It's In His Heart (A Red River Valley Novel) (7 page)

“What are you ladies reading?” Coop asked.

Hank groaned and pushed back his chair. “You had to ask, didn’t you?” He shot Coop an accusing scowl.

Brianna turned a light shade of pink and looked down. Donna perked up, leaning forward like she had a juicy secret.

“It’s a worldwide sensation,” Donna said. “This young, pretty, extremely anal-retentive librarian in Albuquerque meets a hunky chiropractor, and she completely transforms into this wild sex machine.”

Huh.
A strange sensation prickled Coop’s gut.

“That’s it,” Hank said. “I’m leaving if y’all are gonna talk about those trashy sex books.”

“Sex books?” Coop couldn’t hide the shock in his voice. “You ladies read that stuff?”

Ella hadn’t spoken to him since he walked up, but now her green eyes bored into him like two bullets. “Why is it that men have read girlie magazines for decades and it’s deemed manly, perfectly acceptable in most societal circles until recent years, but if a woman reads a romance novel, it’s criticized?” Her emerald eyes held his.

Was that a question? He wasn’t sure, and before he could figure it out, his eyes sank to her pursed lips. They looked ripe, full . . .

They started moving again, but Coop couldn’t quite make out the words spilling from them.

“Coop?” Donna said, snapping him out of the spell.

He looked around the table. “Huh?”

No one spoke but Ella. “I said how is reading those books so different from . . .” She glanced at Butch, then pushed her plate back. “You know what? Never mind.”

“See what you started, Hank?” Donna accused her husband.

“Me? I just said I wasn’t gonna sit here if y’all start up with those books again. It’s not proper dinner conversation. Coop’s the one that brought it up in the first place.”

“Well, get used to it, mister, because the ladies and I are meeting here twice a week for lunch to discuss them. Sort of like a book club. And these books,” she picked up her copy and waved it in the air, “are just the first two in a long series.”

“Then I guess I won’t be joining you for lunch anymore,” Hank said, slamming his hat down on his head. He stood up.

“I guess you won’t.” Donna pushed her chair back. She stood, fists planted on her hips. “And I guess you can sleep on the sofa again since you like it so much.” Donna stormed out with Hank on her heels.

Ella threw her napkin over her chili-smeared plate. “I’m leaving, too.” She stood, grabbing her purse. “Thanks for lunch, Butch. Next time it’s on me.” She turned to the others still seated and said her good-byes. She ignored Coop.

“We’ll see you tonight, Ella,” said Brianna, trying to sound cheerful, but the elephant in the room was hard to ignore.

As Ella strode to the door, her posture rigid, Ross stood up and gave Coop a slap on the back. “Good goin’, buddy. You really have a way with women,” Ross said. “Remind me not ask you for advice on how to make a good impression on a gal.”

Joe’s front door swung closed after Ella stepped through it. Coop shook his head. “Why would you want to do that? Women are nothing but trouble.”

Ross put his hat on and flipped the brim. “Maybe, but a woman as pretty as Ella is the best kind of trouble a man could ask for.” He threw a tip down on the table. “I’m kinda glad you can’t see it. Gives a guy like me a better chance.”

Ross walked to the door and tossed a nod at everyone. “See y’all tonight.”

Not if I see you first.
Coop wouldn’t allow himself to say it out loud. Even he could see how childish his favorite high school barb was. He should be glad someone was interested in Ella. If she started dating, it might get her out of his hair. She dominated the cabin, as it stood now. Constantly cleaning, making the place smell good. Walking into the bathroom was like entering the Twilight Zone. Even her toothbrush was pink and her soap smelled all fruity. And what was she doing on that laptop half the night? When he lay in bed, he could hear her banging away on the keyboard until all hours.

He stayed out of the cabin as much as possible to avoid Ella. Dating would get her out of his way and at least give him some privacy. He should cheer Ross on. The big guy would be doing him a favor.

So, why did he want to smack Ross for even suggesting it?

C
hapte
r
S
even

Just before Bradley proposed, he and Ella drove up to Red River for a four-day weekend. The first day they spent a few hours on the slopes, then returned to the cabin and built a fire. Bradley uncorked a bottle of white wine and made pasta with clam sauce while fresh snow fell, blanketing the mountainous landscape.

It was a winter wonderland, and by far the most romantic day of Ella’s life. She wanted him, needed him. Badly. The glass of wine having gone to her head, she patted the empty seat next to her, and Bradley joined her on the sofa.

Her schoolteacher inhibitions tossed to the wind, she kissed him deeply and passionately and pulled at his sweater.

“Come on.” He tried to rise, tugging her with him, but she tugged back.

“Make love to me here. In front of the fire.”

He laughed. “The shades are open.”

