His clipped response had her straightening her shoulders. “I wasn’t going to just leave.”
He raised one eyebrow, the simple move telegraphing his disbelief.
“Okay, I was going to leave. I’m still leaving, but I changed my mind about doing so without saying goodbye first.”
“You standing in my living room instead of out on the front porch is working in your favor.” Cooper walked into the kitchen and placed Anthony into his high chair. He kept his back to her while making sure his son was properly strapped in. “And the fact that last night was incredible.”
Incredible.
Amazing.
Marvelous.
Gee, she was a walking thesaurus when it came to describing making love with Cooper Fortune.
But now he was being distant as he moved to the kitchen counter putting together the baby’s breakfast.
Not that she blamed him. Walking out the morning after without bothering to say goodbye was so…so…college-like?
He had every right to be upset, especially because he’d been so open and generous with her last night.
At least physically.
He’d shared his body with her in ways she’d never experienced with any man. A combination of the right words, whispered promises of exactly what he planned to do to her, and then fulfilling those promises with his hands, his mouth, his body.
Still, as much as she hated to say it, it felt as if he’d held a part of himself back, locked away.
She’d almost fallen back asleep when he’d left the bed after their third time together. He’d walked out of the room, and she’d lain there, listening, as the sun crept in. At first she thought he’d gone to check on his son, but then the steady creak of a rocking chair came through the bedside monitor—but no sound of the baby.
The minutes crept by and still Cooper hadn’t returned. That was when she started to think about their night together and how he’d kept a part of himself separate from her.
Or was it…
Oh, no, was she the one who’d kept a distance between them even after a wonderful night together?
She’d worked hard to live up to her new motto of “free and easy” since the last jerk of a boyfriend had broken her heart, determined to live for the moment and enjoy herself without getting tangled up in a mess of emotions and feelings.
Then again, Cooper had made it clear his life before Anthony had been all about being a wandering cowboy with no connections, no responsibilities.
So why did he seem so upset that she’d actually thought about walking out with a goodbye? Was she breaching some kind of involved-but-not-connected rule she didn’t know about?
“So, are you late for something?” Cooper’s question pulled her from her thoughts as he yanked one of the dining room chairs close to Anthony’s high chair and sat. “I had planned on fixing us breakfast after I filled this one’s tummy.”
Kelsey sighed. She didn’t know if it was because he still wasn’t looking at her or the magnificent view she had of his broad shoulders and naked back, but…
“Yes, I am late. Or I will be soon.”
Okay, that got his attention. He looked at her over one shoulder before Anthony slapped his hands to the tray, demanding another mouthful of baby mush.
“You should have said something.” Cooper returned to feeding his son. “I would’ve set the alarm. Or at the very least not kept you up so late.”
“I’m sorry, Cooper. I should’ve told you I had to rush out of here after seeing the time.” Kelsey walked up behind him. She desperately wanted to lay a hand on his shoulder, but from the sharp tone of his voice she doubted he’d welcome her touch. “I heard you in the baby’s room and I didn’t want to interrupt—”
Boy, that sounded so lame once she said it aloud.
“I didn’t want there to be… I don’t have a lot of exper—”
She bit hard at her bottom lip to stop the flow of excuses and moved to stand next to the baby so she was facing Cooper. One deep breath, and while releasing it, she let the truth fall from her lips.
“I’ve never had sex on a first date before.”
The spoonful of fruit paused midway to Anthony’s mouth and she finally had Cooper’s full attention. He stared at her with those big brown eyes.
“Really?” he asked.
She nodded and the baby let loose with a sneeze that sent the contents of the spoon flying. Cooper swore softly underneath his breath and reached for a nearby rag.
“I know that sounds crazy—”
“No.” He cut her off, his attention now on wiping down his arm and chest as well as the tray. “It doesn’t sound crazy at all. So is that the reason you thought it’d be best to walk out, or do you actually have somewhere to be?”
“I’m going to church.”
His gaze shot back to her.
Kelsey hurried to explain. “I meet my folks, Jess and the kids every Sunday for church services that start in less than an hour. Afterward, we go out for breakfast at this hole-in-the-wall place my parents have been going to for years that makes terrific pancakes. It’s a family tradition.”
Cooper stood, and even in bare feet he towered over her. He didn’t look angry or upset anymore. In fact, his expression held no emotion at all.
Instinct told Kelsey to take a step back, but she held her ground. “You met my mom last night. They know we were on a date together. If I don’t show up, they’re going to think that I—that we—”
“You do know the words ‘I spent the night in Cooper Fortune’s bed’ aren’t stamped on your forehead, right?”
Her forehead? No.
Her heart? Kelsey was already afraid it was too late.
A heated blush crossed her cheeks. “I know that.”
He looked at her for a long moment, but his steady gaze revealed nothing. Anthony demanded his attention with insistent babbling, but Cooper continued to stare at her until he finally nodded, his eyes moving down to the blanket in her arms.
Kelsey tightened her grip on the material. “Okay, well…bye.” She walked past him and headed for the door. Dropping her shoes, she worked her feet into them. “Oh, I found your keys this morning on the floor near the chair. I put them on the coffee table.”
