Dee, Lavada - Nothing to Lose [Blackhawk Brothers] (BookStrand Publishing Romance) (9 page)

Coop, tuned into her as usual, noticed her discomfort but interpreted it wrong, thinking she needed to make a pit stop. “There’s a small state park just up the road. We’ll stop and take a break.”

She nodded that she heard him and turned back to their conversation to ward off the emotions she was feeling. “Were you closest with Devon?”

“Not more than with Tyrell. Growing up, he was my hero. I thought there wasn’t anything he couldn’t do. Guess I still do, because last night just before I fell asleep, I was wishing he was here. He’d know what to do. And with his contacts…”

Galynn sat up straighter. This wasn’t the kind of thing she wanted Cooper to talk about, let alone think. Mick was dangerous, even more so now that she had left him. Galynn had thought all this out before she had decided to leave. She knew that even if she did stay, there wasn’t anything she could do to help him. She’d tried talking to Mick’s mother, but if she suspected anything, she was in denial. All his mother had done was make excuses about the stress of his job. She’d even gone to the police, but they’d protected their own, telling her she needed to be more understanding.

She needed to respond to Cooper saying that his brother could help, but she didn’t know what to say. Thankfully it was a moot point, as Tyrell wasn’t around.

Cooper slowed the SUV. “Look, over to the right.”

Three deer were grazing close to the tree line. She sucked in her breath at their beauty. In unison, they raised their heads and looked straight at them. Then with a fluid grace, they bounded into the trees. She let out her breath, not realizing she’d been holding it. “That was incredible. I love Montana. It’s so…”

Galynn couldn’t find words. The car filled with a poignant, almost liquid silence, and she struggled to define her feelings. She looked over at Cooper and couldn’t pull her eyes away.
Bad idea.
But she hadn’t consciously done it. If she’d been thinking, she’d have looked anywhere else but at him. She could hear his breathing pick up. Was his heart beating as hard as hers? His hands tightened on the wheel, bringing the muscles in his forearms up. Her gaze played down his arms and over his hands. She bit her lip. She remembered how it felt to have him touch her. Strong, yet his touch was gentle.

She swallowed the noise that was threatening to escape. He didn’t do as well and almost growled as he found the entrance to the park he’d mentioned stopping at. The restrooms were further back into the park, but it only took a few seconds to get there. In one motion, he turned off the SUV and reached for her. Raising her mouth to his, she melted into him. With a groan, he took it and deepened the kiss until their tongues were coupling in a mating dance.

His hands roamed over her back, finding the edge of her sweater. They were shaking as he moved around, caressing her breasts. She moaned, not breaking the kiss, and tasted his scent. He trailed his mouth over her jaw and into her neck. Galynn was past thinking. All her senses were concentrated on feeling. Shock jolted through her when he abruptly pulled back and rested his forehead against hers.

He fought to gain control, his breath heaving in time to hers. “This isn’t right. You deserve better than in the front seat of a car.”

Galynn closed her eyes, trying to quiet her pulse rate down. “Wow!” she managed to get out.

Cooper pulled away and kissed her forehead. “Wow is right.” He swung the door open and reached in the back for his overnight kit. “While I’m back here, do you want a soda?”

“Yeah, but I need to use the bathroom first. Give them to me, and I’ll put them in the cup holders for when we get back.” On the surface, things seemed to have gotten quickly back to normal, but they were anything but. She fought to keep her eyes off Cooper, barely noticing what he was doing.

* * * *

Coop grumbled to himself as he made his way to the bathroom. He’d never lost control like he’d just done. Even going through adolescence, he’d never disgraced his self like this.
At least I had the sense to pack extra shorts.
He didn’t remember ever wanting anything as much as he wanted, no, needed her.

Galynn was at the car when Coop came out. He didn’t look at her as he stowed the bag away. As soon as they got back out on the highway, she popped the top on one of the sodas and handed it to him.

“Thanks, uh, back there. I’m…”

She interrupted him. “If you’re going to apologize for making me feel more alive than I’ve ever been, don’t.”

Her voice told him to back off. He was no fool. He looked over at her and smiled. “Have I told you today that I love you?”

She quipped back, “No, and it’s already”—she broke off to look at her watch—“almost noon.”

