by Ciana Stone
“What?”
“You know what. You and Jaxon Riggs? In the office. Oh my god. You did it on the couch.”
“So?”
“So? Cody, look I know how you feel and I’m on your side. I am. But Mama and Daddy—well—well, you know they look at him and think he’s too old for you. And maybe they’re right. We had a long talk about it and—”
“And you took their concerns to him.” Cody interrupted and, at Hannah’s surprised expression, continued. “Yeah, he told me about the visitors he had while he was in the hospital.”
“We were just concerned. He’s…well, did you know that he’s been married? And not just once. Twice. Cooper found out from his father. Lucas has worked with Jaxon before and he knows the man. Jaxon Riggs isn’t the kind of guy—”
“I don’t need you to tell me who Riggs is.” Cody took a step closer to her sister and locked gazes with her. “I’m just going to say this once little sister, so listen up. I don’t need you, Mama or Dad telling me who I can or can’t see. And I sure as hell don’t need you going behind my back to try and scare Riggs off.”
“He almost got you killed!” Rather than back down, Hannah stuck out her chin and took a step forward of her own. “You climbed under a fucking collapsed oil rig for him!”
Hearing Hannah curse was not a common occurrence and indicated her level of tension, but Cody got the distinct feeling that this wasn’t about her and Riggs. At least not all of it. Hannah had a head of steam built up and needed to release it.
“I know.” Cody softened her voice and willed her posture to relax. “I know, Hannah. But I’m not going to apologize. I told you he’s the one. I meant it when I said it and I mean it now. Yeah, maybe he’s been married before and maybe he has a history of not sticking around, but that doesn’t change how I feel. Look, I know you love me and I’m grateful for that every day, but I love him. I don’t know how long he’ll stick around and I’m not going to dwell on it, I’m just going to enjoy it and I won’t let you or anyone else ruin it for me.”
Hannah opened her mouth, closed it, shook her head and looked down at the floor for a few moments. “I don’t want to ruin anything for you. I just don’t want to see you get hurt. Last time—”
“Last time I was a kid. I’m not now and I know the risks. Yeah, he could break my heart into a million pieces, but honest to god, what I feel right now? Hell, maybe it’s worth it. You have to know what I mean. Isn’t that how you feel about Cooper?”
She didn’t know who was more surprised at Hannah’s reaction, her or Hannah, but it was shocking enough to have Cody taking a step back.
Oh, oh.
“Look, I’m sorry,” Hannah stammered, keeping her gaze averted. “I should have kept my mouth shut. I’ll get out of here and let you—”
“Don’t leave on my account,” Riggs said when he walked into the kitchen.
“I’m not.” Hannah looked anywhere but at him or Cody. “Really. I just have a lot—”
“Don’t go,” Cody said, looking first at Hannah and then Riggs. “Either of you. Let’s all sit down and have a cup of coffee. There’s something I need to tell both of you.”
“Can’t it wait until—”
“No.” Cody cut Hannah off.
“Okay then.” Riggs took a seat at the small table in the corner of the kitchen.
Cody shot him a smile and looked at Hannah.
“Fine,” Hannah said. “I’ll get the coffee. You sit.”
Cody took a seat beside Riggs and waited for Hannah. A minute later, Hannah carried a tray with three cups of coffee, cream and sugar to the table.
“So, I heard something last night,” Cody said, then told them about the drunk and what he’d said about Lucas Quinlan paying him.
She saw the way Hannah’s face paled a bit and also the way Riggs’ eyes narrowed. When she finished, she looked from one to the other. “I wanted to tell you before I went to the police.”
“Do you have to do that?” Hannah asked.
“You didn’t just say that. That rig coming down was no accident. Riggs could have been killed. We both could. If it was sabotaged, then a crime was committed and we have to go to the police.”
“But we don’t know it’s the truth,” Hannah argued. “I mean, like you said the guy was drunk and maybe he was just trying to impress you. Maybe—”
“Maybe he was telling the truth,” Cody cut her off. “And even if he wasn’t I still think we need to tell the police so they can investigate.”
