Dee, Lavada - Nothing to Lose [Blackhawk Brothers] (BookStrand Publishing Romance) (8 page)

“Aw, honey, come on back to bed. We can talk about it.” At the look on her face, he added. “Or not.”

“You want me to sleep here? With you?”

“I’m not going to be able to sleep if you don’t. Come on. We’ve already got the bed warm.”

Galynn hesitated. She wanted to stay with Coop more than anything. She raised her head and gazed into his eyes, where all she saw was gentle, loving concern. When he held out his hand, she put hers in the palm of his and allowed him pull her back to bed. It felt so right to cuddle down against him and rest her head on his chest.

He stroked the hair off her forehead and bent to kiss along her hairline. The intense physical need of minutes ago had disappeared. She closed her eyes and felt the day recede. The last thing she heard was Cooper’s whispered words. “Sleep, little one, you’ve been awake too long. You need to sleep.”

Morning was creeping through the window. Galynn didn’t want to move. She was still snuggled against Coop’s chest where she could hear the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. She hadn’t thought she could possibly fall into such a deep sleep. Hopefully Coop had followed right behind her and not lain awake. She pulled away a little so she could look at him. In sleep he looked relaxed, and his full lips were more prominent. He was so beautiful, maybe a guy would be handsome, but he was more, and only the word “beautiful” fully described him. If only, but she dared not think about staying. It was too dangerous. If Mick found her, he’d kill her and anyone close to her. She couldn’t. Wouldn’t risk it.

She snuggled back down and, unbelievably, went back to sleep. This time she woke up to a cool breeze when Coop pulled off the covers. “Come on, woman. The day is wasting away.” His eyes twinkled. Apparently he was enjoying this.

“Oh yeah.” She threw her pillow at him. Seconds later, they were tussling over the bed. After getting in a really good blow, Galynn held up her hands in surrender. “Okay, okay, I give.”

Coop laughed as he backed off. “Where I come from, that’s called cheating.”

“Yeah, from where I come from, it’s called strategic maneuvers.”

Coop held out his hand and pulled her off the bed and on her feet. His laugh died in his throat when he looked down at her. “Run up and get dressed while I fix us something to eat.” As she started for the door, he called after her. “Oh, and pack an overnight case. Just as insurance for if we don’t make it home tonight.”

At his words she stopped. “Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise. Go on, and I’ll tell you when you come back down for breakfast.”

True to his word, Coop dished up scrambled eggs with bacon and poured her a cup of coffee. “Now, you want to know where we’re going? You don’t want me to surprise you?”

She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a surprise, the good kind. She looked up at Cooper and knew he could see right through her. “I guess I want both. I want to anticipate where we’re going, but I love surprises.”

“Okay, how about I tell you and let the beauty of where we’re going be the surprise.”

Her face lit up. “Oh, I like that idea.”

“Okay, but you have to keep eating. It’s going to be a full day, and I want to stop off at the folks’ for a minute before we set off.” He finished his breakfast and took his empty plate to the sink. While he rinsed it and put it in the dishwasher, he told her he intended to show her a piece of Montana. “We’re going to drive around Flathead Lake. It’s a beautiful drive, and depending on the time, we’ll stop in Kalispell for the night.”

Galynn smiled. “I’m going to love today. I feel like a little kid on vacation.”

“Have you traveled much, like to maybe Disney World?”

“I haven’t been out of Atlanta until now. I know Disney World is close. Mom and I always planned to go, but somehow we never made it.”

She picked up her empty plate and put it in the sink. Before she started rinsing it, she reached up and kissed him lightly on the lips.

He took the plate from her. “Any more of that and we may get a later start than I’d planned.”

Less than a half hour later, Galynn handed Cooper her backpack and watched as he put it beside the small case he’d packed. Now that they were ready to go, she felt nervous. Not about the trip, but about stopping at his folks’. She thought about asking him to go without her and pick her up at the office. That way he wouldn’t have to drive back down to the house.

As if he could read her mind, he gave her a look that said, “Don’t ask.”

Cooper’s parents had a place just up the lake from his. If they walked out on his dock they would be able to see it, but with the stormy weather, he hadn’t had the chance to take Galynn down to the lake yet. Like his, their drive was long and wooded. As the house came into view, Galynn held her breath. It was older and more seasoned than Cooper’s, but had the same rustic style that blended into its setting with wide porches all the way around, or at least as far as she could see. “This is beautiful. Not as big as yours, but it’s perfect. Did you grow up here?”

