Naomi dumped the carrots into the pot and stirred the contents before putting the lid on and looking at Cooper. “Marlee handled our situation well. I don’t really know her, but she seems nice. I applaud her for the work she’s doing. I’m not sure if I could do it. If you can help her in any way, then do it. And let us know if we can help, as well.”
Cooper grabbed his hat and put it on his head. “Will do.”
“What about Cash?” Caleb asked as he followed Cooper outside. “Could he help?”
Cooper twisted his lips. “I contacted him. He’s in deep on a case and is unavailable to help right now. He said he’d try to get here as quickly as he could. Marlee seems competent. I just think she needs some help.”
“She’s used to working alone. Some prefer it that way.”
“True, but that kind of life takes a toll on a person. I won’t push her, but I’m going to let her know that we can help. I got the feeling she really wanted to wrap this case up. Now, she has to start again.”
Caleb slapped Cooper on the back. “Good luck tonight. It’s obvious you’ve got it bad for her. Maybe don’t talk about work this evening. Perhaps make it about the two of you.”
Cooper’s balls tightened just thinking about him and Marlee in his bed. “Yeah. The two of us.”
Chapter 15
This was the first time Marlee wished she had packed nicer clothes. The fact that she contemplated going shopping just so she’d have something decent to wear told her how excited she was about the date.
A date. A freaking date. She couldn’t believe it. Not to mention, she was going to dinner with one of the sexiest men she’d ever encountered. What was it about Cooper Owens in those Wrangler jeans and that Stetson hat? Combine that with his heart-stopping smile and eyes that drew her in, and she couldn’t stop her attraction if she tried.
And she really, really didn’t want to try.
She hadn’t felt anything like this in a long time. For an instant, she hadn’t known what the feeling was, but her body had. Then, her mind had caught on. It was that moment when the attraction hit, and the one who caught your attention became the only thing you could think about. Yeah, she remembered that all too well. And she had missed it.
She smoothed her hand over the gray sweater she’d worn a few nights back when she lay in wait for him at the café. This time, she left her hair down, the curls doing their thing as they always did. She had stopped trying to make them behave. If there was a lot of humidity, they curled. If the weather was drier, the curls weren’t nearly as tight, and even sometimes fell into more of a wave.
Marlee didn’t have any makeup, but she did find some lip gloss in her purse—no doubt put there by her mother. Marlee added it to her lips for a bit of shine and just a hint of color. She looked at herself in the mirror and contemplated changing just as a knock sounded at the door.
Her eyes jerked to the nightstand and the clock that read seven p.m. on the dot. Her heart lurched as she turned to the door. Nerves made her hands tremble and her knees weak.
“Who is it?” she called.
“Cooper.”
She unlocked the door and opened it to find him filling the doorway. “Hi,” she said.
He tipped his hat at her. “Hi. You look beautiful.”
“Thank you.” A blush crept up her cheeks. It had been years since anyone had made her blush. She took in his black jeans and boots and saw the dark green shirt beneath his jacket. “You look very handsome.”
If it was possible, his smile got even sexier. “Thank you.”
Her room was filled with papers from the investigation, so she put on her coat and grabbed her purse. “Shall we go?”
He waited for her to close the door, then they walked to his truck. To her surprise, he opened her door for her and waited until she was inside before he closed it and walked around to the driver’s side.
Once he was behind the wheel, she said, “I thought people only did that in the movies.”
Cooper chuckled. “Many still do it around here. My momma told me if I didn’t remember anything else she taught me, I was at least going to know how to treat a woman.”
“I really think I like your mom.”
“Oh, she’s going to love you.” He started the engine.
Marlee chuckled. “Why do you say that?”
“You’re independent, have your own business, are strong-minded, and you don’t put up with anything.”
“I don’t think anyone has ever spoken about me like that before.”
“I bet they have. You just didn’t hear them.”
She looked out the windshield. “I guess I never considered myself in such a way. I just found a path and took it.”
“Do you regret your decision?”
“Not at all. I don’t like when I can’t solve a case. And I regret not seeing my parents more, but they’re very understanding. Unfortunately, they’re not in the best of health.” Marlee wondered why she had told Cooper that. She rarely shared anything about her private life, and especially not things about her parents.
But with him, she found she wanted to talk. To share things.
He wore a frown when he glanced her way. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“I’d planned to go home for a few months after this case. I really thought I was going to be leaving for California tomorrow.”
“Do your parents need you?”
“A nurse lives with them. My father suffered a stroke about ten years ago. He can’t use his left arm and he can’t talk. My mom just went into the hospital for pneumonia. But I spoke to her. She sounded good.”
He nodded slowly. “But life can be taken away in a blink.”
Marlee looked down at her hands. She knew he was speaking of his father, but her mind was on Macey.
“My father was the picture of health,” Cooper said into the silence. “He always made sure we were safe, that he was safe. He worked at the sawmill, and one day, an accident happened. It changed our lives forever. Since the fault lay with the company, they paid out a lot of money to my mom. She hated that money for a long time.”
“Because she would’ve rather had your father with her.”
Cooper shot her a smile. “That’s exactly what she used to say.”
“I’m sorry about your dad. I can’t imagine growing up like that.”
“It was hard, though I think it was harder on Mom. Jace and his family were there for us, though. I don’t know what we would’ve done without them.”
Marlee leaned her head back against the seat. “It’s good that you and your mom had someone to lean on. It looks like things turned out well for you.”
“You should know,” he said with a chuckle. “You looked into us.”
She wrinkled her nose as she lifted her head and smiled. “I’m sorry. I know it must be awkward to realize a stranger dug into your life.”
“A little,” he replied with a shrug. “Tell me what you thought about me.”
Her eyes widened as she looked at him. “No one has ever asked that of me.”
“Good.”
His smile was infectious. Marlee found her lips turning up at the corners. “Okay. Well, I was impressed by the fact you joined the military. I wasn’t able to get a lot of information about your time in the Air Force, but what I did learn was that you were a highly decorated airman. I might have been a little jealous of the fact that you were an honors student in school with a 4.0 GPA in college that resulted in a business degree.”