“I know, Hud.” Angela looked at Kendra. “I’m sorry, honey. I guess you won’t be joining us for dinner then?”
“Nope. I’m having dinner with Cooper. I’ll see you before I leave.” She started down the hallway when she heard her mother say Cooper’s name.
“Is it a good idea for her to see Cooper Lang?”
“Cooper’s a good man, Angie. I’ve talked with him several times. His dad may have had a rough time with him for a while, but he’s a good man now. He does very well with the ranch and that motorcycle shop of his. Don’t worry about it.”
“I can’t help it, Hud. When I think of her being hurt again...”
“Angie, stop. Cooper is nothing like Jasper. I never liked Nelson to begin with and I do like Cooper. Let it go. She’s a big girl now. We can’t tell her what to do.”
When Kendra didn’t hear them saying anymore, she peeked around the corner to see them in a tight embrace. She loved her parents and she wanted that kind of love, and marriage. Smiling, she headed to her bedroom to get a shower before going back to see Cooper. She shivered thinking of kissing him again. She loved the way he kissed and nibbled on her lips. Mentally groaning, she headed into the bathroom and after stripping, she stepped inside the stall.
The steam rising from the hot water soon engulfed the bathroom. The water felt amazing. Her legs felt like rubber from being on the bike. She laughed as she thought about the ride. It had been so much fun and she couldn’t wait to go with him again. Now she was going to have dinner with him. Her laughter faded as she thought of being there alone with him in his home. She groaned. A little late now! There was no way he was getting her into bed. Not tonight anyway.
Not tonight? Did that mean she was considering another night or time? Even though the water was hot pouring down over her, she shivered at the thought. Going to bed with Cooper was scary. She didn’t have any experience with a man like him. She knew, deep in her soul, that he wouldn’t be in it just for himself. The way he kissed her, told her he wanted her right there with him, all the way. How could she resist him? His mouth made her so hungry for more and she’d hate to disappoint him. Jasper had never cared one way or the other. As long as he got what he wanted, he was happy. Taking a deep breath, she blew it out, turned off the water, and stepped from the stall. After drying off, she wrapped a towel around herself and another, her hair, and entered her bedroom to go through her closet to decide what to wear. She was startled when someone knocked on the door.
“Come in,” she called out. She smiled when her mother entered.
“I want to apologize for questioning you about going out with Cooper.” Angela sighed. “Your father tells me he’s a good man.”
Kendra grinned. “And Daddy would never lie to you.”
Angela laughed. “I don’t believe he would.” She sat on the bed. “Honey, I’m sorry. I just don’t want to see you hurt again. What Jasper did...” She shook her head in wonder. “I don’t know how you lived like that. When you were finally able to tell us, I thought your dad was going to kill him. Believe me, he wanted to, Then Jasper had the gall to show up here, and when your dad stood on the porch with his shotgun aimed at him, I wanted him to pull the trigger.”
“Oh, Mom,” Kendra said softly as she hugged her mother. “It’s over. I’m so glad Lena let me use her phone to call you. I can’t imagine being there anymore.”
“I want you to know that I trust your judgments. I love you and I will always support you. I’ll be here for you always,” Angela whispered.
Kendra blinked back tears as she hugged her mom tightly. “I appreciate that, Mom.” She pulled back and gazed at her mom. “I can’t wait until we go riding tomorrow.”
“You will be home tonight, then?”
Kendra felt the heat pour into her cheeks. “Yes, of course.”
Her mother laughed. “There’s no of course about it, Kennie. I may be a lot older than you but I’ve seen how good-looking Cooper is.”
“Mom!” Kendra laughed and her mother joined her.
Angela kissed her forehead and headed toward the door. “Have a good time. If you do come home tonight, we can go riding at eight.”
“I’ll be here,” Kendra said as her mother left. She chuckled as she walked to the closet and opened the doors. She stood there staring at her clothes and had the same thought every other woman had when staring into her closet. She had nothing to wear.
