“You almost got kicked again, Cooper,” she scolded.
“Look, I don’t know what’s going on but that, I’ve got a headache shit, doesn’t work with me. What’s wrong, Kendra?”
She sighed. “I just want to leave.”
Cooper stared at her with unspoken curiosity, and then gave her a terse nod. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Kendra and Chloe walked to the car and got inside, locking the doors. Kendra wrapped her fingers around the steering wheel until her knuckles turned white. She flinched when Chloe laid her hand over hers.
“Take deep breaths, hon, everything is fine,” Chloe whispered.
Kendra took a deep breath and blew it out. “I’m scared.”
“I know you are but like I said, don’t jump to conclusions.”
“I’m trying not to.”
“Do I need to drive?”
“No. You’ve been drinking. Just give me a minute,” Kendra whispered.
Chloe sat back and watched her. “Take all the time you need. Whenever you’re ready.”
Kendra sighed and started the car then pulled out of the parking lot. The sooner they got to Chloe’s, the better.
****
“What was that about?” Lincoln asked Cooper as he took his seat at the table.
“I have no idea. Something spooked her. I noticed her earlier looking the same way.” Cooper picked up his drink and shook his head. “I really don’t know what happened.”
“She seemed fine and then all of a sudden, she bolted,” Lincoln said.
“I’m going to ask her tomorrow. If she shows up,” Cooper muttered.
Lincoln chuckled. “She will. She seemed excited about going. Storm told me he stopped to help her that day too. She told him you changed her tire but the spare was flat. I couldn’t believe you left her there. Storm stayed with her until the truck showed up.”
Cooper narrowed his eyes at him. “I practically crawled to my truck because she kicked me in the balls. I didn’t care if the tow truck took hours to get to her.” Lincoln laughed. “I thought for sure I’d speak in a higher voice after the way she hit me.”
“What the fuck were you thinking kissing her?” Lincoln asked him.
“Damned if I know. She just looked so damn good standing there, I couldn’t resist.” Cooper shrugged and turned to see Storm walking toward them. “Where the hell have you been?”
“I went out to get some fresh air,” Storm told him.
“For half an hour?” Lincoln asked him.
“Christ! You timing me?” Storm said through clenched teeth.
“No. But you were gone for so long, I thought maybe you got lucky but if you’re not telling us, I guess you didn’t.”
“I don’t tell you everything, Lincoln.”
Linc laughed. “Lincoln? Since when have you ever called me Lincoln?”
“Since you became a pain in my ass.” Storm spun on his heel and headed toward the bar. Cooper shrugged when Lincoln looked at him.
An hour later, they were still at the table when Cooper had a feeling someone was watching him. He quickly glanced around but didn’t see anyone. He hated that feeling. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing up. Someone was watching him. His eyes scanned the room again, but he didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. He spotted three women walking toward them. Good manners had him standing when they reached the table. Storm and Lincoln also stood.
“Hello handsome,” a tall brunette said to Cooper as she ran her fingers up his arm.
He smiled. “Sorry, darlin’. I’m not interested tonight.” He almost laughed when he heard Lincoln clear his throat.
“Maybe he’s not, but I am,” Lincoln told the blonde-haired woman beside her.
The other woman, another brunette, grinned at Storm. “How about you, gorgeous? You interested?”
Storm smirked. “No. Sorry.”
“Well, shit,” Lincoln muttered. The women sighed and walked away. Lincoln glared at Cooper and Storm. “Thanks a hell of a lot. Do you have any idea how long it’s been since I’ve been laid? You two just fucked up my chance for tonight.”
“I don’t want to know how long it’s been, and go for it. Maybe you can have all three of them. They’ll take your sorry ass home in the morning,” Storm told him.
“Fuck you, Bateman.”
“Come on, guys. Let’s go. I’m ready to go and since I’m driving, I get to say when we leave,” Cooper said, and then turned toward Lincoln. “Unless you want to go with the women?”
“Fuck you both,” Lincoln muttered as he headed toward the door. Storm and Cooper laughed and followed along behind him.
