Текст книги "Slow Ride"

Автор книги: Cathryn Fox

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Текущая страница: 6 (всего у книги 7 страниц)

Chapter Eight

Julia’s stomach turned upside down. She’d thought something significant had happened between them today. Thought Coop had opened up to her, showing her another side of himself, because he might want more. But now he needed to talk, and in her book, that meant one thing. It was over. God, how could she have been such a fool to think, even for the briefest of moments, that things could have ended differently? Then again, even if he had wanted more, she’d been playing a part, which meant he didn’t know the real her. If he’d fallen for anyone—again—it was her sister.

She braced herself. “What is it?”

He opened his mouth, but his cell phone rang. He leaped from the bed and grabbed it. What—or who—was so important that it couldn’t wait a minute?

Julia listened to the one-sided conversation, barely able to comprehend what was going on. When he finished talking, he shut down his phone and said, “I have to go.”

Before she could even ask what was going on, he disappeared into the bathroom. When he came out, he dressed quickly.

He turned to her, worry backlighting his eyes as he said, “We’ll talk later.”

She nodded, and he practically ran out the door. Stunned by his sudden departure, Julia climbed from the bed and numbly made her way to the shower. He was about to break it off with her. Should she just leave, get a lift into town until the next plane came?

After washing, she pulled on a dress and walked to her window to pull open the sheer curtain. But when she did, she spotted Coop and Tessa talking on the wraparound deck of the small cottage at the foot of the mountain. At least now she knew who was so important. Julia had no idea what they were saying, but she could tell by the tension in their posture that they were discussing something very important, something very personal.

Unease moved through her as the sting of jealousy hit her hard. Her heart began racing, aching painfully, but she quickly tried to shrug it off and reminded herself that she had no claims on Coop. They weren’t dating, and he was likely only seconds from reminding her this was a week of sex and nothing else.

Feeling slightly light-headed, she backed away from the window. No matter how much her brain tried to convince her that Coop didn’t matter, her heart knew he did. Cripes, she never should have gotten on that plane, or engaged in a wild week of sun and sex.

She’d pretended to be the kind of woman he wanted to get him to like her, but deep down she most definitely wasn’t the kind of girl who could love casually.

Needing to get far away from the place, she grabbed her purse and hurried downstairs, looking for a ranch hand who could drive her to town, or possibly get her a cab. But when she stepped onto the wooden deck, she ran into a big muscular wall—Coop.

He gripped her shoulders to still her. “Julia—” he began, then looked down at the way she was clutching her purse. Worried, he did a careful assessment of her face. Her stomach lurched. How would she ever go on without him? “Are you going somewhere?” he asked.

“I’m leaving. I’m going to stay in town until the plane comes.”

Visibly taken aback, his hands tightened on her shoulders, and his body stiffened. “What the hell?”

“It’s okay, Coop.”

“Like fuck it’s okay,” he bit out, his face tightening warily. “What, you were just going to leave, without telling me?”

“I have to go.” She tried to push away, but he wouldn’t let her go. “Coop—”

“You’re not making sense,” he cut in, a strain in his voice she’d never heard before. “After today…I thought…”

“You don’t owe me any explanation.” In the distance she caught a glimpse of Tessa. “What you do in your private life is none of my business. I knew what I was getting myself into when I decided to stay here.” Okay, she was rambling, but she couldn’t seem to help herself. What the hell happened to the calm, collected lawyer who always thought with her head and not her heart?

Coop got quiet for a moment, and then a muscle in his jaw rippled. “Did you, Julia? Did you really know what you were getting yourself into?”

“What? Yes, of course.”

Coop stared at her longer than was comfortable, then grabbed her hand and tugged. “Come with me.”

Her stomach tightened as he marched her toward the cottage, and she had to hurry her steps to keep up. “Coop, I don’t think this is a good idea.”

“There is someone I want you to meet.” The tension in his tone was replaced by sadness. A sadness so deep she felt it in her core. “Someone very important to me,” he added with a whisper.

The protest went out of her as he walked her across the field and eased open the door to the cottage. Julia’s nervous glance landed on Tessa, who exchanged a knowing look with Coop before disappearing into the other room. After the pretty brunette exited, the sight of the elderly lady sitting at one end of a floral sofa came into view.

“Coop,” Julia asked quietly. “What’s going on?”

Just then the woman turned her head, and Coop started for her.

“Mom, it’s okay. It’s me, Coop.” He hurried out and ducked in time to dodge the remote control aimed his way. He picked the remote up and set it on the sofa.