She reached for her blue sundress, and then the blue wedge heel sandals on the floor. A few inches of height would help her feel a little more confident. Cooper towered over her. He stood a foot taller than her. She barely reached his shoulder. Her stomach growled as she dressed. She thought she’d be too nervous to want to eat, but she realized she was very hungry. The lunch they had was hours ago and she’d always had a healthy appetite. She wondered if she should stop and pick up a bottle of wine. She nibbled on her bottom lip, she didn’t even know if Cooper liked wine. He seemed like a beer kind of man. Kendra entered the bathroom to blow-dry her hair and apply her makeup. Thinking as she worked, she planned. She would leave a little early and stop at the store in town for a nice wine. If Cooper didn’t drink wine, she’d have some anyway. She needed the courage. A nice Chardonnay would be perfect.
****
Tyler sat in his car down the road from the Mattingly Ranch. He hoped he didn’t have to sit here all damn night waiting for Kendra to go somewhere. He could be enjoying a woman in his hotel room instead of following Jasper’s estranged wife. He sat up when he saw her car pull out of the driveway and turn towards town. At least she wasn’t heading back to Lang’s place. Sighing, he started his car and followed her. She parked in front of a liquor store and ran inside. Tyler pulled into a spot and waited. Maybe she was heading for her friend’s place again and was picking up something on the way. He watched as she came back out, got into her car, and then pulled out of the parking lot. This time she headed back out of town. He swore as he followed her. She could have just made a trip to the store for her parents but when she passed by the driveway leading to her family’s place, he knew she was heading for Lang’s again.
Shit! Jasper wasn’t going to be happy about this but the man wanted updates any time Tyler followed her. He pulled his cell phone out and called him.
“She’s heading back to Lang’s ranch,” Tyler said into the phone.
“This late?” Jasper growled.
“I followed her to the liquor store but when she came back out, she headed toward his place again.”
“Are you sure she’s going there? Maybe she’s going to a friend’s place.”
Tyler wanted to shout at him. “I don’t think so. There isn’t much out this way other than Lang’s place.”
“Son of a bitch,” Jasper roared.
Tyler bit back a grin. He did get a kick out of hearing Jasper go off. “I’m still behind her. His place is coming up...shit. She pulled into his driveway.”
“You stay there until she leaves.”
“What if she stays all night?”
“I’ll kill her,” Jasper muttered. “Do not leave there until she does.” He hung up.
Tyler stared at the phone. Jasper couldn’t be serious. Could he? Tyler wasn’t going to be in on that. He had no problem following her and reporting to the psycho bastard but going any further was out of the question. As it was, he’d be lucky if he weren’t arrested for stalking her, if she saw him again. He had to lay low and be damn careful. Since she’d spotted him twice already, a third time would definitely freak her out. Taking a deep breath, he blew it out, and shook his head. He had a feeling this wasn’t going to end well for all involved, including him.
****
Cooper watched Kendra pull her car into the driveway and grinned. He’d never been this excited about spending an evening with a woman before. She was beautiful, amazing, sexy, and...sexy. When she laughed, it shot right to his cock. What the hell was up with that? He opened the back door and walked out onto the porch. She stepped
from her car and smiled up at him.
“I brought wine,” she said, holding the bottle up.
“Wine?” Cooper tried not to make a face.
Kendra chuckled. “Okay, so I’ll drink it.”
He folded his arms across his chest. “Darlin’, if you drink all that, you’ll be spending the night. I can’t let you drink and drive.”
“Nice try, Lang. I’m only going to have a glass with dinner and maybe one after. I’ll be fine by the time I leave.”
He arched an eyebrow. “So you plan on staying a while. Good.”
“It’s rude to rush off right after dinner.” She grinned at him.
Cooper took her hand when she started up the steps toward him. “You look beautiful,” he said in a low tone.
“Thank you.” She stopped beside him.
He leaned down to kiss her softly on the lips. “You’re taller too.”
“Four inch heels.” She smiled at him.
“Good. Maybe I won’t break my neck,” he whispered as he leaned down to kiss her. He felt her smile against his lips and it made him smile. “Come on in. Dinner is almost ready. Do you want a baked potato or salad with your trout, madam?”
“I’ll take a salad, please.”
They entered the house and prepared the salads together then Cooper pulled the trout out of the oven and set it on the table. They took their seats at the table and dug in. The food was great but the company was better. Cooper loved making her laugh. After dinner, they retired to the living room and sat on the sofa together. He took her wine glass from her, set it on the coffee table, and turned toward her.
