Dee, Lavada - Nothing to Lose [Blackhawk Brothers] (BookStrand Publishing Romance) (14 page)

“No, no Friday, no tomorrow. You know that it won’t work. If you know where I’m at, you won’t be any safer than if I stayed here.”

He gave her a smug grin. “So just stay here.”

She pulled her lower lip between her teeth, and Cooper immediately reached over with his forefinger and released it.

“I’m taking the bus. If you drive me, you’ll come back for visits. That—”

He interrupted her. “Yeah, that’s the idea.”

“Well, it won’t work. You could be there when Mick finds me.”

“You mean if he finds you.”

“No, I mean when.” She abruptly turned and made for the bathroom. Closing the door, she ran cold water over her face and finger combed her hair. That done, she turned the water on warm to clean up from their lovemaking. With renewed resolve, she reentered the kitchen. Cooper had poured another cup of coffee and sat at the table with his head in his hands. Their lovemaking of a few minutes earlier seemed like a dream as they faced each other across the kitchen.

* * * *

Cooper looked like a thundercloud when they walked into the bus station. He pulled out his credit card, not because he wanted to, but because she’d asked. She’d explained that she wanted to avoid a cash transaction being flagged for Mick.

She didn’t look at him when she took the ticket from him. “You don’t have to wait with me. Besides, you need to call your mother about dinner.”

“I forgot. See, I need you to keep me straight.” He put his finger under her chin, tipping her face up. His eyes told her that wasn’t all he needed her for and reminded her she needed him just as much. “You’re throwing something beyond value away.”

She whispered back, “I know.”

“Then don’t. We can fight. We don’t have to wait for him to come to us.”

At his words, she felt the color leave her face, and she shivered with the chill of disabling fear. He stepped closer, shielding her, putting his arm around her shoulders. He guided her to a bench. “Stay here. I’m going to get you a soda. You look like you need the sugar.”

The soda helped, and she took a deep breath. He took the half-empty can she held out to him. “You scared me. What just happened? I thought you were going to pass out.”

She tried for a smile but missed. “I’m sorry. Even the thought of you confronting Mick is terrifying. If you did and were hurt…He isn’t sane, Coop. He plays dirty. He…”

His fingers dug into her arms as he turned her to face him. “Damn it! Did you hear what I said? I’d rather fight with you and lose than give up what we have without a fight.”

She reached over and stroked his cheek with her fingertips. He closed his eyes, despair replacing anger. The swoosh of the bus’s brakes brought them both back to the present.

* * * *

Cooper watched as she went up the bus steps, willing her to turn back. When she didn’t, he felt like he was going to throw up. Everything in him wanted to follow her and pull her off the bus. He took a step forward and felt a hand on his shoulder. Grant’s deep voice sounded like it came from a tunnel as the whole world receded.

Cooper didn’t remember the ride home. He knew his dad and Grant were with him and that Grant drove his rig. He knew they talked and he answered, or at least he thought he did. He could remember his father giving him a hug before leaving. He remembered lying down on the sofa where someone threw a blanket over him. He wouldn’t have thought he could sleep, and he wasn’t sure he had. He ached everywhere. It felt like he’d taken a fall down a ski slope.

His head pounded with the granddaddy of headaches. He swung his legs off the sofa and stood up, surprised that he felt so dizzy. He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts, and headed to the bathroom. One thing for sure, he was alive. No one dead would have to pee as bad as he did.

When he came out, he smelled coffee. His heart lurched in his chest. She hadn’t left. It had all been a nightmare. A smile lit up his face as he rounded the corner and came up short. Grant stood at the counter, trying to milk the first drops into a couple of cups. His voice sounded ugly even to him. “Where did you come from?”

Grant turned and gave him what looked more like a grimace then a smile. “I didn’t come from anywhere. I used the recliner. You were so dopey you walked right past me.”

Cooper reached for the cup Grant had just filled. “Disoriented. I am a little disoriented, not dopey.”

Grant finally got another cup out of the perking coffee. He pulled out a chair and winced at his first sip. “Damn, this is strong enough to stain your teeth.”