“Thanks.”
Standing upright again, she yanked on the door handle, pulling it open. She reached for the screen door, and because she couldn’t stop herself, she looked back. Cooper sat there, feeding his son. It was as if she’d already walked out.
So she did without saying another word.
“Boy, for someone who at times looked like a cat that swallowed the canary, you sure seem like you’re about to toss that bird right back up here in the parking lot.”
“Thanks, sis, what a sweet thing to say.”
Kelsey watched her sister buckle the twins into the backseat of her car. Ella and Adam, Jess’s other two kids, elected to ride home with their grandparents. Thankfully, they’d already headed out after the family breakfast that Kelsey barely remembered eating.
“Hey, you’re the one who swung into the church parking lot like the devil himself was chasing you. Then you elected to sit between these squabbling two.” Jess motioned to her kids through the rolled-up windows.
“You’re the one who asked for help with Braden and Bethany.”
“And when we headed inside the restaurant you caught sight of that family,” her sister kept talking right over Kelsey’s feeble protest, “with the daddy holding junior in his arms—just like a certain cowboy we both know—and you got all dreamy eyed.”
“I did not.”
“Your seesawing continued all through breakfast. One minute you’d be lost in some far-off memory with a dopey smile on your face and the next you looked like you had to force down your cheese omelet.”
Is that what she ordered? She hated cheese omelets.
“Good thing Mom and Dad were too busy playing referee for my misbehaving brood or I’m sure one, or both, would’ve been grilling yo
u.”
Kelsey reached into her purse and pulled out her keys. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, don’t think you’re getting away from me that easily.”
Jess followed her around the back end of her blue minivan, and Kelsey realized her mistake in parking beneath the huge shade trees, because doing so had put her right next to her sister’s vehicle.
“I need to get home, Jess.”
Her sister tugged on her arm, swinging Kelsey around before she managed to open the driver’s side door. “No, what you need to do is tell me how your date went last night.”
Kelsey didn’t have any idea what expression she had on her face, but if it was mirrored by her sister’s, she was in big trouble.
“Wow, that bad?” Jess asked.
She shook her head, a smile coming to her lips as she remembered the carnival games and the dancing.
“That good?”
This time Kelsey nodded as the memories morphed into the moment Cooper had backed her up against the wall, the enthusiasm in his kiss knocking her right off her feet.
“You spent the night with him, didn’t you?”
Kelsey nodded again, but dropped her head to hide her attempt at holding off the sudden appearance of tears.
“Oh, sis.” Jessica stepped forward and slipped her arms around Kelsey’s shoulders. “I’m hoping those are happy tears.”
She returned her older sister’s hug for a long moment then pulled back, brushing her fingertips over her cheeks. “They are, I guess.”
“You guess?”
“We had a wonderful time at the Spring Fling. We ate, played games and danced.”
Jess leaned against her minivan and crossed her arms. “Introduced him to Mom. Yes, she told me this morning. She thinks he’s great.”
“He is…great.”
“So great that he’s making my little sister cry? I might just have to pop him one in the nose.”
The image of Jessica trying to land a right hook on Cooper made her smile. “There’s no need to defend my honor. Everything that happened last night was mutual.”
“As in mutually satisfying?” Jess asked. “Wait, don’t answer that. From the expression on your face I’d choose the word…wonderful?”
“Add amazing and incredible and you might come close,” Kelsey said, repeating the words she’d used this morning to describe her night with Cooper to herself.
“So, what’s with the gloomy faces this morning?”
Kelsey quickly explained how her original gut feeling that Cooper had held a part of himself from her last night had quickly morphed into the fear that she was the one who was holding back. Then she told what happened when she made the mistake of trying to leave without saying goodbye.
“Okay, so morning-after awkwardness happens all the time,” her sister said. “And maybe you’re not the free spirit you keep claiming you are.”
“Yes, I thought of that, but you should’ve seen his face when I blurted out I’d never had sex on a first date before.” She swept her hair over one shoulder. She’d thought about braiding it again after her hasty shower, but instead let it hang free. For reasons she didn’t want to think about. “You would’ve thought he’d just defiled a virgin.”
“It couldn’t have been that bad. And you should’ve just given me or Mom a call and told us you were skipping services this morning.”
Kelsey snorted. “Yeah, right. I’d have both of you at my place with a pot of soup and twenty questions.”
“You’re probably right. Look, maybe you’re reading too much into this whole ‘holding back’ thing, be it you or Cooper. Maybe you were more upset with yourself because you were willing to sleep with someone you’ve only known a week. Not to mention on the first date.”
Kelsey had come to the same conclusion under the hot spray of her shower this morning. “Maybe, but I still get the feeling his scars, both the physical ones and the ones I couldn’t see, run deep.”
“This guy’s been through a lot in a short amount of time. From what you’ve told me, his whole world turned upside down when he found out about his son.” Her sister gave her a gentle smile. “But it’s you I’m more worried about. Your heart has been busted up by three different men, all of whom you thought loved you and were ready to commit to a life together. It’s not surprising that you would pull back from those same emotions, especially since you’ve known Cooper such a short time.”
