Cooper’s Redemption (Crimson Romance)

by D'Ann Lindun

  “You won’t,” Elizabeth promised him. She kissed his chest. “You won’t.”

  “You can’t say that,” Cooper said. “This thing with Lyle doesn’t look good, and there’s no proof I didn’t do it.”

  “I’ll help you find it out who’s behind his murder,” she promised. “The real killer’s out there somewhere and I won’t stop until I find him.”

  “Don’t do that, Elizabeth,” Cooper said firmly. “I mean it. Leave it alone before you get dragged down too deeply. Before you find out something you don’t want to know.”

  Bravely, she forged ahead. “Tell me about Henry. I want to know what happened.”

  He was quiet so long she didn’t think he was going to answer. “Just leave my past dead and buried.”

  Stung, she didn’t think they could get much more personal than they just had. His secrets seemed to go beyond the normal. She rose and straddled his abdomen, neglecting to heed his warning about being confined. “It’s too late. Don’t you see how much I want to help you? Why can’t you understand that I want to give back to you? That if it wasn’t for you, I’d be lost here.”

  With a sudden movement, he thrust her off him. Rolling out of bed, dressing rapidly in the dark, he said, “I can’t be with you the way you want me to be, Elizabeth. I’m not what you’re looking for.”

  Without another word he was gone.

  • • •

  Cooper sat in his truck for a minute and tried to come to terms with what he had just done. He’d allowed his body to control his mind and he’d made love to Elizabeth before thinking about the consequences. Without meaning to, he’d injured her.

  He felt like a donkey’s ass.

  The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her. She had enough pain in her life right now, and he had a sneaking suspicion whoever was after his cows had also done in Elizabeth’s mother. Thinking about the consequences of finding Lillian Adams dead gave him the willies. From what he knew of Elizabeth, he didn’t think she could bear it. Every day that went by without finding her mom made it more likely that things weren’t going to turn out well.

  If that wasn’t bad enough, there were his own demons that might burn Elizabeth. Being tangled up with him could damage her more than she could guess. She’d never done anything but treat him decent, and he’d run from her at the worst possible time. There was no way he’d be able to tell her it had scared him when she started talking about being a partner to him. One night stands weren’t his thing, and he hadn’t intended to start with Elizabeth, but he wasn’t sure he was ready to get in double harness with her either.

  His marriage to Esperanza hadn’t exactly been a stellar success, and he doubted his ability to make another relationship turn out any better. His physical scars had faded, but the emotional ones were still there, just paled a bit with time. Putting his childhood behind him had taken most of his adult life.

  As far as he was concerned, it was dead and buried, but Esperanza always wanted to examine every detail. When he refused, she’d felt locked out, rejected. As nosy as Elizabeth was he feared the same result. Would she still care after she ferreted out the ugly truth? Once she realized why he was capable of the violence he’d been accused of?

  Sure, she trusted him now, but would she in a month? A year? After she had been repeatedly exposed to the stigma he carried?

  It was better to leave her now, and make it quick, than let his past overwhelm her later.

  Chapter 12

  Elizabeth knew the only way she could deal with her bruised feelings was to keep busy. If that meant staying up half the night reading maps, leaving the house at dawn, driving every back road she could find, then that’s what she’d do. When she thought of Cooper, tears formed behind her eyes, but she wasn’t going to give into wasted emotion. He’d made it clear from the beginning he didn’t want to be involved. Their lovemaking had been nothing more than a tumble in the hay. She hadn’t expected a marriage proposal, but she didn’t think he’d be such a typical man — love ’em and leave ’em.

  Frustrated, she rubbed her forehead with her fingertips.

  Heroes in the movies didn’t treat the leading lady like this.

  Cooper was no one’s champion. She didn’t have anyone but herself to blame.

  Lifting Fancy and the whimpering pup on the bed, she cuddled them both close and tried to sleep. In the morning, she was going to turn this part of Colorado inside out if that’s what it took to find her mother. It’d be a cold day in hell before she asked Cooper for anything again.

  • • •

  Sabrina’s compassionate gaze rested on Elizabeth. “You holding up okay?”