“I’ve wanted to do this all evening,” he told her as he cupped her face in his hands and leaned toward her. He raised an eyebrow when she pulled away.
“You already kissed me,” she told him.
“That wasn’t a kiss,” he whispered. “This...this is a kiss.” He pressed his lips to hers. “Open up, darlin’. Let me in.”
****
Kendra couldn’t stop the groan from emerging. “That is a kiss,” she whispered back, and then pressed her lips to his again. When he growled low in his throat, she grinned.
“Something funny?”
“No. Not at all.” Her arms wrapped around his neck. She gave a little squeal when he pulled her onto his lap and ravaged her mouth.
He raised his lips from hers. “I can’t get enough of you.”
Kendra’s fingers sifted through his thick hair, its silky strands sliding through her fingers. She moaned into his mouth. All of a sudden, she was beside him on the couch instead of his lap.
“What...?”
“We keep that up and I’m carrying you to the bedroom. You ready for that?”
Kendra stared at him, and then shook her head. “No. Not yet.”
“Not yet? That sounds promising.” Cooper grinned at her.
Kendra laughed. “Don’t go getting all cocky.”
Cooper laughed. “Don’t even mention the word cock in any way. That’s the only thing I feel right now.”
“Cooper!” Kendra knew her cheeks were beet red.
“What?” he asked in an innocent voice. He laughed when she narrowed her eyes at him. “Tell me about your ex, Kendra.”
“I’d rather not,” she said in a low voice.
“Please. I want to know all about you.”
Kendra sighed. “All right. After Emily married Lucas, I moved to Spokane...for a job I found on the internet. Have you heard of JNC, the company that makes computer parts?” Cooper nodded. “I was called for an interview a few days later. During the interview, a man walked in and started talking to me. It was Jasper. I didn’t know he was also the owner of the company.”
“He owns JNC?” Cooper asked in a shocked voice.
“Yes. Jasper Nelson Components. He started asking me about the job and if I thought, I was qualified. I told him I was more qualified than anyone else he interviewed. I suppose he liked my answer since he hired me on the spot. I had my own office and along with doing the bookkeeping, I did payroll. There were five hundred employees in the office building and two hundred more in the warehouse. It was a big job and I was thrilled to death with it.” She sighed. “Jasper would come to my office and talk with me then one day he asked me to go to lunch with him. I said yes. He’s a good-looking man.” She laughed when Cooper growled at her. “Not as good-looking as you. He’s blond and not real tall. About five nine. Anyway, we dated for six months when he asked me to marry him. At first, I said no. I didn’t love him. But he talked me into it. I was getting to the point where I never thought I’d get married, so I married him. It’s stupid I know, but I was afraid of being alone.”
“What happened?” Cooper took her hand in his.
“We got along well. His home is like a fortress. Cement walls, twenty feet high. Iron gates. I hated it. The house had ten bedrooms. Why does someone need a house that big?”
“Only because they can buy it to show they have money.”
“We’d been married a year when Mom called me and told me she was cleaning out the attic. She said she’d found a box of my things from when I was a teenager and wanted to know if I wanted to go through it or could she throw it out. I was curious to see what was in it, so Mom shipped it to me. I was sick when it arrived so Jasper opened it, and went ballistic.”
“What was in it?”
Kendra could feel the heat in her cheeks. “Old notebooks and my diary.” She gazed up at him. “You know I had a huge crush on you then, right?” He nodded. “The notebooks had our names written all over them. I had written Mrs. Cooper Lang, Kendra Lang, Cooper, and Kendra all over them. There’s no way I’m telling you what was in my diary.”
“You were a young girl when all of that was done. What was he thinking?” Cooper frowned at her.
“It didn’t matter to Jasper. He thought you were the love of my life and the reason why I didn’t want to marry him, because I still loved you. I tried telling him it was when I was fifteen. He screamed at me that I’d never be let out of his sight again because he didn’t want me leaving him for you. When I told him he was being ridiculous, he laughed, and said I hadn’t seen anything yet. Anytime I left the house, a bodyguard went with me. One day, I actually got away from him and when Jasper found out, he fired the man and began locking me in the bedroom anytime he left the house with a guard at the door. He only allowed me to work from home.”
