The Cowboy SEAL

by Laura Marie Altom

  “Peg, stop.” Millie looked over her shoulder to make sure they were still alone. “Even if I knew the answers to all of those questions, I don’t think I’d tell you. Whatever’s going on is complicated and—I’m sure in the grand scheme of things—nothing important. Just two lonely people sharing a moment.”

  “You two don’t just have shared moments, Mill, but a long history. Think about it. You crushed on Cooper long before realizing Jim was the more stable of the two Hansen boys.”

  “Ha!” Millie hugged herself in twilight’s growing chill. “What a crock that turned out to be. Hopefully, even Cooper’s not stupid enough to stand up on a moving four-wheeler while shooting.”

  Peg sighed. “You ever going to forgive him?”

  Millie crossed her arms. “Nope.”

  “Okay, well, for the record, I think you could do worse in men than Cooper. I’m beyond thrilled to see him and Dad getting along. Would it really be so awful for you to end up with another Hansen man?”

  “Okay, wait—we shared a kiss, and already you’re marrying us off?”

  “Think about it. He’s a ready-made dad and ranch hand. You could—and have—gone years without meeting another candidate as suitable as him.” Peg tossed the toiletry bag on top of her quilting gear then slammed the trunk closed. “Just sayin’.”

  *

  THURSDAY AFTERNOON WHILE cutting trash bags to protect LeeAnn’s volcano from the light snow, Millie still couldn’t get Peg’s words out of her head.

  Last week at this time, if someone had told her she’d have used a man for his body, she’d have laughed them out of the county, but in hindsight, had that essentially been what happened between her and Cooper? If Peg knew the whole truth, she’d freak.

  Every time Millie relived what she and Cooper had done on this very table, her stomach flipped—only in a good way—wishing she had the courage to do it again.

  “Mom?” LeeAnn asked. “Have you seen my report?”

  “It’s in your blue folder on top of the printer.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Can I have ice cream for dinner?” J.J. asked from in front of the freezer.

  “No. Once we help your sister set up her project, we might have time to go out for dinner during the judging. We’ll have to play it by ear.”

  “But I thought the science fair was tomorrow?”

  “It is, but judges go through tonight to decide who won. Then tomorrow, all the people visiting the fair will be able to see the winners.”

  J.J. cocked his head. “I don’t get it.”

  “Me, neither, bud.” Cooper sauntered in from Clint’s room, where he’d been helping his father eat.

  No matter how many times Millie told herself she was over him, his striking profile never failed to send her pulse into a gallop.

  Cooper grabbed a banana from the counter fruit bowl, snapped it in half, and gave part to her son. He then took a piece of bologna from the fridge, ate three-quarters and fed the rest to Cheetah, who rubbed against his ankles. Maybe that’s how he got the cat to like him. Bribes! “How about we let your mom and LeeAnn just tell us where we need to be and when?”

  “Yeah, that sounds good.” J.J. looked to Cooper in awe.

  “If I’m in charge—” Millie duct-taped the last trash bag in place “—then how about you two put on clean shirts? And one of you probably needs to wash your face.”

  “Oops, that’s me,” Cooper teased.

  Even if it was meant for her son, Millie couldn’t get enough of her brother-in-law’s smile. Since their talk in the backyard, though she wouldn’t even try denying the sexual tension, there’d also been a lightness between them she found irresistible. He was also getting along great with J.J. and Clint. LeeAnn, however, still merely tolerated him—even after he’d printed his Mount Vesuvius and Pompeii pictures for her and helped with her project’s eruption.

  What if Peg was right? That Cooper truly was the guy she was meant to rebuild her life with? Only her insecurities and doubts caused them to miss their opportunity?

  The question haunted her while loading everyone and LeeAnn’s volcano into the truck, and more still while thanking Lynette for watching Clint while they’d be gone.

  By the time Cooper had driven them to town, her mind felt messy. Once they’d all made two treks from the truck into the school through heavy snow with the various parts of LeeAnn’s project, while J.J. ran around with found friends, Millie led Cooper to a seat on the gym’s bleachers.

