by Lynn Kellan
“You and I can turn things around,” Hale stated in a quiet voice. “How much do you owe?”
When she told him, his eyebrows rose. After a brittle moment, he exhaled and stared down at the floor, shaking his head.
Barely breathing, Danielle rubbed her thumb along her index finger to soothe her nerves until he spoke again.
“With hard work and good weather, our harvest might eliminate a good portion of that debt by the end of September. If you give me the farm, you’ll be free to go in six months.”
“You make this arrangement sound so simple.” Despair’s tight grip made shaking her head difficult. “It’s not.”
He opened his hands. “This is the best I can offer.”
Her legs went weak at the notion of getting married againto another Cooper, no less. She clamped a hand on the upholstered chair and stared at the fabric’s taupe weave in dazed silence. When she contemplated seeking his aid, she never expected this.
“Give me your answer tomorrow morning. If it’s no, I’ll do what I can to get some crops into the ground before I head back to Oklahoma.” The muscles along his jaw flexed and his blue eyes sparked with resolve. “If it’s yes, I’ll work like hell to pay you back for believing in me all those years ago.”
Chapter Three
Hale sat on the couch and held his head in his hands, wondering why Danielle hadn’t slapped him a few moments ago. He winced, remembering the husky hurt in her voice when she asked if he offered to bail her out in exchange for them sleeping together. Her stung expression made him feel like the worst kind of creep.
Truth was, he did want to sleep with her, more than ever. Distance and time hadn’t diminished the kick of anguished longing in his gut the minute he saw Danielle again.
A furry muzzle nudged his leg, lifting him out of his bleak musings.
“Sorry, girl. You’ll be sleeping on the floor and I’ll be stuck on the couch for the next couple of days. Don’t know if I’ll be able to improve those arrangements.” Hale stared into Cocoa’s soulful brown eyes while he stroked her soft head. She scooted closer until her wide chest pressed against his. The affectionate way she rested her head on his thigh soothed his bruised heart. He tussled her ears. “Why didn’t you stop me when I sounded like I’d help Danielle for sex? Now she thinks I’m some kind of pervert.”
He’d never force her to do something she didn’t want to do, in or out of the bedroom, but Danielle had no way of knowing that. Years had passed since she’d seen him. No wonder she hesitated to gamble on what kind of a man he’d become.
Then again, she was in deep trouble. Perhaps she’d accept his unconventional marriage proposal if she knew he didn’t expect sex as part of the deal.
Muttering a curse, he looked across the room to the staircase. Now that she’d gone upstairs, he’d have to wait until morning before he could set things right. He’d already made his bed, so to speak. Now he’d have to sleep in it.
He glanced around the room and acknowledged this was a step up from the old cabin he shared with two other guys on the Oklahoma ranch. Those bachelor quarters were cramped and a bit of a dump.
Danielle’s house was the oppositespacious and attractive. Woodwork around the big windows gleamed in the light thrown off by the lamp. The focal point of the room was a large stone fireplace, flanked by oak built-in shelves big enough to hold a small TV and a large assortment of books.
Hale’s chest constricted when he spotted the oak toy chest tucked in the corner. The neat mitered corners and fine craftsmanship belonged to Mark. Cabinetry was always what he did best.
Now Mark was gone, leaving behind two small boys, a wife, and an unproductive farm. Seeing how his brother had neglected this land strengthened Hale’s determination to make things right. He just needed a chance, but that was completely up to Danielle.
Knowing his dog’s sharp ears would catch anything he might miss, he took off his hearing aid and placed the device into the protective case he kept in his front shirt pocket. Plunged into a world devoid of sound, his thoughts tracked back to his nephew’s revelation that Mark slept on the couch.
What did his brother do to lose Danielle’s trust? Hale thought of the empty liquor bottles in the barn. Whiskey had a poor effect on members of his family. Had Mark repeated the same wretched mistakes their father made?
He laid full-length on the couch, resisting the temptation to look out the window at the moonlit hills he yearned for. Instead, he thought about the things he’d do for Danielle if she’d let him.