“No, the family homestead used to be where the lodge is now. My great-grandfather built it and just added on as the family grew. Some of the original timbers are in the lodge. Mom and Dad moved into this one when I graduated and went off to college.”

“And you’re the baby, right?”

His body language said he didn’t like the reference to being the baby, but his voice held a hint of a smile. “Baby? I’m the youngest.”

How could she feel so comfortable with this man? Teasing and joking when she’d never had experience in this kind of interaction. She felt a tender jolt in the region of her heart and pushed the thought of leaving away. She had an idea she would know what true loneliness felt like in the weeks, months, and even years to come.

He seemed to sense her feelings, if not the reason, and turned, making eye contact. “What? Honey, don’t worry. My folks are good people. You’ll love them.” He reached over and stroked his fingers down her cheek. “Trust me. I meant what I said. I love you. So much that they’ll know and love you, too.”

Her voice trembled with feeling. “It wasn’t that. I was just thinking how lucky I am to be with you.” She wasn’t being honest. She didn’t want him to know she’d been thinking of how empty her life would be without him.

Coop reached down to brush his lips across hers. “I think there might be more and you’re not telling me. We’ll pick this up later.”

Almost as soon as he turned off the motor, the door to the house opened and a little brown and white dog flew off the porch. She didn’t bark but made excited little squealing sounds. She couldn’t seem to get close enough, fast enough. Coop laughed and bent down to greet the little dog. “Meet our Abigail, Abby for short. I’d pick her up, but experience, and believe me we’ve had a lot of it, says to go slow until she settles down. She gets so excited she piddles. Not nice when you’re holding her.”

As soon as Abby had made sure she got all the pats and loves possible from Cooper, she switched to Galynn, who scooted down and held out her arms. “You’re adorable.”

Abby seemed to agree and, with all the exuberance in her little body, claimed Galynn as one of “her people.”

Galynn glanced up to see they weren’t alone. A couple who could only be Cooper’s parents came out on the porch. They both smiled in greeting, and his mother came down the steps to give him a hug and kiss. Cooper responded and stepped to the side, pulling Galynn in front of him. “I’d like you to meet my parents, Lydia and Collin. Mom and Dad, this is Galynn. Someone very special to me.”

Galynn wasn’t sure what to do. Should she hold out her hand? She didn’t have to worry. Cooper’s mother reached over and took both her hands in her own. Gently steering her toward the open door behind them, she made Galynn feel instantly welcome. “Come in. It’s freezing out here. Of course Abby is oblivious to the weather when one of her favorite people shows up.”

Cooper’s dad laughed, and at once Galynn recognized that his son not only looked like him, he sounded like him. Coop was almost the same size with the same coloring except for his blue eyes, which came from his mother. Coop would look just like his father someday.

Lydia motioned them all forward. “We were just having second cups of coffee.”

Cooper interrupted her. “We can’t stay. I just wanted to let you know we are going be gone all day and probably won’t get back until sometime tomorrow. We’re going to take a run around Flathead Lake. I want to show Galynn some of the country.”

His mother gave him the look that brooked no argument. “You have time for one quick cup. It’s been awhile since we’ve seen you.”

“I know. First I was trying to get that mall job to a point where we could be inside before the weather hit, and then I got buried in that office mess.” He held up his hands. “You know that Bev isn’t coming back, don’t you?”

“No, we hadn’t heard. The grandkids?” His mother smiled. “I can certainly understand her wanting to be closer.”

Her voice held just a trace of censure, and Cooper’s dad held up his hand. “Lydia!”

With mock giving in, she poured Coop and Galynn coffee. Under her breath she said, “Well, you can’t blame a wannabe grandmother for trying.”

Coop laughed. “She’s been angling for years about babies and getting old and…”

Lydia winked over at Galynn. “I won’t scare you off, will I?” She wagged her finger at Coop. “And if you aren’t careful, I’ll drag out all those old photo albums.”