“So?” She pulled him back down. “Your cabin’s surrounded by trees.”

He settled on top of her. Wrapping her long legs around his waist, she ran her palms under his sweater and caressed his back.

He nuzzled her neck. “I need to get you tipsy more often.”

She giggled. “It doesn’t take much to get me tipsy. Then you can have your way with me.”

“I noticed.” He nipped at her earlobe, and a shiver lanced down her spine.

When it was over, Ella lay on the sofa wrapped in an afghan. Content. Life was perfect.

Bradley’s phone went off, and he stepped out of the bathroom in search of it. “Hello.” He listened. “This is Dr. Dennings. What can I do for you?”

Ella sat up and reached for her wine as Bradley listened to the caller. He was so good at it. Always listening, always caring about others. It wasn’t any wonder that his patients loved him.

“Alright. Since Derek referred you and it’s an emergency, I’ll see you in a few hours. Until then, put ice on it.”

Ella’s heart sank. Their romantic weekend was over before it really got started. She got up to pack, wrapping the blanket under her arms to cover her breasts.

Bradley snapped the phone shut. “Hey,” he whispered. “Where you going?”

“We’re going back to Albuquerque, aren’t we?”

He enfolded her in his arms, pulling her flush against him. “I am. You’re not.” He pecked her nose with a kiss. “I’ll be back early in the morning, and we can pick up where we left off.”

“You’re sure?” Ella asked, because she wasn’t in the least bit certain.

“You won’t even know I’ve been gone. Promise.” He covered her mouth with a deep kiss.

An hour later, Ella still lay on the sofa, enjoying the fire. She didn’t often relax so completely, but here in this place, how could she not? Especially after such tender lovemaking.

She stared into the fire, the flames holding her captive, and dozed. When she woke a few hours later, the fire had died out and a wicked chill hung in the air. She bundled the blanket tighter around her nakedness and went to the basement to check the furnace.

Well, frick. After finding the pilot lit and fully functioning, Ella stood staring at it with one hand on her hip and the other clutching the blanket to her chest. What now? Bradley wouldn’t be back until the morning, and she didn’t have a car to go find a warm motel. She’d just have to pull on some thermal underwear and tough it out.

She took the first two steps, but the basement door opened above her and a figure in winter gear stood at the top of the stairs. He took one step down, saw her at the bottom, and lost his footing. A string of cursing echoed off the dank walls as Cooper Wells tumbled downward and landed at Ella’s feet.

“Ah!” He grabbed at the back of his head.

“Coop?” Ella bent to help him. “What happened? What are you doing here? Bradley said you weren’t coming this weekend. Have you been drinking?”

“For God’s sake,
Cind
—” He hesitated. “One question at a time. And, no, my neck’s not broken. Thanks for your concern.”

“I came down here to check the furnace,” Ella explained. “The heat isn’t working.”

“Probably because the thermostat wasn’t turned on. I checked it as soon as I walked in.”

“Oh.” Ella bit her lip, her cheeks burning even in the cold basement. Checking the thermostat hadn’t even occurred to her.

Still grabbing at the back of his head, his eyes closed. “Jesus, that hurt.”

“What happened?”

He looked at her through one half-opened eye. It dipped to her chest. “Uh, you took me by surprise, that’s all.”

She pulled the afghan up as much as possible. “Bradley said you wouldn’t be here this weekend.”

“When I saw how much snow Red River was getting, I came to go snowboarding.”

“You could’ve called.” She tried to adjust the afghan again.

“I did. Bradley was on his way back to Albuquerque and thought it was a good idea I come up tonight so you wouldn’t be alone.”

His furious stare raked over her, and a glint of something new dawned there. Something different, softer. Coop’s glower faded, his sensual hazel eyes anchored to her mouth, and the sexy De Niroesque mole under his eye twitched. Instead of recoiling, her tongue traced her bottom lip as she took in his tousled caramel hair that always looked as though a woman had run passionate fingers through it. His breath hitched, and lust flared in his eyes, turning them a dark shade of green.

Then, Ella did the unthinkable.

She lowered her head and kissed her boyfriend’s best friend.

His reaction was instantaneous. Lips warm and ready, he took control of the kiss and pulled her against him. His padded snow jacket cushioned her breasts, and she melted into him as he encircled her in his arms. One of his hands drifted down her back, flexing and caressing until it cupped her bottom. The other threaded through her hair. Pressing her into him, he deepened the kiss.