****
The next morning, Danielle retracted her hands into the sleeves of her sweatshirt to stop the stiff breeze from blowing goose bumps up her forearms. She stood on the gravel driveway and watched the yellow school bus pull away.
Two familiar little boys appeared in one of the windows, waving wildly.
She poked one hand out of her sleeve to wave back at Luke and Drew, unable to swallow past the cord of anxiety wrapped around her throat. When the red taillights disappeared past the hill, she turned and looked at the rusted tin roof reaching into the gray morning sky.
Hale was there in the barn.
Waiting for her answer.
A robin squawked and took flight as Danielle followed the driveway up to a small knoll. From this vantage point, she could see the splintered barn, the bare fields, and the distant green hump of Middle Creek Mountain on the horizon. Under the cloud cover, the familiar landscape looked depressing and hopeless. Granted, she was a bit biased. Perhaps her mood would’ve been sunnier if she’d eaten some scrambled eggs and crispy bacon, instead of cereal dust and an old wilted carrot.
How had she gotten herself into such a predicament? Danielle flinched when the answer came in a guilty flash. Pretending everything was okay for her boys’ sake had been a serious mistake. Now they faced bankruptcy, homelessness, and hunger, all because she couldn’t convince Mark to stop drinking.
Keeping her head down, she continued down the lane. The sound of her sneakers crunching along the gravel echoed as she neared the broad side of the barn. Hesitating at the door, she took a deep breath and stepped inside the cavernous interior.
A pair of gleaming eyes and sharp white fangs greeted her. The hair along the lab’s back was raised, making the dog look twice as big.
Danielle lowered the hood of her sweatshirt. “It’s just me.”
Cocoa barked once and trotted to Hale, who stood on a hay bale to peer under the tractor’s hood.
Another loud bark startled Dani. She frowned when Hale didn’t reacta frightful reminder of how deaf he was without his hearing aid.
Years ago, Danielle had to touch him to direct his attention to something happening a few feet away. Now Cocoa did the job, putting her front paws on the hay bale so she could nudge Hale’s thigh with her muzzle.
At the touch, he wiped his hand on his jeans and glanced over his shoulder.
The shuttered expression in his gaze made Danielle shiver like she’d stepped back into the brisk morning air. Had he decided to retract his unconventional marriage proposal? That possibility elicited an unwelcome spike of panic. If she had to, she’d grovel for his help. At this point, she had nothing left. Not even a scrap of her tattered pride.
He stepped off the bale and reached into his pocket for his hearing aid.
As she searched for the right words, Danielle felt like a complete failure. She clasped her hands, squeezing so tight a knuckle popped. Not only had her life fallen to pieces, she was about to rope Hale into this mess. “Thank you for asking to marry me. I accept your offer.”
He frowned and touched his hearing aid. “Say again?”
“I’ll marry you.”
He took off his blue baseball cap and scratched his temple. “There’s something I need to know before we go through with this. Where do you want me to sleep?”
The question made her stomach flip. “You slept on the couch last night. Will that work?”
“No. Your couch is too soft. My b
ack will hurt if I keep sleeping there. Won’t be much good to you if I can’t move.” He studied her for a moment. “Would you consider letting me sleep with you? Just to preserve my back, nothing more.”
He had every right to request that, considering most married people slept together. The hint of an apology for broaching the subject was in his blue eyes.
Reduced to bartering for her survival, Danielle’s throat tightened until her voice was a hoarse rasp. “Yes, you can bunk with me. If we’re really going to do this, I have only one request. I need you to promise you won’t get drunk while we’re together. If you do, the deal is over.”
He gave a deliberate nod. “Anything you ask.”
Hearing that sort of promise in his slow drawl knocked away her breath. In all the years she’d known him, Hale always kept his word. She hoped he still would. With only one hundred and fifty-two dollars left in her checking account, she was in no position to turn down his proposal.