Darn, it sucked when her sister made sense.
“So what are you going to do now? You’re bound to run into him again. You’re practically next-door neighbors.” Jess leaned in close, her gaze sharp. “Even more important, where do you want this—whatever this is between you and Cooper—to go? Do you want to be with him?”
Yes.
Kelsey didn’t even need to think about her answer. She wanted to be with Cooper, with Anthony, and find out if last night was a one-time experience or something more.
“Do I wait for him to come to me?” Kelsey asked. “Geez, that sounds so old-fashioned. And I was determined to be wild and free when it came to relationships.”
“Take the first step. Fix him dinner.”
“Dinner?”
“That old saying about ‘the best way to a man’s heart’ still rings true.” Jessica smiled. “Men love to eat and Mom’s fried chicken recipe always worked wonders on Dad. I used it a time or two on Pete.”
“I don’t even have his phone number.”
“Do it the ‘old-fashioned’ way and invite him in person.”
“Him and Anthony,” Kelsey said, an idea springing to life inside her. “I’ll fix dinner for the three of us.”
It was midafternoon by the time Cooper returned home from another trip to the supermarket with a very fussy Anthony. Climbing up the front steps, he saw the note stuck to the screen door. His gut gave a little lurch at the thought that Kelsey might’ve been the one who’d written it.
Anthony let loose with another howl, so Cooper grabbed the folded piece of paper and shoved it into his pocket. Once inside, he got his son into a dry diaper and down for a nap. The hot afternoon sun made him thankful he’d passed up the half gallon of ice cream that would’ve been melted by now. Cooper got the groceries from his truck and put everything away before he remembered the note. He yanked it from his pocket at the same moment his cell phone vibrated on his hip.
“It’s not her,” he muttered. “You might’ve made love to the woman, but you never bothered to exchange cell phone numbers.”
He opened the phone and pressed it to his ear. “Cooper Fortune.”
“Hi, Cooper, it’s Lily.”
A sweet feminine voice, just not the one he longed to hear.
Cooper dragged his hand through his hair for what must be the thousandth time since Kelsey had walked out this morning. He moved into the living room and sank into one corner of the couch, only to rear up again when he realized he’d sat on the ugly purple stuffed animal he’d won for Kelsey last night.
“Hey, Lily. What’s up?”
“I’m just calling to see how Anthony is doing. You seemed a bit worried when you left the fair last night.”
“Anthony’s doing fine,” he said, tossing the animal to the next cushion. “He sneezed a few times today, but his skin is cool and he slept through the night. In fact, he’s back in his crib for another nap right now.”
“That’s good to hear,” Lily replied. “Did you have a good time last night? I saw you on the dance floor with Jeannie’s daughter. You looked like you were having fun.”
Cooper swallowed hard as the memory of holding Kelsey in his arms on the dance floor filled his head. “Yes, we had a very good time.”
“I remember when William and I used to go dancing.” Her voice turned soft and wistful. “I miss that. Of course, I miss the William we all used to know.”
Cooper didn’t know what to say to that, so he said nothing.
“And seeing so many Fortunes enjoying themselves a
t the Spring Fling gave me an idea,” she went on, strength back in her tone. “I want to make this year’s Memorial Day, well, memorable, for the entire family. I’m planning on having everyone out here to the ranch for a barbecue.”
“Everyone?” He was surprised. That was a lot of Fortunes.
“Well, all of us who are in the area.”
“Didn’t the doctors say Uncle William shouldn’t be overwhelmed?” Cooper asked. “You’ve been keeping his visitors down to two or three people at a time.”
Lily sighed. “I know, but last night…”
He waited, but she didn’t continue. “What about last night? Did something happen?”
“No, not how you mean, William’s fine. He was already asleep when I got home from the fair. I sat in the chair in the corner of his bedroom, just watching him and praying for—I don’t know. For something to tell me what to do to help him fully come back to us.”
Damn, he had no idea what to say to that. “Lily, I wish I knew—”
“Shh, let me finish, sweetheart. Anyway, I must’ve dozed off because I dreamed about Ryan. Now, it might seem strange that I was at my fiancé’s bedside and thinking about my first husband, but he told me William needed to be surrounded by his family. He needs to know we love him and support him, even if his memory never fully returns.”
Her voice trailed off and silence filled the air between them.
“I can understand that,” Cooper finally said.
“And this party won’t just be for William’s benefit. It’s for Anthony, too.”
“Anthony?”
“We need to celebrate the newest addition to the Fortune family.” Lily paused for a moment, before she continued in a soft voice, “I believe creating new memories by welcoming Anthony officially into the family is just the thing for William, for all of us.”
Cooper’s throat closed up at the mention of the party being in his son’s honor. There was no way he’d disappoint her. He cleared his throat and said, “Anthony and I’ll be there. And let me know what I can do to help, what you need me to bring.”
“Don’t you worry about anything. Of course, you’re welcome to bring Kelsey, too.”
Cooper had no idea how things were going to be between him and Kelsey when they saw each other again, never mind asking her out for another date. “Okay, thanks.”
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