“He was a little quiet,” Phoenix admitted.
“Oh, the man was all about getting horizontal, but hanging out together with family and friends? He turned into a silent, withdrawn jackass.”
Dumbass, jackass. The rapid-fire insults led Phoenix to believe that Ridley was hurt, and that fascinated her. “Did the two of you—?”
“No.” Ridley shook her head. “We were headed that way before you called.”
Phoenix could almost hear the regret in her sister’s voice. Gently, she said, “I’m sorry I interrupted.”
“Don’t be.” Her jaw worked. “I’ve decided he’s not worth the trouble.”
“Sex is trouble now?”
Ridley almost snarled. “With Baxter?” She punched her pillow a few times. “Apparently.”
Phoenix had difficulty sorting out the problem. “So you think the idea of getting to know you better actually scared him off?”
“What else? He woofed down a slice of pizza, ate an entire cupcake in one bite, then ran off as if he thought I might wrestle him down and jam a wedding band on his finger.” She huffed. “So stupid.”
“Clearly, he doesn’t know your history—or does he?”
“Not much of it, and it’s just as clear that he doesn’t want to. He wants sex, period.”
Phoenix studied her sister’s face in the pale glow of the moon. Sudden awareness dawned, bringing her more alert. “And you want more?”
“No,” Ridley said with heat—and a touch of desperation. “Absolutely not.”
Sadly, Phoenix knew that wasn’t true. Her sister had loved being a wife, and had looked forward to being a mother. It still broke her heart to know what Robbie had put her through. In a cautious whisper, she asked, “Then what’s the problem?”
“He got me all primed then just...”
Gently, Phoenix probed, “Just what?”
“He abandoned me!”
The outburst took her by surprise. “Well, we did have a little catastrophe with the dog, so...”
“No, it wasn’t that,” Ridley insisted. “He was fine when we first found out about the dog. I figured we’d hang with you guys a bit, then carry on with our plans. But noooo. That was asking too much.”
“Maybe it wasn’t that,” Phoenix said, trying to find a way to make Ridley feel better. The problem was, she didn’t know Baxter well enough to know what motivated him, how he felt about women.
How he might feel about her sister.
“Didn’t you see how he cut me out?” The sound of Ridley punching her pillow again gave away her frustration. “He was downright cold. I doubt he’ll ever follow up on those sexual promises he made. What type of a jerk gets a woman all hot and bothered and then bails?”
A jerk with his own history, Phoenix was thinking, but instead of saying so, she pointed out the obvious. “You were awfully quiet over dinner, too.”
“I was annoyed. Know the difference.”
Oh, she knew the difference—because she did know her sister. Nine times out of ten, when offended, Ridley went for the jugular. With Baxter, she’d withdrawn.
Her sister was in deeper than she wanted to admit, but Phoenix let her off the hook, saying, “We’re a pitiful pair, aren’t we?”
“Not you.” Ridley took her hand again, lunging into the switch in topic. “Look at all the changes you’ve made! I’m so proud of you, Phoenix. So damn proud.”
Her sister’s praise only reminded her of how badly she’d reacted earlier. “There’s no reason to be proud, believe me.” She told Ridley everything that had happened at the creek—including how memories had glued her feet to the ground and muddled her thoughts, how she was useless and didn’t do a damn thing to help.
“Oh, my God,” Ridley groaned theatrically. “That’s such a load of crap and you know it.” Sitting up in a rush, she poked Phoenix in the stomach.
“Omph. Hey!”
“You deserved that poke!” She started to do it again.
Phoenix quickly rolled out of the way, coming up with her pillow as a weapon. “Stop it!”
“No, you stop with the melodramatic self-recrimination.”
“Melodramatic?” Phoenix gasped.
“It’s ridiculous! I’ve never been attacked, but I know I would have been just as cautious under the circumstances. You’re not Superwoman, you know, so give yourself a break already.”
Her frown faded as she realized that Ridley’s argument was very similar to Cooper’s. “What if Cooper hadn’t been there?”
“I hope you’d have had enough sense not to confront the men!”
Sense had nothing to do with it. It was all about fear. “So I should have just left that poor dog to—”
“No,” Ridley said with impatience. “You call for backup instead. What good would it do the dog if you both got hurt? And that’s probably what would’ve happened if you’d done things any differently.”
She had a point. “The problem is that I’m not sure I could have thought that clearly, I was so terrified.”
“With good reason. But look how far you’ve come.” This time Ridley stroked her hair. “I see a world of difference, even if you don’t. You’re here in this crowded resort, mingling every day. You’re actually planning wild sex with Big Sexy.”
“I didn’t say it would be wild.”
“And you’re arguing with me!” Ridley threw out her arms. “You’re well on your way, so stop rushing yourself. Even Amazons need time to heal.”
Phoenix didn’t know what she was talking about with Amazons, but she felt like she had made progress, so perhaps she should give herself a break. “You’re a pretty awesome big sister, you know?”
“Yeah, I am. You definitely got lucky in the sister department.” She grinned, her teeth showing white in the dim light. “But then so did I.”
A yawn interrupted Phoenix’s smile. Finally her brain was as tired as her body. “Maybe we can solve our man problems tomorrow.”
“For sure we won’t figure it out tonight.” Ridley stretched out on her back and pulled a sheet to her waist. “Good night, Phoenix.”
“Night.” With most of her remorse lifted, Phoenix closed her eyes...and thought of Cooper.
It was a nice way to fall asleep.
*
The impromptu dinner had helped to curb Coop’s simmering anger. Having Phoenix at his table, seeing her relaxed, knowing she enjoyed playing matchmaker, had all reassured him that she was okay—no doubt still berating herself, but he’d eventually get her over that.
He wasn’t sure if Baxter or Ridley had realized her intentions, but he’d caught on right away when he noticed how she watched the pair. It amused him, seeing this other facet to her personality.
Through her actions, Phoenix had made it clear that she felt part ownership of the dog, but Coop wasn’t sure how that would work. Was she ready for that type of relationship, where they shared a mutual responsibility?
Was he?
He wanted her, yes—wanted her sexually, wanted her happy, wanted her to feel secure. But beyond that...it’d be such a big step for both of them, a step that could lead to more.
He feared he was already on the way to that, so it could be a moot point.
He’d wanted Phoenix to maintain that happier mood during dinner, not dredge up the conflict again by calling the cops in front of her. Because of that, he’d waited until everyone left before notifying the local police.
The timing worked out, actually. He reached one of the men he knew, Officer Gibb Clark, who worked evenings. Coop explained to Gibb what had happened, and the arrangements he’d made to meet with the men tomorrow.
Not surprisingly, based on Coop’s descriptions, and where the conflict took place, Gibb felt sure he knew the men.
“Picking on a mutt sounds like their MO,” Gibb said. “I’ll go by there tonight to see if any of them are still out and about, and if so, I’ll talk with them. As to them coming by to see you tomorrow, I don’t see that happening.”
“I had the same thought,” Coop said. “Seems more likely they’ll show up at night to cause trouble.”
“Afraid so. Let me know if anything happens, and I’ll be out tomorrow just in case they show.”