  “Shouldn’t we be helping her assemble everything?” he asked.

  “Nope. She’d be disqualified.”

  “What if she doesn’t remember where to put all the tubing?”

  Millie cast him a sideways smile. “Relax. And welcome to being an uncle.”

  “Thanks.” After returning her smile, he nudged her shoulder with his. He’d no doubt meant the gesture as friendly, so why did her whole body tingle? “All the uncle manuals skip this part—about wanting your niece to beat the crap out of every other kid in a purely scientific manner.”

  “Oh, of course.” She laughed and nodded.

  Other parents joined them in the stands until the school principal herded them all into the cafeteria to await the announcement of the winners.

  “You know,” Cooper said between bites of the chocolate cake the PTA moms had provided—turned out there hadn’t been time for dinner, “though I saw a few other volcanoes, Lee clearly had the most complex.”

  “Absolutely.”

  Was it wrong that she found so much joy in once again coparenting? Cooper might technically only be her children’s uncle, but she remembered Jim being every bit as competitive when it came to their kids’ winning.

  Even better? Not standing around alone while groups of moms and dads gathered. She’d grown weary of always being on her own. Before his stroke, Clint had tagged along whenever he could, but it’d never been the same.

  Forty minutes and three pieces of cake later, Cooper asked, “How long does it take to determine Lee’s the winner?”

  “In my experience, whether you’re waiting for a riding lesson to end or tutoring or Little League, it always takes around ten minutes longer than you feel you can stand waiting without a mental breakdown.”

  “Good to know,” he said with a nod. “I’m damn near there.”

  Twenty minutes later, winners were finally named.

  When LeeAnn came in third in her age group to a robot that dunked cookies in milk and a tsunami machine, Cooper was outraged.

  “What the hell?” he asked under his breath. “There’s no way that scrawny kid made that robotic arm all on his own. Look at the way his dad’s beaming—clear case of cheating to me. That guy probably works for NASA.”

  Millie grimaced. “Maybe, but another uncling tip for you is that despite how much you want to pitch a fit about any number of injustices toward one’s child, we must always be gracious and follow the adage of catching more flies with honey than vinegar.”

  “That’s bullshit.”

  She elbowed him. “Another rule? Even though you’re a grown-up, you still can’t cuss at school.”

  Sighing, he shook his head. “No wonder I was glad to get out of this place. Too damned many rules.”

  He got it again with her elbow. “I’m starving. Let’s find the kids and get out of here.”

  “Yes, ma’am. Want to divide and conquer? I’ll grab the munchkin and you find Lee?”

  “Sounds like a plan.” Yet another benefit of coparenting—not having to track down both kids by herself.

  Watching Cooper’s broad shoulders easily part through the crowd, Millie fully realized just how weary she’d grown of being a single parent. But that realization was a long way from promoting Cooper from uncle to dad.

  *

  J.J. STILL SLEPT with a night-light, so Cooper couldn’t help but wonder why he’d ventured so far down a dark school hall.

  A metallic clang, then giggle, came from about fifty feet in front
of Cooper’s current location, and he was guessing by the sounds’ slight diffusion, down another hall to the left. Sure enough, he soon had to make another turn into a new addition that hadn’t been here when he’d attended this school.

  He heard another giggle.

  Saw a couple kissing in the faint light eking in from the snow-covered parking lot.

  Cooper cleared his throat. “Excuse me. Either one of you seen— Are you freakin’ kidding me?” His eyes narrowed. “LeeAnn?”

  “Don’t tell Mom.”

  “You—” Cooper pointed to the boy “—get the hell away from my niece.”

  The kid took one look at the same game face Cooper used when taking down terrorists and shot off toward the cafeteria.

  “God—” LeeAnn straightened her long pigtails “—did you have to be so scary?”

  “You’re both lucky I didn’t do worse. Your mom, on the other hand, is going to blow bigger than your volcano.”

