Wounded at the Lake

by Mitzi Pool Bridges

  “What’s so funny?” Lori wanted to know.

  “Last Christmas we asked Shorty what she wanted for Christmas, and she told us a flannel gown. Everybody gave her one. How many did you end up with?”

  “Six. I’ll never need another gown as long as I live.”

  “The first two she exclaimed over. You should have seen her face when she opened the last four.”

  Coop slapped Dirk on the back. “You set it up. But I have to admit it was a moment to remember.”

  “You guys really enjoy Christmas, don’t you?”

  “It’s the best time ever.” Matt smiled.

  Matt’s suit and tie were as fresh and tailored as they must have been this morning. Even his black shoes were still polished. Coop and Dirk, on the other hand, were in jeans, sweatshirts, and athletic shoes. Lori wondered if Matt was always so disciplined.

  Their Saturday night get-togethers implied he was.

  Teasing and laughter followed throughout the meal. Instead of joining in, Lori realized how lonely and alone she’d felt at mealtime in the past. Who had made her that way? It wasn’t in her nature. At least she didn’t think so.

  Thor lay at her feet. Every so often he would look up at her with his big brown eyes. She loved this dog. Knowing she’d have to leave him as well as Coop made her push her bowl of soup aside. She couldn’t eat another bite. Her throat was too clogged with tears.

  “What’s wrong, Lori?” Coop asked.

  ****

  The sheen in her eyes gave him pause. What was she thinking? Was Christmas a happy time for her or a sad one? Were there loved ones out there wondering where she was? If so, why hadn’t they reported her missing? The sadness he felt for them washed away in the face of reality.

  “When are you scheduled to sell Thor?”

  Thor stood beside her as Lori ran her hand down his sleek back. They looked good together—both of them beautiful and smart. “Not for a few weeks. He’s doing well with his drug detection. We’ll see.”

  “I wish I could buy him.”

  Her voice was so forlorn Coop wished the same.

  Rain beat on the roof like a drum.

  Coop fought the urge to take Lori’s hand and take her to his room. It was a perfect night to make love and not think of anything except their need for each other.

  Dirk laughed at something Matt said, but nothing penetrated. Lori looked at him, and he drowned in turquoise eyes that reminded him of stormy seas.

  Except for Shorty, Coop had never told a woman he loved her. He would never tell Lori as long as she had no memory, but he wanted to. Strange how she’d come here in such dire straits and ended up so in tune with the family—with him. “Have you thought about the tests Doc suggested?”

  Lori turned her attention away from Dirk and Matt who were teasing each other mercilessly. “They’re scheduled for the day after Christmas. I’ll go home with Doc from here and have the tests the next day. She told me the clinic will be closed so I can take Thor and she’ll bring me back after.”

  “I can go with you.”

  “So can I,” the others chimed in.

  “No.” She shook her head. “Thor and I will be fine. The tests won’t take long.”

  “I’m glad you’re going to be checked out,” Shorty said. “I’ll feel better knowing it is just taking time for your memory to return.”

  “Yes,” Lori agreed. “I’ll be glad, too.”

  Her eyes belied her words. Lori wasn’t happy about the tests or their outcome. She didn’t want to know who she was. Fear glistened in her eyes, but she said nothing. The woman had guts.

  Coop wondered what he would do or think if his memory was wiped clean. Would he be as brave as Lori and go on with his life as she had? She could have crumbled, but hadn’t.

  He vowed to redouble his efforts to find who she was and why she’d almost been killed.

  Lori gathered their bowls and helped Shorty clear the table. He watched her every movement. It was torture. Every turn of her head, every sway of her hips sent heat scattering through him.

  “I’m going to my office to see if I can come up with something to bring an end to Christie’s case. Anyone want to brainstorm?”

  He left Lori with Shorty while Dirk and Matt followed him into his office. He shut the door. He didn’t want to hear Lori’s voice. It was too distracting.

  “I heard the weather report,” Dirk said. “It’s supposed to rain tomorrow and possibly Christmas Eve. We can’t put boots on the ground in the rain.”

