"I guess that puts me completely out of the running. I can be described in many ways, but I'm afraid mealy— mouthed isn't one of them."
Lizzie cackled and slapped her knee. "Naw, you is right about that. But you done caught Cooper's attention, I know that. He's been interested in you since he first saw you."
"That may be, but being interested and being in love isn't the same thing."
"Naw, but it's a start, ain't it?"
MARY LOUISE felt a somewhat better after her visit with Lizzie. She still wasn't sure how she was going to convince Cooper to marry her, but she felt much more confident about it now that she knew the formidable Lizzie Jackson was on her side.
"I'm home," she said as she entered Cooper's bedroom where he and Charlie were playing cards.
Cooper tossed down his cards and scowled at her. "It's about time. I thought I told you not to be gone longer than an hour? It's been nearly two hours since you left here."
"I'm sorry, I was enjoying myself and the time got away."
If possible Cooper's scowl grew blacker. "What were you doing that was so damned enjoyable?"
She arched a brow. "Not that it's any of your business, but I was visiting with Lizzie."
"Why'd you go see her?"
Mary Louise threw up her hands. "Why do you think I went, Your Royal Dunderhead? Lizzie has been sick. I thought you would want me to see how she was getting along."
His scowl disappeared and he even appeared contrite. "How was she?"
"She still has a bit of a cough, but she seems to be recovering. She told me to tell you to behave yourself."
Cooper grinned. "That sounds like Lizzie."
Charlie was stuffing his card winnings in his pockets. "I guess I'll be gettin' along. It's been good visitin' with you, Sheriff."
"It's certainly been rewarding for you," Cooper retorted, eyeing his money that was sticking out of his deputy's pockets. "I expect to be given a chance to recover my losses."
Charlie nodded and backed toward the door. "You name the date and time and I'll be here."
Mary Louise walked Charlie to the door. "Thanks for giving me a little time to myself."
"Sure, Miss Markham, I enjoyed it. I think the boss is gettin' better. He's gettin' ornery as all get out, and that's a good sign, don't you think?"
"I believe so. As a matter of fact, I think it's time for you to bring Annie back home. Cooper misses her, and I'm sure she misses him."
"She does. She asks for him every day. Me and the wife will miss having the little tyke around, but her place is here with her papa."
"Yes, it is. I can't thank you and your wife enough for helping with her, Charlie."
The big deputy grinned. "No need to thank us. We loved every minute of it."
When Charlie was gone, Mary Louise went into the kitchen. Lizzie had given her some dough and told her how to roll it out and cut it into biscuits. She planned to cook them for Cooper's supper, along with some fried fatback and eggs. Lizzie had instructed her to sprinkle flour over the cutting board so that the dough wouldn't stick. Humming to herself, Mary Louise opened the flour bin and screeched like a banshee when a tiny mouse jumped out and scurried across the kitchen floor.
Chuckling softly, Mary Louise sagged against the wall and closed her eyes. She felt like a ninny for being frightened by a little mouse. But she had been so surprised that her heart was still pounding.
"What's wrong? What in the hell happened?"
Mary Louise opened her eyes to find Cooper leaning against the frame of the kitchen door. He was completely nude except for the swath of sheet he'd wrapped around his hips. "Good Lord, Cooper, what are you doing out of bed?"
"I came to see about you. First I hear you scream and then I don't hear anything else. For all I knew you'd been murdered. What was that all about?"
She straightened and shook her head. "It was nothing, go back to bed."
"Nothing! You shriek like the hounds of hell are after you and you say it was nothing?"
She sighed resignedly. "I saw a mouse, Cooper, and it startled me. Nothing's wrong, I'm fine. Now go back to bed."
"A mouse," Cooper muttered as he turned back toward the hall. He hadn't taken more than a step when Mary Louise drew a shocked breath.
"Cooper, my God, you've hurt yourself!"
Cooper grimaced when he saw the thin rivulet of blood running down his leg to puddle on the floor. "Damn, I must have pulled the stitches loose when I jumped up."
"Let me help you back to bed." Mary Louise hurried over and put her arm around his waist. "Can you walk?"