Hannah sighed and pushed her coffee away, drumming her fingers on the table top. Finally, she looked at Cody. “Then do what you think is best. Excuse me, I have some things to take care of in the office.”
Cody watched Hannah leave, then looked at Riggs. “So?”
“So what?”
“Do you think I should tell the police?”
“I do.”
Cody looked toward the door, then back at him. “Why wouldn’t she want me to go to the police?”
Riggs shrugged. “She’s about the marry Quinlan’s son, and Quinlan and Cooper are starting to make amends. Maybe she just doesn’t want anything to screw that up.”
“Maybe. But it’s the right thing to do.”
“Yes, it is. And now I really need to get to work.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Let me get you a to-go cup for that coffee.”
He waited while she fixed him a coffee to-go and stood when she brought it to the table. “Thanks.” He leaned down to give her a soft kiss. “See you later? Say seven?”
“Definitely.”
He smiled, kissed her again and left. Cody watched him leave and then made her way to the office.
Something was going on with Hannah and she needed to figure out what.
Hannah was sitting at the desk, staring at the computer monitor. Cody sat on the edge of the desk. “What’s up, little sister?”
“Nothing.”
“Liar, liar pants on fire.”
“Are you ten?”
“I was. Once. Come on, what’s up. Your face looks like a thundercloud.”
Hannah huffed and leaned back in her chair. “Last night, Cooper asked me to cancel the wedding and elope.”
“Elope? Where?”
“Paris.”
“And?”
“And we pretty much ended up fighting all night.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. I mean, how romantic could you be, right? A private jet to whisk you to Paris to be married and then a trip around the world as a honeymoon? It’s so tempting. It really is.”
“But?”
“But I’ve dreamed of my wedding all my life. I can see every detail of it and—and I don’t want to just cancel it and elope. I want my wedding. I want Daddy to walk me down that aisle and see the man I love standing there smiling at me.”
Cody nodded. “And Cooper? What does he want?”
“He wants to elope.”
“Oh. So…?”
“So I don’t see why we can’t have the wedding as planned and then jet off for a lavish honeymoon. That way we both get what we want.”
“What does he have to say about it?”
“That he didn’t know it was going to cost a king’s ransom for a wedding and he doesn’t see why we need to waste so much on it when we could just as easily be married in Paris and spend all that money on the honeymoon and doing things we will enjoy.”
“But you don’t agree?”
“I just don’t see why we can’t do both. But when he left this morning we were pretty much not speaking. God, I hate this. I just want to plan the wedding and not have to worry about him being pissed or wanting to change the plans in midstream, you know?”
Cody didn’t know, but she wasn’t like Hannah. She hadn’t carried the idea of a wedding her whole life. “Well, you and Coop will work it out. That’s what you do when you love someone. Work it out.”
“Yeah, right.” Hannah stabbed at the keyboard. “I guess I have to go o
ver to his office and try to get him to see things my way, or I won’t be placing the order for the silk I found to make the gazebo streamers.”
“He’s still paying for everything?”
“Yes. Well, him and his father.”
“That’s mighty generous of them.”
“Yes, it is.”
“And you seem to be taking full advantage of it.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You know what it means. Seems to me you’re a whole lot more interested in Coop’s money than you are in what he wants. Now, don’t get all puffed up. You know it’s true. Since we’ve been sitting here you’ve said nothing except what you want and how you want things to be and not once have you seemed concerned about what Coop wants. And this is his wedding too, Hannah. Or have you forgotten that?”
“Just shut the fuck up. When I need your advice I’ll ask for it.”
That was when it hit her. This was something she hadn’t seen before, and she didn’t have a clue how to address it. Cody slid off the desk and headed for the door. “Absolutely. See you later.”
