The Perfect Homecoming (Pine River) (16 page)

TWELVE

Cooper had liked Luke Kendrick the moment he’d met him. He had an easy way about him, seemed very much at home running interference between his brother and his dad, and took ribbing in stride.

Their friendship had begun the night Cooper had dinner with the Kendricks. As Cooper had begun to describe the sort of sports they would like to stage here, Luke’s eyes had lit with the possibilities. He’d been showing Cooper around for a couple of days, and it had been a blast.

Last night, the two of them had a beer at the Rocky Creek Tavern. “I know exactly where to take you,” Cooper had said, pointing a beer bottle at Cooper. “I can’t believe I haven’t thought of it before. Trace Canyon. No one’s ever back up in there except the Forest Service. There are some great gullies, some great rock faces. I’ll take you up tomorrow if you have time.”

Of course Cooper had time. He let the calls from Carl roll to voice mail; he didn’t want his fun to be ruined with Carl’s paranoia.

Like Jackson, Luke seemed to think the warnings about the canyon were more informational than instructional, and took Cooper all over Trace Canyon. They drove up logging roads and scoped out some great ravines for cliff jumping and temporary zip lines. The waterfall Luke had in mind was frozen, but in summer, he explained how it was the perfect place to rappel down to the pool below, then catch some white water another five hundred feet down.

Luke drove Cooper up the sunny side of Mount Cielo as far as he could, then pointed out where the rock face looked as if it had been sheared off by a giant knife. It was unthinkable to be this high up at this time of year without two skis strapped to one’s feet, but the ongoing drought made it a perfect day for two men to play.

Luke apparently had the same thought. “Want to scale it?” he asked with a slightly maniacal grin—the sort of grin Cooper used to see on his partners. “I’ve got some gear in the back.”

“Can we get up there?” Cooper asked, peering at the trail.

“It’s worth a try,” Luke said. “But we better do it while we can. Dad says a front’s coming through tonight. This will be covered by snow tomorrow.”

“Let’s do it,” Cooper said without hesitation.

It was a hard go, especially when they had to crawl over an ice pack, but they made it to the rock face. Cooper went up twenty feet just to te
st the theory that it would work for some soft studio execs. They both agreed it was doable.

Everything Cooper saw in Trace Canyon was perfect for what TA had in mind. Everything he saw was perfect for
him.
This setting—outdoors,
mountains, small mountain villages—was where Cooper felt most at home
.
He was most comfortable with himself in the wild, when he had nothing but his own strength and stamina to rely on. It was a contest to him—how far, how high, how hard could he go? He had not yet found his limit.

The wind was turning and coming out of the north when they headed down from Trace Canyon. When they reached the point where cell service kicked in, Cooper noticed he had a missed call from his partner Eli.

Eli was a year older than him, a year or two older than Jack and Michael, and since they’d been boys, Eli had always acted like the elder statesman of their group, the voice of reason among the unruly.
Sure it’s a good idea to blow up a beehive? Really think you ought to aim that gun at Jack?
To this day, Cooper valued his opinion. He called him.

“What’s up?” he asked when Eli answered his phone.

“Carl Freeman called today and he was mad enough to kick his own dog,” Eli drawled.

“That’s mad,” Cooper agreed.

“Says he can’t get hold of you. What’s going on?”

“I’ve been doing a little sightseeing,” Cooper said vaguely. “Emma has it. She just doesn’t want to admit it yet, which I explained to Carl. He needs to be patient. She’s going to give in if for no other reason than to get me off her back.”

“On her back, huh?” Eli said. “So the rumors about her are true.”

“Funny,” Cooper said, but Eli’s joke settled wrong in him. He thought about the way she’d looked that night on Elm Street, her eyes shimmering, her smile a little pert. She was everything a guy could want—or at least everything
he
could want—and her reputation didn’t feel right to him. There was a lot more to the story; he could feel it. But he didn’t say that to Eli.

“Carl’s a studio head,” Eli said, and yawned. “Patience isn’t his thing. What do you want me to tell him?”