****
Tyler Conrad stood at the bar and watched the men leave. He was sure Cooper Lang thought someone was watching him with the way he was scanning the crowd. Tyler melted into the crowd so Lang didn’t see him and he didn’t follow Kendra and her friend since he figured they were heading home. Once Kendra saw him enter the bar again, she was on edge. He’d go by her friend’s home before he headed for the hotel. Cooper Lang was no dummy, Tyler needed to find out all he could on him, and if Lang had seen him, he’d have recognized him. He couldn’t wait to tell Jasper how Lang had turned down a woman after sitting with Kendra. He smiled as he thought of Jasper’s reaction. The man was obsessed with Kendra but she seemed only to have eyes for Lang. Tyler didn’t care who wanted whom as long as he got his money.
A few minutes later, he arrived at his hotel, after driving by where Kendra was staying. Tyler entered the room and placed his keys on the dresser before calling Jasper. He was using the hotel phone since Jasper was paying for the room. Why waste minutes on his phone?
“Long night?” Jasper asked him.
Tyler sat on his bed and grinned. “Look, you told me to follow her. I did. She didn’t go anywhere but back to her friend’s house after the bar. She didn’t leave with Lang. In fact, he stayed for a little while after she left. I saw a woman coming on to him but he left with his buddies.”
“You were supposed to follow her home.” Jasper said in a low tone of voice.
“She spotted me and got spooked. I knew she was heading to her friend’s house. She had a suitcase with her when her friend picked her up. I drove by to make sure that’s where they went. In this damn one horse town, if they’d gone somewhere else, I could have found them easily. You need to calm the fuck down.”
Jasper growled, “I am calm. You just do what I’m paying you to do.”
“Just what is it you plan on doing, Jasper? Kidnap her? This damn hotel sucks. I’d like to get the fuck out of here.”
Jasper shrugged. “I’ll do what I have to...to get her back.”
“You could have gotten me a better place to stay,” Tyler said.
“It’s the best one they have.” Jasper grunted.
“I need some sleep. I’m beat.”
“I want you following her tomorrow. Don’t let her see you.”
“I got it. I’m going to grab a quick shower then bed.”
Jasper’s sigh came across the line. “All right. I’m hitting the sack too.”
****
Kendra stood at the window, peering out the blinds. She knew that man was following her. When a car crept by earlier, she knew in her heart it was he, the man following her. Was Jasper behind this? She about jumped out of her skin when Chloe spoke from behind her.
“Kennie, you’re being paranoid.”
Kendra spun around. “I’m not. You know how Jasper treated me and I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if he had this man following me.”
“Now you are being paranoid. You’ve been away from him for months. Why would he do something now?”
“I don’t know. But I do know, he didn’t want to let me go. He only did because Daddy threatened him. I can’t see him giving up.”
Chloe rubbed her back. “Okay, honey. Seeing the man twice could be coincidence but keep a look out for him and if you see him again, tell Nathan or Mont about it.”
“All right. I wish you could’ve seen him. I don’t trust him.”
“I couldn’t make him out in the bar and with the place, as packed as it was. I’m not even sure which one he was.”
“I know but I don’t want him to get to you either. I’d feel better if you knew what he looked like.”
“Okay, now you’re scaring me. I won’t talk to any strangers. I promise,” Chloe said. Kendra sighed and took a seat on the sofa. Chloe sat next to her and took her hand. “Let’s get some sleep. Things will look better in the morning. For you especially, since you’re going to go on a ride with Cooper.”
Kendra laughed. “I can’t believe I’m going.”
“You’d better go. He’s looking forward to it.” Chloe laughed. “He couldn’t keep his eyes off you and when you were dancing with Linc, he was not happy about it.”
“Oh please. Cooper’s not interested in me.”
“Who are you trying to convince?” Chloe tilted her head.
“Myself. I’ve told myself I hated him for years for hurting me, but I don’t hate him.”
“I know you don’t, honey. You’ve been in love with him for years. For as long as I’ve known you, and I can hear it in your voice how much you love him.”
“He’s always been in my heart.” Kendra shrugged. “He always will be. I’m excited to go riding with him. I just don’t want my heart broken again.”