  “No, we can’t,” Coop agreed.

  He turned to Matt. “Do you have any suggestions? If Christie was chosen for child sex-slavery, what do you have that might give us a leg up?”

  “The wiretap at Bill’s and eyes on young Anie are your best bet.”

  “Even so, we’ve come up with nothing.”

  “Give it time. Something has to break soon. As far as the Bureau is concerned, we’re doing the same as we always do, wait for another clue to pop up and hope it will lead us where we want to go. We made a few arrests in massage parlors a few days ago. As usual, no one will talk. We have no problem getting a few of their soldiers, but can’t get a handle on the general.”

  Coop turned to Dirk. “What about the missing husband?”

  “Harper, as well as his family are completely off the radar. A person at one of the Internet coffee shops thought he recognized our guy from one of the flyers, but hadn’t seen him in a couple of weeks.”

  “That’s good, isn’t it? He may go back.”

  “I’m counting on it. For the next two days, I’ll have Carrie in there waiting. We’ll have to clue the manager in on what’s going down.”

  “Not a problem for Carrie,” Matt bragged. “She can do the impossible.”

  “Including sitting there for hours and, with little effort, looking like three or four different women,” Dirk added.

  “She is amazing,” Matt admitted.

  “That she is. I only hope her time won’t be wasted.”

  “You’ll let the guys off for Christmas, I hope.”

  “Yes, Matt. Everyone will have Christmas with his or her family. But first thing the next day, we’re back on the job.”

  “Sounds good to me. I’m going home and hitting the sack. I have a boatload of work to finish before Christmas.”

  “Do you guys have Shorty’s gift?”

  Dirk and Matt shook their heads.

  “What about you?”

  “Nope. But I think I know what I’m going to get.” And what he was going to get Lori. It would be something she would have to remember them by. Though the thought of her leaving didn’t sit well, he wanted to give her a reminder of this time and place where she was loved and protected.

  When he walked his brothers out Lori wasn’t in the kitchen. Neither was Shorty.

  He wanted another glimpse of her beautiful face, but it didn’t matter, when he crawled into bed, her image was there, the same as it was every night.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Though it wasn’t raining the next morning, the temperature was in the mid-thirties, and the sky hung heavy. It was either going to rain again or snow.

  When Coop walked into the kitchen, Lori was dressed for the cold and ready to help with the dogs. Thor sat beside her. She looked wonderful. Why did she have to look so tantalizing in her mismatched clothes when she shouldn’t? “You’re staying in today.”

  “Why?”

  “It’s close to freezing and it could rain or even sleet. It won’t take long to feed and water.” He wouldn’t dare tell her they were going to pile hay in the dogs’ shelter so they would stay warm, she’d insist on helping.

  “How many layers do you have on?”

  Lori tugged at the hem of a much-too-large shirt that hung several inches below her jacket. “Shorty’s too-short sweats under jeans, her too-short T-shirt under mine, your shirt and this heavy jacket. I’ll be warm enough.”

  This early in the morning she should be draggin
g. Instead, she was raring to go. So were his hormones.

  Unable to stop himself, he walked up to her and pulled her close. “There’s no need, Lori. It’s too cold.”

  “I like the cold.”

  “Just once, honey, would you do as I ask?” Coop didn’t want her out in the weather. Why freeze her butt off if she didn’t have to. She looked up at him. Unable to stop himself, he pressed his lips to hers.

  The kiss went deeper. The urge to take her to bed and feast for hours was uppermost on his mind.

  She pushed away. Gasped. “We can’t.”

  Lori was right. Shorty could walk in any second. He gave her a quick peck on her mouth and headed for the door. “We’ll exercise and train tonight.”

  “I can do the exercises as usual while you feed and water.”

  “Not going to happen.”

  Her pout made him smile.

  On his way to the office later, Coop fought the need to have her in his arms again. What the hell was he going to do when her memory returned and she was forced to leave? Because, as sure as he sat here in his pickup, he knew she would.

