Cooper's Charm (Love at the Resort #1)
Lori Foster
1
The sun shone brightly on that early mid-May morning. The crisp, cool air smelled of damp leaves—an appealing, earthy scent. 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, winding rows of RVs and fifth wheels 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 it in.
Besides, after driving for a few hours, she’d enjoy stretching her legs.
Breathing deeply, she filled her lungs with fresh air, 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 Cooper’s Charm RV Park and Resort.
Before submitting her résumé to the online wanted ad, she’d scoured over 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 today—or even this month—but the online brochure claimed the lake was already open, as was the heated in-ground 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 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, Arrived.
Despite the early hour, Ridley immediately texted back, Are you sure about this?
Positive, Phoenix replied. She hadn’t been this certain in ages. 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 even as she rolled her eyes. Ridley had the misguided notion that everyone else shared her skewed but adoring perception. I’ll settle for a job, thank you very much.
Keep me posted. Love you.
Her heart swelled. Through thick and thin, Ridley was her backup, her support system, and the person she trusted most in the whole world. Her parents were great too, very attentive and protective, but it was her sister who best understood her. It didn’t matter that Ridley lived a very different lifestyle, or that their goals in life were so different.
Phoenix loved working with her hands, staying busy, and took satisfaction from a job well done.
Ridley enjoyed seeing the world, traveling nearly nonstop to posh destinations, had an exquisite flair for the latest fashions and detested being messy in any way.
Different, but still best friends through and through.
Phoenix signed off in her usual way. Love you, too. Byeeeee...
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 a start toward 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 the hard way, on a very basic level, that big men were also 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 feet four inches. 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 on 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, though 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. She’d always been able to hide that fear from her parents, but Ridley was a different matter. Her sister would take one look at her and understand.
But Ridley wasn’t here now, and this job was important...
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 with 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 typical 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, unpleasant only in its unfamiliarity.
Releasing her by 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.”