He drapped a heavy arm over her shoulder. "Yeah, if we go slowly, I can make it."
"Are you sure? I can run downstairs and get a deputy up here in a flash."
"Not necessary."
It seemed to Mary Louise that the short distance from the kitchen to Cooper's room took forever. But finally she was helping him ease into bed. "You lie still while I get some clean bandages. Don't try to move, do you understand?"
"Yes ma'am." It sounded like an attempt at humor, but it was lost in an involuntary groan of pain.
She was back in seconds. She snatched the blood— stained sheet from around him, removed the blood— soaked bandage, and pressed a clean bandage to his groin. "I know this must hurt, but if I apply enough pressure to the injury, the bleeding should soon stop."
"The wound hurts, but it won't kill me. However, I think I may die of mortification," he said weakly.
Her attention focused on what she was doing, Mary Louise hardly heard any of what he'd said. "Why is that?" she murmured absently.
He groaned and then chuckled dryly. "You have to ask? It's rather disturbing to lie here naked as the day I was born while a woman— and fully dressed at that— attends me."
Mary Louise was so intent on stopping his wound from bleeding that, until he mentioned it, she hadn't even noticed that Cooper was stark naked. Her cheeks flamed and she squeezed her eyes shut. "Oh! My heavenly days!" she said with a horrified gasp. With her free hand she blindly felt for the blanket which lay on the floor— and out of reach.
Keeping her eyes tightly closed she turned back to Cooper. "I'm sorry, but I can't reach the blanket. You'll just have to trust that I won't peek at your...er...at you."
After a moment, he chuckled softly. Curious, but unable to open her eyes, she asked, "What can you possibly find to laugh about?"
"I was just lying here thinking about trusting you not to peek. I couldn't decide if I were glad that you had no desire to see me naked— or if I were disappointed."
"Oh, Cooper," Mary Louise grumbled, blushing furiously. "You really are a scoundrel, do you know that?"
"So I've been told."
After a moment, Mary Louise held her breath as she eased the pressure on the bandage. "I think by this time it should have stopped bleeding," she said. "But, I'm going to have to look at it to be sure."
"Are you sure it's just the wound you want to see?"
"I'm absolutely positive," she replied drily. She opened her eyes and peered at the wound. It had stopped bleeding, and she gave a relieved sigh. Then she noticed that Cooper had cupped his hands over his privates and she bit her lip to keep from smiling.
Cooper glowered at her. "You looked!"
"I didn't."
"Yes, you did. I saw you smile."
"I was only smiling because of the way you covered yourself."
"Ah ha! And how could you know I was doing that unless you looked?" His tone and accompanying grin were smug. "I knew you would look, in spite of that facade of maidenly virtue."
Mary Louise snatched the blanket off the floor and threw it over him— including his head. "You're incorrigible, Cooper Matthews. I don't know why I put up with your insufferable behavior."
Cooper peeked over the top of the blanket. "Because, Miss Mary Louise Markham, you're crazy about me."
His goading hit too close to the truth. Mary Louise picked up the bloody sheet, spun on her heel and stalke
d out of the room.
Cooper called out to her as she slammed the door shut. "Come back! I was only teasing, Mary Louise!"
IT HAD BEEN over an hour, and Mary Louise still hadn't come back to Cooper's room. He stared up at the ceiling and sighed. He'd finally gone too far with his nasty teasing. He'd said some pretty awful things to Mary Louise over the last week— suggestive things that as a rule he would never consider saying to a lady. For that matter, he rarely even talked like that around the soiled doves he occasionally spent an evening with. But he hadn't been afraid of the soiled doves— they couldn't hurt him.
Mary Louise Markham scared him to death. His attraction to her was stronger than anything he'd ever experienced and he couldn't seem to get her out of his mind. He wanted to touch her, to smell her, to taste her. He wanted to run his fingers through her thick, silvery hair, he wanted to taste her lips, and her skin. He wanted to slide his hands over her— "Jesus, Matthews, you're going to drive yourself crazy with this," he muttered.
