THEY SAT AROUND a bonfire near the pond by the farm. Maxi and Miles had done an amazing job with the place since their wedding. The parklike setting made a perfect location for everyone to get together—and they routinely did.
Brand watched Justice and Fallon, newly married now, amused that Justice couldn’t keep his hands off her. He had Fallon in his lap, and he kept nuzzling her ear. Not that Fallon appeared to mind. In fact, given the way she encouraged him, no one would ever again call her shy or reserved.
Sitting cross-legged on the ground in front of Leese, leaning back against his legs, Catalina sketched the landscape highlighted by the crimson glow of a setting sun. She was two months pregnant, and it was almost like they were all becoming dads, everyone was so excited. Leese kept a perpetual smile on his face—and he was even more protective than usual.
Next to Brand, Sahara stroked a large cat while talking about the house they’d bought together.
A house that would become a real home.
“I’ve almost finished remodeling it,” she said. “Once we move out of the Body Armor suite, we’ll have a party so everyone can visit.”
“I want to see the bedroom,” Justice said with a grin. “Brand says you designed the whole thing to go around that one piece of art.”
Miles stepped back into the circle with Maxi, both of them carrying trays of sandwiches and drinks they’d just gotten from the house.
Maxi said, “I thought Catalina did a painting for you.”
“She did.” Sahara smiled. “It’s a stunning piece that now hangs in the dining room.”
Miles said to his wife, “The artwork in the bedroom is something unique.”
Catalina looked up. “Well, now I’m curious.”
Leese lifted his beer in a toast. “What do you get the woman who has everything?”
Sahara looked around at all their friends. “It was the most romantic gesture ever.” She sighed. “Brand had my shiv placed in a fancy open frame so that it fits with the expensive decor, but is accessible if I ever need to grab it.”
Now that he was a bodyguard, too, Sahara’s own personal bodyguard, she wouldn’t need her makeshift weapon—but he knew she liked it. The gesture might have come off as a joke, at least to everyone else. After all, the men were all grinning and the women laughed.
But Sahara knew the true meaning of his gift—a symbol that she’d impressed him, that he respected her ingenuity and capability and most of all that he loved her, everything about her, including her take-charge persona.
That’s why, even as she petted the cat one-handed, she leaned on his shoulder. “I do have everything,” she whispered in his ear, “now that I have you.”
Life didn’t get much better than this.
*
Look for COOPER’S CHARM, the lush new novel from Lori Foster and HQN Books.
Read on for a sneak peek...
Introducing Harlequin DARE.
Sexy. Passionate. Bold.
Harlequin DARE pushes the boundaries of sexual explicitness while keeping the focus on the developing romantic relationship. Calling all fun and fearless heroines! Come meet the alpha heroes of your wildest dreams.
Enjoy four new stories from Harlequin DARE every month!
Available Now
A WEEK TO BE WILD by J C Harroway
LEGAL SEDUCTION by Lisa Childs
OFF LIMITS by Clare Connelly
RULED by Anne Marsh Connect with us on Harlequin.com for more.
Cooper's Charm
by Lori Foster
CHAPTER ONE
THE SUN SHONE brightly on that early mid-May morning. The crisp, cool air smelled of damp leaves, an earthy scent that wasn’t unappealing. 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 rows of RVs 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 in the view. Besides, after driving for a few hours, she’d enjoy stretching her legs.
Breathing deeply, she filled her lungs with fresh air while 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 the Cooper’s Charm RV Park and Resort.
Before submitting her resume to the online wanted ad, she’d scoured 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, but the online brochure claimed the lake was already open, as was the heated inground 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 she’d spent 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 in, Arrived.
Despite the early hour, Ridley immediately replied, Are you sure about this?
Positive, Phoenix responded. She hadn’t been this certain in ages. I just 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 as her heart swelled. Through thick and thin, Ridley was her backup, her support system, and the person she trusted most in the whole world. It didn’t matter that Ridley lived a very different lifestyle, or that their goals in life were miles apart.
Phoenix loved working with her hands, staying busy and took satisfaction from a job well done.
Ridley enjoyed seeing the world in nearly nonstop travel to posh destinations, had an exquisite flair for the latest fashions and detested being messy in any way.
Different, but still sisters through and through.
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 the start of 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 on a basic level that big men were powerful men.