Page 7 of A Rugged Beauty
"What happened?" Coop asked.
"Wasn't paying attention."
She'd let herself be distracted by Braddock. Something hot burned behind her nose and she flared her nostrils, afraid of the questions if a tear slipped free.
Or maybe afraid to give in to the emotions. She stuffed them down where they belonged, in a dark box deep inside her. A coffin.
She wouldn't meet him again. Not ever.
When she turned her head sharply, so that Braddock wasn't even in her line of sight, she got a whiff of whiskey.
Surely that wasn't coming from her brother.
She squinted at Coop, grateful for the reprieve, even if it meant focusing on another problem.
"Give me your shirt," she demanded.
Coop instantly looked as if he would refuse.
"There's a clean one in the wagon," she said. "You've been wearing that one for three days."
He begrudgingly put down his coffee cup and unbuttoned the top of his shirt before he reached behind him and pulled the entire thing over his head. She snatched it from his hands before he could dunk it in the water. Pressed it to her face and breathed in deeply.
The whiskey scent was faint, barely noticeable. Was he imbibing again?
Coop watched her with stormy eyes, surely realizing what she'd done.
She dunked the shirt into the water, unapologetic.
Her brother had promised that he would stop drinking. He’d given his word the last time she’d caught him with a silver flask in his hand.
But he'd made other promises before. Disappointment sat bitter in her throat.
Footsteps approached. She glanced up.
Braddock, only feet away.
Alice stood on shaky legs, aware of Coop as he straightened beside her. Her brother was already bristling.
"I need to talk to you." Braddock stared right at her as he said the words.
"Go away," Coop said.
Had he even noticed how Braddock looked at her?
"If you won't come to me?—"
Now Alice felt the weight of Coop's glance between her and Braddock. She didn't look at her brother, though she couldn't hold Braddock's gaze either.
"She's got nothing to say to you."
At Coop's words, Braddock looked at him for the first time. "I'm not talking to you." The disdain in his voice was clear, an echo of what she’d heard months ago, when Braddock had spoken other words.
Alice looked over her shoulder, but Collin and Stella were gone.
Coop took a step toward Braddock, putting himself in arms' reach. "You stay away from my sister," he growled.
"Maybe you should stay away from her," Braddock said. "You're the reason she's out here working herself into a shadow?—”
