by Terri Osburn
“Oh!” Lorelei squawked. “That’s so mean!” But she laughed through the protest. “Just for that, I’m insisting that every guy in the wedding wear a tux. With a tight bow tie!”
Haleigh arrived home shortly after five, dog-tired and bone-weary. She’d been scheduled from eight to four, but babies didn’t abide by schedules and she’d been called in by six for a difficult delivery. Never a pleasant way to start the day, but baby and mother had pulled through and were doing well.
Speaking of mother and child, before leaving the hospital, Haleigh had signed off on Jessi’s release papers, which meant Cooper would arrive any minute with her new roommates in tow. The lonely child desperate for a father had been nowhere in sight when Haleigh had checked on her patient earlier in the day, though Jessi looked even younger without the heavy eye makeup. The change in appearance had taken Haleigh by surprise, but the teenager had been too distracted by her newborn to notice.
Desperate for a shower and a nap, Haleigh trekked down the hall, drawing up short at the doorway to the room before hers. Someone had set up a nursery. The furnishings were sparse, but appeared well cared for. A white bassinet trimmed with three layers of ruffles graced the left wall, while a changing table rested beneath the window. Bunnies and baby chicks frolicked across the curtains, anxiously awaiting the new child they were about to meet. The shelves of the changing table were filled with diapers, wipes, blankets, and even a pink bin of booties and bibs.
Abby had been at work all day, which meant only one person could have done this.
Cooper.
“How did he find all this stuff?” Haleigh asked aloud as she drifted toward the most appealing piece in the room—a cherrywood rocking chair. Heavy and finely carved, the rocker had clearly undergone a recent update with its polished gleam and bright, butter-yellow cushion. Thankfully, the restorer had resisted the urge to even out the faded areas along the arms, evidence of loving use over many years. Solid and welcoming, the chair all but oozed motherly love.
The man was a force to be reckoned with. A virtual paragon of his gender. And then a stray thought crept in.
Would he have done the same for my baby thirteen years ago?
The question cut like a scalpel to the throat, and Haleigh backed out of the room as if the curtains had burst into flames. Sure, Cooper had offered to marry her, but they both knew that had been no more than misplaced chivalry. Neither of them had been prepared to be a parent. And the baby hadn’t even been his to begin with, which had made the suggestion all the more ridiculous.
Darting from the room, Haleigh sought an escape. A long drive would settle her mind. So would a good stiff drink. Smacking the wall, she took a deep breath and corrected that thought. She did not need a drink, regardless of the urge gnawing at her gut. An uncomfortable memory wasn’t anything she couldn’t handle. She’d sure as heck handled worse in the past.
Purse and keys still in hand, Haleigh rushed through the house and out the front door only to run headlong into Cooper’s chest.
Cooper struggled to keep both Haleigh and the infant-filled car seat in his left hand from hitting the ground.
“Whoa,” he said. “Slow down.”
Haleigh jerked out of his grasp. The woman was spooked about something.
“Hal, what’s going on? Is someone in the house?”
“No.” She twisted the strap of her purse as she shoved a loose lock behind her ear. “Of course not. Don’t be silly. I just have an errand to run.”
“Dr. Mitchner?” Jessi said from behind Cooper. “What are you doing here?”
“I live here,” Haleigh replied, her eyes landing everywhere but on Cooper’s face. “I was on my way out.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Cooper could see the panic clawing at her. “Come inside and sit down.”
“No,” she said again. “I told you, I have somewhere to be.”
“I’m confused,” Jessi said. “I thought this was Abby’s house.”
Haleigh stepped around them both, saying, “I rent a room from Abby. We’re friends.”
“Why is a doctor renting a room from anyone? Shouldn’t you have the biggest house in town?”
Ignoring the question, Haleigh increased her pace. “I really have to go,” she said over her shoulder.
Cooper took a step after her before realizing he was still carrying the baby. “Well, hell,” he said, rushing into the house and setting the seat gently inside the foyer. To Jessi he said, “Close the door to keep her out of the wind and I’ll be back in a second.” He reached the gray Ford Fusion as Haleigh dropped into the driver’s seat. “Wait,” he said, blocking the door with his body. “Come inside and calm down. The errand can wait.”