Her heart ached as she watched Coop drop to his knees in front of his mother. He took her hand in his and was speaking quietly to her, soothing words for her ears only. Understanding dawned quickly. This was the curveball life had thrown him. Her throat tightened, and her legs weakened beneath her. A few moments later, the woman blinked and turned to face Julia.

“This is Julia,” Coop said, standing back up. Warmth moved into his eyes when they met hers, and she nearly forgot how to breathe, the love she felt for him twisting inside her. “Julia, this is my moth—”

“Are you in Chase’s class?”

Julia looked at his mother, then back at Coop in search of answers. When he nodded, she took a tentative step closer.

“Yes, I am.”

His mother frowned. “Chase’s friends don’t come around much anymore, and he’s never brought a girl home before.”

“That’s because this one is special, Mom.”

Her smile returned, and with hands gnarled from arthritis, she waved Julia over. “Come let me have a look at you.”

Julia took a few measured steps toward the sofa, and as she neared, Coop held his hand out to her. She took the offered hand, and when she slid her palm into his, he gave a reassuring squeeze.

“Julia, I’d like you to meet Lois, my mother.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lois.”

“She’s a very pretty one, Chase. I can see why you like her.”

Julia dropped down onto the sofa next to Coop’s mother, and when she took Lois’s hand in hers, she didn’t miss the way Coop’s tense shoulders relaxed, or the mixture of pride and possessiveness on his face when his glance met hers.

Julia turned her attention to the television to take note of the soap opera Lois was watching. “I see you’re watching The Rich and the Famous. It’s one of my favorites,” Julia said.

That brought a smile to Lois’s face. “Mine too, dear.”

With her heart full of all the things she felt for Coop, Julia spent a few more minutes talking about the characters, having become familiar with the show when an old friend joined the cast a few years back, but then suddenly, a confused look came over Lois’s face and her lids began to flicker.

“I think she needs to rest now,” Coop said quietly.

Understanding that Coop needed a moment alone with his mother, Julia stood and gestured toward the door. “I should—”

He gave a quick shake of his head and placed his palm on her face. “Please stay.”

She nodded, the heat of his hand stirring all her emotions. Coop was sharing a very private part of his life with her, and if he wanted her there with him, then she was damn well going to be there for him. He put a blanket over his mother, and as he worked to make her comfortable, all of the pieces known as Chase Cooper fell into place. Tears pricked her eyes, because the boy she knew from high school had turned into the most amazing man she’d ever met.

“Julia.”

His soft voice startled her, and she blinked the moisture from her eyes.

There was a tenderness in his eyes as they moved over her face. “Are you okay?”

“I didn’t know.”

“Who’s there?” his mother bellowed, and Julia jumped.

“Mom, it’s me, Coop.” He turned, just as his mother threw the remote at him again, and he caught it in the shoulder. It clattered to the floor, and Tessa rushed in to help his mother as he picked it up.

There was a real sadness on his face, but he tried to inject humor when he pointed to his nose and said, “Sometimes she has great aim.”

Her heart squeezed. “I’m so sorry.”

“Come with me.” He captured her hand, and the two made their way back outside.

Julia glanced around at the wide expanse of land and took Coop’s situation into consideration. “You bought the ranch and moved here for your mother.”

It was a statement, not a question, but he answered anyway. “Yes and no.”

Her glance darted back to his, and all she wanted to do was take him into her arms and hold him, soothe him, tell him everything would be all right. “Yes and no?”

Coop leaned against the white railing and pulled her into him, his legs wrapping around hers. He took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and began, “Yes, I bought it for my mother because she grew up on a ranch, and the familiarity helps with her Alzheimer’s. The guys chipped in on it with me because I couldn’t afford it by myself. And no, I didn’t move here.”

Confused, she asked, “What do you mean you didn’t move here?”

“I don’t live here, Julia. I live in Kentville.”

“Kentville?” Okay, that took her by surprise. “As in an hour outside of Halifax?”

“I’m a sports medicine doctor, and I have a practice there that I can’t just up and leave.”

She widened her eyes. That’s how he knew about her ankle. “Why didn’t you tell me any of this?” As soon as the question left her mouth, she shook her head, already knowing the answer. “Wait, never mind.” She waved a finger back and forth between the two of them. “This situation wasn’t about us getting to know each other.” She inched back, and she could feel his tension like it was her own when he cupped her elbow and hauled her closer.

