by Elle Marlow
“I didn’t steal those earrings. He gave them to me. I had no choice but to take them—to deny Crow, is to make one’s life a living hell.”
She wiped a stray hair from her eyes, and felt the weight of Cooper’s gaze upon her face. As he stared at her, her finger began to trace the lovely china plate her meal was served on.
“Your wife certainly had expensive taste. It’s still hard for me to believe that I’m enjoying normal meals, civilized conversations and a warm bed inside a real house. I’ve been living like an animal for months and had almost forgotten such luxuries. I honestly never thought I’d get out,” she whispered. “It’s strange, here I am with you, safe inside this home, but I still feel Crow’s presence. I still feel his fear. I believe I’ve been brainwashed by Comanche Crow. He can be high on a hill—or not, but his string of threats still hold me hostage. Oh, but that baby. That baby had the sweetest face. I just couldn’t let them hurt him.”
Cooper’s face pinched. “Does he love you?”
She let out a slow breath. “I think in his own twisted way, he cares for me. But he’s brutal.”
“I imagine you’ve survived all sorts of living hell,” he murmured, lifting a glass to his lips.
“You mean was I forced to lay with him?”
Cooper coughed into the glass and then set it down. “You don’t mince words do you? I wasn’t exactly asking about that,” he said.
“Yes, you were. Of course, you were. You’re laying your life on the line and you want to know what your enemy has at stake. Yes, I had laid with him, he made me, but the man did not violate me. He thinks he has many times, but he hasn’t.”
Cooper put his glass on the table, disbelief clearly written on his features. “Now how in the hell did you manage…”
She almost smiled. Almost. But it just wasn’t something to smile about. “I just kept the man drunk—mind erasing drunk. With his love of whiskey, it wasn’t as hard as you might think.”
“Incredible,” he said before getting up to check out the windows again.
“I guess it is,” she said, watching him. Her gaze fell upon the broadness of his shoulders, the firm and perfect shape of his back that narrowed down to his waist. There was a quiet power about Cooper that she fully appreciated. Crow might be a formidable man, but so was Cooper. And, unlike Crow, Cooper remained patient, focused and controlled. She might have spent the last few months avoiding sleeping with a man, but now she wondered what it might be like to say yes to one. One like Cooper Blackwater.
He sat down and exhaled long and slow. When he leveled his gaze at her, she thought she could see the same desire in his expression. And although he maintained a serious persona, even in his own home, something new flickered in soft shadows within his eyes. This time, when she recognized a need in a man, she didn’t feel quite so afraid.
He held out his arm for her. “These walls are closing in. It sounds as if we both have our ghost to contend with. I think you’re right about getting out into some fresh air. Walk with me. I’ll show you around before it gets too dark to see.”
She stood. “Sounds lovely. I’d love to go for a walk.”
“There’s a garden out back. Right now, the weeds have taken over, but there’s still some flowers blooming.”
Arm in arm, they walked out the kitchen door and down a worn path toward a small fenced area. The sun was low in the sky, casting the property in long shadows and splashes of amber light. Cooper’s warmth as she walked next to him, drew her closer until she realized she was walking right up against him. His hand covered hers and he gave her a soft pat.
“You should know that it’s not you, or even Crow that has me on edge. That damn house does it to me. Everywhere I look I see Adeline’s face. Only, she’s always angry with me. Being a sheriff took me away from her more times than not, and I don’t think she has forgiven me, even in death.”
“How did she pass?”
“It’s hard to talk about.”
“It might help…”
“I came home one evening and discovered Adeline dead on the porch with a medicine bottle in her hand. I told everyone that she died from fever, but what she’d done, was overdose herself on opium. I lied to protect her, but in truth, I was protecting myself. Adeline hated the west, and she’d threaten me daily that she’d to leave me for San Francisco. But I love it here, and I have a job that I’m good at. So, I selfishly ignored her threats. She was miserable living out here and hated the isolation of this house. I’m not sure I can forgive myself. I should have taken her needs to heart. I’ve wondered about making confession to Father Velasquez about my sin. Maybe if I do, this pressure will lift from my chest. The guilt haunts me.”
