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“You say you raised cattle here?” he asked.
“Yup. About fifty head of Hereford steers. Bought ’em as calves and sold ’em to a feed lot. You could grow hay, too. But if you just want the country life without all the work, you could lease out the pastures. There are plenty of folks who need more grazing room for their stock or a place to grow more hay. They’d pay for the use of your land, and you wouldn’t have to lift a finger.” His eyes narrowed. “So what do you say, Mr. Chapman? Do we have a deal?”
“Whoa,” Cooper said. “I’ll confess I’m interested, but I need time to think about this.”
“Take all the time you want. But I can’t hold the place for you. If somebody else comes along with the money, it’ll be gone.”
“I understand. I’ve got your phone number. I’ll let you know.”
“No need. You’ll come back or you won’t,” he said.
* * *
“Well, that was interesting,” Jess commented as they drove back toward the main road.
“What did you think of the place?” Cooper glanced at her. “Be honest.”
“Since you asked, it looks like a lot of work to me—and a lot of extra expense.”
“But for Trevor. Do you think he’d like it better than living in town?”
“My guess is that he’d either love it or hate it. But you can’t just drag him out here. You’ve got to give him a say in your decision. If you’re serious, you’ll want to drive him out here and show him the place.”
“What about having Skip McCoy for a neighbor?”
“I can’t tell you what to do. Skip’s had a hellish home life. But no boy is all bad at that age.”
He was silent, as if weighing her words. Jess studied his rugged profile as he drove back toward town. He was a compellingly attractive man—and a good man, she sensed, desperate to save his son from a destructive life. It would be easy to fall for a man like that. But she’d be a fool to get emotionally involved. She could already feel herself caring more than she should—and she sensed that the attraction was mutual. The last thing she wanted was to get between Cooper and his vulnerable boy. It was time to cut and run.
The silence between them was growing awkward. “What are you thinking?” she asked.
“I’ve been thinking that you already know a lot about me. But I know next to nothing about you. So why don’t you tell me a few things?”
“Let’s see . . . I’m thirty-eight years old, never married, have a degree in psychology, and I make pretty good chow mein. How’s that?”
He frowned. “Fine, so far. But where’s the rest? You’re an intriguing woman, Jess Graver. I want to know more about you.”
She faked a laugh. “Why spoil the mystery with boring facts when you can imagine anything you want to? Maybe I’m a princess in hiding, or a foreign spy, or a movie star. Take your pick.” She’d spoken in a teasing tone, but she could feel the tightening in the pit of her stomach. Cooper was a curious man—maybe too curious. Was he just making conversation? Or was his journalist’s mind sensing a story?
“Seriously, I’m a very private person,” she said. “I’m never comfortable talking about myself. Good luck with the ranch if you decide to buy it. And good luck with your son. Now please take me home.”
Chapter 4
Trevor wasn’t looking forward to confronting Skip and Cody at lunchtime. But he couldn’t have them thinking he was dumb enough to fall for that stupid snipe hunt prank.
He was walking down the hall after fourth period when they caught up to him, flanking him on either side. “Hey, pal,” Cody said. “Are you excited about that snipe hunt? It’s going to be a blast.”
“It sounds like fun,” Trevor said. “But I want you to hold the bag, Cody, while Skip and I chase the snipes down to you. How does that sound?”
Skip snickered. “I think he’s on to you, Cody. Smart kid we got here.”
“I’m too smart to let you play that dumb trick on me,” Trevor said. “So I guess you guys don’t want to be friends with me anymore.”
“Heck, we like you for being smart,” Skip said. “Maybe you can even help us with our homework.”
“Anyway, that snipe thing was just a test,” Cody said. “You know, like an initiation, so you can join our club.”
“You’ve got a club?”