He had to stop thinking like that. Mary Louise Markham had made it quite plain that her only interest in him was Annie. If he didn't get hold of his emotions and soon, the woman could destroy him. He sighed again. So, if the only way he could keep her away from him was to act the cad, then so be it.
He was surprised when Mary Louise swept into his room carrying a flannel night shirt. "Put this on, Cooper."
"What is that?"
"What does it look like? It's a night shirt. I borrowed it from Joe Bob. Come on, sit up so I can help you get it on."
"I don't want to put that thing on, I don't sleep in nightshirts."
"That may be, but you're going to sleep in this one."
"And if I don't?"
"Then while you lay helpless, I'll pack Annie's things and take her back to Belle Rive with me."
He glowered at her. "You wouldn't dare."
"Wouldn't I? Don't count on it, Buster. If you don't put on this nightshirt in the next five minutes, I'm going straight out that door and straight to Charlie's house."
He snatched the garment out of her hands. "All right, I'll put the damn thing on." He pulled it over his head and struggled to get his head through the neck opening at the same time he was pushing his arms in the sleeves.
"Do you need some help?"
"No!" The barked word was muffled by the thick flannel. "I can do it." Finally, his head slipped into view and he pulled the shirt over his chest. He glared at her. "Satisfied?"
"Yes, thank you." She began to straighten his covers.
"What are you doing, now?"
"I'm straightening your room. You have a visitor."
"I don't want to see anyone."
"Too bad, you're going to see this visitor whether you like it or not."
"I'm warning you, if you send anyone in here I won't be responsible for my behavior."
"Oh, do you mean to say you'll behave like an ill— mannered miscreant?" she snapped. "Like always?" She cleared off the table beside his bed and dusted it. "There now, everything seems to be in order."
"Mary Louise, don't do this. I really don't want to see anyone."
She ignored his pleas and walked to the door and opened it. "You can come in now."
"Papa?"
Cooper, who'd been scowling at the wall, sat up and looked at the door. "Annie?" His face broke into a grin when Annie toddled across the room. Being careful of his injuries, he lifted his child into his arms and hugged her against his chest. "Lord, Annie, I've missed you."
She threw her arms around his neck and squeezed as she babbled excitedly. "Ah— nee say, Chawie, I want my papa. Where my papa?" She sat up and put her hands on his cheeks. "Chawie say, Papa sick." She searched his face worriedly. "Papa sick?"
He kissed her hands. "I was sick, but I'm getting better every day."
She touched the bandage on is head. "Papa hut?"
"Just a little bit. It's almost all better, too."
"Ah— nee stay wif papa?"
Mary Louise answered her. "Yes, darling, you may stay with your papa."
Annie looked over her shoulder at Mary Louise. "Weezie stay, too?"
She nodded. "Yes, I'll stay too— for a few more days."
Cooper looked behind Mary Louise and saw Charlie standing in the doorway. "Thanks for taking care of my girl— and for bringing her home."
"You're welcome on both counts. Me 'n' the wife 'n' kids had a good time playin' with Annie. She can come back and stay with us any time."
"Tell Charlie thanks, Annie," Cooper gently reminded.
She grinned up at the deputy. "Tanks, Chawie." Then her eyes grew large and pleading. "Ah— nee stay wif Papa, Chawie?" she asked again, as if needing to be reassured.
"That's right, Honey. You can stay with your papa. I'd better be gittin' back. Y'all take care, hear?"
"Sure thing, Charlie. Thanks again."
When she'd seen Charlie out, Mary Louise returned to Cooper's room and found Annie asleep in his arms. "Have you been mean and nasty to your visitor?"
He grinned sheepishly. "Why didn't you tell me my visitor was Annie?"
"I wanted her to be a surprise."
He kissed Annie's plump cheek. "She was a surprise all right." He shook his head. "God, I'm glad she's home."
"So am I. Shall I put her to bed?"
He shook his head. "Not just yet. I want to hold her for a little while, okay?"
Mary Louise nodded. "Sure. I'll go and get my bath and give you some time with her."
She started to the door when his voice stopped her. "Mary Louise?"
"Yes?"
"I'm sorry I've been such a jackass."
"You're forgiven."
"Thanks for everything."