Coop rolled his eyes, promising to not say another word. Laughter and fun brightened the kitchen. Coop’s dad told him about the property he was interested in, and Cooper promise to go into Missoula on the way back and take a look at it. Glancing down at his watch, he gave a groan. “We’ve been here for over an hour. We have to get going, or it’s going to be dark before we clear Blackhawk.

Cooper’s dad handed him a set of keys. “Here, you’ll need these. Be sure and look at the floors, they’re beauts.”

With hugs and promises to not make it so long between visits, Cooper and Galynn finally made it to the car and within minutes were heading out the drive. Galynn settled back in the seat and a comfortable silence filled the SUV.

The weather was cooperating. It was crisp and cold, but the sunshine was out. Cooper finally broke the silence. “You’re awfully quiet.”

“I was just thinking how lucky you are.”

Cooper didn’t try to act like he didn’t know what she was talking about. “I know having three brothers is…well, pretty great. The only thing missing in our family”—he held up his hand—“and I know my brothers and I didn’t miss it, was a girl. Mom wanted so much to have a daughter, and none of us have provided her one through marriage, which also has eliminated a granddaughter.”

“I have to admit, I’m surprised that none of you are married. Coming from such a close family, I’d think it would be hard to live by yourselves.”

Cooper seemed to think this through. “Never thought about it. But now that you bring it up, maybe we’re like wolves or bald eagles that mate for life. Maybe we just haven’t found the mate we know is for us yet.” He looked over and a grin played across his lips. “Or maybe one of us has and just hasn’t been able to convince the other party.”

Galynn laughed. “You are so full of it, Mr. Blackhawk. Wolf indeed.”

“Hey, from what I’ve heard, only about three percent of the four thousand mammal species are monogamous.” He stopped and waggled his brows. “…and Homo sapiens isn’t one of them.”

“So you’re saying you think the Blackhawk family is the exception?”

Cooper’s voice turned serious. “I’m saying, for me, it’s for life.” He paused, and his voice dropped to a whisper. “If you leave, you’re going to take my heart with you.”

Galynn swallowed the lump in her throat and averted her head to look out at the beautiful countryside. It wasn’t an issue of “if” but of “when.” She had to leave. Staying simply wasn’t an option, and she might take a part of him with her, but she’d be leaving a huge part of herself behind, too.

Turning back to look over at Cooper, she worked to lighten her voice. “Tell me about your family. I’ve met Dr. Blackhawk. I know he’s older than you, but where does he fall in the family?”

“Yeah, I’m the youngest and you already know all about me.”

“Are you kidding, I could spend a lifetime and not know all about you.’” Catching what she’d said, she quickly added, “So who’s the oldest?”

“Actually Grant, Dr. Blackhawk. He’s thirty-six. He was pretty close to getting married once. He had just finished medical school and was starting his internship. So it’s been awhile. He doesn’t talk about it. Ever.”

“Keep going, who’s the second oldest?”

“That would be Tyrell. He’s the only one of us that doesn’t live in Blackhawk. Sometimes we wonder if he will ever come home. He shows up unexpectedly, like at Christmas. Stays a few days and is off again.”

“Does his job entail a lot of travel?”

“He joined the military after two years of college, and it wasn’t long before he entered a Special Forces unit. Of all of us, he’s more the loner. Plus, he’s more physical. We all played sports in school, but Tyrell excelled at them. They still have his jersey and pictures in the display case at the high school. He’s probably where he needs to be, but none of us like it. Mom and Dad hate it.”

“How old is Tyrell?”

Cooper paused to think. “Umm, Tyrell is going to be thirty-four in a couple of months. There’s only two years between him and Grant. Devon is closer in age to me. He’s thirty-one. He manages the lodge, but his true love is being a geek.”

“Yep, geek, like as in computer nerd, but you wouldn’t know it to look at him. He hides it well, but he escapes over to his cabin across the lake almost every day to write software programs, mostly games that he sells for horrendous prices.”

Galynn’s eyes crinkled at the edges as she laughed over at Cooper. She was so enjoying this drive. Even though they spent a lot of time together between the office and home, they hadn’t spent time just talking and getting to know each other. For one thing, they both fought the overwhelming physical attraction, or at least they had, until last night. Galynn’s thoughts drifted back, her pulse pounded in her throat, and she felt uncomfortably warm. She pulled at the seat belt, fidgeting with instant arousal.