Page 5 of One-of-a-Kind Bride (Home to Texas #1)

C oop couldn’t believe his eyes. He stared out the window of his truck.

The girl in the runaway bride getup was Taylor Preston.

And she was prettier than he recalled. All that silky dark hair, those wide green-as-grass eyes kind of punched him in the gut.

Sure, he’d known she was due back in town for the wedding.

He’d heard enough about it from Miguel and Julie, but seeing her again, in the flesh, wearing that damn wedding outfit, just about knocked his boots off.

It shouldn’t. It’d been almost twelve years, but first loves died hard, and she had been all that.

“Funny, Coop. Real…funny,” she said, her labored breaths bringing her chest up and down. She was definitely winded. “I’m after Julie’s dog, she escaped.”

“Need some help?”

She glanced at him, frowning. His earlier comment didn’t set well with her, he figured. But he couldn’t just leave her to chase the dog by herself.

She squinted down the road and finally nodded. “Yes.”

“I’ll find her,” he said, realizing now wasn’t the time to reminisce. “Wait here. Catch your breath.” He tossed her a bottle of water and was surprised that she’d caught it. He didn’t miss the grudging acceptance in her eyes. “Drink. I’ll be back in a minute.”

“She…could…be anywhere,” she said, heaving another breath, her cheeks flushed with color.

“I’ll find her,” he said a second time, gunning the engine and pulling away, catching a glimpse of her reflection in the rearview mirror. She was standing there, looking a little dumbfounded and beautiful as ever in that fancy wedding gown.

Coop sighed. She was another lifetime ago. And this was now.

He scanned the landscape, looking for the pup, and when he thought he spotted her, a little speck of blond against the green shrubs, he stopped the truck and got out. He put two fingers in his mouth and whistled once, twice, and then called the dog by name. “Here, Muffin.”

The pup lifted her head up from the brush, spotted him, thought about it a second, then put her tail between her legs and curled her body in a defensive posture as she ambled over.

“Muffin, where do you think you’re going, girl?”

Her tail began to wag. She recognized his voice.

Coop bent and gave the dog a pat behind her ears. “Don’t you know it’s a dangerous world out there? Sometimes, when you go running off, you can’t find your way back home.”

The irony was killing him. Here he was giving the pup a sermon about leaving behind those who love you, when the epitome of that very thing was marching up the road, clutching handfuls of white fabric, her long dark hair catching the breeze.

He picked up the dog and walked back to his truck. By that time, Taylor made her way over.

“Thank goodness you found her,” she said, her voice tight, the relief on her face almost tangible. “I’d never forgive myself if something happened to her.”

“No harm, no foul,” Coop said, rising with the pup in his arms. He couldn’t say the same about the two of them. There’d been plenty of harm. “You through with your water?”

Taylor glanced at her right hand, looking a bit shocked that she still held the bottle. “Uh, yeah.”

Coop reached for it, his fingers brushing over her delicate hand.

The moment froze in time, and they gazed deep into each other’s eyes.

Her lips were pink, her cheeks flushed and her green eyes were just as large and expressive as he’d remembered.

They’d been friends, then more than friends, and all of that was reflected in her eyes, on her expression.

He cleared his throat and directed his attention to the dog. “Here you go, Muffin.” He poured water into her mouth and the parched pup lapped it up.

“I thought her name was Muffy.”

Coop smiled slow and steady now. “She’s Muffy to everyone but me.”

“Oh, I see. And why is that?”

“Because Muffin’s her real name.”

“Says Coop, the guy who’s gone by his shortened last name for his entire life.”

“Says the girl who was chasing down a dog in someone else’s weddin’ gown.”

She gave him her chin. “How do you know it’s not my…my wedding gown.”

Hell if it was. His brows lifted. “Is it?”

She shook her head. “No. Do people still call you Coop?”

He eyed her. “Most people do. My wife used to call me Ryan.” Coop took a swallow, wondering why on earth he just told her that.

He didn’t talk about Francine. Not to anyone. She’d been gone for three years and still the pain gnawed in his gut.

“Get in. I’ll give you a ride back to Julie’s.”

Taylor was silent as she opened the door and climbed into the cab of the truck.

He tucked Muffin over the Silverado’s side panel and set her inside the bed. “Lie down,” he said firmly. The dog did as she was told and set her head on her front paws. She gazed up at him, looking remorseful. “Stay.”

“Is she safe back there?” Taylor asked.

“Should be. Didn’t want her dirty paws ruining the gown.”