He tasted earthy and intoxicatingly male. He explored her mouth with his tongue, and she followed his every stroke. In spite of the freezing basement, the air around them sizzled with need. She settled against him with a soft moan, and he pulled her hips into his, his rock-hard groin confirming his desire. His fingers pulled at the blanket, tugging it upward. A shiver raced up her legs as, inch by inch, he bared her to the cool night air and to his warm, searching hand. When his palm settled over her bare bottom and caressed, a low growl came from somewhere deep inside him, and his kiss became primal and urgent. His grip on her was firm, like he didn’t want to let her go. And for an instant, she didn’t want him to, either. Her brain clouded, a sensuous moan escaped from the back of her throat, and it startled her.

That was her, right? The room spun around her, and she fought to regain lucidity.

Frick. It
was
her.

She pushed herself off him.

“No! I can’t.” Her shaky hands fumbled with the blanket that had slipped dangerously low.

Coop’s scowl returned, and he pulled himself off the basement floor.

“I’m sorry.” Ella looked at the cinder block walls, the wood beams that ran across the ceiling in perfect increments, anything to avoid Coop’s stare. She eyed the stairs, wanting to make a run for it, but Coop stood in between her and the only escape route.

“Can we . . . pretend this never happened? Please.”

He analyzed her for a moment, conflicting emotions playing across his face. None of them looked positive.

“I wouldn’t want to hurt Bradley. Especially over something foolish that didn’t mean anything,” Ella plowed on.

Coop gave a slow nod. “Right. It was just one of many kisses I’ve had this week. It wasn’t even that good.”

His tone had turned retaliatory, and Ella couldn’t blame him. She had initiated the kiss, not him.

He certainly hadn’t tried to stop her, though. How far would it have gone if she hadn’t pulled away? And could she trust him to keep it quiet? Maybe she should tell Bradley herself. But that would cut him deeply—his best friend and his girlfriend fooling around when he wasn’t looking. And he actually had thought it was a good idea for Coop to be looking out for her while he was gone.

She was an idiot. A two-timing, traitorous idiot.

“I need to go upstairs.” She gave him a pointed look.

He stayed rooted in place for several long, torturous moments. The furnace kicked on, drowning out the deafening silence. Finally, he stepped to the side, waving her through with a bow. Mocking her.

She darted up the stairs and into Bradley’s room, slamming the door in her wake.

Tucked safely into her room, she put on one of Bradley’s T-shirts and dug a pair of lace panties out of her suitcase. The black pair that drove Bradley crazy with desire. Pulling a handful of the shirt to her nose, she inhaled his scent and rubbed the soft cotton across one cheek. She loved sleeping in his shirts. It was so intimate, like a security blanket or a shield of protection.

Then she paced the floor. How could she have done such a thing? She had just humiliated herself and betrayed Bradley. And with his chauvinistic, philandering best friend, no less.

The lavender hue of twilight filled the window by the time Ella finally dried her eyes and climbed under the covers. She drifted into that fitful limbo between wakefulness and sleep with Bradley’s scent comforting her and Coop’s taste tormenting her. A few hours later, Bradley slid into bed, wrapping her in his warmth. She snuggled into him and buried her face in his chest.

“I missed you,” she whispered. “I don’t like it when we’re apart.”

“Good, because I kept wondering something during the drive back up here.” He kissed her, tender and sweet. “Maybe we shouldn’t be apart.” He caressed the tip of her nose with his. “Will you marry me?”

“I love you, Bradley.” Her voice quivered. The memory of how her body had responded to Coop’s scorching touch and steamy kiss just a few hours ago haunted her. Her eyelids slid shut, and she pulled her lower lip between her teeth. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

Bradley let out a shaky laugh. “Whew. There for a second I thought you were going to say no.”

Ella shook her head. “I want us to spend the rest of our lives together. I love you.” A tear slipped down the side of her cheek.

“I love you, too, babe.” He trailed kisses from her ear to her mouth. “Now, where were we?” When his hand found the small swatch of lace around her hips, he moaned. “Oh, yeah. That’s where we were.”

Ella swallowed. “Coop might hear us.”

Bradley tucked one hand between the lace and her skin. “Coop left early this morning. There was a note on the counter. Something came up in Albuquerque.”

“Oh,” she squeezed her eyes shut and buried her face against Bradley’s neck.

He rolled her onto her back and covered her. “At least he stayed the night. It made me feel better about leaving you.”

They spent the rest of the weekend at the cabin alone. Bradley fished in the stream out back while Ella looked on, bundled in several layers of down. They had a snowball fight, trekked to a meadow to take pictures of a herd of elk, and made sweet love every night. But Ella never visited the cabin again after that. Even after they got married, she encouraged Bradley to go without her. Claiming she didn’t like the small-town culture, Ella stayed behind when Bradley wanted to go to Red River. It was a good chance for him to spend time with Coop and do guy stuff, she’d say.

Bradley accepted her excuses, but she knew he always wondered why. He guessed she was holding something back. He just never knew that
something
was the betrayal of his future wife with his best friend.