  When he walked into the break room everyone except Carrie was there guzzling mugs of hot coffee. He went to get his own before he sat down. A box of sausage kolaches sat center table. He grabbed a couple and wolfed them down. “No breakfast,” he muttered.

  The reports disturbed him in their lack of new information. The only bright spot was that two divorce cases were completed, paid for, and filed away. The money wouldn’t come close to covering expenses. He’d talk to Marshall about it when the meeting was over. The last thing he wanted was to go to the bank for a loan.

  “Carrie is still baby-sitting the internet coffee shop she spent yesterday in. She swears Harper will be back.”

  “What about you, Dirk? Are you going to continue doing the same?”

  “Today. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. I think we should take the day off. We’re batting zero anyway so a couple of days won’t make any difference.”

  Coop rubbed a hand over his face. Could he handle two days at the house while Lori moved around helping Shorty, or while she baked her goodies? He’d go mad. “I’ll work a while Christmas Eve, but let’s call off all surveillance until after Christmas.”

  “Carrie has already told me she plans on staking out the coffee house today and tomorrow. She isn’t giving up.”

  “Neither should we.” Coop looked at Dirk. “SEALs never cry uncle.”

  “This SEAL is tired and frustrated,” Dirk admitted.

  “We’ll regroup the day after Christmas. Meanwhile, we’ll come up with a strategy that will bring results. And we’ll use every available resource we can dredge up, including calling in Matt and the FBI. It’s time to put your case and mine to bed.”

  Marshall pointed to the window where snowflakes were beginning to fall. Everyone got up and hurried to look. Snow didn’t occur in Houston every year, but when it did, it was an event.

  They watched for a good long while, basking in the beauty as tiny white flakes floated through the air before falling to the ground and melting.

  “Does this put an end to your plans?” Coop asked Dirk.

  “No. I’ll be in an Internet coffee house. I’ll stay warm and still be able to watch for my guy.”

  “I can do the same,” Marshall volunteered.

  “Go for it,” Coop urged. “Buster, continue to find all you can on The Natane Corp and keep searching for anything on a missing person fitting Lori’s description.”

  “Will do.”

  “What do you have planned?” Dirk asked Coop as he headed out.

  “I have some Christmas shopping to do. Since I can’t very well walk the streets hunting for the sisters in this weather, I’ll pick another coffee shop after. Maybe with four of us on the look-out, we’ll get lucky.”

  “I’m more than glad we picked out Matt’s gift early. I wouldn’t want to try to find something this late.”

  Coop chuckled. “You’re right.” It wasn’t easy buying for a man who had the means to purchase anything he wanted, so Dirk and Coop gave him a rod and reel every year. It had started out as a joke, since he never used anything but the same one he brought with him the first day he’d come to the homestead, but it ended up being a tradition. Along with the joke gift, Dirk and Coop pooled their money and added a gun to Matt’s collection. It was a challenge to come up with something he didn’t have. One room in his house looked like a museum with cases of handguns on display, along with stand-up cases for his larger ones. One wall held his rods and reels. He didn’t use them, but displayed them with pride. The room was full, but Matt always managed to find space for one more gun and one more rod and reel.

  By the time Coop finished shopping, snow was coming down heavier. He dialed Dirk’s number. “I’m calling it a day. With this weather, traffic will be a bitch.”

  “I agree. Almost no one is coming into the coffee shop anyway. I’ll call Carrie and Marshall and tell them to go home.”

  “The weather isn’t going to clear up so let’s close tomorrow.”

  “Fine with me. I’ll let everyone know.”

  “I’ll call Buster.”

  “We’re covered then. I’ll see you later and see what we can do with the dogs. They need to exercise at least.”

  “Later.” And Coop hung up.

  Instead of going to the house and arguing with Lori about coming out in this weather, he went straight to the dog pens. Hurrying to get finished, Coop ignored the soft snowflakes settling on his shoulders as well as the ache in his leg that went along with the cold. He had almost finished exercises when Dirk got there. “I’ll feed and water; go to the house.”