“We’ll be at the lake in about an hour. Can you hold off for lunch that long?”

“Lunch, Coop, we just ate breakfast. I’m going to be as big as a barn if you keep feeding me.”

He took his eyes off the road for a second and let his eyes roam over her. Not smart, the tension in the car again moved up a notch. She was so unaware of how beautiful she was. She was pocket sized but so perfectly proportioned she could be a model. Her hair was thick and not red but more of a rich mahogany. Her eyes were the color between brandy and chocolate. Coop bit back a groan and reached over to turn on the radio. “If you’d rather, you can slip in a CD. There’s a case in the console.”

Country western sent its soothing tone out of the speakers. It looked like Galynn enjoyed it. He knew he did. Maybe it was an acquired taste like avocado. She smiled over at him, telling him as much, and his heart picked up a beat.

“Looks like we’re going to have to go dancing. You haven’t danced till you’ve done it to country.”

“I haven’t done it, period.”

Coop looked over, feigning shock. “Not danced? Lady, you don’t know what you’ve been missing.” He licked his forefinger and held it up. “Note to self. Go dancing with this beautiful, desirable, sexy…better stop here or we’re going to be looking for another park.”

She laughed at his antics. They both relaxed as music filled the car and Montana rolled by outside the window.

It was almost six o’clock by the time they rolled into Kalispell. The weather had stayed sunny but cold all day. They’d stopped, as Coop had promised, when they got to the lake. Supposedly for lunch, but Galynn had cheated and had homemade chocolate pie and hot chocolate. Coop had teased her about being wired with chocolate but seemed to enjoy her eating it as much as she did. She told him he was spoiling her, and he said he hoped so. His voice had lowered when he said, “You need to be spoiled.” His eyes said he was enjoying doing it.

The drive up the lake had been breathtakingly beautiful, and they’d pulled into nearly every turnout. Sometime they’d get out and stretch their legs. It was cold, and Coop used that as an excuse to pull her tight against him. Not that he needed one. Every time they stopped, her body gravitated toward his.

Chapter 8

Cooper slowed down and turned into a rustic lodge. “Here we are. I’ll bet you’re starved after that lunch you ate.”

Galynn opened her door to frigid air. Dark came early this time of year, and with it, the temperature had to have dropped twenty or more degrees. “I don’t know about starved, but a hot cup of something is going to taste pretty good by the time we get in the door.”

Cooper laughed. “Does this mean we’re not going to go snowmobile riding?”

He was kidding, neither of them was dressed for anything like that, but she went along with it. “Sure, I’ll sit right behind you so you can keep me warm.”

They laughed and joked their way up the steps and into the lodge where Galynn stopped short. High ceilings made the room look huge and showed off the upper balcony. It was made of logs, with massive furniture complementing its size. “This is beautiful, Coop. Is Blackhawk Lodge like this?”

“I think it’s better, bigger, and, instead of just a mountain view, it has the lake in the forefront. It’s also a lot newer. Of course I might be a little biased. When we get back, I’ll take you over there for dinner, and we’ll go check the family suite out.” He winked at her.

After fast showers, they headed down for dinner. Again, Galynn was astonished over the rustic beauty of the lodge. The massive dining room had a fire burning in a fireplace that took up a quarter of the wall. Windows filled the other side of the room. It was too dark to see anything outside but Cooper promised they’d see it at breakfast.

Galynn at first refused a dinner drink, but after Cooper described a margarita, she decided to try one. When it came, she cautiously sipped it. “Umm, this is good. I like the salt around the edges. What did you call it?”

Cooper’s smile was golden. “A margarita, I can’t believe you’ve never had one.”

She ducked her head. He had to think she was a real dork, but she’d never gone out much with her mother, and when they did, the medications her mother took prevented her from drinking anything with liquor. She hadn’t thought much about it until now, but Mick never took her out except to his folks’. She smiled over at him. “Life was different. I know you can’t understand. How could you?”

Cooper reached over the table and took her hand. “I’m sorry. I certainly didn’t mean it as a criticism.” Changing the subject, he picked up his menu. “So, what looks good to you?”

They studied the entrées, Galynn finally selecting the petite steak and Cooper the prime rib. After the waitress left with their order, silence settled over them like a blanket. This time, it wasn’t all that comfortable. Cooper’s voice sounded low and husky as he broke it. “Really, honey, I’m sorry. I was just making conversation, which I should know better than to do.”