She tugged on the car door. “Get out of the way, Cooper.”
He squatted down to see her face. “Come on, Hal. Let me get Jessi settled and then I’ll drive you wherever you need to go.”
She shook her head like a stubborn child. “I’m fine. Let me go.”
“I can’t do that,” he said, and had never meant anything so much in his life. “Whatever it is, let me fix it.”
“No,” she said, finally looking him in the eye. “Stop trying to be the hero, Cooper. You can’t fix everything.”
He dropped back on his heels, feeling the weight of her words like a punch. “I’m trying to be a friend,” he said, managing to keep his anger in check. Barely. “You want to get yourself killed, who am I to stop you?” Rising to his full height, Cooper stepped away from the car. “Just try not to take anyone else out when you do.”
Brown eyes closed tight as Haleigh sat frozen, her hand on the door but not moving. “That’s a mean thing to say,” she whispered through clenched teeth.
“Yeah, well,” Cooper replied, “maybe I’m not such a good guy after all.”
Giving her what she wanted took every ounce of willpower Cooper possessed, but he walked away. Before he reached the front door, Haleigh drove off.
On autopilot, Haleigh’s mind paid little attention to the road, too busy wallowing in guilt and regret to focus on incidentals like speed limits and turn signals. She shouldn’t have been so mean to Cooper. He didn’t deserve her insults or her anger. Those were reserved exclusively for herself, but Cooper always seemed to get caught in the crosshairs.
As rows of hickory trees raced by, the past bubbled to the surface. David Stapleton, all-around star athlete and the boy voted most likely to succeed, had cooed all the things Haleigh’s teenage heart wanted to hear. He’d fed her nothing but empty promises, and she’d fallen for every lie that rolled off his tongue up to the moment he’d dumped her outside their senior prom.
I can’t be tied down, Haleigh Rae. I’m going off to State, and I’m gonna be the next great quarterback to come out of Tennessee. A guy like me has to keep his options open.
A guy like him needed to be castrated, Haleigh lamented. He’d even had the nerve to throw the classic cliché in her face.
How do I even know the kid is mine? You gave it up pretty easy, so who knows how many guys there’s been.
Looking back, she couldn’t believe she hadn’t scratched his eyes out in that moment. Especially when he knew she’d been a virgin. And there was nothing pretty easy about her. David had coaxed and sweet-talked for months before she’d agreed to go all the way. The guilt had nearly suffocated her, and Haleigh hadn’t been able to look at her mother for a week.
She’d been so pathetic in her prom dress, crying behind a dumpster, certain that her life was over. But then Cooper had appeared out of nowhere, offering a handkerchief to dry her eyes. In her weakened state, Haleigh had confessed everything, declaring herself worthless and stupid and leaving a disgusting puddle of snot on Cooper’s rented tuxedo jacket. And he’d known just what to say to make her feel better.
David the Dipshit was never good enough for you, Haleigh Rae. You’re the prettiest and smartest girl at this school. Heck, in the whole county.
She’d laughed through her tear
s, but couldn’t bear the humiliation of walking back into the dance. After making sure his date was taken care of, Cooper had driven her home, assuring her the whole way that everything would work out. Haleigh didn’t see how that was possible, since her mother was going to kill her when she found out about the baby.
That’s when Cooper had attempted to fall on his sword. The proposal had taken Haleigh by complete surprise. The whole thing was so ridiculous that she couldn’t help but laugh it off, certain that he’d been more than a little relieved by her refusal. Two weeks later, he’d driven her to Nashville, paid more than half of the abortion fee, which he’d insisted on doing regardless of her protests, and driven her back home. All without judgment or condemnation.
When they’d reached her house, Haleigh had once again cried on Cooper’s shoulder. Whether the tears came from sorrow or relief, she’d never figured out—she’d been hit by waves of both. And in his typical way, Cooper had been ready with the handkerchief.
