughed. “It was mostly about the challenge.”
Mischief gleamed in his emerald eyes. “You up for another one? Or are you afraid of losing again?”
Why that…
“Oh, you’re going down, pal.” She grabbed his hand and tugged him to the next booth.
In the back of her mind, she knew they had supplies to buy, but it was early yet. Besides, for the first time in years, she was feeling happy and carefree, and she got the sense it had been even longer for him.
…
Before Cord knew it, an hour had passed and he was at the final game stand with Haley. The dart game…and she was kicking his ass. Damn darts seemed to bounce right off the balloons he hit while hers popped with ease. But that was okay. Her arms were full of the prizes he’d won. All he carried was a rolled up T-shirt from her prowess at pitching dimes on a plate.
He watched, mesmerized by the way she bit her lower lip as she concentrated on her last dart.
“Yes,” she cried out triumphantly after popping her final balloon.
There was no way he could win. Not with only one dart left. He set it down and faced the grinning woman. “Great job, Haley. What do you do? Sleep with those things under your pillow?” he teased.
She laughed. “No. I did an article on Irish pubs, once, and played across Ireland for research. I’m a quick study.”
“Lady’s choice,” the kid behind the stand said, motioning to his stash of gaudy stuffed animals.
Christ. His gut clenched. She was probably going to pick the biggest, ugliest stuffed animal. What the hell was he going to do with it?
“That one.” She pointed to something but smiled at him over her shoulder, and the pure joy lighting her eyes caught and held his attention. He’d never seen anyone so genuine, so damn beautiful.
No prize could top that smile.
“Here you go.” She stepped close to shove a bright neon-green plush animal into his chest. “Every Warlock needs a dragon.”
He snickered and grabbed his prize, his fingers brushing over hers.
She cleared her throat. “Think he’s bright enough?” she asked, her voice a little breathless.
“Hell yeah. I bet they can see him from the space station.” He smirked. “Thanks for that, by the way.”
Her laughter echoed between them. “You’re welcome. Never let it be said I didn’t take care of the great Warlock.”
Thing was, she took real good care of him. No woman had ever bothered to worry about what he wanted. Haley did. It hadn’t escaped his notice how his favorite things showed up at each meal. She somehow took note of his likes and dislikes and adjusted the meals to suit him. If it wasn’t for the fact he knew she enjoyed what she placed on the table then he would’ve protested. She was something else. She even brought water to him throughout the day, right when he needed it. How the hell did she do that? How did she know? She seemed in tuned to his needs. It was the strangest thing.
And nice. Damn nice. So was the feel of her soft skin. He was reluctant to let her go, but they had too much stuff to carry. “What do you say we take this loot back to the truck before we grab lunch?”
“Sounds good.”
Together they walked to his truck and dropped their winnings on the seat before heading back in search of lunch. His to-do list at the ranch wasn’t getting any shorter, but he refused to rush Haley. He chanced a glance at her, noting the sweet smile still curving her lips. It’d been present most of the morning, and he was reluctant to see it end. He was playing with fire. He knew it but didn’t care.
Being with her like this was nice. Tension seemed to ease from his body in her presence. He was content. Happy. He could breathe. It was nice to breathe without the usual heaviness in his chest. Where the hell it went, he had no idea. It was just gone.
She led him to a stand with the biggest crowd. “Beauregard’s has the best barbeque.”
Again. The amazing woman did it again. Out of all the choices for lunch, she chose the one he would’ve picked.
Standing at the end of the line, she turned to him and set her hand on his arm. “Thanks, Cord.”
“For what?” He frowned, liking the feel of her touch more than he should.
“For today,” she replied.
His lips twitched. “Beating you at the games?”
“Hey. I won two.” She punched his shoulder.
“I know.” Reaching out, he quickly sandwiched her hand between his palm and bicep. “I have a blinding dragon to remind me.”
“Keep it up and I’ll exchange it for the bright pink pig.”
She would, too. Her gaze was full of mischief.
“Point taken.”
“Then I hope you get my other point,” she said, her expression turning serious. “I had a good time this morning. Better than I have in years. Thank you for that, Cord.”
“I had a good time, too.”
She nodded, hand still on his arm, apparently not in any more of a hurry than him to break their connection. “We’re a pair. Maybe while you’re at the ranch we should make sure we don’t let each other get too serious. Kind of hold each other in check, or out of check.”
If it meant seeing more of her smiles, he was all for it and quickly agreed, despite the warning bells going off in his head.
He ignored the bastards.
For most of his life he heeded them, but maybe it was time to buck his own system. To do as she suggested…get “out of check.”
What harm could it do?