Rocky Mountain Heart

by Dawson, Kay P.

  His uncle sat down with a thump in the chair he’d always used over the years he had the radio station. It was one thing he refused to let Cooper get rid of as he worked on the renovations that would bring the station out of the eighties. Cooper was also fixing up a small voice-over booth so he could continue with some of the work he’d been doing while he lived in Denver.

  “Is Emma going to put a bid in on it? I know most of her customers use it to park since she’s located right on the corner. There’s not much parking for her shop anywhere else.”

  Chuck had been a regular at Emma’s shop after she opened up so close to the station, and he’d been thrilled when Cooper had mentioned going on a date with her. He’d told Cooper he better not mess things up, because women like Emma were rare.

  Not that Cooper needed someone else to tell him that. He’d already figured that out himself. They’d been out now a few times since the day in the park, having coffee at her shop or walking Tank in the park. Cooper was finding himself in awe every day at something else she revealed about herself.

  He just wished he could have more time with just her. But it seemed like no matter where they went, they’d bump into a Roberts or someone who listened to the radio and wanted to meet him.

  Lifting his head, he met his uncle’s eyes. “I don’t know. I hadn’t thought about it.” But he had a tight feeling in his stomach as he recalled sitting in the coffee shop with her last night, enjoying one of her addicting coffees. She mentioned that her business had taken a hit since the new Starbucks had opened, and she was worried about the future. Of course, he’d offered her the usual pep talk, saying she didn’t have anything to worry about and that soon things would pick up again.

  But if she lost that parking lot, and an ice cream shop opened up next door, it would probably do serious harm to the business he could tell she’d worked incredibly hard to build.

  He looked out the side window to the old building she’d fixed up so well. The sound of Gary’s voice, one of the afternoon radio show hosts, wafted through the speakers in the background as the squeaking of his uncle’s chair competed to be heard.

  “So, when are you going to introduce her to Sadie?” His uncle’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

  “I don’t know.” He didn’t want to talk about it, because if he did, he knew he was going to have to come to some kind of decision. If he planned to keep things going with Emma, she was going to have to be told. But opening up about his past and letting her in on all the shame of what he’d come from was hard. He’d never had the chance to be with a woman like Emma, and he was worried how she’d react.

  She came from a perfect family, and it was clear they all cared about each other deeply any time they bumped into one another. They’d never had to go without, and had grown up knowing the support and love of parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins, never having to feel alone.

  Cooper hadn’t been so lucky. He knew when Emma found out about Sadie, she’d need to be told everything about his past.

  He didn’t know if he was ready to see the look of distaste and pity on her face. Not to mention, Sadie was a commitment Emma might not be ready to live with. Cooper knew he was beginning to have feelings for Emma that were genuine and for life. But he didn’t know if she was there yet.

  He couldn’t risk it.

  He’d spent too long hoping for a chance with her.

  “Well, you’d better hurry up and decide. Silver Springs is a lot smaller than Denver. Word gets around faster here. And if she hears something from someone else besides you, you might not get a second chance to explain things to her.”

  Chuck quickly stood, going over to look through some files that were sitting on a cabinet in the corner. Even though he’d handed the reins over to Cooper, he was still very involved in what was happening at his beloved station. Cooper suspected he would never completely retire, and would probably be hanging out here with him until he was too old to walk.

  “Are you planning on going out with Emma again tonight? You know, I think Sadie is missing you because you’ve been gone so much lately. I don’t mind looking after her, but I’m sure hanging out with an old man who isn’t any fun isn’t how she wants to spend her evenings.”

  Cooper laughed loudly. “No fun? Hardly. Sadie can’t wait to get to your place. Do you know how many times I hear, ‘Well, Uncle Chuck lets me do it,’ or ‘Uncle Chuck does it this way’?” He looked over at the clock, it was almost time to pick her up. “But, you’re right. I haven’t been spending enough time with her lately, so tonight will be just her, me, and a movie.”

  Chuck nodded, then turned his head back to read through the paperwork he was holding in his hands. “Just remember what I told you. Things have a way of working out if you just trust people to see past things in your life you had no control over. Emma Roberts is a kind woman, and I think if you give her a chance, she might just surprise you.”

  Cooper played the words over in his mind as he hopped on his bike and pulled his helmet down over his head.

  As he raced away, he realized his uncle was right. He needed to give Emma the chance to make up her own mind about his past if he ever hoped to have a future with her.

  Nine

  “Hey Emma, is it okay for me to put a couple of flyers up on your bulletin board?” Emma turned around from cleaning the espresso machine to see her cousin Molly standing on the other side of the counter. It was mid-morning and most of the regulars had already been and gone, so she was taking some time to get ready for the lunchtime rush.

  She wiped her hands on her apron and walked out to where Molly stood. “Sure, what are they for?” She held her hands out so she could take them and read them over. The bulletin board she had near the door to the coffee shop was the perfect location for people to put ads up, but Emma didn’t just let everyone throw things up there.

  Molly shrugged, trying to act nonchalant, but something in the way she was acting let Emma know she was excited to see how she was going to react. Looking down at the paper, she read it over.