She squeezed his arm as they approached the garden. It was a tangled mess of weeds. She stared at the garden. Even though it had been neglected, some flowers still found a way to survive and beautifully bloom. Sophia couldn’t help but stare at those flowers. They perfectly illustrated what life had been like for them both. There was still some hope to cling to.
Sophia leaned into him, resting her chin against the firm muscle of his arm so she could look up at him. She cared little that it was inappropriate. When Cooper’s sad eyes caught hers, butterflies danced in her belly.
“We all are possessive creatures, are we not? Crow wants to possess a beautiful face of which he’ll never have. Adeline wanted to possess a man who longs to tame the frontier, and I want to possess my own freedom and a chance to figure out who I was meant to be. My heart goes out to your wife, Sheriff, but we all have our own destinies—we all make our own choices. There’s no need for fences, or closed windows. We were meant to be free.”
Cooper didn’t respond, and she dropped her gaze fearing her bluntness offended him. When she braved to look up again, the air took on soft current of electricity.
“I suppose it’s only natural to want the things we cannot have,” he said, thickly. “Except for you, Sophia. I’m going to make damn sure I don’t disappoint another woman. You’ll have your freedom come hell or high water.”
***
With Sophia in the house, he hadn’t slept a wink. Not only was Adeline’s ghost lurking in every shadow, he couldn’t turn of his imaginings of Sophia Merchant sleeping in his bed. He also couldn’t stop thinking about Comanche Crow and how a part of him couldn’t blame the son-of-a-bitch for wanting Sophia back. The woman was different. She wasn’t ruled by propriety. She spoke her mind and she was clever and easy to talk to. When he’d told her the truth of Adeline’s death, he never once questioned if she’d judge him, or run off and tell the world. Somehow, he knew she wouldn’t. There was something else that bothered him. When she told him, that Crow had not consummated their relationship, he felt a sense of joy, of relief, of something he had no business feeling. He was a lawman, and she was an outlaw’s possession. Their lives would blend like oil and water. Besides, she spoke of her desire for freedom. She might not ever want to be tied down for any reason ever again after what she’s been through.
His body ached. He wanted her. He wanted all of her. Each day came and went and he pushed his desires aside, reminding himself that nothing could or at least should come of it. And what about her claims of purity? As fantastic as it seemed, he believed her.
He’d barely closed his eyes when the sun streamed a beam across his face already hot and thickening the air. He thought he heard water outside, and jumped from the chair he’d slept in and looked out the window.
His breath and his heart all stopped at once. Sophia had stripped down to just wearing drawers, and stood inside a trough that sat under the water pump. She’d also found an almond colored dress and had it laid out over a nearby fence. When Sophia turned and revealed her ample, and fully rounded breasts, he swallowed against the immediate closing of his throat.
He shouldn’t watch, he told himself. No man should watch a lady’s morning ritual, but he couldn’t help himself. The water reflected the orange glow of the morning as she poured it over h
er body, washing away the soapy lye that stuck to her sensuous curves. The more he stared the more he realized that this house would feel even lonelier once she’s gone. She was like sunshine, giving warmth and life to a darkened place and heating up his blood. If he didn’t get back to work soon, he’d end up losing his chance to capture Crow, and maybe even finding a way to convince her to stay and allow him to court her, appropriately, like a lady deserved.
She’d stopped. Her head turned toward the west. Sophia quickly got out of the trough and gathered the dress. She held it to her chest and ran towards the house.
Not knowing what frightened her, Cooper had only meant to open the door for her, but when he swung it open, Sophia slammed against him taking them both by surprise. It was just a natural reaction to catch her, but having her so close, inhaling the scent of freshly washed skin, her hair black from the water, streaming down her back, proved to be too much of temptation to ignore.