“Tell him that I’ll have it by the end of the week.”

“I hope so,” Eli said. “He’s going to come at us with both barrels if you don’t. I’ll call him and talk him off his tiny little divorce ledge. So did you find any good spots for us?”

“Some
great
spots,” Cooper said, and filled Eli in on Trace Canyon.

When he hung up, Luke was looking at him with an inquisitive expression. “I realize I’ve known you for only a couple of days,” he said, “but I have to ask—what’s going on with Emma? Anything we ought to be worried about?”

“No,” Cooper said. “It’s a misunderstanding.” He explained to Luke that a mutual friend thought Emma had something that belonged to him and left it at that. He’d already said enough about Emma in front of Leo and had managed to get his back up. And besides, something Leo had said about Emma had intrigued Cooper, had made him think that maybe he didn’t really know her like he’d thought. It was the mention of her donation to the afterschool program. That, on the heels of hearing about her interest in the kids at the park, and the job she’d taken with Leo was all so
. . .
unexpected. Unbelievable, really, given her reputation across LA. These new pieces of information about her didn’t sound like a woman who didn’t care about anyone but herself. They made Emma sound like she
did
care and maybe, that she longed for something.

“Madeline thinks she purposely tries to antagonize,” Luke mentioned. “I’m not so sure about that. Sometimes, she pops off and says something off the wall, then looks surprised that she’s offended anyone.” He laughed, as if he found that amusing. “I may be wrong, but I just have a gut feeling about her. And God knows Leo can’t say enough about her,” Luke said, and grinned. “But then again, Leo thinks she’s totally into him.”

Cooper smiled. “Maybe she is.”

“Whatever, I have to give the woman props when it comes to my brother,” he added with a shake of his head. “We don’t pay her a dime to come around and sit with Leo, you know? But she comes every day, and it’s a great help to my dad. Not that he’ll admit it,” he said with a lopsided smile, “because Dad likes to think he’s the only one who can take care of Leo. But she really has been a big help. She takes Leo outside and watches movies with him and reads to him. She makes sure everything is clean because Leo’s immunity is not great. She does a lot for him.”

Cooper silently considered that. It was all so curious, as if two different women were inhabiting that beautiful body.

“So when are you heading back to LA?” Luke asked.

“Soon,” Cooper said. “But not for a few days yet.” He still hadn’t settled on how, exactly, to get the medal out of Emma. Maybe because he’d been enjoying the great outdoors too much to worry about Carl’s problem for a bit.

“Great! If we get the kind of snow my dad says we’re supposed to get, the best skiing will be up at Wolf Creek. We’re close enough we could drive up early one morning and get a few runs in if you have time.”

Cooper grinned. “I think that could definitely be arranged.” It used to be this way with the guys of TA. Impromptu, spur-of-the-moment extreme weekends. It had been routine for so long. But now, Cooper couldn’t remember the last time they’d decided at five o’clock on a Friday they were going to drive up the coast and do some windsurfing. He missed that more than he’d realized.

Yes, Cooper liked Luke a lot.

They chatted about some of the crazier sports they’d been involved in on the drive back to Pine River. Thick clouds were beginning to roll in, blanketing the valley in a dull gray light. As they neared the turnoff to Homecoming Ranch, Luke said, “Why don’t you come up and join us for dinner? Libby and Sam will be there with Madeline and Emma. Maddie is making lasagna. She isn’t much of a cook, but she makes a mean lasagna.”

“I’m empty-handed,” Cooper said, lifting his palms faceup. “And I’m dirty. I’ve been scaling rock faces.”

“We’ve got showers,” Luke said. “A surprising number of them, actually. I’ve got a clean shirt you can borrow. As for the empty hands, I picked up some beer today. It’s in the back of the truck.”

“I’ve imposed on you enough, Luke.”

“This has been no imposition, are you kidding?” Luke scoffed. “I haven’t been up in the mountains in a while. Come on, it will be a good time,” Luke said. “And did I mention? Emma will be there, too. Maybe you can get back the thing she has.” He grinned.