  “Please, don’t tell her.”

  Arms crossed, he asked, “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t.”

  “With Grandpa Clint’s stroke and all the bills she’s always worrying about, I don’t want her worrying about me. I promise, I’ll never kiss Damon again.”

  Damon? Coincidence that the kid’s name was only one letter off from demon? Though Cooper hated to admit it, his niece had made a valid point. Millie did have a lot on her plate—considering what’d gone down Saturday night, even more than her daughter knew. Besides, since LeeAnn promised not to kiss the kid again, if Cooper did let it slide, then would she maybe cut him some slack and quit avoiding him like he had an infectious disease?

  “Please, Uncle Cooper. I pinkie swear I won’t even talk to him again. Please, don’t tell Mom.”

  “All right,” he said, “but I never want to catch you with that kid again.”

  *

  BY THE TIME all four of them trudged back out to Cooper’s truck, three inches of snow coated the windshield.

  Millie hoped the roads would be clear enough by the next afternoon for Peg to make her usual weekend trip to see Clint.

  Her evening with Cooper had been alarmingly pleasant, and she looked forward to his sister being around to chaperone, because honestly? As charming as he’d been tonight, she didn’t trust herself to keep her hands off him.

  He started the engine, then said to J.J., “Bud, you wanna help me clear windows?”

  “I can’t reach.”

  “That’s what I’m for...”

  “Cool! Piggyback me, Uncle Cooper!”

  After her son bounced his way out of the truck, Millie angled on the front seat to get a better view of her daughter. “I’m proud of you. There were a lot of great projects.”

  LeeAnn shrugged. “I did okay, but only the first two in each category go to the regional science fair.”

  Millie patted LeeAnn’s forearm. “Whenever that’s supposed to be, we’ll go do something fun. Next year, we won’t make just a robotic arm, but a whole robot, okay?”

  LeeAnn nodded, but still seemed down.

  “Sweetie, don’t sweat it. I’m super impressed by how hard you’ve worked. You should be proud, too.”

  J.J. banged on the window. “Mom! Look at me!”

  Cooper had set him on the hood, where he was now standing while brushing snow from the windshield.

  “Get him down from there!” Millie waved to get Cooper’s attention, but it wouldn’t have mattered, as he’d already done her bidding, and the two guys were climbing back in the truck.

  “That was fun!” J.J. was still bouncing.

  “How much cake did you eat?” she asked her son.

  “I dunno. I think lots!”

  “Sounds about right...”

  Because of the snow, they opted to skip going out for dinner in favor of driving straight home. By the time they reached the house, at least another couple of inches of snow had fallen.

  J.J. was asleep, so Cooper carried him in.

  LeeAnn bounded past Millie to beat all of them to the front door. Once inside, she hollered good-night, then darted up the stairs to her room.

  “Poor thing.” Millie hung her coat and hat on the hook by the door. “She’s really taking her loss hard.”

  “She’ll get over it.” For him to be the same guy who was angered by the fact that LeeAnn’s project hadn’t placed higher, Cooper didn’t seem all that upset.

  “I suppose.”

  “Want me to put him to bed?” Cooper kissed J.J.’s temple.

  “Yes, please.” His simple, sweet gesture toward her son tightened Millie’s chest, making it hard to breathe. More every day, she cherished Cooper’s connection to her kids. Tonight, he’d even somehow managed to find LeeAnn before her.

  “Hey...” Lynette wandered in from the living room. “I was starting to worry about you guys. It’s looking bad out there.”

  “We got behind a plow on the main road, so it wasn’t too dicey. You’ll probably want to be in four-wheel-drive for your trip home, though.”

  “I figured as much.” She put a bookmark in the paperback she’d been reading.

  “Want Cooper to drive you?”

  “Thanks, but I’ve been dealing with this crap for a while. I’ll be fine.” Her friend waved off her concern much the way she had when Millie had taken off mad on Valentine’s Day. They’d been friends since grade school, and no matter the tussle, it never took long for them to repair any damage.