She gritted her teeth so hard, her molars ached. If she wanted to avoid going on public assistance and claiming bankruptcy, her fate was in his hands. Squinting her eyes, she searched for any sign of deception on his freshly shaved face. Cooper men were skilled liars.
With a quick move, he jerked his hat back on. “You look like you hate me right now.”
“Yes,” she hissed, tightening her ponytail with an angry yank. “I hate that you have to rescue me.”
“This isn’t a picnic for me, either.”
Grief bubbled up inside, erupting in a spurt of resentment. “Are you doing this out of some perverted sense of duty to right your brother’s wrongs? Or do you just want your farm back? Which is it? Honor or greed?”
His back stiffened at the verbal attack. “I’m motivated by greed.” He snatched a rag from the tractor, rubbing the grease off his knuckles with a violent twist of his hands. “I want this farm. Even more than that, I want you. If saving this dump gives me the chance to be with you, even for only six months, then I’ll do it.”
Confusion billowed out of her self-righteous anger. If he wanted her, why did he leave so many years ago? She took a step backward, letting out a derisive snort. “You’ll take on a bankrupt farm for the unlikely chance we’ll have sex?”
Wadding the grease-stained rag in his fist, he squared his stance and stared with a determined jut of his chin. “I never said that, Danielle. I’ll take on a bankrupt farm, just for you.”
Chapter Four
Danielle glanced at the judge’s secretary, who offered a brief, encouraging smile before glancing at the clock perched on the desk. The message was clear. Another couple waited in the hallway to get married, so there was no time for hesitant brides to gather their courage. Swallowing hard, Danielle looked at the broad ridge of knuckles across the back of Hale’s left hand as he waited for her to put the ring on his finger.
For a wild moment, she contemplated running out of the judge’s office. Then she thought of her sons. She’d do anything to keep them sheltered and fed, even if it meant marrying a man she hadn’t seen in six years.
Hale’s hand felt thick and foreign in her grip. Tightening her fingers, she detected a faint dampness along the wide breadth of his palm. Surprised to discover she wasn’t the only one feeling nervous, she wondered what caused Hale’s sweaty palms.
Was he worried she wouldn’t keep her end of the bargain when the time came to give him the farm? Or was he concealing something? A spurt of anxiety made her hand shake. She struggled to slide the gold wedding band on Hale’s thick finger.
The incongruent sight of the elegant ring on his work-hardened hand made her remember Luke and Drew’s reaction when she told them she was marrying Hale. Given the choice of attending the wedding or participating in the kickball tournament, they picked school. Danielle couldn’t blame them. She wished she could’ve immersed herself in a game rather than face the frightening reality of embarking on a temporary marriage to escape bankruptcy. Her plan became all too real when the justice of the peace beamed at Hale.
“Congratulations. You may now kiss the bride.”
Determined to keep it brief, Danielle flattened a hand on Hale’s white oxford shirt. Beneath her palm, his heart thundered like he’d just sprinted the entire thirteen hundred miles from Oklahoma to be at her side. Surprise jerked her head upward. The taciturn expression he’d worn for the past few days cracked, revealing a poignant longing in his clear blue eyes.
“Finally,” he murmured, tracing her jaw with his blunt fingertips.
The gentle caress made her feel like someone tilted the courthouse floor, and she grasped his red silk tie to keep her balance. The instant his lips touched hers, the anxiety pulsing through her body diminished into an inconsequential echo.
Years ago, she’d wondered what Hale’s kiss might feel like. Now she discovered his mouth was warm and loving as his lips brushed hers. His calloused hand cupped the back of her neck and he kissed her again, longer than before. Her eyes fluttered shut, seduced by the sensual thrill of having Hale Cooper’s bottom lip slide along hers.
She wasn’t supposed to like this, was she?
Out in the hallway, the couple waiting to get married erupted into applause.
“You look beautiful.” Hale smiled.
This close, Danielle could see the small chip he’d knocked off his lower incisor when he was a boy. Flustered, a warm blush rose into her cheeks as she looked down at the simple beige sheath dress she’d borrowed from a friend. A tendril of hair escaped from her French braid and the errant curl brushed her cheek.