“Oh, no you don’t. You’re not going anywhere, and you’ve got it all wrong.”

“Coop, please,” she said, needing to put a measure of distance between them.

Wait. Did he just say I had it all wrong?

“Getting to know each other was my every intention.” He glanced down, then back at her. “I just didn’t talk about any of this because it’s…it’s hard. She’s very sick…” His voice wavered when he added, “She doesn’t have much time.”

Her heart twisted at the sadness on his face. “I’m sorry, Coop.”

“I wanted to tell you.” He brushed his hand over his chin, and the vulnerability she detected in the depth of his eyes had her taking a small, tentative step toward him. “I planned to tell you tonight.” He put his hand on her cheek, and she leaned in to it.

“You did.”

“Yeah, I didn’t want you to think I was holding back because I only wanted sex.”

Her hand closed over his. “You…you want more than sex?”

“Don’t you see?” he asked, a new urgency in his voice. “I’m crazy about you, Julia. Today I took you to my old hangouts because I wanted you to get to know me. To show you that I wanted more. What you said in the bedroom, about this being a fantasy. I never once thought this thing between us wasn’t real.”

If her heart beat any faster it was going to burst from her chest. “Really?”

Coop placed his finger under her chin to tip it up. “I meant what I said.”

“What did you say?”

“When I told my mother you were special, I meant it,” he said, his voice thinning to a whisper.

Her knees buckled, and she forced them to straighten. “You did?”

He brushed his thumb over her cheek. “Julia, sweetheart. I need you in my life. It’s always been you I wanted.”

Her entire body tightened. “Then why did you invite Mari here for the week?”

He put his arm around her, and all she could think about was how good it felt to be held by him.

“Late one night, after a few beers, the guys and I got to talking about the ones that got away.”

“Oh.” She looked down as she chewed on that. Coop thought Mari was the one who’d gotten away, and since she was pretending to be her, Mari was the girl he’d fallen for again.

“But I was wrong, Julia.” He shook his head. “I was so wrong.”

Julia swallowed. “Wrong? How?”

“Your sister wasn’t the one who got away. Right after I sent that invitation, I started having second thoughts and regretted my spur-of-the-moment decision. She’s not the girl for me. She never was.”

Confused, she faltered backward, her mind racing, trying to keep up.

“Oh, no you don’t,” he said again, putting his hand around her waist to bring her back.

“Coop?”

“You’re not getting away from me again.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You, Julia. You were the one who got away. I’m in love with you. You never paid me a lick of attention all those years ago, but now that I’ve got you, I’m not letting you go. I don’t want anyone but you, Julia. I never have.”

He was in love with her? If only that were true.

She shook her head, her stomach clenching as she poked her thumb into her chest. “What you don’t understand is it’s not me you’re falling for. I was living out a fantasy, pretending to be carefree like my sister, so really, it was her you were falling for all over again.”

“I never fell for her once, so how can I be falling for her again?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Mari and I were only ever friends. It was you I always liked, but there’s an unwritten rule that I had to live by: you don’t hit on your best friend’s sister. And of course, you did tell me I wasn’t your type.”

“But I thought you two…”

“You thought wrong. And all this pretending you thought you were doing, well, you weren’t pretending at all. You’ve always just suppressed that side of yourself. ”

“Coop—” she began, but he cut her off.

“Maybe pretending to be wild and happy-go-lucky like your sister is what gave you the courage you needed to just let go and be yourself.”

Clearly, he was missing the point here. “I wasn’t myself. It wasn’t really me you were having a wild week with, or thought things were real with.”

“That’s bullshit, Julia,” he said, his voice a little lower, a little harsher. “It was you, and I’m not going to let you think otherwise.” He grabbed her hand. “Come with me. I’m going to prove it to you that I knew it was you who I was with this week.” He led her to the barn. “I was saving this surprise for later, but well. I think you need to see it now.”

He pulled open one of the stalls that had been empty up until now, and Julia looked in.

“Coop?” she asked when she saw the pretty mare. “What’s going on?”

He turned to her and put his arms on her shoulders. “She’s yours,” he said, his voice rough with emotions.

Her brain stalled. “Mine?”

“She’s all yours, babe. Yours to take care of and to ride when you’re here, and I want you here, with me, a lot. She just needs a name.”

Julia’s hands went to her face as her throat tightened. “No, I can’t.”

“Sure you can.”

He gently touched her cheek, and the gesture brought tears to her eyes. “It’s too much.”

