“In my closet, actually.” Coop gratefully took the cup of coffee that Maris handed to him, thanking her before taking a drink.
Making a sound of appreciation, he pulled out the chair next to Phoenix and sat. “She refused to sleep in the kitchen, as I originally planned. You should have heard her howling. It was pitiful.”
“Awww.” Phoenix cuddled the dog closer, then kissed the top of her furry little head.
“I couldn’t take it.”
“Of course you couldn’t. Neither could I. I bet she was scared.”
“After what she’d been through, then coming to an unfamiliar place, I’m sure it was all spooky to her.” He took another drink, then sighed. “Soon as I let her into the room, she ran around all crazy, on the bed, under the bed, into the connected bathroom. She kept going until she found the closet door open enough for her to burrow in.” He shrugged. “She didn’t come back out.”
Phoenix reseated herself, then lifted the dog into her lap. “She probably had to hide at night, you know?” From cruel men, as well as natural predators. God, how she hated that thought.
“That’s what I figured.” He reached out to scratch the dog behind the ear. She tipped up her face, let her tongue loll out and half closed her eyes. “I checked to make sure she wasn’t destroying anything, but she was just curled up tight in the corner behind my hanging clothes and a pair of work boots. I don’t think she needed it, but I got the blanket out of the kitchen for her, moved a few things around and let her get comfortable again. She slept there until I got up this morning.”
Not a bad compromise. “You were tired, weren’t you, sugar?”
“Let’s hope the good behavior holds out, because I got an early vet appointment for her today.”
Wow, that was quick. “How’d you manage that?”
“Small town.” He made a vague hand gesture. “Everyone knows everyone, so the vet is a friend. He fit me in before his regular business hours start.”
“That’s so nice.” One more way that showed how special a small town could be. Not that she needed another reason to love Cooper’s Charm—after her first week she’d been sold on the place. Now, knowing Cooper so well...
He reached over and tugged lightly on her ponytail. “While I’m gone, don’t go near the woods, or to any of the more private areas of the property.”
Well, that sounded ominous. Lifting her brows, she said, “Define private.”
Though his tone was mild enough, his jaw tightened. “If you have to go to the maintenance building, take someone with you.”
Incredulity brought out a laugh. “Like who?” Until Ridley had stepped in as housekeeper, they’d been shorthanded. Now they barely broke even on workloads.
“Just wait for me to get back, and I’ll go with you.”
The last thing she wanted was another person worrying about her. She had no one but herself to blame, of course, not after how she’d reacted yesterday.
“Should I point out that there are several campers using the primitive tent area near there?”
He leaned closer. “I don’t care who’s camping, I don’t want you alone that far from the congested areas.”
She frowned. Maybe it was more than her reaction that had him concerned. “You expect trouble from those men?”
“Actually, I don’t.” His hand lifted to her face, curving around her cheek. “But I’m not willing to chance it.”
Whoa. What he said, how he looked at her while saying it, felt so intimate, it brought a flush to her face. After all the touching and teasing yesterday, she knew they were on the fast track to a sexual relationship. Knew it and anticipated it.
But she hadn’t expected so much emotional involvement, all the casual public touching and...and the concern. Caring for someone, worrying for them, had nothing to do with uncommitted sex.
She’d come to Cooper’s Charm to reassert her independence—but could she do that if she immediately fell into a relationship?
Phoenix hugged the dog closer, knowing that what bothered her most was how much she liked the idea.
How much she liked him.
To escape the lure of his golden eyes, she turned her attention to the dog.
Aware of Maris peeking at them, and Daron just coming in, she nodded. “Okay.” Giving in to him was the easier path to take, but she didn’t feel cowardly—just prudent. After all, if he thought there could be danger, it didn’t make sense to push. “I promise.”
She heard the wry note in his muttered, “Thank you.”
Had her promise sounded less than sincere?
Now that he’d gotten his way, he sat back and lifted his coffee cup again.
One thought led to another and she asked, “When are we meeting with them?”
The cup plunked back to the table. He didn’t pretend not to understand. “We? I don’t want you anywhere near them.”
That got her back stiff. “Why not? I have as much right to confront them as you do.” She thrust up a quick hand. “And no, don’t say it. It’ll be perfectly safe this time and you know it.”
With his jaw tightening again, he stared at her. Into her. “I’m the one paying. Unless you want to?”
She snorted, not about to fall for that nonsense. “Neither of us would give that Harry creep a dime, so don’t try to sell me that. Have you contacted the police yet?”
Cooper sighed. “Last night, actually.”
She leaned closer. “So you’re setting a trap for him?”
“If I say yes, will you stay away?”
The dog stirred, looking up at her worriedly, before gazing at Cooper.
Though Phoenix had just given herself a pep talk on uncommitted sex, it hurt that he wanted to cut her out.
That he didn’t trust her enough to let her be a part of it.
He probably figured she’d freak out again...and in all honesty, she couldn’t promise him that she wouldn’t.
Keeping all emotion from her tone, she said, “When it comes down to it, you don’t have to make up stories. After all, you’re the boss.”
Cooper stared at her, his expression even harder. His lips curved in a terrible attempt at a smile. “Maybe we could step outside for a minute?”
She shared her own attempt at smiling. “Of course.” She started to rise, but he surprised her by taking the dog from her first, then putting a hand to her back.
That meant she had to go first. Maris watched with amusement. Daron stood beside her, arms folded, a big grin on his face.
Did they both know she was in trouble?
That irked her so much that she ended up striding more rigidly than she’d intended. Once outside, she turned on Cooper—but he stepped around her, heading for a picnic table on the sandy lakeshore. The dog stared after her.
Huffing, Phoenix followed him until he finally stopped and set down the dog, his back still to her. She had a finger up to make a verbal point when Cooper suddenly turned, scooping an arm around her lower back and drawing her close.
“First...” His mouth lowered to hers, and despite the heat in his eyes and the grim set to his brows, the kiss was light and gentle. He put his forehead to hers.
“First what?” she managed to whisper.
“First I had to get that out of my system.” His warm breath teased her lips. “I’ve been thinking about kissing you since...”
“Since?”
He quirked a bemused smile. “Since the last time I kissed you, actually.”
“Oh.” Since she’d been thinking about it too, she savored the admission.
“Second,” he continued, his tone more stern, “this isn’t about you being an employee. And even if it was, you’re more than that now and you know it.”
Yes, she did, and it didn’t bother her as much as it should. “You write my paychecks,” she pointed out, softly now since he’d so nicely kissed her.
“That’s separate from this.” He kissed her again, not so light or gentle now.
The dog barked.
Cooper leaned back and, with a smile, straightened her glasses for her. “Now, could you tell me why you want to be there?”
That felt suspiciously like a trick question. “If you’ll tell me first why you don’t want me there.”