The Texan's Wedding Escape. Charlene Sands

It was equivalent to burning his little black book, only nobody carried a little black book anymore. Things had gotten too damn sophisticated, but the end result was the same. Cooper Stone was out of the running. It was a long time coming, six months to be exact.

      He wouldn’t miss those names.

      Not like he missed his buddy, Tony Abbott.

      One minute he was laughing alongside him in the car, their heads thrown back, enjoying life to the fullest, and the next, he was silenced by the stony sound of death. The quiet in that moment still rang in Cooper’s head, still tormented him. Everything had stopped, everything had gone numbingly cold. Tony had died instantly and the drunken driver behind the wheel of the car that had plowed into them had escaped without injury. So had Cooper. And he’d never forgiven himself for that.

      Deleting those names was only a formality. He hadn’t been a party animal since that night. And he never would be again. Some things just left a mark and the imprint of that horrible crash brought him full circle. He now lived quietly on his ranch at Stone Ridge and poured himself into his entrepreneurial businesses.

      “Hey, Coop, you need some company today? I’m willing to drive out with you.”

      “Thanks, bro. But you don’t have to do that. I’ve got this.”

      Cooper rose from his desk in the study and put on a lightweight tan jacket. It was late spring, the sunshine giving way to gray clouds that were moving in fast. Texas weather could never be counted on and it was fitting, he supposed, that this day was as glum as his mood. These bad-weather days made it easy for him to stay inside and work, giving him an excuse not to visit friends or to go to parties. Ole Coop wasn’t fun anymore. And that was fine with him.

      “I’ll be back in a few hours.”

      His brother, Jared, slapped him on the back but had a look of concern on his face. “Take care and I’ll see you later, okay?” That was code for “Drive safely and I love you.” Jared was his baby brother who, at twenty-eight, wasn’t such a baby anymore. But he worried. Just about everyone worried about him. “Okay.”

      It took Cooper five minutes to drive off Stone land on the outskirts of Dallas and another twenty to get to the suburb of Providence. He made a stop at the bakery and as soon as the woman behind the counter spotted him, she said, “A dozen raspberry-jelly doughnuts coming right up.”

      He gave her a nod. “Thank you kindly.”

      And within a few minutes Cooper was back on the road, the bakery box on the passenger seat beside him. He drove down the highway, leaving Providence in the dust, and eventually arrived at the Eternal Peace cemetery. When he turned into the driveway, passing a new grave covered by a hill of fresh flowers, a punch of pain attacked his stomach. A fresh grave meant loss. People were hurting: fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, wives and children. He’d never given mortality much thought until Tony died in the prime of his life.

      Cooper drove on until he reached the gravesite nestled under a tall oak. He parked the car, took a deep breath and got out. With box in hand and head down, he made his way over to Tony’s resting place. The wind kicked up, the air chilly as he began speaking.

      “Hi, Tone. It’s me again. Been a month. Got you your favorite doughnuts.” He sat on perfectly mowed grass. “You remember, the ones we never did get to eat t-that night.”

      He opened the box and took out one of the powdery confections. “They’re your favorite, pal.” He bit into it and chewed. One bite was all he could ever muster before putting the doughnut back in the box. “Wow. That was good.”

      At the sound of leaves crunching behind him, he turned around. It was Loretta Abbott, Tony’s mother. Cooper rose immediately. “Hello, Loretta.”

      “Am I interrupting?”

      “Gosh, no. Just having a little chat with Tony.” He didn’t know what else to say.

      She gave him a sad smile. “You’re a wonderful friend.”

      He wasn’t. He was alive and Tony was gone. Cooper should’ve seen that car coming. He should’ve been more alert. Instead of relaxing at the wheel, joking with his friend, getting him killed.

      He strode over to her and put out his arms. She walked into them and they embraced. “I’m glad to see you,” she whispered.

      He nodded. “Same here.”

      “I knew you’d be here. That’s why I’ve come.”

      He backed away enough to really look at her. “Did you want to talk to me?”

      She nodded, tears filling her eyes. “Yes. I’m sorry for interrupting, but I knew you’d be here on the anniversary of my Tony’s accident.”

      He took a big swallow. “You could’ve called me or come to the house. You know you’re welcome anytime.”

      The wind howled, blowing her soft brown hair out of the knot at the top of her head. “I’m afraid, I wouldn’t have had the nerve to come. But something drew me here today. Somehow this way, it wouldn’t be too hard to ask you what I’m about to ask you. I’m sorry to say, I’m a bit desperate and I need a favor.”

      “Of course. Anything. I told you if you ever needed anything to come to me.”

      Another sad smile graced Loretta’s face. “I’m counting on that. It’s about Lauren.”

      Tony’s younger sister? She’d been working in Dallas, following in the footsteps of her mother as a nurse. Cooper hadn’t seen much of her until the funeral.

      Back in the day, when he and Tony were kids, they’d played travel football together for the Texas Tridents. Their friendship had only grown over the years. Often they’d spend time at each other’s houses for days on end and throughout the summer months. As they got older whenever Loretta’d had to take a double shift at the hospital, he and Tony would watch Lauren until Mrs. Abbott got home. Seemed like eons ago. “What about Lauren?”

      “She just got engaged to Roger Kelsey on a whim and it’s all so terribly wrong. Now, she’s planning to get married in less than a month. All because Roger’s putting pressure on her.” Loretta wiped at her tears with a tissue. “What’s wrong with my girl waiting a little longer, to make sure of her feelings? We’ve all had a terrible shock when we lost Tony, and Lauren getting engaged—to Tony’s business partner, no less—makes no sense. Roger never paid any attention to her while Tony was alive, but as soon as my son dies, he turns on the charm and proposes marriage?

      “Lauren thinks she knows best, and she won’t listen to me on this. She says I’m being overprotective. It doesn’t add up, Cooper. Not at all.”

      Cooper didn’t like what he was hearing. Normally he’d chalk Lauren’s engagement up to falling hard when you’re at your most vulnerable. After all, this happened immediately after Tony’s death. Granted, some people married after only knowing each other a few weeks and found marital bliss that way but not that often.

      But Lauren marrying Roger Kelsey?

      Roger was a charmer and a playboy who went through women with the stealth of a panther. Tony would have seen red and never approved.

      A deep sigh rose from Cooper’s chest. One of the last conversations he’d had with Tony pounded in his head.

      “I think Kelsey’s siphoning money from my profits. Things aren’t adding up,” Tony had said. “I don’t have solid proof yet, but I’m working on it. If my suspicions are correct, he’s breaking the law and cheating me blind.” Tony had vowed to get to the bottom of it.

      Cooper faced Loretta, certain now he had to intervene. Not only for Loretta and Lauren, but because Tony would’ve wanted him to. “I’m sorry, but what can I do? Just name it.”

      “Oh, Cooper, I was hoping you would say that,” she said, relieved. Her face relaxed and she looked at him with the tiniest hint of a smile. He was glad he could comfort