"Does this mean you like the nightshirt?"
He laughed. "No, I hate the nightshirt, it's too hot for this time of year. But I'll wear it for you, okay?"
She smiled warmly. "Thank you."
Chapter 12
IN SPITE of reopening his gunshot wound, Cooper's recovery continued steadily. Dr. Morrison stopped in as soon as he returned to Hollisburg and after examining Cooper he congratulated Mary Louise.
"You've done a wonderful job looking after the sheriff, Miss Markham. If you should ever take a notion to enter the nursing profession, I'd be pleased to have you work for me."
"Why, thank you, Dr. Morrison, I'll certainly keep that in mind," Mary Louise replied as she walked him to the door.
The doctor stopped on the front stoop and looked at her. "By the way, I told the sheriff he could get up and move around when he feels up to it," he said. "It will build his strength."
"Yes, sir."
"You might want to get one of the deputies to help him." He looked at her over the top of his glasses. "I don't feel that's something a young woman, even a betrothed young woman, should do. It would be entirely too intimate, don't you know?"
"Of course." Mary Louise murmured, looking away.
Smiling to herself, Mary Louise closed the door and leaned against it. She loved helping Cooper with his daily walks and she did not intend to stop. Ask the deputies? Never. Mary Louise liked having an excuse to put her arms around Cooper. Sometimes, when he was trying to get his balance, he stood so close to her that the crisp hair on his chest tickled her nose and she could breathe in his heavenly male scent. The mere thought of it made her lightheaded. She laughed softly as she picked up her shawl."Cooper," she called from the front door. "I'm going to fetch Annie from Lizzie's house."
"Don't be long," he called back.
Someone knocked just as Mary Louise reached for the doorknob. "Who's there?"
"Lizzie, is that you?" came a voice— a decidedly female voice. "It's just me, Starr."
Starr? Mary Louise opened the door a crack and peered out. A lady stood on the stoop. Lady? That's no lady, Mary Louise thought, taking in at a single glance the woman's tawdry clothing and garish face paint. Floozie would better describe this person. She opened the door wider. "May I help
you?" she said, using her haughtiest tone.
The woman narrowed her eyes. "Who're you?"
Mary Louise drew herself up to her full five feet eight inches. "I'm Mary Louise Markham. And you are?"
"Name's Starr, Starr Brighton. I'm here to see Coop. I heard he got shot."
"Yes, it happened a couple of weeks ago."
"Where's Lizzie?"
"Lizzie's been ill and is at home. Cooper's daughter is visiting her and, if you'll excuse me, I was just about to go fetch Annie home."
"You go right ahead," Starr replied. "I'll keep Cooper company while you're gone."
"I'm afraid he isn't up to visitors right now."
Starr put her hand on her hip and eyed Mary Louise. "Just tell him Starr is here, and I guarantee he'll be up to seein' me."
"He's resting," Mary Louise said as she started to close the door. "So why don't you come back at another— Miss Brighton! How dare you!"
The woman pushed the door so hard that it sent Mary Louise stumbling backward. Before she could right herself, the woman had barged inside and was yelling, "Coop! Where are you' Dahlin'?"
"Starr?" he called. "Is that you? Come on back!"
The woman glanced at Mary Louise and smiled, "You don't have to escort me to Coop's bedroom, Honey. I already know the way."
Infuriated by Starr Brighton's smug smile, Mary Louise stalked behind the woman and followed her into Cooper's bedroom. "I really don't think— " she began and then stopped when she saw Cooper hold out his arms to the uninvited guest.
"Starr, you are a sight for sore eyes. Come over here and give me a kiss."
Starr threw herself at Cooper and kissed him noisily. Then she gazed down at him. "I heard what happened. Damn that good— for— nothin' Jessie Blake, I'm glad he's dead. How you doin' Dahlin?"
Cooper grinned. "I'm doing great now that you're here." He heard a snort and looked up to find Mary Louise glowering from the doorway. "I thought you were going to get Annie?" he said.
She nodded at Starr. "I was on my way out when she barged in, and I thought perhaps you would want me to stay until— "
For the Love of Annie Page 15