Hale captured the lock of hair, rubbing the gold strands between his thumb and forefinger.
The gesture was one he used to do years ago when they sat beneath the shady oak tree to eat their sandwiches. Her throat tightened. If she’d known then what she knew now, perhaps she wouldn’t have chosen the wrong man.
Ever efficient, the judge’s secretary extended a pen. “Once you sign your marriage certificate and I sign as your witness, you’ll be official.”
Danielle managed to scrawl her name on the document despite the sheen of tears curtaining her eyes. Needing a gulp of fresh air, she handed the pen to Hale. “I have papers to grade. See you at home.”
The judge engaged Hale in conversation, aiding in her escape. She walked out of the office, strode past the eager young couple waiting in the hallway, and hurried to the parking lot.
Halfway to her car, Hale caught up.
“Slow down, Danielle. What’s the hurry?” His voice went ragged. “Wait a minute. Are you crying?”
Turning away so he couldn’t see the stripe of tears on her face, she wiped her cheek with a hasty swipe of a hand. “I’m sorry, Hale. I didn’t want to cry in front of you. This isn’t your fault.”
To her horror, she sobbed the last word loud enough to attract the concerned glance of an elderly woman nearby. Danielle opened her purse and fumbled for the keys to unlock her car, determined not to cause a scene.
Hale’s hand slid onto the small of her back. “What’s wrong? Tell me so that I can fix it.”
“You haven’t done anything wrong. In fact, you’ve been incredibly kind to me.” A soothing heat radiated from his palm through the fabric of her dress, pooling at the base of her spine. Fighting the temptation to accept his silent offer of comfort, Danielle tossed her purse into the warm interior of the car and grabbed a tissue from the box beside the driver’s seat. After being married to Mark for six years, she’d learned the only person she could rely on was herself.
“Let me drive you home,” Hale suggested, taking a step closer. His wide shoulders blocked any onlookers’ curious gazes.
“No, that’s not necessary. You mentioned you had errands to run. Go ahead.” She noticed the reflection of her blotchy face in the car window. Not the picture of a beautiful bride. “I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not.”
“I just need a few minutes to pull myself together.” She hiccupped. “Please, don’t take this personally. T
he past few months have been rough. Sometimes I burst into tears for no good reason.”
“I’ve got a feeling there’s very good reason for those tears.” His palm moved up and down the slender column of her spine in a soothing caress.
The affectionate way he rubbed her back almost derailed her effort to pull herself together. Not used to experiencing such gentleness from a Cooper man, Danielle stepped away and lowered herself into the driver’s seat. Tucking an errant curl behind her ear, she mustered a watery smile. “I’ll be fine.”
He braced his arm along the open door, his August blue eyes holding her gaze. “I’m going to make things right, Danielle. Just tell me what you need. I’ll make it happen.”
Gripping the steering wheel, she resisted the urge to make him promise he’d never hit her. She couldn’t make that request without revealing how horrific things had gotten in the past year. Blinking back another surge of tears, she opted for a simpler appeal. “I need to go home and get back to work. You know, try to get back to normal.”
“Okay. I can do normal.” He closed the door and moved back, lifting his hand in a goodbye salute. “See you in a couple of hours.”
She pulled out of the parking space and shifted into drive. Hale stood on the sidewalk, watching her leave. The grim expression pinching his handsome features revealed this marriage was risky for him, too. With a flash of regret, she wondered if he left a good life in Oklahoma to rescue her from the odious burden of the farm.
To thank him, she’d get out of debt as soon as possible. Over the next few months, she’d help him bring in a profitable harvest while she searched for a full-time teaching position. With any luck, she’d have a new job by the time she left the farm. In the meantime, there were term papers to grade and lectures to plan for the last few weeks of the semester at Susquehanna.
As soon as Danielle got home, she encountered irrefutable proof her second marriage had already changed life as she knew it.