“Well, what did you expect? The first part of the perk is always stronger. Personally, I need this.”

The brothers drank their coffee in silence. Finally, Grant looked up. “Want to talk about it?”

“Hell no.” Softening his tone, he added, “There’s nothing to talk about. She left. She said Ogden but…” He opened his hands, palms up on the table.

“So what’s on for today?”

Cooper held his cup to his lips and let the steam heat his face. His head still throbbed, and he wanted to bawl, something he didn’t remember doing even as a child. Mumbling he needed an aspirin, he left Grant at the table and went back to the bathroom.

A half an hour later, he finally made his way back to the kitchen. He wasn’t surprised to see Grant still there, and this time with a plate of toast. His brother motioned him over to the table. “Eat.”

Cooper didn’t want anything. Even toast made his stomach lurch. When he didn’t answer, Grant took a piece and pushed the plate closer to him. “Eat, or Mother’s going to be over here with chicken-noodle soup.”

At the familiar threat, Cooper burst out laughing. When it ended with a sob, he put his head in his hands and let it out. He could hear himself, but it sounded like a long way off, almost like the sobs were coming from underwater. Grant went into the bathroom and soaked a washcloth in cold water. Returning to the kitchen, he handed it to his brother. Silently, Cooper took it. He held it to his face until it started getting warm.

Drawing in a shaky breath, he threw the cloth in the sink and reached for a piece of toast. Mumbling, he said, “You never put enough butter on.” More something to distract them than that he wanted it, he got up and opened a jar of jam. Slathering on more than he needed, he glanced over at Grant, who looked like he wanted to say something. “What? I like jam.”

Grant was saved from answering by the phone.

From his brother’s side of the conversation, Cooper wasn’t surprised when Grant asked him if he wanted to run over to Missoula to look at the property.

“What about your schedule? I thought you worked today.”

“I called in, so I have the whole day. Can you get your crew set up and go with us?”

A day away with his father and brother sounded good, and in less than half an hour he had the day laid out for his men.

* * * *

It was after six o’clock when the three men got back to Blackhawk. After looking over the property together, they’d decided to put in the apartments. The building was just too good to tear down. Wanting the whole family involved, his dad called to see if his mother could meet them at the lodge for some dinner, and by six thirty, the family was sitting at their usual table. Devon apologized for not making the trip and asked a horde of questions. Their father went over a proposal and some details and promised to get the old blueprints to Cooper so he could draft a design for upper-end apartments. By the time they finished, it was almost ten o’clock.

Cooper had participated, but barely. No one had mentioned Galynn, but he knew everyone felt her absence. How could one small woman make such an impact in so short a time? Finally he couldn’t take it a second longer, and with a mumbled “good night,” he pushed himself away from the table and stalked toward the door.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his mother get up to come after him and Grant standing and pulling her into his arms.

One day down and a lifetime to go.

Chapter 13

Early morning light filtered through the bus window. Galynn shifted in her seat, thankful the long night was finally over. She glanced around at the other passengers, some waking up and others still slumped in their seats. Oh how she envied them. She hadn’t been able to do more than doze for a few minutes at a time, and she felt so tired she was almost rummy.

The loudspeaker came on, sounding overly loud in the sleeping bus. The driver announced “Johnson Pass, Wyoming” and that there would be a forty-five-minute breakfast break. She wasn’t hungry, but a cup of coffee sounded like nectar of the gods.

Galynn stepped off the bus. The wind blasted against her, and she fought the urge to return to her seat. Instead, she pulled the fleece jacket up to cover her ears. The cold air burned her lungs. There was a coffee shop inside the station, but she could see a well-lit café across the street and halfway down the block. She hesitated. The station would be crowded, but they were used to filling orders quickly. When a big guy pushed ahead of her, she made a decision and headed down the street.

It felt colder here than home. With surprise, she realized that even though she’d only been in Cooper’s town a few weeks, it would always be “home” to her. She lifted her head and took in the snow-covered mountains that reminded her of Blackhawk and made her ache with homesickness. A sob lodged in her throat. She bit it back.
Will these blasted tears ever stop?

