He didn’t bother to reply. He knew she’d crawl into bed with him. That night, he stuffed clean clothes into a duffel bag and knocked on Miguel’s door. The man said nothing, just motioned toward the hall, then went back to whatever he was doing. The next morning when Coop got up, the older man was gone.

It had been that way for the three days he’d been there, but this morning was different. Miguel seemed to be waiting for him.

Coop braced himself. On the surface it must look like he’d been leading Caitlyn on, but was now sheltering his ex-wife. Would threats come? Warnings? From the serious look on Miguel’s face, it was going to be bad.

Miguel’s look could only be called a glower. “What do you think of my daughter?”

It wasn’t what Coop had expected. He’d thought Miguel would tell him to stay away from Cait.

Coop took a moment as he decided to tell the truth, holding nothing back. “A Realtor contacted me about a nice apartment that I could get for a cheap rent. I told him no because she lives where there’s a crappy old trailer that I can use. Then the Realtor showed me photos of a new three-bed, three-bath house on two acres. Downright cheap and move-in ready. But she likes some rotting old house that will take masses of work, so I’ve been measuring the place and working on my finances. I was offered a job in Dallas. Great salary. But she lives in tiny Mason, Kansas, and is tied to the place by tree roots. I told them no.”

A smile was peeping from under Miguel’s frown. “What about the Hattens?”

Coop looked genuinely confused. “If you want a job and your boss invites you to her home, do you turn it down?”

Miguel nodded in understanding. “And your ex-wife?”

“What can I say? I’m a good guy. I tend to take care of people.”

Again, Miguel nodded. “Let me know if you need any help.”

Coop’s face changed to pleading. “I could use it. I don’t seem to be making any progress with Cait.”

“Then try harder.” Miguel put his hands in his pockets and went down the hall.

“Bastard!” Coop muttered. “If I had a daughter, I’d help. I’d—” He didn’t allow himself to finish his sentence.

Caitlyn was about to step into her Jeep when a car drove up to her house. She could see that it was three of her girlfriends and she knew why they were there. They were going to give her a hard time because she hadn’t seen them in a while. But to be fair to herself, the constant question of Why did you break up with Jared? nearly drove her mad.