He lifted his leg and threw it over the seat, setting his helmet on the handlebar, and rammed his fingers through his hair again. It was something she’d learned he did when he was upset.
He was looking toward the door, watching to make sure Sadie didn’t reappear before he could speak. “Her dad has remarried and has made it clear he intends to fight me over custody.”
Emma’s heart sank. Sometimes the justice system could be cruel, giving biological parents more rights even if they didn’t deserve them. Cooper was possibly going to be faced with a fight even bigger than he’d imagined.
His gaze turned to hers. “I don’t expect you to be dragged into this. Any time you want out, you can go. It’s not exactly the ideal way to start a relationship.” His eyes searched hers as he came closer, reaching out and taking her free hand in his. He just held it between them, looking down at her while he waited for her to reply.
“I don’t want out.” Her words were forced through the emotion in her throat.
His other hand came up and tucked her hair behind her ear, then moved down to her shoulder. “Are you sure? Because if it comes down to it, and I’m told Sadie has to go back to her father, I don’t plan on following any orders. I will be taking her and going somewhere where no one can find me. You’d be leaving your family and everything behind.”
At that moment, she realized how much this man meant to her. And how much she’d be willing to risk for him.
She knew her family would understand the need to protect a little girl who needed someone to look out for her.
“I’m sure.”
Fourteen
“They’re saying the weather is going to start cooling off more after this weekend. So before I put my bike away for the winter, I’m asking you one more time to come for a ride with me. I promise to drive sensibly, and I won’t object to you wrapping your arms tightly around me to hold on.”
He needed to get away for a few hours, and he hoped Emma would come with him. Sometimes, just hopping on his bike and driving with no destination was the only thing that could clear his mind. But this time, he wanted her with him.
The past few days had been a whirlwind as Emma set him up to talk to her cousin Sam who was an attorney. He was looking into every option and had said he’d help however he could.
Cooper hadn’t said anything to Sadie, because he didn’t want to worry her. But Sam had said there was a good chance she’d be called in to court to say who she’d like to live with. And that wasn’t something Cooper wanted to put her through.
Emma was sitting on one of the couches in the back part of the shop, holding a book in her hand. She was chewing her lip as though she was weighing everything out in her mind.
He put his hand out for her, hoping she’d understand how badly he needed her with him. Without saying a word, she set her book down and took his hand. When she stood up, he was sure his heart had stopped beating.
He led her out the back door of the coffee shop and over to where his bike was parked. He knew she was afraid to ride on a motorbike, but this was something that was a part of who he was. He wanted to feel her behind him as the wind hit his face driving down the road.
“Do you promise to go slow? You know how scared this thing makes me.”
“I promise.”
He handed her a helmet and climbed on, pulling his own helmet down onto his head. Cooper held her hand on his shoulder as she flung her leg over the seat to sit at the back of the bike.
“And if you’re ever too scared or want me to slow down, just hit me on the back and I’ll stop. Deal?”
He’d turned back to offer her a reassuring smile. She nodded, then leaned into his back as he kicked the engine into life. When her arms wrapped themselves around his waist, he could feel the heat weave its way through his whole body. This woman, who was stronger than any other he knew, but was deathly afraid of motorcycles, was sitting behind him, willing to fight her fear because she knew it was important to him.
Her body pressed closer to his as she tightened her grip. He’d been waiting for this day for a long time—having Emma Roberts on the back of his bike.
Smiling to himself, he realized, that even with everything that was going on at the moment, it might not turn out to be a bad day after all.
* * *
“You know, since you’ve come along, I’ve seriously started to slack around the coffee shop. My employees are probably planning a mutiny.” Emma’s voice reached his ears, as he leaned back against the tree. They’d ridden for a while, then he’d pulled off into a small wooded area on one of the back roads that had a little creek running by. Emma had finally started to relax after they’d been on the road for about half an hour, and she’d loosened her grip slightly. He hadn’t realized just how tight she was squeezing until she let go and he was finally able to take a full breath in.
It was a warm fall day, and as they sat in the quiet of the countryside, he let his worries float away with the breeze that softly blew the leaves overhead.
Emma was lying with her head on his lap, staring up through the branches at the blue sky. He smiled down at her. “You’ve got that place running so well, they won’t even miss you for a couple of hours.”
She grunted and he could feel her pull her shoulders up as she shrugged. “It might not matter anyway. If that lot sells to the developer who wants to put that ice cream shop up, and take away my parking, I’ll be lucky to still be open by Christmas. I’ve taken enough of a hit with that Starbucks opening. I can’t take another blow.”
He’d forgotten about the situation with the lot selling next door with everything else that had been going on. It was obviously something that was worrying Emma though, but she’d never mentioned it.
His fingers were brushing through her hair, and she kept closing her eyes, obviously letting herself enjoy the feeling.
She was beautiful. Emma didn’t wear a lot of makeup, but she was the most stunning woman he’d ever known. She had a glow about her that shone through whenever he looked at her. He noticed the small spattering of freckles that could barely be seen, but were unique just to her.