Cooper laughed. “I guess I’m in,” he said, and frankly, he was grateful for the invitation. Anything was better than going back to the Beaver Room.

When Luke pulled into the drive in front of the house, Madeline bounded out onto the porch, but halted on the top step. Cooper opened the passenger door, and her face lit with delight.
“Hey!”
she said, hopping down the steps. “What a nice surprise!”

“Hello, Madeline,” Cooper said.

“I invited him for dinner,” Luke said, coming around the back of his truck. He planted a kiss on the top of her head. “Hope you don’t mind.”

“Of course I don’t mind,” she said, poking Luke in the ribs. “It’s lasagna. That’s all we ever eat around here. Come in, Cooper! Libby and Sam are in the kitchen.”

Cooper cleaned off his boots as best he could, then walked in to meet Libby and her boyfriend, Sam Winters. Sam was a deputy sheriff, he said, and looked a little like Luke—big, muscular, and trim. He had the shadow of a beard and dark golden-brown hair that was longer than was stylish. He was quiet, and he didn’t say much, but Cooper could see how much he adored Libby.

Libby practically leapt into Cooper’s arms. “I can’t believe it!” she said breathlessly, hugging him as if they were cousins instead of slight acquaintances. “Cooper, right? Is it okay if we call you Cooper?”

“Let him breathe, baby,” Sam said low.

Libby laughed and pushed her dark corkscrew curls out of her eyes. “I hope you like lasagna. That’s all Madeline ever makes.”

“It’s not the only thing!” Madeline protested from the kitchen.

“Cooper is going to shower in the guest bath,” Luke said. “I’m going to grab a shirt for him to borrow.”

Cooper and Sam chatted about all the places Luke had taken Cooper today as they waited for Luke to return with a clean shirt. Once Sam understood what Cooper was doing in town, he was very interested, too. “I don’t know how you feel about fly-fishing, but I can show you some of the best waters in Colorado for it.”

“Oh, please, say you’ll go with him, Cooper,” Libby begged. “Then I don’t have to.”

“You don’t like to fish?”

“I have no idea if I like it or not. But I am very sure I don’t like hooks in my face.”

Cooper looked at Sam; Sam grinned fondly at Libby. “She’s heard one too many tales from Tag down at Tag’s Outfitters,” he said.

Luke returned with a clean T-shirt and showed him to a shower. When Cooper had cleaned up, and had combed his fingers through his hair to tame it as best he could, he made his way back to the front of the house. He stepped outside and jogged down the steps to Luke’s truck to toss his dirty shirt inside, and noticed that the temperature had taken quite a dip since they’d come up to the ranch.

Cooper returned to the house, pausing at the front door to clean the bottom of his boots again on the welcome mat. He heard someone on the stairs and looked up; a moment later, a pair of very shapely legs in skintight jeans came into view.

And then the rest of the body appeared, along with that cascade of blond hair and the sultry green eyes. The sight of him caused Emma to falter a bit; she paused on the bottom step, her gaze raking him up and down. “Well, well, look who’s back for more.”

He smiled. “You’re awfully sure of yourself.” She ought to be sure of herself, because she looked fantastic, her hair in one long tail, and her sweater hugging her almost as tight as her jeans. The memory of that completely calculated, but thoroughly pleasurable, kiss skated across Cooper’s mind for what could possibly be the thousandth time. “You shouldn’t be surprised to see me—I told you I’d see you around, remember?”

“Oh, I remember,” she said, and leaned up against the banister, folding her arms across herself. “But most people call before they show up at someone’s house. I’d love to humor your little detective work today, but unfortunately, I can’t talk to you now because we’re having dinner. It’s
family
night. It’s Libby’s thing, and she gets very cranky when we don’t all show up.”

“Sounds like a great idea,” Cooper said. He shifted his weight to one hip.

Emma frowned.
“Sooo . . .”
she said, drawing out the word, “you should make it quick. Go ahead, ask me if I have the thing Carl lost so I can say no, and then you can run back to town, and I will obey my summons to family night.”