Page 57 of Claws and Feathers

Shit.Caught. So much for staying inconspicuous.

Cooper got out of his vehicle and made his way over to her. There was no point in pretending. And honestly, damnit, he didn’t want to avoid her anymore. He made his way through her vast lawn to where she stood at the edge of her pebbled pathway. Her eyes never left his as he approached. Abby’s grip tightened around the spine of her glass as she held it to her chest.

When he reached her, they didn’t speak right away. Words seemed to trickle from his mind, then fizzle out on his tongue. Nothing sounded right. And the way she was looking at him only added to his silence. More was being said with their eyes than could ever be conveyed with words.

But they couldn’t stare at each other forever, so Abby lowered her gaze, twirling her wine glass between her fingers. “You’ve been watching over me?” she asked softly.

Cooper was inclined to say something detached and impersonal.Part of the job.He probably should have, however, he knew it was more than that. They both knew it was more than that. “I worry about you.”

She glanced back up at him, her eyes wide and curious, flickering with emotions he could not pinpoint. Cooper was consumed with wanting to kiss her again, so he broke away from her beauty, and her scent, and her alluring magnetism, and made his way over to the front porch. A new swing now occupied it – one similar to Daphne’s.

Abby followed him. “Did you want a glass of wine?” she offered.

Cooper shook his head and took a seat. “I’m okay.”

She was hesitant at first, but then she sat down beside him, resting her glass on the tops of her knees. She kept her eyes to the ground, her long hair blocking her profile. “Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom?”

Her question threw him. Cooper shifted in the swing, turning his body to face her as he registered her words. “I don’t think I have,” he replied honestly. He had weathered through storms. He had suffered. He had cried and shouted and looked up at the stars and screamed,“Why?”

But rock bottom? No… Cooper could not pretend to know what that felt like.

Abby peeked at him through her veil of hair. “The only way I can describe how I feel is that I’ve hit rock bottom. Only… I still can’t stop falling,” she confessed. Her tone was somber and earnest. “It’s an endless black hole.”

Cooper studied her, his insides swiveling and making him ache all over. His chest felt heavy, like he was taking some of her weight and carrying it for her. He wished he could. Hewantedto.

He was about to respond, but then Abby lifted her wine glass into the air and let it go. The glass shattered onto the porch pavement, breaking into tiny pieces. Cooper’s breath caught in his throat as he leaned forward, looking upon the mess she had deliberately created.

Abby reached down and picked up a small piece of glass. She held it between her fingers, letting her thumb trace gently over the sharp edges. “I lost my parents, my brother, and the only man I ever loved. My grandmother, who was mybest friend, died and left me all alone. I was abducted, beaten, and starved.” Abby was still staring at the piece of glass as if she were speaking right to it. “But I persevered. I overcame it all,” she said. “And yet,this. Something so small, but so mighty – it could do me in. It could be the end of me. How easy it would be…”

Cooper began to comprehend what she was saying and his heart galloped in his chest. He scooted over on the swing until she was in his arms. He reached out his hand, plucking the piece of glass from her fingers and tossing it to the ground. He pulled her close. He kissed her head. He savored her warmth. “Abby… don’t ever talk like that. Don’t everthinklike that.” Cooper cradled her face in his hands, forcing her to look at him. “Abby, please. Promise me.”

She nodded, tears welling up in her blue eyes. “I fought so hard to live, Cooper. I begged for my life, I begged him to spare me. I got another chance. I should be grateful, right?”

Abby’s tears fell down her cheeks, and Cooper rubbed them away with his thumbs. He leaned down and pressed his lips to her forehead. He thought about trailing his lips down along the side of her face until he found her mouth. He thought about kissing those vile words right out of her and making her forget she’d ever considered them. But he couldn’t do that.

Abby might be the strongest person he’d ever known, but right here,right now, he needed to be stronger.

Sheneeded him to be stronger.

So, instead, he held her. Cooper brought her back to his chest and let her cry, let her release, let her expel everything that was weighing her down.

Abigail Stonewouldstop falling, that he knew.

He was going to catch her.

Chapter seventeen

A painting party.

It could be fun, right?

It was Sunday afternoon. Both Cooper and James were off duty that day, handing over the reins to Kravitz and Holmes. Kate didn’t have to be at the bar until early evening, so that gave the four of them a day to unwind and help Abby paint the rest of her house.

Two days had passed since Abby had cried her heart out to Cooper McAllister on her porch swing. She was mildly embarrassed for the emotional breakdown, but he had been so kind. So careful with her. Soforgiving. Abby had a difficult time regretting any of it. They had sat on that swing for over an hour, mostly in silence, holding each other. He had caressed her hair and kissed her tears away. She couldn’t remember a time she’d felt safer. A sense of peace had washed over her, scaring away her demons for the time being. Cooper had eventually helped her inside, even tucking her into bed, running his hand along her cheek and kissing her temple. Abby had been tempted –oh, so tempted– to ask him to stay. She wanted him to. And somehow, she knewhewanted to. But Cooper was in his uniform with his patrol car parked out front, so Abby was aware he was on the clock. He’d already stayed so long. He’d already done so much.

He always did so much.

Abby didn’t speak to him much the prior day, as he was tied up with a gas station robbery in one of the nearby towns. She had been wrecked with worry and anxiety until he’d texted her late that night to tell her he was okay.God, if something happened to Cooper, Abby would never recover. He was her lifeline. He was the only thing keeping her head above water.

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