She headed outside to her truck and climbed in but didn’t start the engine. Hannah was gung-ho on the wedding, determined to see it through to the end with every tiny detail the way she wanted. But she wasn’t doing it for the right reason, because she wasn’t really in love with Cooper. If she was, the wedding wouldn’t matter at all.
No. Cody saw it all too clearly now. Cooper wasn’t the man of Hannah’s dreams. He was her ticket out of Cotton Creek. Hannah would have the wedding to end all weddings, something the folks would talk about for years to come. And then she’d leave and never look back.
She’d become the wife of the oil tycoon, jetting around the world, spending money like it flowed from her own personal spring. And she’d be miserable inside of a year.
Shit, what a mess.
And to make it worse, Cody didn’t have a clue what to do. Her phone rang and she pulled it out of her pocket. It was her mother.
“Morning Mama.”
“Did you forget about Bernice? She’s up and wanting her mother.”
Damn. Actually, she had. “I’m so sorry, Mama. I’m on my way to get her right now.”
*****
“Okay, I’ll see you tonight,” Cooper said into his phone. “Love you.”
He put the phone down on his desk and stood, jamming his hands into the pockets of his slacks. This was the last thing he needed. He and his father were just starting to establish a relationship. Hannah had to be wrong about this. His father wouldn’t have sabotaged the rig. Hell, if it weren’t for Lucas and Herbert, they might not have gotten Riggs and Cody out alive.
No. She had to be wrong. He snatched up his phone and made a call. “Dad? You free for lunch? We need to talk. Yeah, one at the Blue Belle is great. See you then.”
Cooper sat back down and stared at the monitor on the desk. He stared at it long enough that the screensaver kicked in. Photos he’d taken of Hannah or selfies of them together rolled across the screen.
He almost wished he hadn’t mentioned his father’s offer. She had her mind made up to have the wedding here in Cotton Creek and from the bills that were piling up, it was going to be one of the most expensive weddings this state had ever seen. Not that the issue was money.
Cooper just didn’t have the heart to tell her that he wasn’t in the least interested in having a big wedding. In fact, he thought it was a bit puerile. If they were living in a big city and the guest list would be populated by movers and shakers in industry and politics, then he could see the benefit.
To spend a mountain of money on a lavish affair for the people of Cotton Creek seemed pointless. They were good people from what he’d seen, but not exactly people who would benefit a person’s career or business.
It was almost embarrassing to be throwing so much into the event. Cooper had been wealthy his entire life, but he still knew what it meant to show off and that was what this wedding felt like.
But it was Hannah’s dream. He had to keep reminding himself of that. He’d lived a life of affluence, had enjoyed the finer things in life, had traveled and experienced life in a way she had not. She just wanted a little taste of that.
Or a big honking mouthful, from the running total so far. Cooper smiled and shoved aside negative thoughts. Hannah was gorgeous, sexy, smart and would be a wife he could take with him anywhere. She’d be the perfect hostess and companion.
Not to mention she was hot as a match and he could hardly keep his hands off her. No, everything would be fine with the wedding. He’d try and convince his father to let them use the jet for their honeymoon, with Paris as their first stop. That would make Hannah happy and make Lucas feel that his gift was not being shoved back across the table.
Cooper’s smile disappeared as he thought of his lunch appointment. He prayed there was no truth in what Hannah had told him. It could ruin everything.
Chapter Six
“Honey, we’ll find your mama, I promise.” Cody had to force herself to speak gently to Bernice. She’d picked the child up from her parents this morning and hurried home, expecting to find Belinda there..
Only Belinda was nowhere to be found and wasn’t answering her phone. Cody figured Belinda had shacked up with the guy she was with last night. But why wasn’t she answering her phone?
It was now half past four and Cody was about at her wit’s end. Bernice was the sweetest kid in the world, and had tagged along with Cody all day as Cody took care of her chores at the ranch. But she’d still asked for her mother off and on all day and Cody didn’t know what to tell the child.