***
She inhaled her surprise. She’d tried her best to be quiet, hoping to sneak a bath and a fresh change of clothes. She had no idea Cooper had awaken from his sleep. He seemed equally surprised to be holding her with hardly a breath fanning between them. She’d expected for him to let her go, but the wall of his muscles that surrounded her didn’t retreat like she’d anticipated, instead, they wrapped tighter and then he lowered his head down towards hers. Any of her usual instinct to panic or to deny, vanished the moment their lips met.
It started out slow, his kiss rocking in a gentle motion, but his restraint didn’t calm the desire that she’d already had brewing since she fist laid eyes on him. Cooper’s mouth melted against hers, rolling like a tender tide, but more smoldered under the surface. She sensed a powerful need building within him, burning raw with intensity. Sophia moaned against the heat that soaked like rain throughout her soul. Crow might have control of her mind, but Cooper kiss was firing her blood, soothing the panic, and had been taking over her heart for days. He held her tighter against him, leaving her mouth to capture her neck, and then back to her mouth. She threw her head back ready to surrender, running her hands up the wide expanse of his back. He flicked a tongue across her lips and whispered about her beauty. He whispered about wanting her in his bed, about a future full of passion under Arizona’s star-filled skies until…
“Are you alright?” he asked, his face hovering over hers, his breath, warm and sweet fanning her face. Doubt threatened to break the spell. Doubt that she’d ever know a life like he described. But he pulled her tightly against him once more and she could feel his heart. Strong, vibrant and racing in his chest. This was her chance. Her one chance right here and right now. She had to believe she deserved this, she had to let her heart over-rule her mind. She might not have another opportunity again to feel the touch of a real man, a good man. The reality of living off borrowed time became a real and driving force.
“I want to know,” she whispered, dropping the dress she held between them.
“Dear Sophia, let me show you.”
***
She was out in the garden, pulling weeds and humming a song when Cooper whistled to get her attention. He was looking out on the horizon with his rifle in hand. A horse and rider were approaching at a fast clip.
She hastily climbed the porch but he stopped her. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. That looks like my deputy, Gunther Sipes. By the way he’s moving, there’s probably something important going on in town.”
“You’ve neglected your job a long time for me,” she acknowledged. His eyes softened as he gazed down at her. “I know I have, but I don’t know how to be at two places at once. I can’t get Crow if I’m here, and I can’t leave you until he’s caught.”
The sound of hoof beats approached, kicking up dust. Gunther barely stopped his horse before he leapt from it.
Cooper, it’s me, Gunther! We’ve got trouble! The Earps are heading in by rail, and Stilwell and Clanton have been seen in town, lurking around the train station. You know how that’s going to end up.”
Cooper leaned on his rifle like a cane. “That figures. But, I was hoping that drama wouldn’t reach Tucson. These days, trouble seems to be caving in on both sides. What has Comanche Crow been up to?”
Gunter shrugged. “Nothing. It’s gone dead silent up there. That might be due to the fact a band of renegade Apaches have been seen riding along the base of the hills, but I don’t really know.”
“Maybe we will get some help,” Cooper turned and told her.
“What are you going to do about Stilwell and Clanton?’ Gunther chimed in.
“Back up Wyatt, of course.”
Gunther smiled. “That’s what I figured.”
Cooper returned his gaze to her. “I’m going to have to leave you here. I don’t have a choice. I’ll see if Maya can come and…”
She held up a hand. “No. I’ll be fine,” she said as much for her own comfort as well as his. A drawn-out silence stretched out between them until Gunther cleared his throat.
“That train arrives from Benson in about an hour. We’ve got to get going.”
“I’ll leave you a gun and highly suggest you don’t venture out, not even to gaze at the stars. If anything looks suspicious, there’s a basement. Hide in there and lock the doors.”
“I’ll be fine. You’re a lawman, Cooper. Go do your job.”