  “Sort of. You haven’t found anything at all?” Despair filled Elizabeth. They’d met at the diner in Norwood for breakfast. Sabrina wore virtually the same outfit she had the first time they’d met. Only this time her sweatshirt was sky blue, and so were her boots. Her eye shadow matched her clothing.

  “Just that your mother bought gas in Salt Lick on the morning she disappeared.”

  Elizabeth’s heart pounded in a rapid staccato. “That’s something, isn’t it?”

  “It proves she was in town, but it doesn’t mean she stayed put.” Sabrina sighed and buttered another roll. “I need to find somebody who spoke to her, maybe got wind of some plans.”

  “Where have you checked?” Elizabeth pushed her scrambled eggs away. She had no appetite. “I went to every single business in Salt Lick, but no one would admit to seeing her. There’s one person I’m certain did talk to her, but she was really weird about it.” Elizabeth filled Sabrina in on the exchange between her and Rose and about the flowers on Henry’s grave.

  “That is weird. I went everywhere I think a stranger to town would go, too. The grocery, bed and breakfast, gas station. And no go.”

  “What about the attorney who handled Uncle Henry’s will?” Elizabeth suggested.

  “I thought of that, he’s down in Montrose. Apparently, your mom stopped there on her way in and got the house key and signed the papers she needed to. He only spoke to her that one time.”

  Elizabeth wanted to pound the table in frustration. Or pull her hair out. Maybe beat her chest. Possibly all of them. “This is like a horror film. No one falls off the face of the earth without someone seeing something.”

  “It happens more often than you think,” Sabrina replied, her features grim. “But I’m not going to just give up. I’m going to turn over every rock, every bush until I find something.”

  “Thank you.” Elizabeth wiped her nose with a paper napkin that had area brands embossed across it. Spotting Cooper’s Double Slash C, she crumpled the napkin and stuffed it in her pocket.

  Sabrina pushed away her empty plate. “May I come out and take a look around your place? Maybe fresh eyes might see something that you missed?”

  “Of course,” Elizabeth agreed. “When?”

  “How about now?”

  Elizabeth dropped a twenty on the table. “Follow me.”

  • • •

  Elizabeth watched Sabrina scope out the messy living room, with its stacks of half-filled boxes, piles of newspapers, bubble wrap and rolls of tape. The pup played among them. Watching her, Elizabeth’s heart felt like a boulder in her chest. Cooper was as gone as her mom.

  “Were these boxes left like this?” Sabrina lifted one lid. “This looks like knickknacks.”

  “Yes. These few are labeled with my mom’s handwriting. None of them are full though. Mom apparently left in the middle of packing.”

  “You said her personal stuff is here?”

  “I’ll show you.” Elizabeth led the way up the stairs. In the room she used, she motioned toward the vanity. “Mom’s makeup is there, in the pink cosmetic case. The rest is mine.”

  “Did she have them packed like this?” Sabrina idly picked up a Clinique lipstick out of the baby pink case and examined the tube.

  “No. I did that. Everything was scattered, you know, like she had just used everything and was
coming right back.” The sight of her mother’s familiar brand bit at Elizabeth’s already bruised heart. Turning away, she went in the bedroom. “I picked up her clothes and hung them up.”

  “Did you check the pockets?”

  “No.” Her heart jumped. “I didn’t think of that.”

  Together, they went through every item of clothing, carefully searching every pocket. When her fingers curled around something in a pair of jeans, Elizabeth gasped.

  “What is it?”

  Afraid to see what she had in her hand, Elizabeth slowly unfurled her fingers. “Mom often makes notes on scraps of paper for herself until she can get the information transferred to her planner. I think this is one of her reminders.”

  Carefully, Sabrina took the torn edge of lavender colored paper from her. “Let me see. It says ‘check gas’. Does that mean anything to you?”

  “Not offhand. Mom probably thought her car needed fueling. You said she bought gas, right?” Frustrated by their lack of progress, Elizabeth jumped on the bed and twisted the down comforter between nerveless fingers. “My mother was always on the go, constantly moving. I think this is just one of her little reminders.”