Cooper shot to his feet. “He locked you in the bedroom? For how long?”
“Two months. The only time he allowed me out was when he was home. The bedroom was like a hotel suite, all the amenities I needed but I was miserable. I’d sit on the sofa and cry all day. The only person I saw was Lena, the cook, when she’d bring me breakfast and lunch. If Jasper came home for dinner, I ate with him. If not, she brought my food to me. I was going through depression. I was held prisoner in my own home.”
“How did you get away from the bastard?” Cooper sat down beside her again.
“Lena felt sorry for me and let me use her cell phone one day to call my parents. She knew if Jasper ever found out she’d be fired but she felt horrible about the way I was being treated. It wasn’t her fault at all. She was just doing what he told her.”
“I can’t imagine your parents taking it very well.”
“As soon as I told my dad, he said he’d be there the next day to get me. He showed up and told Jasper he was taking me to lunch. He didn’t want Jasper to know he knew what was going on. Daddy told him we’d be back in two hours but we headed straight for the airport. The bodyguard tried to stop us, but my dad told him to back off or he’d call for airport security.”
“The man tried to stop you? This is like something out of a movie.”
“I know. He kept me prisoner and if it hadn’t been for Lena, I’d still be there. I can’t imagine still being there. I grew to hate him.”
“What about when your parents would call you?”
“Jasper would sit beside me while I t
alked to them. He told me if I told them, he’d make sure they never saw me or spoke to me again. He has enough money to do what he wants.” She shrugged. “I believed him.”
“What happened when you came home?”
“Jasper followed us the next day. He showed up on the ranch and Daddy stood on the porch pointing a shotgun at him. He told Jasper either get off his land or he’d shoot him for trespassing and that Jasper had better agree to the divorce or Daddy would go to the press about him.”
“He should have anyway,” Cooper muttered.
“Daddy told him if he ever showed up again, he’d shoot him.”
Cooper laughed. “I’ve always liked your dad.” He sobered. “I’m so sorry you went through that. All because you had a crush on me. That is just crazy.”
“I think he is a little crazy. I’m glad to be away from him. I divorced him without any trouble, but I don’t think it’s over. He doesn’t give up easily.”
Cooper leaned over and kissed her. “He’ll have to go through me.”
Kendra smiled against his lips. “You sweet talker, you.”
“I’m just getting warmed up, darlin’.”
“I can’t wait to hear more.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to spend the night? My bed is really comfortable.”
“Where would you sleep?” She squealed when he grabbed her around the waist.
He pressed his lips to hers. “Right alongside you.”
“I’m not ready yet, Cooper,” she whispered. “Jasper is the only man I’ve ever been with. I need time. Please.”
Cooper nodded. “All right. I can wait...I think. How about we watch a movie?”
“I’d like that. But first tell me about your childhood.”
Cooper groaned. “Do I have to?”
“Yes. Please.”
“My mother treated me like shit. She never wanted kids and had lied to my dad about it when they were dating. She wanted him because he had money but when she got pregnant, she told him she wanted to have an abortion. He rarely let her out of his sight for fear she’d do it. When Storm went through the same thing with Tracy, it was like my parents all over again. When my mother would call me names, it about killed me. I was a little boy but she hated me. She never hit me but calling me names was just as bad. I hate abuse of all kinds. Verbal or physical, it’s all the same. She called me stupid constantly. Dad finally had it with her and told her to leave. He gave her some money to go and she did without any problems.” He drew in a breath. “Then when I turned twelve, I started getting into trouble, constantly. When Mont was fifteen, he was arrested for breaking and entering. The court threatened him with jail time, and it scared the shit out of him. They gave him probation which instead of teaching him a lesson about avoiding crime, led him to think he could pretty much do what he wanted and only get a slap on the wrist. We all thought the same way. I was arrested for vandalism, Linc for theft, Storm and Dakota for breaking and entering. Then one night, Lucas was trying to steal a car, which turned out to belong to a cop. Instead of turning him in, Bill told him if he did well in school, he’d let it go. Lucas hated it, but he agreed. When we all saw how well he was doing, we decided to do the same. We all graduated at the top of our class. I just hate what I did to my dad. He loved me and I only made him miserable.”
Cooper Bad Boys of Dry River, Wyoming Book 3 Page 7