Chapter Eight
When the door shut behind Cooper and his deputy, Sophia spun on her heels to look at the home that had become Cooper’s demon. She saw the house much differently. Maybe it was because since as far back as she could remember, she yearned for a home of her own. A real home, with a normal life. How easily she could imagine herself a woman of class, married to a fine and handsome sheriff. She could almost see it as a reality if it were not for the gun tucked into her cleavage and the constant ache of anxiety that always had her holding her breath. Her reality had been forever altered by father with wanderlust and a deranged man hell bent on possessing her. In fact, this was the first time in months she didn’t have someone looking over her shoulder and dictating her every move—well, maybe Crow was out there watching, but from inside Cooper’s house, she could pretend no man like Comanche Crow existed—if for just a little while.
Since there wasn’t much she could do about her own life, she decided to spend the rest of the morning doing something to help Cooper. She worked to rid the house of the dust, and even rearranged the furnishings to make the house feel refreshed and free from his ex-wife’s memory. She also made sure that when Cooper returned, that biscuits and beans were waiting for him on the stove. Maybe, with some luck and some prayer, Cooper would come to realize that this was no longer a house of sin, but rather, a sanctuary—that even a tough lawman needed a place to take off the badge and just rest.
***
Finally done after a full day of work, Sophia removed all her clothes, folded back the blankets of the bed and then slipped herself between the covers. She tucked the Derringer under her pillow and then laid back and closed her eyes. Her body sunk into the mattress completely exhausted. It was a good kind of tired though. The kind of tired from a day well spent. She reached over to the lantern and turned it all the way down.
“Sophia, I’m back,” a voice whispered through the dark. Gasping, Sophia reached behind her for the gun and pointed it at the shadow dancing at the foot of her bed.
“Whoa. Don’t shoot. It’s me, Cooper!”
“Cooper?” she asked, lowering the gun as her heart tripped all over itself from the scare. “Cooper, you should know better than to come sneaking into a lady’s room after the lights are out! Are you crazy? What if I had killed you? Holy Mary, I thought you were Crow.”
“Turn on the light, there’s something in the living room I want to show you.”
“I can’t.”
“Why?”
“Because, I didn’t think you’d be home tonight, and I am indecent.”
Even in the dark, she could see a mischievous sm
ile shape his face.
“As tempting as that sounds, I think what is waiting for you in the living room is going to make you very happy.”
Sophia found a fancy, red feathered robe in the trunk while cleaning, so as soon as Cooper left the room, she slipped it on and then stepped into the living room.
Cooper stood by the fireplace with a little bundle in his arms. When she realized he was holding the baby, her hands flew to cover her mouth, and a sob caught in her throat.
“You have a visitor, Miss, Sophia. A very, tiny and very cute visitor.”
“Cooper…that’s so…wonderful!” she breathed, walking toward them. The baby had blue eyes and he was staring up at Cooper with his little pink lips curved into a smile. Sophia thought her heart was going to burst.
“How did you manage? How did you manage to bring him here?”
“I thought you’d like to see him, and I wanted to show you the good you’ve done in the world. Look at him, he’s fine. He’s going to be just fine thanks to you.”
“He’s beautiful.”
“He is that. Why don’t you take a turn and hold him?” Sophia couldn’t hide the joy in taking the child into her arms. She walked with him to the chair and sat down.
“You look so beautiful holding that baby,” Cooper said, smiling. Sophia sighed. It was wonderful and such a relief to know the boy was healthy and unscathed from his ordeal with Crow. When she smiled down at him, he responded with a series of bubbly coo’s that made Cooper laugh.
“Such an angel boy,” she said, gently sweeping her fingers over the crown of his head. She then ran a finger over a smooth, chubby cheek and she immediately heard Crow’s threat whispering in her ear. This time his voice was loud in her ear and dripping with venom. Her hands started shaking as her blood ran cold. How could she be so selfish to risk this baby just to hold him in her arms?
She stood. “You shouldn’t have brought him. You shouldn’t have risked his life like this. What if you had been holding him when you came into my room? What if I had accidentally killed you both? What if Crow crashes through the front door with his stupid knife right now and…”