“It’ll be an easy fix,” she said, unconcerned.

She was a big fashion designer now. She’d gone after her dream and had achieved it. At least losing her had meant something. At least she’d been the success she’d always wanted to be, so it wasn’t all for nothing.

“I’m sorry about your wife, Coop,” she said quietly. “I didn’t hear about it right away. I’m…it must have been hard.”

Her voice held too much sympathy, too much understanding.

He didn’t know what to do with that. He couldn’t say, “It’s okay.

” Because it wasn’t. He couldn’t pass off Francine’s death as something frivolous.

Losing her had been monumental and put a giant hole in his heart. “We met when I was living in LA.”

She nodded and turned her body toward him. “You have a child?”

Coop couldn’t keep the smile off his face. His daughter was a bright spot in his life. “Cassie, yeah. She’s eight. We live with my father now. Dad was getting up in age and Cassie needed the stability so we moved back here.”

“You’re working construction with your dad?”

“Dad’s mostly retired. He’s Grandpa Joe now, and helps out with Cassie.”

“I bet he loves that. Your dad was always good with kids.”

“Yeah, he does.” Coop gave her a glance, their eyes connecting.

He had to stop looking at her like she was the girl he knew, the girl he’d played with every summer.

The girl who’d stolen his young heart. He didn’t know Taylor at all anymore.

She had a whole life back in New York. And he’d moved on too, their lives taking completely different paths.

He couldn’t forget Francine and how much she’d meant him.

How she’d filled a void in his life and gave him a daughter.

Seeing Taylor again after all this time shouldn’t matter.

It didn’t. She was once his friend and that was how he’d leave it, despite the green eyes and familiar pretty face.

Despite her long, dark wavy hair and contagious smile.

He started the engine and made a U-turn with his truck, keeping his gaze focused on the road. Taylor was quiet on the short drive and he wasn’t about to encourage any more conversation. Once he pulled up to Julie’s house, he set the parking brake and gave her a glance.

Her eyes fluttered and she sighed, as if the weight of the world rested on her shoulders. What was with her, running around in that getup, showing up three weeks early to Last Stand? Yeah, he’d noticed.

“Well, thanks for the ride,” she said, breaking the awkward silence. “And for the rescue.” It struck him how she sat in the passenger seat with all that ivory cascading around her like a porcelain doll encased in folds of material. “I don’t think I would’ve caught up to Muffy without your help.”

“No problem.” He got out of the truck.

Taylor climbed out too, struggling with the gown a bit as she met him around the back end, where Muffy was waiting, her paws scratching at the tailgate.

“I’ll get her,” Taylor said. “No need to delay you any longer. Thanks again.” She reached in just as the dog leapt into her arms.

Traitor.

Taylor held the puppy firmly under her arm and began walking toward the house. He was two steps behind her and when she turned, her brows gathered in puzzlement. “We’re fine now, Coop. You don’t have to—”

“I was heading to Julie’s when I spotted you.”

“Oh, uh. To see me?”

He supposed it was only natural for her to think that. “I have an appointment with Miguel.”

Pink color touched her cheeks again. He recalled her getting flustered a lot when they were younger. He used to think she was a sissy, until that last year, when he found her blushing totally adorable. It still was pretty darn cute.

“Miguel isn’t here right now. He had some car trouble and Julie went to pick him up.”

“That’s okay. I’ll wait,” he said and when she stepped into the house, he followed her inside.

She put the dog down and made sure the front door was sufficiently shut and locked behind him.

She smiled. “Don’t want another escape on my watch.”

“That’s probably wise.”

“So, uh, would you like to sit down?” she asked.

“I will in a second. So, is that Julie’s gown you’re wearing?” There were smudges on the front of the dress, along with a hem that had picked up a lot of Texas red dirt.

“Yes.”

“Your design?”

“My design. I was trying it on for her when she got the call from Miguel. She took off quickly.”

“And left the door open?”

She nodded and shot daggers at the dog lying lazily by the fireplace now. “That little booger sure can run fast.”

He chuckled, finding the lopsided veil on her head, the crumpled mess of a gown and her particular expression right now pretty darn comical. As least some things about Taylor hadn’t changed. She could still make him laugh. “She did give you a run for your money. Good thing I came along when I did.”

“Yeah…good thing.” Though when he’d driven up, she’d looked anything but happy to see him.

Their eyes met and he couldn’t quite look away. “Are you sure you can clean the dress?”

“I’m sure. It’ll look like new when I’m through with it.”