Page 14 of One-of-a-Kind Bride (Home to Texas #1)

Popcorn wasn’t really what she wanted. What she wanted was not to be unnerved by the Tigers’ coach. She didn’t want to feel unexpected thrills every time Coop gave her a glance. She needed a distraction and popcorn seemed like the easy out.

She headed along the left field fence, eyeing Cassie, crouched, focused and ready to run, her helmet fitting her just like her hard hat—oversized and adorable.

As Taylor was making her way to the snack area another blistering crack reached her ears.

Shouts rang out from the bleachers and players, “Heads up!”

Whatever that meant.

A man coming toward her yelled, “Look out!”

She looked up just in time to see the ball firing down on her. Then a smack to the side of her head brought her to her knees. And the shock of the hit took her the rest of the way down.

“Damn it!” Coop’s voice seemed to be coming from a faraway place and then nothing.

*

“Taylor! Taylor! Wake up!”

Taylor opened her eyes slowly. She looked up, into a blue haze, not sure what she was seeing, where she was.

And then the fuzz cleared and she was able to focus.

It was Coop. He was hunched over her, concern in his eyes.

She tried to concentrate, tried to remember.

She was on her way to the snack bar and out of the blue, literally, a ball came barreling down on her.

As her memory returned, so did the pain. Her head pounded.

“Hey,” Coop said softly, though there was no softness on his expression.

All she saw was worry and alarm. How did he get to her so fast? He must’ve hopped the fence and raced over.

“How’re you feeling?”

A crowd had swarmed around them, but they circled clear of Coop. He was in charge apparently.

“Like I’ve been struck by lightning,” she answered.

He nodded. “It’s gonna be okay. Soon as I get you to the hospital. Have that head checked out.” Someone handed him an ice pack. “This is gonna be cold. But it’ll keep the swelling down. You’re gonna have a nice bump.”

He applied the ice pack, and the cold shot straight through her head.

“I don’t need to go to the hospital.” She hinged her body up, and was immediately sorry. Everything swam in her head. She glanced at Coop again, who had his hands on her arms, steadying her.

“Whoa, not so fast.”

“I’ll be fine,” she said, not too convincingly.

“Maybe. Hopefully, but you need to get checked out. Think you can stand up?”

She gave a tiny nod. No sense jostling her achy head any more. “Yeah.”

She stood with his help, but everything went fuzzy again and she swayed to one side.

“Yeah, I don’t think so,” Coop said and then she was being lifted in his arms. He cushioned her carefully, one arm under her knees and the other against her back. She had no choice but to hold on, wrapping her arm around his neck.

“Keep the ice pack on,” he whispered to her.

“Okay.” She held it steady.

“I’m taking you to the hospital.”

Joe Cooper made it through the crowd, Cassie by his side. “Should I call 911?” he asked.

“No,” she said immediately. “I’ll be fine in a minute. Please?” she asked of Coop.

“No thanks, Dad. Just stay with Cassie.”

“But your game…” she protested.

“Will go on. I’ve got an assistant coach. Now, just relax, close your eyes and I’ll take care of it.”

She did relax, as much as she could nestled against his chest, held in his capable strong arms. He carried her to his truck and gently guided her into the front passenger seat. The seat cushioned her bottom and she laid her head against the headrest. “This is embarrassing.”

Coop came across her body, the scent of his lime soap jostling her senses as he pulled her seat belt out and strapped her in. “More embarrassing than diving into your aunt Suzie’s pool and losing your bathing suit top?”

“Gosh, you remember that?”

“What thirteen-year-old boy wouldn’t?”

He gave her a look, inches from her face, his eyes sharp and gleaming with the slightest twinkle.

She sighed and his focus went to her mouth. They were close, unbearably so, but Coop lingered there, in the moment staring at her lips. Her breath caught and suddenly she forgot all about the ache in her head. She sighed deeply, her heart racing.

“But you fished it out of the pool and closed your eyes when you handed it to me,” she said softly.

“I wasn’t too smart back then,” he teased.

“You rescued me then, and now you’re doing it again.”

“Force of habit, I guess.”

She laid her hand on his cheek, looked into his eyes. “Thanks.”

He swallowed and backed away as if she were on fire. “No problem.” Then he closed her door and climbed into the driver’s seat.

And they didn’t speak the rest of the way to the hospital.

*

Coop sat down on his bed, leaned his forearms over his knees, and ran his hands through his hair.

