War Woman (10 page)

None of the soldiers paid him any attention as he turned off into the woods. Slowly the horses walked deeper and deeper, picking their way carefully amongst the undergrowth. Jonathan didn’t realize where he was guiding them until the roaring in his ears was replaced with a roaring that he recognized. Looking ahead and truly seeing for the first time since he’d left the village in cold, overwhelming shock, he saw the waterfall and heard the gushing water as it sprayed down into the pool. It was strong and pulsing with energy, a complete contrast to the decimated village.

Dismounting from his horse, he walked towards the edge of the pool and stared into the watery depths. The unearthly scream that tore from his lips startled the birds in the nearby trees, causing them to take to the sky as he sank to the ground and wept until there was nothing left inside and, beyond exhaustion, he fell asleep.

***

He stretched the food supplies he had packed for his two-day journey to the village over the space of a week while he lived at the waterfall, scavenging for edible berries and roots and drinking from the pool. He could feel his body weakening and knew he would eventually have to move on in order to sustain himself but right now, if he died, it was neither here nor there. This was the place he felt closest to her and as long as he stayed here, it was like she wasn’t really gone.

On the morning of the eighth day, however, something clicked inside him. He rose with a new purpose. Something precious had been taken and he would get it back because it was what she would have wanted. He burned for vengeance but this was the better route, the one she would approve of.

Removing his clothes, he waded into the water and ducked beneath the surface before coming up for air. Glancing up to the top of the rock he smiled, remembering how wild and free she had looked as she stared down at him. Treading water, he began to plan.

North Georgia – Spring, 2012

“They’re blocking your car again.”

Cooper glanced up at his farm manager. Jim Symons was short and built like a bull. Cooper noted the angry expression on his face and attempted to hide a smile. Jim’s build wasn’t the only thing that resembled a bull. He looked ready to charge forth into battle at any moment.

“Well then, it’s good we’ve got horses, isn’t it?” The words were delivered with a straight face and Cooper could tell that his apparent lack of concern irked his farm manager to no end. The pained expression on Jim’s face almost had him laughing out loud. Cooper trusted and respected Jim, both as the farm manager and as his friend, but sometimes the man needed to learn to relax.

“Have you attempted spraying them with the hosepipe?”

“Not yet.” Jim’s expression suddenly turned hopeful. “Are you giving me permission this time?”

“Certainly not.” Cooper laughed and stood up from his desk, stretching his arms slowly before stepping round the desk and walking past Jim and out of his office. “Come on. Let’s go see what they want.”

“The same thing they always want,” Jim grumbled as he turned and followed Cooper out the room. “You think after all this time they’d come up with something original. It’s the same chants, the same demands.”

“Well let’s humor them.”

“You humor people too much.”

“Judging by the scowl on your face, I don’t humor you enough.”

Cooper grinned at Jim’s weary sigh and affectionately slung his arm around his shoulder. “Be nice and I’ll buy you a beer.”

“I’d give up beer for a year if you’d let me spray them.”

“Now, Jim, you know that the ‘wet protestor’ look just adds appeal to their cause. I thought you didn’t want to give them an advantage.”

“Well one of us has to stand firm and it’s obviously me since you let them take advantage of you on a regular basis.”

Cooper laughed again and opened his front door, making his way down the porch steps and around the side of the house where his car was parked in the driveway. On seeing him, the protestors’ chants increased in vigor.

“Morning Charlie, Vivienne. Hey, Dean. How you guys doing today?” He nodded at the familiar faces. The same group of protestors had been coming to his farm over the past several weeks. They had started on the edge of his land but, on noting no repercussions and finding that their protests weren’t making any significant headway, they had steadily advanced until eventually setting up base at the start of the driveway that led to the farmhouse. They were now bold enough to surround his car during their protests and seemed to consider this in and of itself a great victory. Cooper smiled at this thought before addressing the group. “Didn’t realize you liked my car so much. If you want a test drive, all you need to do is ask.”

His easy, cheeky grin faltered slightly as the crowd of roughly fifteen protestors parted to reveal a woman he hadn’t seen before.
Damn, Jim, I thought you said they hadn’t come up with anything original
.

The aviator sunglasses she wore hid her eyes but her snug jeans displayed her curves deliciously. She wore a plain black t-shirt with a chic black blazer over the top, combined with leather ankle boots. Her hair was pulled back from her face in a high ponytail and he noted the way the smooth black tresses gleamed in the sunlight. Cooper could tell this was her casual look but everything about it declared ‘city girl’. Curious, he wondered what she would be doing all the way out here on his farm.

“Looks like you’ve got a new recruit. I’ve not seen you here before. Feel free to take a look around.” He paused to wink at the protestors. “The others have a pretty good lay of the land by now, I’m sure they’d be happy to show you around.”

“No, I’ve seen all I need to see.” The woman stared at him and he got the distinct impression she was assessing him in the manner that a boxer might his opponent, but for what purpose he couldn’t fathom.

“Oh, you’re not staying? Protesting not your style after all, is it?” He wasn’t surprised. The idea sounded glamorous to some but the reality of standing outside in the heat waving signboards and chanting continuously soon lost its appeal to those who weren’t serious about their cause.

“On the contrary, Mr. Wilson, you’re going to be seeing a lot of me.” She stepped forward out of the crowd, removed her sunglasses and extended her hand. “I’m Isabelle Hawkins, the lawyer who is going to be acting on behalf of these claimants.” She gestured to the protestors behind her.

Those eyes…
They looked so familiar and yet Cooper knew he’d never seen the woman before. However, his sense of d
éjà vu
was quickly overcome by her words as they penetrated his thoughts. All trace of a smile left Cooper’s face. “Is this some kind of a joke?” 