Just then the mare whinnied and poked Julia with her muzzle. Coop laughed. “I think she likes you. Not that I can blame her.”

Julia stepped closer and ran her hands over the mare’s forehead, examining the horse through blurry eyes. No one had ever given her a gift like this before. “She’s beautiful. Everything I’ve ever wanted.” She sniffed and said, “I can’t believe you did this.”

“I have something else for you.”

She looked into his eyes, and the love she saw there filled her with warm longing. He reached into the stall and grabbed something. She shook her head and laughed when she saw the daisy-duke shorts and pink riding crop.

“What are those for?”

“You’ve been wearing Tessa’s clothes all week, and I thought you might want something of your own.”

“And you had to find the shortest shorts in the universe?” God, she loved him. She loved him so much, she was ready to explode from the inside out.

He gave her a grin that weakened her knees. “Well…yeah.”

She shook her head and took the pink crop. She ran her hand along the length of it, stroking it with her fingers, and Coop groaned as he watched the action. “And this?”

He shrugged. “You’ve never seen a riding crop before?”

She looked at the mare. “I have, yes, but I could never use this on her.”

He took it from her and flicked it against her ass. “Who says it’s for the horse?”

The cheek of her ass had received the sting of the crop, but it was the unexpected clench of her sex that brought her breath out with a soft moan. “Oh.”

“Don’t you see, this is the real you, Julia. I’ve always known that, and the horse and crop represent both sides.” He drew her into his arms, and she slid her hands around his back. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and said, “Beneath the beauty and brains, you’re fun-loving, sexy as hell, kind, caring, and so easy to be with. You just suppressed that side of yourself because you’re sweet and giving and are always putting everyone else’s needs above your own. But I’m not going to let you do that anymore. You have needs, too, and I’m going to see that they’re taken care of.” He flicked the crop over her backside again and grinned. “Every single one of them.”

Julia stood there blinking up at him, trying to absorb everything he was telling her. Coop wanted her. Her. Julia Blair.

“Do you believe me now?” he asked. “Believe that I know who I was sleeping with this week?”

“I do,” she said around the lump in her throat, everything she felt for this man making her head spin and her heart swell.

“Good, because you see, Julia, when I asked you if you knew what you were getting yourself into, you really didn’t, because the second you stepped off that plane, I was determined to make you mine. When I said I was glad you were here, I meant it.”

“I’m glad I came, too.”

“I want you, Julia. I always have.”

Her pulse pounded in her neck, her heart swelling. “I’ve always wanted you, too,” she admitted.

Grinning, he lightly brushed his thumb over her bottom lip. “So I am your type?”

“Yeah,” she said. “I have a thing for those manly types who eat peanut butter and banana beaver tails.”

He laughed and scooped her up.

“Where are you taking me?” she asked.

“To the pond, then the loft, and then my bed.” As he began ticking off all the places they’d made love, an invisible fist clenched around her heart.

“Don’t forget the pasture,” she added, her heart soaring.

“Oh, don’t worry. I haven’t forgotten a single thing.” He grinned.

Julia arched a brow. “Oh really? Do tell.”

“Actually,” he said, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. “I’m tired of talking.”

“Well, I must say,” she began, embracing the wild side of herself and feeling free for the first time in her life, “I do love a man of action.”

He planted a warm kiss on her mouth and said, “And I love you, Julia Blair. The girl who is smart, sexy, wild, and wicked.” He stopped to give her a wink before he added, “The girl who loves horses, and riding, and has yet to be punished for that stallion comment.”

Never happier, joy welled up inside Julia, and a squeal of delight sounded deep in her throat. Coop squeezed her tighter, and with her body in his arms and her heart in his hands, he led her to the ladder leading to the upstairs loft. Julia smiled up at him, embracing the two sides of herself, and knowing there was no other man she’d trust with both.

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Acknowledgments

First and foremost a huge thank you to my amazing editor Candace Havens. Thank you for believing in this series and helping me make the stories shine. You are a rock star! I’m looking forward to working with you on more books.

My husband definitely needs to be mentioned in this acknowledgement. I can always count on him to listen to me ramble, or brainstorm when I’m stuck. Most times I think he’s tuned me out, as he mainly sits there staring at me blankly. But then he tosses out brilliant ideas that I usually run with.

Danita, thank you for keeping me organized and sane. You are a true gem, and I value your PA services, and your friendship.

To all the fabulous members of Foxy Fiction. You are all my extended family and the support you give me is phenomenal. Thank you all!