He didn’t want to feel the things he was feeling.

He didn’t want to allow any emotions to escape from where he kept them locked and hidden away.

He was done feeling, done with that part of his life.

And his life was good now, having crawled out from under a landslide of grief.

He’d survived Francine’s death. Though barely.

And he still missed her. But he’d had to go on.

He had a daughter that he loved to high heaven and she’d needed her father to fill in the voids in her life.

But seeing that ball come down on Taylor today worried the hell out of him and he’d let all rational sense fly out the window.

He couldn’t get to her fast enough. He couldn’t allow anyone else to see to her injury.

His heart had pounded like a jackhammer, and he’d raced to her, high-jumping over the fence to be by her side.

He couldn’t bear to lose another… He closed his eyes. Oh man. Don’t think it, don’t say it .

He couldn’t bear to lose her. Not Taylor.

His feelings for her had never died. Not really and he’d just realized it as he carried her in his arms to his truck.

As he breathed in the sweet scent of her, held her near and prayed she’d be okay.

He cared for her. Even though she’d chosen her career over him.

Even though she’d tossed away everything he’d wanted.

She’d be going back to New York soon, and with her talent, she’d land on her feet.

And he’d go on being Cassie’s widower dad.

According to the emergency room doctor, she’d been lucky the ball had only grazed her head. She’d have a bruise for a few days but should be fine. What a relief.

When Julie had shown up at the hospital, Coop hadn’t argued about taking Taylor home. Though it was hard letting her go, it wasn’t his place. They were just barely friends again and he had to remember that.

Coop sighed and glanced at his nightstand, flirting with temptation.

It was only a few seconds before he gave in and pulled out his bedside drawer.

Inside, he lifted out the promise box and held it in his hand, checking it out again.

He ran a finger along the etched initials, RC and TP.

He’d been so young then, and the quality of his workmanship made him smile.

Not bad for a young kid. He’d worked darn hard on making this for Taylor.

And after they’d declared it their promise box, his dad had taught him how to attach hinges and a flip latch onto it.

The box had weathered years of isolation under that gazebo, long forgotten.

Now he stared at it, wondering what Taylor’s last promise was to him.

He scoffed. “Probably something lame.” But he held on to the box, not ready to open it.

Not ready to have that part of his life over.

“Daddy?” Cassie came into the room dressed in her cozy pajamas. He set the box back into his nightstand and closed the drawer.

“What is it, Cass?”

Cassie put her head down, studying the floor. “How’s Taylor?”

“She’s going to be just fine. The hit wasn’t as hard as it looked. She’ll have a bruise for a few days, but that’s all.”

“That’s good.”

Coop knew when something was bothering his daughter. She stood there, quiet as a mouse.

He lifted her chin gently with his index finger until she met his eyes. “What’s wrong?”

Tears pooled in her eyes. “It’s my fault she got hurt.”

Wow. He hadn’t expected that. His daughter surprised him sometimes. Tough on the outside, but inside she was soft as a marshmallow. She had her mother’s good heart.

“And what makes you think that?”

“I asked her to come to my game. If I didn’t ask her, she wouldn’t have come and gotten hurt.” Cassie’s lips quivered.

It hurt to see her lay the blame on herself, but he mustered up and told it like it was.

“It’s not your fault, Cass. You didn’t make her agree to come.

The decisions adults make are usually well thought out.

If she didn’t want to come, she wouldn’t have.

It’s like if I asked you to pick up your toys outside, and you go running down the steps and trip, is it my fault you tripped and got hurt because I asked you to clean up? ”

She shook her head. “No, but, Daddy, I heard you tell Grandpa Joe it was your fault that Mommy died. Because you sent her to the market for ice cream and she…she never came back.”

Coop’s breath caught in his throat. Everything stilled inside as a slow burn began to slide down to his gut.

He had no idea Cassie had overheard that conversation.

He didn’t voice his guilt often, but it was always there, just on the edge of his mind, batting him over the head to remind him if he ever found some peace.

He’d blamed himself from day one and his child was motherless because of it.

If only he hadn’t craved ice cream that day. If only she hadn’t volunteered to get it for him. It was a cruel twist of fate that his love of ice cream would result in his wife’s death.

He wrapped his hands gently around Cassie’s arms, making direct eye contact with her sad blue eyes.

“And, Cass, you know what Grandpa said to me? Did you hear that?”

She shook her head. “I don’t remember.”