Galynn smiled over at him. “You have nothing to be sorry about. I didn’t take it as criticism or a put-down. It was just that hearing you say it made me think of all that I’ve missed out on, and, worse, not even realizing I’d missed anything. There are so many things I haven’t done.” She held up her hand, counting on her fingers. “Like dancing, and amusement parks or fairs, and…” She stopped and looked over at him. Her voice dropped to a whisper. “I guess I have some catching up to do.”

He held her gaze with his own. His voice dropped to match hers. “It will be fun to show you all those things and more.”

Cooper opened up a new thread of conversation. “So, on the way down we talked, but mostly about me. Now it’s your turn.”

Galynn shook her head. She didn’t want Cooper to know about her life. Before Mick, there wasn’t much to say, and after Mick…there wasn’t anything she wanted to say. She loved hearing about the Blackhawk family. It felt like living vicariously in a world she’d only dreamed about.

When she didn’t answer, he made another attempt to get her talking. “Did you always want to be a teacher?” Galynn felt herself relax. She was comfortable talking about this subject.

“No, I never wanted to be a teacher.” At his puzzled look, she quickly continued. “I know this will seem strange to you. My mother always wanted to teach. She never made it to college and swore she’d do everything she could so I could go.” Her voice dropped. “And she did. In return, I went for a degree in education for her.

She looked over at Cooper. He listened to her like he really cared, like he really wanted to know her. “I’m so glad I did. From the first minute of the first day, I fell in love with teaching. So far I’ve only taught third grade, and the kids at that age are perfect.”

Cooper laughed. “Perfect? I’m not sure I can visualize a room full of what? Nine-year-olds? That’s your definition of perfect?”

She laughed back at him. “Oh, but they are. Well, maybe perfect, in their imperfect selves. They’re inquisitive, honest, funny…”

Cooper held up his hands in mock defense. “Okay, okay. I can see how your enjoyment of teaching would make your mother very happy.”

Once started, Galynn told him more about her mother, about how much fun she was. She told him that although they didn’t have lot of money, they were rich in other ways.

When their salads were served, Galynn stopped in midsentence. She couldn’t believe how much she’d told Cooper. “I…I’m sorry. You should have stopped me.”

“Stopped you? It wasn’t all that easy to get you to relax and share your life with me. But I’m so very glad you did. Now I can see you as a little girl. I can see you before life got really tough, and how all the good and bad has shaped you into the courageous, compassionate woman you are.”

* * * *

Dinner over, Cooper looked at his watch. It wasn’t late, but neither of them had gotten much sleep the night before. He wasn’t tired. However, he needed to think of Galynn. He took her arm as they left the dining room and walked up the grand staircase together. Her skin felt soft. His body tightened. She had to be exhausted, and he wanted everything to be perfect. He could wait. He had to wait.

When they got back to the room, Cooper went over and stood by the French doors. If it were summer, they could have taken a walk and maybe had drinks out on the balcony. He promised himself that they’d come back. He wasn’t going to think about her leaving him.

He felt her before she wrapped her arms around him. He sucked in his breath. She wasn’t making this easy. He put his hands over hers and closed his eyes. He could feel her breath when she pressed her cheek into his back and snuggled closer. The softness of her breasts made him bite back a groan.

Her voice was little more than a whisper. “What’s wrong, Cooper? Did I say too much? Have you changed your mind about us?”

In one motion, he turned and pulled her into his arms. Trembling, he rested his chin on her head. “Nothing’s wrong. In fact, it’s so damn perfect it’s unreal. You can’t know how much your trust in talking to me tonight means to me.” He swallowed the lump in his throat.

“But you don’t want me. It’s okay. After what I did last night, I understand.”

“Oh, honey, it goes a lot deeper than wanting you. But this isn’t just about making love. It’s about trust. I don’t want to take a chance that I’ll hurt you. Or that I won’t be enough or give you enough.”

“I trust you, and you’re more than enough for any woman, but I know I’m not the type of woman you’re used to being with.” Her voice caught. “Besides, you’re no doubt tired. You did all the driving, and we really didn’t get to bed very early last night.”