Bright lights snapped Haleigh back to the present. A horn blared as she swerved to the right and skidded to a halt on the shoulder of the road. Heart racing, she looked for markers in order to determine where she was. The sign for Mount Hope Cemetery put her on Tucker Road, several miles outside of town.
Adrenaline pumping, her forehead dropped to the center of the wheel.
Her first thought was, Thank God I’m alive. Her second was that she owed Cooper Ridgeway an apology.
Chapter 5
Though he’d been lifting weights for more than an hour, Cooper’s adrenaline continued to run on full throttle. He couldn’t stop picturing Haleigh’s car wrapped around a tree, and the fear that his phone would ring with the sheriff calling for a wrecker kept him on edge.
Why had he gone and said something so stupid? As if he wouldn’t give a rat’s ass if she got hurt. He should have gone after her right away, but by the time he’d finished nursing his injured pride, it was anybody’s guess where she’d gone.
Not that he could have left Jessi and the baby alone anyway. The girl was still technically a stranger in Abby’s house. He’d stayed until Abby arrived home from work to take over settling in her new tenants.
Finishing another twenty reps, Cooper shook the fog from his brain. Haleigh had peeled out hours ago, and he hadn’t gotten a call or heard any accident reports over the scanner. She was fine. She didn’t need his help. And he needed to get a freaking grip.
Maybe Haleigh was right. The hero act needed to stop. Not that Cooper went out of his way looking for opportunities to save people. Or that he did it all that often. He sure as heck hadn’t been looking for a pregnant teenager when he’d found Jessi. And that birth thing was not an experience he wanted to repeat. Horror flicks had nothing on that mess.
So how did he stop something that he wasn’t intentionally doing? And did he really want to stop? If someone was in trouble, the right thing to do was to help. That’s how his mother had raised him. His father’s philosophy had been to look out for himself and to hell with everyone else. Thankfully, his mother’s influence had won out.
So was he supposed to carry Jessi out of the storage building and drop her at the bus station? Looking out for people was in his DNA, and Cooper wasn’t about to change who he was. Not even for Haleigh Rae Mitchner.
Lost in his own mental pep talk, Cooper barely heard the knock on his front door over the Jason Aldean tune blaring from his speakers. Dropping the thirty-pounders at his feet, he cut the radio on his way to the front door.
“Who the—” he said as he swung the door open to find the last person he expected. “Haleigh Rae?” Cooper’s gut hit the floor as she stared at him with an expression most women reserved for desserts and shoes. Her mouth moved, but nothing came out while brown eyes ogled his bare chest.
“Are you lost?” he asked, proud of himself for not begging her to come in. Though if she kept looking at him like that he’d be tempted to invite her upstairs for a different kind of workout.
“No. Um . . . You’re wet,” she finally managed. “And shirtless.”
“I’m working out and I was hot.”
“Yes. Yes, you are.” The woman looked ready to jump his bones. “I mean, of course you are. Were,” she quickly corrected. “You were obviously working out. And I’m sorry to disturb you, but this will only take a minute.”
She hadn’t wanted to talk earlier, so why should he want to talk now?
“It’s already late and I still need a shower. Maybe some other time.”
“Please,” she pressed. “Give me two minutes. That’s all I’m asking.”
Against his better judgment, Cooper granted the request. “Fine,” he said, stepping aside for her to pass.
She looked relieved but nervous as she fidgeted at the end of his couch. Cooper resisted the urge to clean up. He shouldn’t care what Haleigh thought of his place.
Cooper closed the door and said, “Your two minutes starts now.”
“Right.” Her eyes dropped to the floor as she rubbed the back of her neck. Shifting from foot to foot, she surprised him by asking, “Could you put on a shirt?”
“A shirt?” He had to dirty another shirt for a two-minute conversation?
“It’s just . . .” She waved a finger in front of him. “That’s a lot of . . . And your shorts are riding kind of . . .” This conversation was going to take more than two minutes if she couldn’t finish a sentence. “Please just put on a shirt.”