  “An online jewelry store? How long have you been doing this?” Her eyebrows were pulled together as she brought her gaze back up to her cousin.

  “I’ve just started. I’m just getting the word out and am going to let the family know. What do you think?”

  Emma smiled widely and reached out to hug Molly. “I think it’s wonderful. And I wish you all the best. Now, go hang those flyers up so that people can start ordering!”

  Molly laughed and went over to pin them up, then turned to wave. “Thanks, Emma. And don’t tell anyone yet until I get a chance to tell them tonight.”

  As she went out the door, Emma grabbed a couple of dirty cups from a table that had just been vacated, then turned to take them to the back. Spike’s fiancée Amy walked through the door, with Bri and Bekah right behind her.

  “You guys just missed Molly. I almost feel like it’s Christmas, I’m seeing so many of you today.”

  “Well, today’s Wednesday, and you said you were driving me to mom and dads for lunch since Anthony isn’t able to get away from work.” Bri came and sat at the table Emma was clearing.

  Every Wednesday since they’d moved away from home, Emma, Bri, and Jack all tried to meet at their parents for lunch. Their mom loved the chance to have the family together and to dote on them like she always had. And of course the kids loved the good meal they knew they’d be getting every week.

  It didn’t matter that they were all now well into their twenties, and a couple of them had married. The Wednesday lunches weren’t something they were ever planning to give up.

  “So, why are the rest of you here? Not that I’m not happy to see you, I just wasn’t expecting so many visitors today.” She had already started pouring coffees for everyone, knowing exactly how each of them liked theirs.

  Walking back to the table, she noticed them all looking at each other uncomfortably. “What’s going on, guys?”

  She set the cups on the table
and sat down beside her sister.

  Bri was the first one to say anything. “We just wanted to talk to you about Cooper, to see where things were going and how things were between you two.”

  Emma let out a small chuckle. “Seriously? You all came here to talk about my love life?”

  Her stomach started to roll with dread as she noticed them all sharing a knowing look. They knew something, but were afraid to tell her. She’d known these women long enough to know something was up.

  “You may as well just spill it. Obviously you have some concerns about something.”

  Amy and Bekah looked at Bri, clearly expecting her to be the one to say it since she was her sister. Emma pinned her gaze on Bri, giving her the best big sister stare that demanded she get talking.

  “Yesterday, when Amy was picking Ethan up at the school, she noticed Cooper pull up on his bike.” Bri wasn’t making eye contact.

  “What was he doing at the school?” Emma wished her sister would just get to the point. She had to get things set up for the girls who were working the lunch rush so she could get to her Wednesday family lunch.

  “He was waiting, and a girl of about ten came out and ran over to him. She gave him a hug, and hopped on the back of the bike.” Amy was quiet and reserved, and it obviously pained her to say anything that might hurt Emma.

  No one said anything for a moment, giving Emma a chance to process everything. “Since you’d never mentioned him having a daughter, we weren’t sure if you knew who the girl was, or what was going on. We weren’t even sure if we should say anything, but obviously if he’s hiding something from you, we thought you’d want to know.”

  This time Bekah spoke, giving Emma a sad smile as she reached out and squeezed Emma’s hand. “We aren’t saying he’s done anything wrong, or that he’s not a good guy. We just wanted you to know. Having a daughter is a pretty big thing to neglect mentioning.”

  Emma’s head was spinning as she tried to make sense out of all of it. Who was the girl? In all the time they’d spent together over the past couple of weeks, he’d never even mentioned her.

  If he had a daughter, was there a wife she didn’t know about?

  Suddenly, Emma felt sick to her stomach. What if she was nothing more than the “other woman?”

  Just when she’d started to think something was really happening between them, and Cooper was a good man. She’d began to believe she’d never given him a fair chance when they were younger, just because he’d ridden a motorcycle and seemed to be one of those boys who would always be in trouble.

  “We’re sorry, Emma. And we might be wrong about all of it. I think you need to sit down and talk to Cooper and get him to explain everything to you.” Bri was speaking in a soothing tone, obviously afraid of how her older sister was going to react.

  Emma stood, pushing her chair back with a loud scrape on the old hardwood floor. “No, I don’t need to talk to him. He had the chance to tell me about it any time over the past two weeks we’ve been seeing each other. Obviously, he didn’t feel I was important enough to mention it to, so I’m not letting him do it now.”

  She walked away, head held high as she went behind the counter to grab her purse. “Katie, I’m heading to my parents’ house now. You’re in charge.”

  The younger girl looked shocked. “But weren’t you going to do some more sandwiches up?” There were still a few things she hadn’t finished, but right now she didn’t care. She needed to get out of here.

  Cooper had been coming here for lunch every day, and she knew he’d get here early since he knew she was going to her family lunch. The one she’d almost believed she was ready to invite him to join next week.

  She didn’t want to be here when he arrived.

  “Just make do with what you have.” Making her way toward the front door, she called back to Bri. “Come on, Bri. If you want a ride, you better come now.”

  She knew Bekah and Amy felt bad, but she’d let them know she was okay later.