She pushed open the door to what the sign announced as “Ruby’s Café.” Welcoming, warm air hit her, and she hurried through the door to keep it from escaping out into the cold morning. An older woman that looked like she could be cast as everybody’s grandmother grabbed a menu and the coffeepot. She motioned to a booth along the wall. Galynn slid into the seat, facing the windows so she could watch the bus. If people started coming out of the station, she’d know to hurry back.

The name tag just over the lady’s breast read “Ginger.” With a smile, she poured coffee and put the menu in front of Galynn. “From the bus?”

Galynn nodded. “It looked pretty crowded in the station.” She wasn’t hungry, but the last she’d eaten was part of a bowl of soup the day before. Without looking at the menu, she ordered a couple of fried eggs with an English muffin.

“Want some bacon or sausage with that?”

“No, just the eggs, and if it comes with hash browns, that would be good.”

The waitress turned in the order and leaned over the counter. There were only a few customers, and they were all older men. The waitress waved her hand over the room. “It’s pretty early yet for Johnson Pass. We open at six for folks starting work or driving through, but the breakfast crowd usually comes in around eight.”

She pointed to a sign on the window. Galynn couldn’t see what it said, as the wording was directed on the other side, facing the street. When she didn’t answer, the woman sighed. “Don’t guess you’d be interested in a job? Can’t say that I blame you. It don’t pay much, but there’s a small apartment that goes with it.”

The waitress came around the counter with Galynn’s order. “We lost our breakfast cook a couple of days ago. Her daughter had an accident, and she had to go help out with the grandkids. I understand, but it has left us in a mess. My Barney has been taking the morning off from the car repair shop to help, but his work is piling up over there.”

Galynn liked to cook. She’d waitressed and cooked in a place a lot like this when she was in school. She looked toward the window where the food orders came out. A customer couldn’t see much of anyone in there. If Mick did come in, she’d see him, way before he’d see her. And he would never expect her to be working in a place like Johnson Pass, let alone cooking in a small café. This might be perfect. There wasn’t anything magical about Ogden except its size. She had no real reason to go there. Unbidden, the thought washed over her that she would be closer to Blackhawk, closer to Cooper here.

When Ginger came back with the coffeepot, Galynn glanced out the window. The first passengers were filtering out the door of the bus station and boarding the bus. She would have to make up her mind fast. If she wasn’t going to stay, she had to get back over to the bus or it would be pulling out without her, and with her suitcase.
Oh well, nothing to lose.

Galynn grabbed her backpack. “I’ll be right back, and we can talk about the job.”

Within a few minutes, she was back. The driver had given her a hard time in a teasing way. He’d told her to keep her ticket. If she changed her mind, he’d be back through Johnson Pass in a week and would take her the rest of the way.

Ginger poured herself a cup of coffee and slid into the other side of Galynn’s booth. The few customers had left, so they had the place to themselves for the moment. “I’m hoping all this”—she waved toward Galynn’s suitcase that sat by the booth—“means you’re considering the job.”

“Yes, I’d like to see how it works out. If it doesn’t, I can always continue on.”

Ginger played with her cup, moving it in a circle. She looked like she was pondering her words. Galynn’s heart sank. Had she decided against giving her the job? If so, she could be sitting here for a week with nothing to do except think, and that’s the last thing she wanted to do.

Ginger finally broke the silence. “We don’t ask many questions here, so I’m not going to ask you why a pretty, obviously educated young woman would want a job as a cook in a backwoods café.”

Galynn interrupted her. “You must have had some thoughts. You brought up the job without asking if I had any experience.”

A smile broke over Ginger’s face. “Yep, I did at that. I pride myself on my good judge of character, and, honey, you look like what you might lack in experience you’ll make up for in determination. Besides, you look like you could use a little help.”

Galynn didn’t confirm or deny what Ginger said. Instead, she waited for her to go on.

“So okay, let’s get down to business. Like I said, the cook’s pay isn’t much. A little more than the waitresses because they get tips, but still not what you’re probably used to.”

“I’ll get by,” Galynn said.