  “You’re probably right.” Sabrina stuffed the scrap into her jeans. “I’m going to hang on to it. Is your mom’s suitcase here?”

  “Right there.” Elizabeth pointed toward the stack of matching Gucci luggage. “I already looked inside. There’s nothing there.”

  “Anything else seem off?”

  “Mom’s purse is here.” Elizabeth fluttered her hand in the air like a hummingbird. “The one she brought with her is a large Gucci original that matches her luggage. It’s still here.”

  “Which leads me to believe your mom left here with the intention of returning. So we’re back to square one. Where would she go? If she was taken forcibly, who would do it? And why?”

  “I don’t know,” Elizabeth said miserably.

  “What about her coat?”

  “Gone.”

  “Cell phone?”

  “Missing, too.”

  “Damn.” Sabrina went to the window and peered out at the barn. “Have you heard any more about the murder?”

  “No. The police are certain Cooper did it. If they had any concrete evidence, I’m sure he’d be locked up and the key thrown away.” Elizabeth didn’t want to talk about Cooper. That subject was almost more raw than her mom’s absence. “Why?”

  “No reason really. I’m just wondering when the killer is revealed if there’s a connection, somehow, to your mother.”

  “Such as?” Elizabeth asked, sharper than she intended.

  “I don’t know. Maybe old Lyle knew something and was murdered to keep his mouth shut.” Sabrina kept her gaze on the barn as if she couldn’t meet Elizabeth’s eyes.

  “What could he possibly know that would put my mom in danger?” Elizabeth shook her head. “I don’t think she would’ve had much to do with Lyle. I just can’t see them connecting in any way.”

  “Yeah, I’m clutching at straws. One more thing. What was your mother going to do with the stuff in the house? Do you know?” Without waiting for an answer, Sabrina turned and headed downstairs.

  Elizabeth followed her. “I doubt she wanted any of it. Probably planned on donating it to Salvation Army or some other charitable organization.”

  “Look around. Does something seem to be missing? You wouldn’t really know, though, would you?”

  Puzzled, Elizabeth scanned the room. “I wouldn’t have a clue. Why? I don’t understand.”

  “What if your mom was robbed?” Sabrina bit her thumbnail. “Maybe she caught a thief in the act, and they had to take her away to cover their tracks.”

  Elizabeth was seriously beginning to doubt the wisdom of hiring Sabrina. What would anyone want to steal out of the shabby old house? Her mother had always worn several pieces of expensive jewelry. If she’d been robbed, it made more sense the thief would take that, not anything from Henry’s home. “I kind of doubt it.”

  “Humor me,” Sabrina said. “Would you know if anything is gone?”

  “Not really,” Elizabeth admitted. “Half of Henry’s things are packed and half aren’t, so it would be difficult to tell.”

  “Who would know?” Sabrina fiddled with the lid of a box. “Tom?”

  Elizabeth snorted. “I don’t think so.”

  “I know just the person.” Sabrina moved toward the phone and dialed.

  Before Elizabeth could protest, Sabrina began speaking. “Cooper? This is Sabrina Frazier. I’m with Elizabeth Adams, and we need someone who can give us an accurate inventory of Henry’s house. You knew him better than most anyone. Will you do it? Thanks. See you in a few minutes.”

  Dots swam in front of Elizabeth’s eyes. She’d vowed to never ask Cooper for anything again, and not even twenty-four hours later, she was calling upon him again. What would she do when he came here? How would she act? How could she face him after last night?

  “He’s on his way,” Sabrina said with a smile.

  “Great.” Elizabeth tried to return the smile, but her cheeks felt like popped balloons, impossible to inflate.

  “Hey, what’s wrong?” Sabrina’s expression faded to one of concern.

  “Nothing.” Elizabeth’s knees gave out and she fell onto the sofa.

  Sabrina’s gaze sharpened. “What is it?”

  Elizabeth closed her eyes. “It might not have been the best idea to call Cooper, that’s all.”

  “Why not? He’s been helping you, right?” Sitting beside her, Sabrina said, “He was happy to lend a hand. Did you know that he and Henry were good friends? Well, as good as Henry was to anyone? It was a shame about the accident.”

