“I’m Cooper.” He tips his hat. “I’ll see you around, Ms. Mae,” he says in a rough, and dare I stupidly say,sexyvoice.
Before I can utter a goodbye, he’s already gone, disappearing past the window.
My chest goes light and I’m simultaneously confused.What in the world just happened?
Chapter 8
Cooper
Myalarmgoesoffat 4:45 in the morning, and I groan, opening my eyes. I swear I just fell asleep. Naomi had a rough night last night, and didn’t want to listen to a single thing I asked her to do.Kids.
After I manage to get myself into a pair of jeans and pull the t-shirt over my head, I head into Naomi’s room. Sometimes she’s awake most of the time she’s not, and she sleeps like the dead. I’ve even looked into making one of those bed-shaking things that make the whole bed move to wake her up.
I sit on the side of her bed, and she’s still sound asleep. Her face peaceful, her light brown hair all over the place. I noticed it’s turning red in some places. Makes me wonder if her father had red hair.
“Princess, it’s time to get up,” I whisper, brushing her hair out of her face.
She doesn’t budge.
“Naomi, come on, you know the drill,” I say softly.
She moans and rolls over. “I don’t wanna get up,” she says into the pillow.
I smile and cup her cheek. This is the hard part of being a single parent. Yes, I have my family behind me, but she’s ultimately my responsibility,my kid.I don’t want to make her get up at five, but Aunt Dixie is too busy to watch her right in the morning, and everyone else is getting saddled up.
When I first got Naomi, I didn’t want her to wake up without me. She spent far too many days crying for her mother, who wasn’t coming back. So I kept her close. I strapped her to my chest in a baby carrier. She wasn’t an infant, but small for her age, and I was terrified of her falling off my saddle. In my mind, it was the best way to keep her safe. I learned very quickly that as a parent, you will dowhatever it takes to care for your kid, even if that means bringing them to work at five in the morning.
“I know you don’t. But Grandma Dixie probably has something really good for breakfast cooking.”
She sighs and opens her adorable green eyes. “She makes better breakfast than you.”
I chuckle and lightly pinch her nose. “That’s not nice.”
She shrugs and sits up. “But it’s true, and you told me I shouldn’t lie.”
She’s got me there.
“Alright, smarty-pants. Get dressed. We need to get down to the barn. And don’t forget you need to clean your room today. Grandma is coming.”
Naomi nods, and I’m hoping she actually gets out of bed instead of falling right back asleep. It’s happened before.
I pad into the kitchen and pour coffee into a thermos, while I listen for her to bang around the bathroom and brush her teeth.
Eventually, I hear the door and lean against the countertop, looking at the arrangement of flowers I bought yesterday. I got it for my mom, who is coming to visit us for a few days. They wanted to see Naomi and the rest of the family.
But now I’m trying to come up with other excuses to go to the flower shop and not seem like a stalker. I flirted with Mae for a bit. She didn’t shut me down. I assume that’s a good sign, but sometimes you never know. I don’t want to assume, so going back in would be the smart thing to do, right? The last thing I want to do is hit on a married woman, but I didn’t see a ring.
I check my watch and take another sip of coffee before getting the water bottles ready. The sun is beginning to peek over the edges of the mountains, creating a purple-pink sunrise.
Naomi trudges into the kitchen, squinting at the light, pouting.
“Where is your jacket, missy?” I ask her.
She groans and goes back into her room. When we’re up this early, it’s chilly. For me, I’m fine, but I want my kid to be dressed properly just in case.
She comes back with her waxed denim jacket and her cowboy hat on.
“Good job. Do you want something to eat before we head down?” I ask her.
