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Jess felt her stomach flutter as the little girl led her into the parlor and a tall man rose to greet her.
“This is my Uncle Cooper,” Maggie said. “Uncle Cooper, this is Miss Graver. She helps out with the kids at school.”
“You can call me Jess.” Her gaze traveled upward from the denim shirt that covered a broad-shouldered torso and muscular arms, to a crown of thick dark hair with a touch of gray at the temples, framing a face that would draw any woman’s gaze.
Smokin’ hot. Gerard Butler hot.
Not that she was foolish enough to be impressed.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jess.” Even though she was five-foot-eight, he loomed above her. His startlingly blue eyes shifted to the boy who sat slumped on the sofa, absorbed in a basketball game on TV. Dark-eyed and slight of build, the young man looked nothing like his father.
“Trevor, say hello to Miss Graver,” Cooper said.
“Hullo.” The boy raised his head, then went back to watching the game. Was Cooper aware of the reason Grace had invited her here? Surely the man’s sister would have told him.
“I’m happy to meet you, Trevor,” she said. “I suppose it’s too soon to ask how you like Branding Iron.”
Trevor didn’t respond. His attention was fixed on the game.
Cooper motioned her aside. “Getting him used to living in a small town is going to take a while,” he said. “For now, I’m just trying to give him time and space.”
“That sounds very wise.”
Maggie came prancing in from the dining room. “Dinner’s ready,” she announced. “I made place cards so everybody will know where to sit.”
“After you.” Cooper stepped aside for Jess to go ahead of him. “Trevor, turn off the TV and come with me.”
“Aw, Dad, the score’s tied with ten minutes on the clock. Can’t we at least turn the sound up so I can hear the game at the table?”
“That’s not how it works, son. Now switch off that remote and get off that couch.”
“Mom always let me listen.”
Jess saw him flinch. “That’s enough, Trevor. I mean it,” he said.
Scowling, the boy trailed his father to the table. This kind of parent-child interaction was nothing new to Jess. All the same, as they took their seats, she felt as if she’d walked on stage, without a script or rehearsal, into a drama that was not of her making. If this was typical of Trevor’s attitude, she was going to have her work cut out for her.
* * *
Maggie had made jack-o’-lantern place cards from orange construction paper. Cooper was seated across from Jess, with Trevor on his right.
He did his best not to stare at her, but since she was sitting right across the table, he could hardly avoid taking her in with his eyes. She had a classic air about her—like a Renaissance Madonna or maybe a French fashion model. With her dark hair in a simple twist, a baby-blue sweater set, minimal makeup, and no jewelry except modest pearl earrings that were undoubtedly real, she made most of the women he’d seen in Branding Iron look tacky.
You’ll like her.Maggie’s words came back to him. Yes, so he did like her. He hadn’t come to Branding Iron for romance, but if Grace was setting him up with the lady, he owed his sister a surprising vote of thanks.
Then as he studied Jess, a more subtle response stirred in him. Something about that unforgettable face was vaguely familiar. Cooper could swear he’d seen her somewhere before. Maybe by the end of the evening, the memory would come back to him.
* * *
“I hear you’re a journalist, Cooper.” Jess speared a bite-sized piece of lasagna with her fork.
He took time to butter a slice of sourdough bread. “That depends on your definition,” he said. “I used to be a sports reporter for theSeattle Times. But I quit to freelance. Writing my own articles, mostly for magazines, gives me the freedom to choose any subject and to live wherever I like.”
Trevor’s sullen look spoke volumes. Jess could almost read his thoughts. Of all the places in the country, why did his father have to choose a nowhere town like Branding Iron? And what abouthisfreedom?
Maggie spoke up. “Mom says that Uncle Cooper played football in high school, just like my dad did.”
“Did you play in college?” Sam had been set to go pro, but he’d blown out his knee in the last game of his senior year.