  “No, I didn’t know that.” Elizabeth was intrigued Sabrina referred to Henry’s death as an accident. She said so.

  “I never bought for an instant that Cooper killed the old coot,” she said. “Listen, Henry Harper was a hard-boiled old man who didn’t get along with anyone. I’m surprised Cooper put up with him as long as he did. The man must’ve had the patience of a saint to have Henry for a neighbor. I just can’t see Cooper losing his temper with Henry when he never had before.”

  “How do you know all this?” A little green-eyed monster tapped Elizabeth on the shoulder. “Did you and Cooper … that is, did you date?”

  Sabrina laughed. “Me with a man like him? Hardly.”

  “What do you mean ‘a man like him,’” Elizabeth demanded. “He’s a fine man.”

  “Sure he is,” Sabrina agreed easily. “I meant a looker like him isn’t going to be interested in an old plain-Jane like me. He goes more for the drop ‘em in their tracks type. Have you seen his ex-wife? Rumor is she posed for a men’s magazine. If her looks are any indication, I believe it. Word is he hasn’t quit pining for her.”

  Elizabeth’s spirits sank a little lower with each word that came out of Sabrina’s mouth. She had been stupid to think Cooper could be taken by her. He’d probably made love to her out of pity. Or worse, because he needed a meaningless fling. “Can you call him back and tell him not to come?”

  “Why on earth not?”

  “I don’t think he wants to see me,” Elizabeth muttered.

  “I don’t see why not.”

  Elizabeth’s cheeks heated and she looked away.

  Sabrina slapped her forehead. “Oh, my Aunt Betty’s cookies. I get it. I’m so dumb sometimes. You got cozy. What, now you’re having second thoughts?”

  “Not me,” Elizabeth confessed as she felt a fever red torch across her face.

  “Want to talk about it, hon?” Sabrina frowned. “Hell, men on the run are my specialty. And I don’t mean the ones I get paid to find either.”

  “No,” Elizabeth said, “I feel stupid enough without sharing details.”

  “Okay, but if you need a friend whose been there, I’m all shoulders. For what my opinion’s worth, I think Cooper’s a good guy.” Sabrina took Elizabeth’s hand and squeezed it. “Ignore
everything I said about what’s-her-name. Esperanza. Given the chance, I’d fight for him. He’s worth keeping when not many are.”

  “Thanks.” Elizabeth’s throat tightened. He’d blown his chance to be the guy in the white hat. Seeing him again today would only prove it.

  • • •

  Elizabeth let Cooper in with a tight smile. “Hi.”

  “Hi.” His voice was husky, his expression closed and impossible to read.

  “Sabrina’s in the front room. I’ll make coffee.” Elizabeth fled for the safety of the kitchen. With shaking hands, she poured grounds and water in the maker. She wasn’t a naive schoolgirl. Sex between two adults didn’t necessarily mean anything had to change between them. But last night ruined everything for her and Cooper. Unsure what else to do to stall, she hesitated.

  “Can you come in here for a minute?” Sabrina called.

  Walking into the living room, Elizabeth avoided Cooper’s gaze. “Yes?”

  Sabrina gestured to sealed cardboard cartons. “We’re just wondering if it’s okay to open these boxes?” Sabrina gestured to sealed cardboard cartons.

  “Sure. Do whatever you want.”

  Taking a knife out of his pocket, Cooper ripped open the seals on several boxes. In one, there were several photo albums. Taking the top book from the stack, Elizabeth idly opened the cover. In the first picture, a man and woman stood on the porch of this house. Removing the photo from the sticky page, Elizabeth saw there was no writing on the back. “Is this Henry and Bea?”

  Cooper took the print from her, careful to avoid her fingers. “Yeah. This looks like it was taken in the last couple of years.”

  Taking the image back, she studied the people. The slightly plump woman looked pleasant enough, but the man next to her looked stern. Elizabeth noticed a strong resemblance between her mother and Henry. Both had large, brown eyes, thin lips, and dark red hair, although his was heavily shot with gray. “Henry was a redhead?” She was surprised. “I didn’t know that. My mom has auburn hair, too.”