Page 5 of Cooper's Salvation
“How have I been?” She stared at him, incredulous. “How. Have. I. Been? You disappeared off the face of the earth, not so much as a ‘Hey, how are you’ and now you reappear with a ‘How’ve you been, K?’” Her chest heaved with emotion, anger topmost on the list. “I’ve been just dandy.” Sarcasm dripped from her words.
Cooper ducked his head, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck. Quietly, he replied, “I’m sorry, K. It’s been a hell of a year. I kinda got lost in my own trauma. I never meant to hurt you. I was just trying to put myself back together.”
Kara took a deep breath. And then another. In the rational part of her brain, she knew she was beingirrational. She knew the kind of hell she’d been through since they’d told her Tom was dead. Kara could only imagine how much worse it had been for Cooper. It didn’t mean it hurt less that he hadn’t reached out to her in a year.
“Why are you here, Coop?”
“Have coffee with me. Let me explain. And apologize.”
“I –” Kara wasn’t sure how to respond. She was mad at him, yet she yearned to have him back in her life. But was she ready to forgive him for abandoning her when she’d needed him most? She sighed.
“Let me think about it, okay? I know I shouldn’t be, but I’m mad at you.”
He nodded. “I understand.”
“I doubt it.” How could he understand when she didn’t understand it herself? Shaking the thought from her head, she asked, “Why now?”
“I’ve just recently moved back to the area. I’ll be taking up a training post at the base, and I need a vet for Daisy. I asked Tori if she could recommend someone, and she told me you had a practice here. Since you already know Daisy and she’s comfortable with you, I figured you were the only choice.” Cooper dragged a hand down his face. “I don’t know why I was surprised. I guess I just imagined you’d want to get away from here.”
“Where would I go? This is my home. I made a life here with Tom. He was the only family I had. Besides you.”
He shuffled his feet, looking uncomfortable at Kara’s words, but remained silent.
When she could no longer stand the awkward silence, Kara patted the stainless-steel examination table. “Well, come then, Ms. Daisy. Up you come. Let’s get you checked out.”
Without a second’s hesitation, the big dog jumped up onto the table.
“Platz, Daisy.” At the German command, Daisy settled down on her belly, her bright eyes focused on her master. Kara watched as Cooper reached out a large hand, running it tenderly over the German Shepherd’s flank before reaching into his back pocket for the inoculation card.
Kara took the card. Reading through it quickly, she made notes in the newly opened file. She checked the big dog over carefully, thoroughly, making more notes in her file. When she was finished, Kara reached into a jar on the nearby counter and offered a treat to the dog.
“Daisy appears to be in good health. I see Darby weighed her. Her weight it optimal, and I see her inoculations are all up to date, so I’m happy.” Leaning down to rub her forehead on the top of the dog’s head, Kara spoke to her directly. “You’re such a good girl, aren’t you sweet baby? Shall we go see your baby?” The dog gave a quiet huff as if agreeing with Kara.
“Hier, Daisy.Fuss.” She hopped off the table and came to heel beside Cooper. He looked over at Kara, his face unreadable, saying, “Lead the way.”
She couldn’t help but wonder what was behind the inscrutable mask.
2
Closing the car door behind Daisy after she’d jumped onto the backseat of his SUV, Cooper blew out a breath. He’d known today would be difficult, but he hadn’t taken into account how hard dealing with Kara’s hurt would be.
He couldn’t blame her. He’d disappeared right when she’d needed a friend. But God, the past year had about crippled him. Nightmares had dogged his sleep until he’d been too afraid to sleep at all. Until he’d be awake for days at a stretch before his body just shut down. Then the vicious cycle would start all over again.
The day Cooper had run into Kara at the Healing Heroes animal sanctuary had been the only time he’d seen her in the year since the ambush. But when he’d returned to town, finally ready to take up his training position at the fort, Cooper’d known he would have to take his courage in both hands and pay her a visit.
If she was mad about the year he’d been gone, there was no telling how furious Kara would be if she accidentally bumped into him in town. All that aside, he’d missed her. Post-traumatic stress and a hefty dose of survivor’s guilt had kept him away. But there was no denying that her absence from his life had left a hole in it a mile wide.
Military life taught their members to rely on each other, to work as a team, and eventually they became family. Tom and Kara had become his family away from home. The day everything had gone to hell in the blink of an eye, Cooper had lost too many brothers and sisters. Only one of three survivors, it ate at him that he’d made it home, albeit broken and bruised. And it was that guilt that fed the nightmares.
Deep in thought, Cooper got behind the wheel of his SUV intending to grab some dinner at a diner before heading home. As he reached for the key to start the car, an old clunker came chugging past him. A belch of black smoke came from the vehicle and then it backfired.
Time slowed and reality became suspended as he felt himself flying, unaware of having thrown himself into the back seat, landing painfully. No idea how long he lay where he landed, he finally became aware of Daisy’s soft whines and her gently licking his cheek as she lay over him. The weight of her body grounding him, anchoring him to the here and now.
A tap on his window had Cooper jolting, adrenalin flooding his system anew. He straightened in his seat and rolled the window down. An older gentleman stood beside the door, a concerned look on his face.
“Everything okay there, son?”
Dragging a shaky hand down his face, Cooper nodded. “Yes, sir.”
