The Texan's Wedding Escape. Charlene Sands

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      Roger kissed her briefly. As she waved goodbye to him from the elevator, she took one last look at his apartment. With its sleek furniture and state-of-the-art kitchen, everything about the place screamed edgy. It was sure a far cry from the humble home she lived in with her mother on Masefield Avenue.

      After Tony died, Lauren had given up an apartment she’d shared with a fellow nurse. Her mama needed her, but in truth, Lauren had probably gotten just as much comfort as her mother had from staying in her childhood home on the outskirts of town.

      Pretty soon, though, once she married, she’d be living in the heart of Dallas with Roger.

      The drive home at this time of evening wasn’t easy. Dallas traffic bottled up and she found herself on the road rocking out to Carrie Underwood singing about bad boys and payback.

      It was a good twenty minutes later when she pulled onto Masefield Avenue. A man holding a ledger under his arm was just leaving the house. He nodded to her.

      “Evening, miss,” he said.

      “Hello.” Puzzled, she slowed her steps and watched him get into a car and drive off.

      She entered the house. “Mama?”

      “In the kitchen, honey,” Loretta said.

      Her mama glanced at her as she stepped into the room. The table was littered with papers and paint samples. “Well, I finally got that estimate to paint the entire house, inside and out. And looks like if I agree to have them start tomorrow and pay them cash, he’s gonna give me a nice discount.”

      “Mama? What are you talking about? We have a wedding to plan. We can’t have painters in here.”

      “Honey, actually it’s the perfect time to have the house painted. I’ve delayed it for so long because it’s a nuisance to have workmen here and everything all covered up. You know what the smell of paint does to my sinuses. But, if we take Cooper up on his offer, we can move into his place until the wedding. That’ll give the workmen more than enough time to get the house done.”

      “Mama, it was awfully sweet of Cooper to invite us to stay at his ranch, but he wasn’t serious.”

      “Oh, yes, he was. He called up today asking when we were coming.”

      “He did not.”

      “He did. That Cooper is as fine as they come.”

      “He’s still feeling guilty about Tony, Mama. That’s all it is. He doesn’t really want us underfoot.”

      “Well, it’s too late for that now. I told him yes.”

      “Mama, you didn’t.” It wasn’t like her mother to be this impetuous.

      “Honey, this house hasn’t been painted since your father left. You know how many years that’s been? More than fifteen. The paint’s peeling in every room! I’ve got the money saved up for this, and it’s the perfect time.”

      “But how...what am I supposed to... Mama, I can’t believe you did this without checking with me first.”

      “It’ll be fine, darling. You’re taking time off to plan the wedding starting Monday so you won’t have to commute to the hospital. It’ll be like a little staycation, isn’t that what they call it?”

      “Yes, that’s what it’s called, but that means staying at your own house.”

      “Oh. Well, no matter. I’ve given Turner Painting a cash deposit. So pack a bag or two, sweetheart, and don’t forget your wedding binder. We’re moving to Stone Ridge tomorrow.”

       Two

      On the drive out to Stone Ridge, Lauren couldn’t stop wondering if she’d been bamboozled into moving into Cooper’s house by her wily mother. Boy, when her mama put her mind to something, she was like a wrecking ball. That was one of the traits she loved most about her. And her mama wasn’t about to let an opportunity like this one slip between her fingers. She wanted her house painted inside and out, and they didn’t have the funds to move into a motel for the weeks it would take to finish the project. So what if her mother saw living at Stone Ridge as a perfect solution to a problem? Even Lauren saw the merits. It was just that...she didn’t want to take advantage of Cooper.

      Sure, he was wealthy and could afford having guests in his home, especially if those guests were like family. Maybe he was lonely and wanted company.

      She scoffed out loud at the thought.

      “You say something, honey?”

      She cleared her throat. “No, Mama. Just a little froggy.”

      Her mother smiled.

      Cooper couldn’t be lonely...not for female companionship, anyway. That man was hot with a capital H. Lauren had noticed. Any red-blooded woman would. And she wasn’t going to beat herself up about how hard her heart pounded when he walked into a room. She’d crushed on him as a girl, and you never really get over first crushes. Especially if the crush had deep, sea-blue eyes, a square jawline and long, thick, dark blond hair. Especially if the man filled out his shirt with broad shoulders and granite arms.

      Cooper Stone was all man, all Texan, all the time. She giggled.

      “What’s funny?” her mother asked.

      “Nothing. Oh, look, Mama.” She distracted her mama by pointing to the gates of Stone Ridge. “Gosh, I haven’t been here in ages. I’ve forgotten how beautiful it is.”

      Acres upon acres of rich green pastures surrounded the property. This time of year, the dogwood trees that lined the road to the house were in full bloom, flourishing in pinks and whites. She recalled Cooper telling her years ago those trees were his mother’s favorite thing about the ranch.

      For Lauren, catching her first glimpse of the house as they drove up was the ultimate experience. The design had a modern-day, country-home feel, with slate stone and cedar wood and a beautiful wood-framed, glass double-door entry. It was hardly a traditional ranch house from the past, but more a contemporary marvel.

      The barns and stables were quite a distance off, so the scent of fresh blooms didn’t have to battle with cattle smells and packed earth. It was something, this ranch, and suddenly inspiration hit, giving Lauren a million ideas for her wedding. She particularly noted the well-groomed garden leading up to the steps to the mosaic stone-front entrance.

      She parked her Honda and took a breath. “Ready for this?”

      Her mother only smiled. “You have no idea how much.”

      It did her heart good to see her mother finally coming around, finally warming to the idea of her marrying Roger. Once the initial shock had worn off, her mother seemed to be all-in.

      Lauren was jumping over one hurdle at a time, heading toward the finish line.

      It was awesome to feel this way. To know her life had direction. The shock of Tony’s death had stymied her and she hadn’t known where to turn. Then she’d starting dating Roger, and found him compassionate. They’d shared their grief over losing such a wonderful man and things just sort of rolled along from there. Up until that point, she hadn’t had much luck in love.

      Her friends said she was a dreamer, a passionate soul who got restless too easily with the opposite sex. As grounded as she was in nursing, her private life hadn’t been all too...stable.

      Cooper drove up in his four-wheel-drive Jeep and pulled in front of her car, grabbing her attention. He parked, then gripped the roll bar in one hand and hopped out.

      “Oh, look, there’s Cooper,” her mother said.

      How could she miss him? He was slapping dust off his chaps and blue chambray shirt as he began his approach, his stride confident, his smile welcoming. All golden tanned and muscled, he sauntered over.