“Are you going to put a bid in for the lot?”
She shook her head slowly, not opening her eyes. “No, I can’t afford to do that. I’ve put so much into buying the building, fixing it up and starting the business, I know the bank wouldn’t give me any more. I will just have to hope it all works out.” She peeked an eye open and grinned up at him. “Maybe I could come work on the radio with you…we could do a morning show together.”
He let his fingers continue moving in her hair. “As fun as that would be, I know you’d miss your coffee shop. I can tell when you’re there, you’re in the place your meant to be. Besides, you can’t go and get all these people in town addicted to your coffee and then just throw in the towel.”
“I never quit. And that’s why I want you to know, I’m going to help you with Sadie however I can. She needs to be with you so she can have the life she deserves. I know all of this is eating at you, but just know that when you have a Roberts in your corner, you have the whole family. And my family can sometimes be a force to be reckoned with.”
Emma sat up and faced him. He reached out and let his hand cup her cheek. “Have I mentioned how glad I am that you weren’t able to fight my charm any longer?”
She wrinkled her eyebrow and tilted her head. “It wasn’t your charm that swayed me. I just thought if any man was willing to publicly shame himself by practically begging me on live radio to go out with him, I really should give him a chance.”
Her grin filled her face as she stood up, reaching down for his hand. “And now, I need to get back and see what kind of a mess the shop is in since I’ve been gone.”
As he stood, he pulled her into his arms. “If I didn’t know better, I’d almost think you enjoyed the motorbike ride and can’t wait to get back on.”
Something about looking into her eyes, so full of life and kindness, gave him a renewed strength to fight the b
attle he knew was ahead. Once this was over, he intended to make sure she knew how important she’d become to him.
She gently touched her fingertips to his jaw, smiling up at him. “I’ll admit it wasn’t as scary as I’d always thought it would be. Maybe I should have taken you up on that offer a long time ago.”
“Is Emma Roberts admitting she might have been wrong about me?”
She rolled her eyes slightly, and shook her head. “No, I still think you’re trouble. Except now it’s the kind of trouble I can look forward to getting into.”
As his lips came down on hers, he couldn’t help thinking he was the one who was probably in the most trouble.
But like Emma, he was looking forward to every minute of it.
He’d already lost his heart to this woman, but wasn’t in the position to do anything about it yet. And it scared him to think what she might do when things started to get messy.
He’d been preparing for this battle for a long time, but now he stood to lose even more.
Fifteen
“Well, I have good news and bad news. And I’m afraid the bad news is about to hit us before I have much chance to prepare you.”
“What are you talking about?” Emma’s stomach rolled in apprehension. They were sitting around a large table at Sam’s office, waiting to meet with Sadie’s father and his lawyers to see if something could be decided without going to trial.
As they waited for him to answer, the sound of the clock was the only thing to break the silence.
Sam wasn’t the type of man to beat around the bush, so she wished he’d just tell them and be done with it.
But he was obviously worried about what their reaction was going to be.
“Sadie’s father has been arrested again, and will be facing a hefty prison sentence this time. He’s still on probation and has had too many priors to be able to walk away from the charges he’s facing now.”
Cooper slapped his hand on the table. “Finally. I hope they put him away for the rest of his life so he can’t ever have any part of Sadie’s life.”
Emma was still watching Sam, and she could tell he was uneasy. Why wasn’t he happy with this news?
Her cousin’s eyes met hers, and she knew he was about to say something that would stop the celebrating Cooper was doing. She reached over and took his hand under the desk.
“Yes, hopefully he will remain in jail where he belongs. But I’m afraid at his arraignment he transferred custody and his parental rights over to someone else. And it’s highly probable this other person is going to make things just as bad, if not worse, for you.”
Cooper’s face had dropped, and his eyebrows pulled together with worry.
“Who else would want custody?”
“Well, who do you think, Cooper, my boy? She is my only granddaughter, and the only living connection I still have to my own daughter.”
The voice that interrupted made the hair on Emma’s skin stand on end. Her breath sucked in loudly as she turned to face the man who’d entered the room.
Cooper still hadn’t turned, and was sitting completely still. But muscles in his jaw worked, and he was clenching and unclenching his fists as he tried to control a rage that was threatening to take over.
He finally turned, slowly standing as he did. “You have no right being here.”
His words were low, barely able to be heard over the tension in the room. But his father was egging him on, grinning widely and wagging his finger in his direction.
“Oh, but that’s where you’re wrong, my boy. Sadie’s father has become like a son to me. A son who didn’t turn his back and abandon his own flesh and blood. And now that I’ve lost my only daughter, I realize how important family is. Brian, Sadie’s father, has told me he wishes his daughter to be with family that will make sure he’ll still be able to see her. And that’s me.”
Emma could feel the heat radiating from Cooper as he shook with rage.
