Chapter Sixteen
“Pass the rolls, please.” Cooper’s sister Leah plucked a roll from the bread basket.
“How many is that?” Grams stared at the nearly empty basket.
“You know I have a weakness for Hazel’s honey-baked dinner rolls.”
“Don’t we all.” Rachel stuck her arm out and grabbed one for herself.
“I saw in the paper this morning that Manning has been under investigation for some time and is now up on a list of charges as long as my arm.” The Governor slathered butter on his roll. “Teresa catching him in the act of pouring recycled concrete was pretty much his nail in the coffin.”
Cooper couldn’t help but grin. He was so darn proud of Tess, even though at the time he wanted to kill her for facing down a greedy and potentially unpredictable scoundrel. The doorbell rang and he practically knocked his chair out from under him, pushing away from the table. “I’ll get it.” Tess had hoped to be at the ranch before the family sat down to Saturday lunch, but on her way out the door, her car wouldn’t start. Even though Cooper’s first instinct was to pick her and Emma up, Tess convinced him she’d get there faster letting roadside service get her rolling. This was the third time her cheap for now car had left her nearly stranded. No matter how often the dealership checked the car over, no matter how many things they fixed, she was still stranded too many times.
Flinging the door open, Tess stood with Emma in her arms. Before he could say a word, Emma flung herself at him. In the nick of time, he took hold of her before she slipped out of Tess’s grip. The toddler’s giggles would lift anyone’s mood. Not that his mood needed lifting, he was merely a little nervous that Tess was going to be annoyed with him when she found out what he’d done.
“Gams,” the little cherub called and within seconds, his grandmother was coming down the hall, arms out, ready to cradle the child. Sometimes, he forgot how old his grandparents were. The only reminder of their age was the cane his grandfather occasionally used. Though supposedly it was for balance, the old man really seemed to use it more for announcing his arrival. In the house, Cooper didn’t even know where the Governor kept the darn thing.
“There’s my girl.” Grams embraced her in one arm, using her other hand to tickle her tummy.
As expected, Emma grinned and giggled.
Grams turned to face Cooper. “She looks more and more like you every day.”
“Grams,” he almost whined.
Shaking her head and swaying in place, Grams waved him off and walked away.
“Do you think they’ll ever believe you’re not her biological father?”
Tess leaned into Cooper as he slipped his arm around her waist and inched them down the hall. “Does it matter? When we’re married, she’ll be mine anyhow.” He leaned in and kissed her temple.
“Someday Emma will have to know the truth.”
“As far as I’m concerned, what will matter is that I’ll be her daddy. It won’t matter who her biological father is.”
Coming to a stop, Tess turned in the fold of his arms and pushed onto her tippy toes to kiss him for real. “Just one of many reasons I love you, Cooper Baron.”
He lowered his head, kept her in the circle of his arms, and decided now was as good a time as any to break the news to her. “Since you’re in such a good mood, I have something to tell you.”
“Shoot.” She held her smile.
“Promise you won’t get mad at me.”
Chuckling, she lightly pecked his lips. “No promises, but I’ll do my best.”
Here went nothing. Slipping his hand down to snatch hers into his grip, he turned her around and walked her back out the front door.
The frown between her brows displayed her confusion.
With a houseful of family, there were plenty of cars parked in front of the ranch. Including his gift for his fiancée. Walking through the parked cars, Tess remained quiet, her hand firmly in his. Pausing in front of the red SUV, he took in a deep breath and said a fast prayer for the umpteenth time since buying the vehicle. “What do you think?”
“Of what?”
He touched the door handle and opened it. “There’s plenty of room for Emma’s car seat, and another one for, well, some day, and for more people too. It has that third-row seat you said you wanted.”
Her lips pressed tightly together, she stared at the car and then slowly looked up to face him. “I’m not sure I’m following. You bought a new car even though you have enough vehicles at your disposal to open your own used car lot?”
“It’s not for me. It’s for you.”
“You bought me a car?”
Silently, he nodded.
“It’s red.”
“You mentioned in passing that you wished you didn’t have a car the same color as everyone else in the parking lot. I might have noticed you eyeing red cars more than others.”
“You noticed?” Every day this man found new ways to surprise her.
“I notice everything about you.” He squeezed her hand. “Are you mad?”
“Mad? Why would I be mad?”
“Devlin says picking out a car without your fiancée is like buying a house without your wife.”
“Under normal circumstances, I’d agree with Devlin, but most fiancés aren’t as observant and thoughtful as you are.” She ran her hand along the edge of the door. “It’s beautiful.”
“Go ahead. Sit inside. If you don’t like it, we can pick out something else. The dealer dropped it off on approval. We can get you whatever you like if you don’t want to keep this.”
Shushing him, she put her finger on his lips. “It’s perfect. I love it.”
“Really?”
Wrapping her arms around his neck, she gave him a peck on the cheek and then spinning around, sat in the front seat. The leather seats were considerably more comfortable than her old car. From what she could see of the dashboard, this sucker pretty much came with every bell and whistle imaginable, probably more than she’d ever find the time to use. Running her fingers along the steering wheel she sighed.
Her career choices had gone very well. Teresa made a good living, a very good living, but she was always hesitant to indulge in things for herself. Especially expensive things like new cars. Slowly, she was working on letting Cooper give her things she would not get herself. At first it bothered her just a little, like the argument in the jewelry store because she didn’t want the five carat monstrosity he’d wanted to give her. Instead they compromised on a single carat solitaire. Once she realized how much Cooper enjoyed giving and reminded herself that for him, buying a car was like someone else buying a pair of shoes, it became a little easier.
“Hey,” Leah called loudly from the front door. “Are you planning on eating lunch with us, or are you waiting for the next millennium?”
“I guess we’d better go inside.” Cooper moved aside. When she stepped out of her new car, he put his arms around her. “Do you have any idea how much I love you?”
Circling her arms around his waist, she grinned up at him. “However much, I love you more.”
“That’s not possible.” He once again pulled her close and kissed her.
She had no idea who loved who more, but Teresa was sure of at least one thing, between them there was enough love to share of many decades to come.