She dropped her hand back to her side. “No, despite the fact that you have been treating this claim as such. I’m here to negotiate between yourself and the claimants in order to come to some sort of agreement.”

“And exactly what kind of agreement do you have in mind?” His tone was cool and his gaze now equally assessing as he stared at the woman.

“That depends on the evidence we discover.”

“Evidence? What evidence? And who is ‘we’?”

“Well hopefully you, the claimants and myself. I’d rather work with you on this than against you.”

You’re a cool one, aren’t you?
Cooper considered her carefully. It wasn’t in his nature to get riled easily except when something he cared about was being threatened. Right now that something was his farm. It didn’t matter that the threat was from a woman with the kind of looks that would give a man no peace until he could have her and claim her as his own.
Geez, Cooper, where did that come from? It’s not like you haven’t seen a beautiful woman before.
There was just something about her…something unnerving that he couldn’t put his finger on.

However, she had an inner strength to match those looks, and he didn’t doubt she could wield just as much force with either of them if she set her mind to it. Bu there was more…she put him on edge for some reason that he couldn’t define, that had nothing to do with her alluring looks or a determined nature that he suspected was used to getting what it set its sights on.
Better tread carefully
...

Cooper offered her his most charming smile. “If we’re going to become better acquainted, you should call me Cooper.” Her offered her his hand. “We’ve not gotten off to the best start. How about we try again?” After all, if he was working with her she’d keep him in the loop, to some extent at least. He wasn’t worried about the protestors’ claims but he was fully aware of the publicity potential of such a situation. He didn’t want any bad PR for his farm. Not only was it his livelihood, but it had a sterling reputation built up from years of hard work by his family throughout the generations. If humoring these protestors and their lawyer protected that reputation, then so be it.

If they all worked together, it would be quicker to cement the fact that there wasn’t anything to discover, no evidence that would verify their claims. Then he could direct all his attention to the farm again, Jim would be happy and the protestors could focus their energies somewhere that may actually prove fruitful.

The lawyer looked slightly suspicious at his sudden about-turn but decided to take what she was being offered. Reaching out, she grasped his hand to shake it. As soon as their hands touched, he was assaulted with a wave of sensations, not gentle but hammering into him like breakers in a storm. Warmth, lust, love, familiarity, pain and despair all barreled into him at the same time but were gone a second later. He was so stunned that he simply stood there, looking at their joined hands, until he realized that the woman was trying to extricate her hand from his.

“If you don’t mind, I’d like my hand back please.”

“Yes, of course.” Cooper dropped her hand quickly and slipped his own into his pockets.
What the hell just happened?
He looked up at the woman’s face but she showed no signs of having felt anything unusual.

“I’d like to set up a formal appointment with you if that’s okay. Is there any specific time within the next few days that works for you?”

He could see her lips moving but it took a while for the sound to reach him, as if he were watching a poorly-dubbed film. Had he just imagined everything he’d felt? Was he cracking up? Cooper knew he worked long hours and the farm brought various stresses with it but he’d managed just fine before. Then he realized she’d asked him a question. “Um…next Monday at 1pm would be okay.”

“That’s great. I’ll see you then. Thank you for your time.” She turned back to say goodbye to the protestors, who were grinning now at what they considered an excellent development in their claims, before walking partway down his driveway to a car Cooper hadn’t noticed until now. The protestors began dispersing, their job done for the day.

Jim, who had followed him outside and was now standing beside him, turned to face Cooper. “What just happened?”

“I was wondering the exact same thing, Jim.”

“Why have they involved a lawyer? This whole situation was inconvenient before but now it’s getting ridiculous and, to be honest, annoying.”

“We’re going to need to play this one cool, Jim. Think of the farm.”

“Why do you think I’ve been telling you to get rid of them, or hell, let me do it.”

Cooper glanced at his farm manager, noting the anger on his face. He knew Jim loved the farm, almost as much as Cooper had. They’d both grown up on the farm, with Jim’s dad serving as farm manager when Cooper’s father was in charge. Now they echoed the relationship their fathers had enjoyed, one of friendship, loyalty and a determination to protect the farm and ensure it thrived.

“We have to be friendly, cooperative,” he directed a pointed look at Jim, who scowled slightly, “even though you and I both know they haven’t got a legal leg to stand on.” Inadvertently a thought of the lawyer’s long, shapely legs sprung into his mind.
Playing it cool does not involve fraternizing with the other side, so get that thought right out your head.
“If we cooperate it will get this situation sorted out sooner rather than later.”

Jim sighed in resignation and Cooper smiled. He knew he could count on Jim to back him up and do what was necessary to ensure the situation was handled smoothly. He wouldn’t like it, just like Cooper wouldn’t, but sometimes there was no other option but to get on with things.

Isabelle thought back over her morning as she drove to Vivienne’s apartment. She would have the space to herself for a few hours while Vivienne helped out at the local community center, which would give her time to make some notes. All in all, she considered the morning to have been a success. She was glad that Cooper Wilson had agreed to cooperate, though whether he actually meant it was still to be seen. At twenty seven years old, she hadn’t been practicing as a fully-qualified lawyer for a significant amount of time; however she had enough experience to know that people could say one thing while intending to do the complete opposite.

She sighed and shook her head slightly.
You always end up doing this; sometimes you need to learn to say no
. She just couldn’t seem to help it. If she heard of a potential injustice, she wanted to get to the bottom of it. It was the reason she had become a lawyer. Lately, however, she could admit that she was feeling slightly disillusioned with her work. Based in Atlanta, a lot of her work involved corporations. For the most part she enjoyed the work, but sometimes she would sit back and wonder how much good she was actually doing.