“You’ve never thought family was important. And you never cared about your daughter. I turned my back on you after I found out you’d been giving my sister the same drugs that had sucked you in, and killed my mother. When I tried to get her away, you beat me so severely you almost killed me. I will kill you myself before I ever let you get your hands on Sadie.”
The room started to spin as Emma fought against the churning in her stomach at what she was hearing. When they’d all heard that Cooper Levine had run away with his sister, they’d all assumed it was just because they were bad kids.
The truth was so much worse.
Cooper’s father sneered at him. Emma could see the redness in the man’s eyes, and the veins that popped out in his neck. “Did you all hear that? My son just threatened me. That’s not going to go well for you during a custody hearing.”
Cooper moved toward his father, but thankfully Sam had come around the table and was able to stop him before he got to the other man.
“All right, we are done here for today. You can send the papers over, and we will get a court date set. But for now, I won’t let you harass my client any longer.”
Sam was a big man, and Emma could tell he was angry. She sat back down on her chair, still feeling the room around her moving as she tried to understand what had just happened.
She could hear Cooper’s father laughing as they walked away, and she was sure she was going to be sick. How could a man who was supposed to be a father act like that toward their own child?
Emma realized just how different life had been for Cooper growing up. And she also realized how much she admired the strength he had to fight against the odds that were stacked up against him.
Lifting her eyes, he was looking at her with a strange expression. He looked pained, but there was something else.
Shame?
“Sorry, Cooper. I’d hoped to let you know before he got here.” Sam was back on his side of the desk, sitting down in his chair.
“One thing’s for sure, if he acts like that during the hearing, it won’t help his chances any.”
Cooper still stood beside his own chair. “What are my chances? If Sadie’s dad has signed custody over to my father, what chance do I have to fight this?”
Sam’s face was serious. “You still have a chance. Since her father is a known felon, and has never been in her life, it’s going to work in your favor. And of course, there’s your father’s record too.” Sam looked uncomfortable as he looked at Emma.
“What can I do to make sure I have the best chance?” Cooper’s voice tore at her heart.
“The only thing you really have going against you is the fact that you’re a single man. Some judges prefer to see a child go to a married couple or a family. But you’ve got a good job, no criminal history, and you’ve offered a stable living environment for Sadie. I’m sure she’d be willing to testify that she would like to stay with you—”
Cooper interrupted Sam. “No, I don’t want her to have to go in and testify at the hearing.”
“Well, we can see about having her speak to the judge in private.”
Emma needed to help somehow. She had never felt so helpless in her life. She quickly stood up, having latched on to the one thing Sam had said she could possibly help with.
“Cooper, I think we should get married.”
Sixteen
Emma watched as Sadie threw the Frisbee for Tank, who was thrilled to have a new friend who had almost the same amount of energy as he did. She smiled as she saw the girl laugh and play more than she’d ever seen her do since she met her.
It was only about a week ago that Emma had been introduced to her, but she already felt like Sadie was a part of her life. Emma truly enjoyed having her around, and she could understand why Cooper was so devoted to her. She was a kind soul, who’d been dealt a terrible hand in life.
“You’d never know everything she’s been through if you were just meeting her.” Emma jumped slightly as Jack’s voice interrupted her thoughts, voicing the very words she’d been thinking herse
lf.
Her brother watched Sadie too, leaning forward on the bench as he absently twisted the leash he was holding in his hands. She’d needed to talk about everything that had happened, so she’d called Jack. He’d come over with Tank so Sadie could play with the dog while they talked. Cooper was working, and Sadie had the day off school so Emma had told her to come hang out with her.
As soon as they’d sat down on the bench, she’d spilled everything.
“No, she’s a happy girl, but she’s also very serious. She’s had to grow up and deal with more than most adults have ever had to face in their entire lives. I just wish I could do something to help.”
“I’m not really sure what you can do, Emma, other than offer your support and believe things will work out. Surely the courts aren’t going to grant custody to a man like Cooper’s father.”
Emma swallowed hard and prepared to tell her brother the rest. “Well, I did try to help by offering to marry Cooper.”
Jack’s head whipped around to look at her. “You what? You’ve only been dating him for a couple of weeks, and you’re ready to marry him?”
“Okay, Jackson, you don’t really need to be so dramatic. You’ll be happy to know that Cooper turned me down anyway.”
She was the only one who was allowed to call him Jackson, since it’s what she’d always called him from the time she could speak as a child.
“Well, at least one of you has sense,” he mumbled the words, but she heard them plainly.
“Sam said if Cooper was married, it would improve his odds with the courts. I was just trying to help.”
“And then, what if you two married, and he ended up losing anyway? Not to mention, getting married is a big step. It’s not something you should be doing for any other reason than love.”
Emma choked on the coffee she’d just brought up to her lips.
“Boy, you’ve become a real softie since you got married. If I remember correctly, you and Erin hadn’t been dating that long when you proposed.”
Rocky Mountain Heart Page 6