Page 11 of Cooper

“Yeah, and from the look of this place, we shouldn’t leave that thing parked outside any longer than necessary. Someone is going to scoff it for sure around here.”

“Good point.” Dalton states.

“Did you find out where the shot came from?” London asks, grasping at straws. She’s not at all comfortable with the idea of staying with me. Can’t say that I blame her. But if she’s gone around this neighborhood in any capacity, she’d know that this is not a place for women or children, or anyone that is beneath the law, for that matter.

“No, but I'm not letting you stick around to find out, either.” I tell her, using a comforting tone. “As sure as the nose on my face, you are not safe here, darlin’. I mean it. Even the drunk outside said that your landlord saw you coming. He had no business bringing a young girl and her baby here.”

The look on her face tells me that she’s battling with herself. I get it. It’s a tough choice. I don’t know where she’s coming from, but if it were up to me, and I had to choose between potential scandal in living with a strange man or keeping myself and my child safe, I'd choose the latter. I go for bold. “Here. Take this then.” I tell her, handing her my handgun from the back of my pants.

She immediately recoils. “I’m not taking that.”

I purse my lips together into an apologetic smile, but she gets the hint. “Does your place have space for privacy?”

“I’ve got an in-law suite in the basement that you’re welcome to.” I lift a hand. “I never asked you to live with me, darlin’. Only a controlling psychopath would do that. I just want you and your little one to be safe.”

“I’d offer for you to stay with me, but I live in a bachelor apartment.” Wade volunteers. “Unless y’all want to sleep in the bathtub, Coop’s place is your best bet.”

“We could talk to Colton.” Dalton offers.

London raises a hand. “No, that’s fine. Gosh. I never wanted to be a burden on anyone.”

“You’d be more of a burden dead, darlin’.” I tell her frankly. “I have no idea how to raise a child.”

“Me neither.” Dalton says.

“Same.” Wade adds. “All I know is that this is no place to raise a child. Who’s your landlord? I have half a mind to go over and give him a piece of my mind.”

“Ain’t no use.” I tell him. “He knew full well what he was doing.”

“I won’t get my deposit back.” London states, worried. “I don’t have any money until I get paid.”

“Don’t you worry about that.” My hand goes to her arm. “First priority is getting you out of here before you get shot. The rest is gravy.”

“Yeah. Let’s get at it.” Dalton states. “Shouldn’t take more than a couple of trips to the Escalade to clear this place out.” He says, looking around. Aside from the Christmas tree and some decorations, she’s got a couch and coffee table, a throw rug, and just bedroom furniture.

“All the furniture was here. It’s just my kitchen things. And most of it I bought on the way here. There isn’t much. It all fit in that storage container.” She says, pointing to the plastic container about the size of her coffee table, in the corner of the kitchen.

It takes us all of thirty minutes to pack her things into Dalton’s Escalade and my truck. London brings a sleeping Nicole out of the house, placing her in Wade’s car, since there is no room for her elsewhere. The child doesn’t stir. We make the drive to my place, setting Bean down on the bed in the spare room in the basement. It’s sad how few possessions this woman and child have, and I'm concerned about what brought her here even more than ever.

And I soon learn that bringing her to safety was as good a call as ever.

Chapter 5

London

What a night. I went from making love, to terror, to moving house, all in the middle of the night. I thought I’d seen everything. Not so much. But I hate to admit it. Cooper’s neighborhood and house is beautiful. Sure, it’s the middle of the night, but as we pull on to his street, and I see what I can only guess is Colton’s ranch, I can’t help but smile. He’s got white Christmas lights weaved into the picket fence that encircles the perimeter of the property. They cast a warm glow all over the home, the land, even the road. The large trees at the front of the ranch house are laced with more white lights, placed perfectly in the tree.

There are no horses in sight, but I gather that they’re in the stable for the night, and I can hear the soft whinnying as we turn the corner. “I see what you mean about the horses.” I say to Wade, as Bean sleeps across my lap in the back seat.

“They’re not just pretty.”

“No, they aren’t.”

“You ever ride?”

“No. Never been around horses before.”

“You’ll love them. The kid will, too.”

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