  Coop nodded in agreement, as he put Ajax back in his pen and let the last dog out.

  “Did you finish shopping?”

  Coop couldn’t stop his grin. Shorty was going to love her gift and he hoped Lori would hers as well. “I did. You?”

  “I did, but it’s getting harder every year,” Dirk grumped as he pulled his sock cap down over his ears.

  “That’s the fun of it.”

  “You’re crazy.” Despite his grumbling, Dirk enjoyed every minute of the holiday.

  After putting the last dog through his paces, Coop penned him, and waved at Dirk. He wanted to get to the homestead and put heat on his leg. Most of all, he wanted to see Lori.

  The only thing was, seeing her wasn’t enough. Every look fired up the urge to grab her and head for the nearest bed.

  ****

  When Coop shook off snowflakes and limped into the kitchen, he headed straight for the fireplace. Lori had to hold herself back to keep from going over and wrapping her arms around his waist. He looked good. His cheeks and nose were red from the cold. When he swept off his sock cap, his short, dark hair was mussed. She wanted to run her hands over his head and kiss him.

  Instead, she fixed him a mug of coffee and brought it over.

  “Ahh,” he sighed. “A lifesaver.”

  “I’ll get my coat and be ready to help with the dogs in a minute.”

  His blue eyes lit up. “Already finished.”

  She hit him playfully on the arm. “I told you I could help. It isn’t that cold.”

  “Not just cold, snowing. Have you seen it?”

  “Shorty and I spent at least an hour with our noses stuck to the window. She even stepped out to take a few pictures.”

  He chuckled. “It’s a rare sight in these parts.”

  He took her hand and held it much longer than necessary. Shorty was watching, so he dropped it.

  “Coop’s right, Lori. You shouldn’t be out there until the weather warms up a bit.”

  Of course they were right, but the feeling of being suffocated and overpowered by someone strong and powerful swept over her. Logically, she knew Coop and Shorty were looking out for her best interests. Just as she knew the shadowy figure in her head was not. Was he the one who’d tried to kill her?

  She wanted to know.


  “Has your crew found a missing persons report about me?” She knew the answer before asking the question.

  “Nothing.” Coop’s brow knitted into a frown. “Maybe after your tests you’ll find out if your delayed memory return is normal or if there’s another problem. You’ll get your answers.”

  “Do you need help?” Lori asked Shorty. She had to get away from Coop. With her feelings all over the place, she didn’t trust herself not to jump his bones right here in front of God and everybody.

  “Thanks to you, the cornbread is in the oven. We’ll be ready in about thirty minutes.”

  Coop sat on the chair closest to the fireplace and rubbed his leg. She wanted to do something to ease his pain. It was evident the cold made it worse. She’d seen one of those heat-in-the-microwave heating pads in her bathroom and went to get it.

  Back in the kitchen, she heated it for two minutes and brought it to him. Kneeling on the floor, she put his leg on an ottoman and wrapped the pad around it.

  “You didn’t have to do that.”

  “How does it feel? Is it too hot?”

  “Just right. Thanks.”

  Dirk and Matt came in from the cold in time to eat. She enjoyed their company and was glad to see them. Plus, they were a good buffer between her and Coop.

  Yes, she needed a buffer. Her attraction to the man grew every day.

  Attraction? It was so much more. She loved him. Even now, with the kitchen full of testosterone, she wanted to walk over and plant a kiss on his wonderful mouth.

  Heaving a silent groan she joined Shorty in putting dinner on the table. Tonight, it was thick savory stew with cornbread. Lori had made a Texas chocolate sheet cake. Coop would love it. Dirk would inhale it, and Matt would smile his sweet smile, and thank her for it.

  It had been fun to watch him the day he’d asked if she would mind making the desserts when it was his turn for the get-together. FBI Special Agent Matthew Montgomery stumbled over the words and then apologized—told her it was all right, he’d continue to order them from a bakery in Conroe.

  It ended up with her having to convince Matt how delighted she’d be.

  He thanked her profusely after every get-together, wherever it was held. Matt was a really nice guy and she liked him.