  Right now, she needed to get away from the pitying stares before the man she never wanted to see again walked through the door.

  Ten

  “So, what’s up with your sister? Why is she avoiding me?” Cooper had seen Jack headed to the park with Tank, so ran across to talk to him. He’d gotten to know him fairly well during the time he’d been seeing Emma, since it seemed Jack made a point of visiting the coffee shop at least once a day.

  Jack was standing with his back to him as he threw a Frisbee for the dog and hadn’t seen him approach.

  When the other man turned, Cooper actually felt a moment of dread, realizing it might not have been a good idea to confront Emma’s brother. Jack looked like he wanted to string him up from the nearest tree.

  “Not really my place to say anything.” Jack crossed his arms in front of him, and Cooper thought maybe he should take a step back. “But if you do one more thing…just one…that hurts my sister, you will answer to me. I’m a fairly easy going guy, until it comes to my family. Then all bets are off.”

  “Whoa, okay, I get it. But the problem is, I don’t even know what the one thing is I’ve done already to hurt your sister.”

  Since yesterday, Emma had been ignoring his texts, and his phone calls. When he’d gone into the coffee shop after work, the girls said she’d left for the day and wouldn’t be back.

  He’d known she was supposed to be going to her mom and dads for lunch, but she had been missing all day. He’d tried calling numerous times through the evening, and he just kept getting her voicemail.

  And just now, he’d gone in to see her and grab a coffee, and she’d spoken to him like he was a stranger.

  He hadn’t wanted to make a scene during her busiest time of the morning, so he’d just left. But something was up.

  And he was starting to feel a gnawing pit in his stomach that he might know what it was about. He should have listened to his uncle and told Emma sooner.

  Jack kept his glare on him even as Tank came racing over with the Frisbee in his mouth. Spotting Cooper, another friend who might throw it for him, he ran over and plopped it in front of his feet with his tail wagging in excited anticipation.

  Cooper bent down and picked it up, giving it a flick of his wrist to go far enough for Tank to get a good run out of it.

  “Are you sure you don’t know what you did?” Jack’s head was tipped slightly to the side as he waited to see if Cooper was going to give him an honest answer or not.

  Swallowing the lump in his throat, he closed his eyes and brought his fingers up to squeeze the bridge of his nose. “I guess I have an idea. But some things aren’t what they seem, so it would have been nice if Emma, and her whole family for that matter, had given me the benefit of the doubt before condemning me. I guess once someone’s been deemed a “bad seed,” that’s what they’ll always be around here.”

  He turned to go, deciding he needed to make Emma talk to him whether she liked it or not. Obviously, trying to talk to her brother had been a mistake.

  “Listen, we’ve all done things we regret and maybe didn’t handle the way we should have. You’re just going to have to prove that you didn’t do it on purpose to deceive her.”

  Cooper turned back around, but this time he was starting to feel angry. “You’re right, we’ve all done things we regret. However, I’ve never done any of the things everyone expected I’d be doing just because I wasn’t in the same “class” as everyone else around here. I’ve always been judged even before I had a chance. As for deceiving your sister, it was never about doing anything to hurt her. I was doing it to protect someone else who doesn’t need to have her heart broken anymore.”

  He didn’t care what Jack made of what he’d said. Right now, he just wanted to tell Emma the truth and let her decide. If she couldn’t understand why he’d done it, then at least he’d know he’d tried.

  * * *

  Emma lifted her head as she heard the door open, a smile on her face ready to greet the customer. Her smile droppe
d when Cooper walked through the door. He’d been here just a half an hour ago, and she’d given him the cold shoulder. She’d hoped he would take the hint when she hadn’t been answering his texts or phone calls. But obviously this man was oblivious to a woman making it clear she didn’t want anything to do with him anymore.

  By the look on his face though, this time he intended to make her talk to him whether she wanted to or not. He strode through the tables toward the counter, and her heart started to pound as his eyes met hers. He was focused on her, and she could see he wasn’t letting her brush him off this time.

  Quickly darting her glance around the coffee shop, she could see it was full and the last thing she wanted was a confrontation in front of everyone.

  As soon as he got to the counter, he raised his eyebrows and cocked his head to the side. “Are you going to talk to me now, or am I going to have to carry you out of here kicking and screaming? Because I will do that if I have to.”

  “Keep your voice down!” She wiped her hands on the towel that sat on the counter and pulled her apron over her head. “Just come with me and we’ll go out back.” She had a couple of chairs set up outside where she would sit and eat her lunch sometimes away from everyone else. She didn’t have a deck or a yard, so this was the only private little outdoor spot she had.

  As they made their way to the back, he was right behind her. And the farther she got away from the people inside who she had to maintain her professional demeanor in front of, the more her blood started to boil.

  How dare he come in and demand she talk to him? After what he’d done, he didn’t deserve anything from her.

  She spun around when they got outside to tell him that, but stopped cold when she saw the look on his face. She wasn’t looking at the face of a man who was angry he got caught in a lie, or who was about to try and pin blame on her for something.

  Cooper’s eyes looked distant, as though he had already accepted the fact that she wasn’t going to forgive him.