“None of us want to go through heart break, but we do,” Chloe whispered.
“I’m sure it’s not easy for you to get over Shane.”
“It was a long time ago, but I still think of him every day. I can’t believe he died. He was only twenty-four.”
“So young. But it was a freak car accident, Chloe.”
“On his way to see me. I never should have asked him to come to my place. The weather was terrible.”
“You can’t blame yourself for it. He could have said no...”
Chloe laughed. “No. Shane always did what I asked him. I knew the weather was bad but I was only thinking of myself. I called him and told him to come over.”
“He could have said no,” Kendra repeated. “He knew it was bad out too. It wasn’t his fault though. The other car slid on the ice and hit him. No one is to blame. I’m sure the man who hit Shane’s car blames himself too.”
“I know you’re right. It was a time in my life I’ve tried for years to get over. I’m twenty-eight now and it happened six years ago. A long time ago. I wonder sometimes about how happy we’d be now. We were going to get married that summer. We’d probably even have a couple of kids by now.”
“You’d be a great mom.” Kendra smiled. “I want to have kids one day. I want to be a good mom. My mom is a good mom and I’m just now getting to know her.” She sighed. “I can’t believe how I treated her.”
“You’re a daddy’s girl, honey. Your mom stood back and let you be.”
“It’s wrong though, Chloe. Both of my parents are wonderful. I can’t wait to spend the day with her on Sunday.”
“At least, you have great parents. Mine are only interested in making money. They never cared about me. The chauffeur and chef cared more about me.”
“I’m so sorry, Chloe. I hate to say it, but you’re better off without them.”
“You’re right. I know it, but they are my parents. How can they not care about their own daughter? Their only child?”
They sat in silence, lost in their own thoughts before finally going to bed. Kendra knew Chloe loved her parents, but Kendra honestly did believe she was better off living away from them. They tried to run her life. They knew where Chloe was since she’d inherited her grandmother’s house and small restaurant when she passed away three years ago, but they’ve never made an effort to contact her. Their money was more important. They had more than enough. Same as Jasper. She shivered.
He’d come for her, of that she was sure. He’d never let her go without a fight. It didn’t matter to him if they were no longer husband and wife. As far as he was concerned, she belonged to him. She’d never go back. Not in this lifetime or any other. She’d only told Chloe why he started doing what he did to her. It was too embarrassing to tell anyone else about it. Her mother and father knew, and her mother blamed herself for it happening. It wasn’t her mother’s fault. It was no one’s fault, but Jasper’s. He’d turned into a mad man when he opened the box her mother had sent her. He accused her of still loving Cooper. If he knew how true that really was, he might have hurt her. The things he’d seen were from when she was a teenage girl with a huge crush. Jasper didn’t care. To him, she had loved someone before him and he couldn’t take it. Her life changed forever that day, and she’d never go back to it. No matter what.
Chapter Five
The sun was shining down on the landscape so brightly that Cooper had to put his sunglasses on just to walk to the shop. His Stetson sat low on his forehead, but it didn’t seem to shade his eyes much, and it was hot—so damn hot. He could feel the sweat on his back before he got five feet from the porch. His Border collie, Lady, and his mutt, Brutus, ran to greet him. He squatted down to rub their ears then he stood and quickly walked to the shop. Once inside, he sighed as the air conditioning hit him. The men were off Saturdays and Sundays so the shop was empty.
Cooper needed to go over the books and figured it was a good way to waste some time while he waited for Kendra. If she showed up. He sure hoped she did. He loved feeling her sitting behind him on the bike with her legs and arms around him. Her sexy laugh wafting on the air. Shit! Now his dick was growing. How in the hell could her laugh make him hard, even more crazy, just the thought? He pushed the arousal down as he entered his office and took a seat behind the desk hoping to distract his libido with work.
An hour later, he was staring at the screen. He jerked his head up when someone cleared her throat. Kendra stood in the doorway with her arms folded, staring at him.
“You look like you’re really concentrating. I hated to interrupt you,” she said, smiling at him.
He glanced at the clock. Noon. “I didn’t realize it was that late. I’m confused.”