Haleigh was clearly uncomfortable, and not because his looks offended her. The temptation to test her restraint tickled at the back of his brain. Dismiss him all she wanted, but Haleigh Rae was not immune to good old Cooper. At least not his body.
“You don’t look like you want me to put on a shirt,” he said, stepping closer.
“No woman in her right mind would want you to put on a shirt,” she argued, stepping back. “I’m asking you to do it anyway.”
The compliment made him generous. “All right. I’ll be right back.” When he returned wearing a plain gray tee, he said, “Better?”
“A bit, yes.” Haleigh took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. “Now. I’m here because I owe you an apology.”
Not what he expected. “An apology for what?”
“For a lot of things, but most of all for taking advantage of you thirteen years ago. And for insulting you earlier tonight. You didn’t deserve that.”
He latched onto the first part. “You took advantage of me?”
“Yes,” Haleigh said. “I’m a crappy person, and my track record goes back pretty far. I doubt I can find the boy I made fun of for flunking first grade, or the transfer student I said horrible things to in third, but I have to start somewhere.”
This had to be a joke. “Hal, you are not a crappy person.”
“But I am,” she argued. “I never should have dumped my problems on you that night at the prom. And I definitely shouldn’t have taken your money.”
“Where is this coming from?” he asked. “You didn’t dump anything, and I didn’t give you a choice about the money. What were you going to do, get it from your mom? I’d have beaten it out of Stapleton, but you wouldn’t let me.”
“He outweighed you by fifty pounds.”
“Ever heard of a tire iron? It’s a great equalizer.”
“Are you crazy?” she squawked. “You could have jeopardized his football scholarship.”
“Please,” Cooper said. “That dipshit drank himself out of school in the first year. He never played in a game, and now he’s selling cars in Chattanooga.”
Haleigh looked less appalled. “Really? I knew he hadn’t become the next great quarterback, but I never bothered to find out what actually happened to him.”
“You dodged a bullet,” he said. “You never told Abby about that summer, did you?”
Haleigh shook her head. “She’d been talking about being a mom since sophomore year. She’d also warned me about David, and I hadn’t listened. I was stupid and weak and I could
n’t bring myself to confess. She’d have been so disappointed in me. As the years went on I committed enough other sins that keeping this one to myself got easier.”
Knowing his sister and the bond that she and Haleigh had, Cooper said, “You weren’t stupid, you were young. We all were. But she’d have been there for you.”
“I know. But I don’t want to talk about the past anymore.” She ran a hand through her hair. “I shouldn’t have been so mean to you today. Something else was bothering me, and I took it out on you.”
Cooper nearly asked what that something was, but forced himself to stay out of her business. That didn’t mean if the circumstance happened again, he’d let her go a second time.
“Okay then,” he said with a nod. “Apology accepted.”
Haleigh wasn’t sure she’d heard right. “Really?” she asked. “Just like that?”
“Sure,” he said. “Just like that. I’m getting a beer. You want one?”
Cooper really was a breed all his own. Few men would so readily forgive, and though he’d flashed a hint of temper that had surprised her, in the end, the good guy won out. Haleigh once again lamented her poor taste in men. Whatever girl ended up with Cooper Ridgeway was going to be a very lucky woman.
“I’d better not,” she said, loading up her go-to refusal line. “I’m not a fan of alcohol.” Which couldn’t be more true. Being addicted to the stuff didn’t mean she liked it. Quite the opposite, in fact. “And I’ve bothered you long enough anyway.”
“You don’t have to go,” Cooper said. “I was just being a dick about the two-minute thing.”
Haleigh shook her head. “You couldn’t be a dick if you tried, Cooper. Trust me. I’m an expert on the breed.”
“So what’s that about anyway?” he asked as he loomed above her, practically blocking the light from the lamp behind him.
She still couldn’t believe he was so . . . big. His shoulders seemed to go on forever, and that had definitely been a solid six-pack that had greeted her at the door. She’d never been one to melt at the sight of a hot body, but then she’d rarely encountered a body like Cooper’s. Odd to think that she’d occasionally slept one wall away from him during their high school days, but back then he hadn’t looked anything like the man standing before her now.