  Lynette agreed to call when she was safely home, then Millie saw her out the front door.

  Cooper strode back down the stairs. “I’m going to check on Dad.”

  “Okay. You hungry? I was thinking about scrambling some eggs.”

  “Sounds good.” He paused with his hand on the newel post.

  “You all right?”

  “Sure. Fine.” His dour expression didn’t match his words.

  She eyed him for a few long seconds. “Lee’s loss is weighing heavy on you, too, huh?”

  He ducked his gaze. “I guess so.”

  “It’s all right.” Though she knew better than to touch him, she smoothed her hand up and down his back. His wool pea jacket was damp from snow, but this close and personal, she caught a whiff of his leathery aftershave and nearly drowned in contentment. Did he have to be so perfect in darn near every way? “Now that you’re back in the kids’ lives, there will be plenty more science fairs. You’re more than welcome to help with every single one.”

  His faint smile faded. “Wish I’d be here, but from Virginia to Colorado is an awfully long ride.”

  “True,” she conceded, “but we’re worth it, don’t you think?” The moment the words left her mouth, she regretted them.

  The last thing she wanted was for him to for one second believe she wanted him to stay, because knowing Cooper and his newfound sense of family duty, he might just do it out of obligation.

  When—if—she ever did enter into another committed relationship, she wanted it to be because he loved her, not because he felt sorry for her.

  Chapter Fifteen

  A week later, Cooper was glad for Zane’s help in raising the walls and putting the roof joists on Millie’s chicken coop. Right now it was just a shell, but he remembered what she’d told him about wanting her birds to live in a fancy abode. Ever since, Cooper had been stuck on the idea of making her wildest chicken coop fantasy come true.

  If only I could work on a few of her other fantasies....

  It was nice being around his old school friend and rodeo buddy. The two of them had shared good times. Plus, having company helped Cooper’s mind from straying to Millie and the alarming amount of moments he spent wishing they could be together.

  By the time they’d installed the fourth and final roof brace, Zane collapsed onto the hard-packed ground. “Are you trying to kill me? How the hell do you have so much energy?”

  Cooper laughed. “Clean living, my friend.”

  “Bullshit. When we meet up at Mack’s, you put a
beer back just as fast as the rest of our old crew. Come on, what’s your secret?”

  “If I had to guess, I’d say it’s my workout.”

  “Where are you hitting a gym around here?”

  Cooper laughed. “You don’t need a gym, man. It’s all in here.” He tapped his temple. “Run, do a few dozen pull-ups from one of the lower barn rafters. No big deal. If you want, meet me in the morning around five. I’ll take you through my drill.”

  *

  MARCH 1, MILLIE sat in the home office, staring at a fresh pile of bills. So much around the place had changed, yet still more hadn’t. She didn’t tell Cooper about their financial problems, not because they were embarrassing, but because she knew once they culled the herd in late May, that they’d make enough to pay almost everything. In the meantime, she’d just have to keep juggling her available funds.

  The kids got Jim’s social security check, but that barely covered the basics. Clint also had social security, but his money had all been funneled into paying for his medical costs.

  Cooper knocked on the open door. “Are you using the computer?”

  “No. Go ahead.” She scooped up her bill pile and set them on a side table across the room. “What are you going to do?”

  “Since Dad and J.J. are finally occupied with a movie, I thought I’d answer a few emails and research my project.” He winked. “My iPad’s dead, and on the charger.”

  “Sure. Sounds good.” She fought to maintain her composure. Ever since what he now called their lapse in judgment, he’d grown faultlessly, disgustingly polite. She missed their sometimes heated banter. Even more, she missed their few stolen kisses.

  His project was rebuilding the chicken coop, but he was being so hush-hush about it that he’d gone so far as to string sheets across part of the yard so she couldn’t see the structure from the kitchen sink window. He spent so much time out there, she couldn’t imagine what it would look like. She’d told him about once admiring a fancy coop. Had he listened and was now breathing life into what she’d only meant as a casual statement?