Kendra walked toward him and stepped behind his chair. “What are you confused about?”
“These numbers aren’t coming out right. I hate doing the books.”
“Why are you doing them? Shouldn’t you have an accountant for the ranch and shop?”
Cooper glanced up to her. “Ya’d think so, wouldn’t you? Actually, I did have one, but she didn’t know what she was doing either.”
“You do know I’m a certified accountant, don’t you? I can look at it for you if you want me to.”
“No, I didn’t know that.” He stood and waved her toward the chair. “Have at it.”
Kendra chuckled and his cock twitched. Damn it!
She took a seat in the chair he vacated and looked at the screen. He watched her use the mouse to hover over a column, and then she glanced up at him. “See here? You have this amount in the wrong column. I’ll fix it while you go get the bike ready or whatever it is you do with a bike.”
Cooper grinned. “I’ll get it out of the garage. Thank you.” He started to leave, and then looked back to her. “You want a job?”
He smiled and walked into the bay to get the bike out and pressed the button so the door would rise up before he walked the bike outdoors with the helmets hanging from the handlebars. He re-entered the shop office, but didn’t see her anywhere. Where had she gone? He glanced around but didn’t see her, so he headed outside and looked around. It was then he saw her walking into the barn so he jogged to catch up to her.
“If you’d rather go horseback riding, we could,” Cooper said as he came up behind her.
“I’m going tomorrow with my mom. Maybe some other time.” Kendra smiled up at him.
“Really?” Cooper could have kicked himself for sounding like an overanxious boy.
“I’d like that, Cooper.”
“I would too, Kendra.” Cooper couldn’t take
his eyes off her beautiful face. He wanted to kiss every one of those freckles sprinkled across her nose and cheeks. Her skin was fair and delicate in appearance. He had a sudden urge to reach out and touch her cheek. They stared at each other for a few minutes before Kendra glanced away from him. He bit back a smile. “If you’re ready, we’ll go now.”
“I am.” Kendra told him.
Cooper walked out of the barn with her following him. He straddled the bike and handed her a helmet. She put it on and hooked the strap. When she gave him a triumphant smile, he mentally groaned. Damn, he wanted her. He couldn’t think of a woman he’d ever wanted more. Kendra straddled the bike behind him and he grinned with pleased satisfaction when her arms wrapped around his waist.
“Hold on, darlin’,” he yelled after starting the bike. It rumbled under them. Cooper let the clutch out and steered the bike down the driveway. As he pulled onto the highway, he opened it up and chuckled as he heard Kendra squeal, and then laugh. He headed toward Bighorn National Park.
Created as a United States Forest Reserve in 1897, it is one of the oldest government-protected forestlands in the U.S. The forest is well east of the continental divide and extends from the Montana border for a distance of eighty miles along the spine of the Big Horn Mountains, an outlying mountain range separated from the rest of the Rocky Mountains by Bighorn Basin. The forest was named after the Bighorn River, which is partially fed by streams found in the forest which are in turn fed primarily by snowmelt and snowmelt mixed with rainfall. Riding through the reserve is very popular with bikers, but there are also horseback riding trails.
The forest consists of over a million miles and Cooper has been through almost all of it, at one time or another, by nearly every mode of transportation. He always loved it and thought it would be a great way to spend the day with Kendra.
Within the forest is the Cloud Peak Wilderness area in which no motorized or mechanical equipment was allowed. The only access into the one hundred and eighty-nine thousand acre wilderness was on foot or horseback. There are fifteen hundred miles of trails in the forest, along with thirty-two campgrounds, and lodges. Cooper camped there many times with his friends. They’d been there on horseback and had hiked the trails. It had been a long time since they’d all gotten together in that capacity. Maybe one day they could do it again but with Lucas married with two kids, and Mont also married with two kids and another on the way, it would be hard getting them all together. Dakota lived in Colorado now and Storm had Mandy to take care of. Cooper sighed. They all agreed to remain friends for life, but they just didn’t get to spend much time together any more.
Cooper Bad Boys of Dry River, Wyoming Book 3 Page 5