Now she was wondering what to do. She was supposed to go over to Riggs’ place for dinner, but she didn’t think he’d appreciate her showing up with a kid in tow. And she couldn’t ask her parents to watch Bernice again.
Damn Belinda, answer your phone. She dialed again and listened as it went to voicemail.
“You know what to do so do it,” Belinda’s voice said.
“Where are you? You need to call me. Now.” Cody ended the call and stuck her phone in her back pocket. “Okay, little Miss Bernice, I have an idea. How about if we get cleaned up, put on some pretty clothes and head into town to have dinner? Would you like that?”
“Me like hot dogs.”
“Hot dogs, huh? Well, I think we can manage that. Come on. Let’s go jump in the tub.”
“Me needa wash my hair.”
“Well then let’s get to it, punkin.” Cody took Bernice’s hand. Together, they went to the house.
Cody had Bernice sit on the bathroom rug while Cody showered, then she ran the tub with water for Bernice. As Cody dressed, Bernice chattered about what they’d done during the day and how much she wanted to ride a real horse.
It was so cute that Cody smiled the entire time. When Bernice started singing and actually washing, Cody went into the bedroom to call Riggs. He answered on the third ring.
“Hey.”
God, how was he able to make that one syllable sound so damn sexy? Just the sound of his voice gave her a case of the lusts.
“I have a little problem.”
“What kind of problem?”
“A three year old problem named Bernice. Last night her mom didn’t come home and I can’t get her on the phone.”
“So you want to cancel.”
“No. Actually, I wanted to see how you’d feel about meeting me for dinner at the steakhouse in town and then coming back to my place. She goes to sleep pretty early.”
“Okay.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
Cody grinned. “Meet you there at seven?”
“I’ll be there.”
“Okay, see ya soon.”
She hung up and returned to the bathroom. One look at Bernice and she smiled. Bernice was covered in bubbles, holding the shampoo bottle like a microphone, singing away.
“Ooh, that sure is a nice song,” Cody remarked and took a seat on t
he toilet.
“Me sing song for you.”
“Okay. What song are you going to sing me?”
“ABCD’s.”
“Well, all righty then.”
For the next twenty minutes Bernice sang, recited the alphabet, counted to twenty-five and spelled her name. Cody was shocked at how much Bernice was capable of. “Did your mama teach you all that, pretty girl?”
“No, me teached myself.”
“You did?”
“Me did.”
“Well how did you do that? Do you have books?”
“Me haz mommy phone.”
“Oh really? Mommy lets you play with her phone.”
An expression Cody recognized came on Bernice’s face. It was a universal thing—that expression a kid gets when they’ve done something they know they shouldn’t. “Shhh, you no tell mommy.”
“Tell her what?”
“Me play with mommy phone when mommy night night in the new day.”
It took Cody a second to translate that. “Oh, you mean sleep in the mornings?”
“Yes, new day.”
“Okay. Got it. Well, you sure are a smart girl, Bernice. Now, can I rinse you off so we can comb out your hair?”
“Sure.”
Ten minutes later, Bernice’s long hair was braided into pigtails and she was dressed. Cody realized from going through Bernice’s things that the child had precious few clothes. That gave her an idea. They had more than an hour and a half before time to meet Riggs. Plenty of time to do a little shopping.
“Hey, Bernice, you want to go shopping?”
“We need buy hot dogs?”
“No, we’re going to a restaurant to eat. I thought maybe we could go look for you some new clothes?”
“Me? For me?” Bernice’s little face lit up.
“Yes, for you.”
“Oh, thank you. You loves me?”
“Yes, I do.” Cody could answer truthfully. She’d only known Bernice for a few days, but the child had already won her heart. “Now come on, honeybun. Let’s go shopping.”
Bernice grinned and took the hand Cody offered. “Okay.”
As they headed out of the house, Cody wondered if Belinda had any idea how blessed she was. Bernice was a beautiful little girl with a sweet nature and big heart. And smart. Really smart.