Turbulent Intentions (16 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Three days came and went without Cooper making another move on her. Stormy wondered if that had been his one and only attempt at romance. The thought of it was slightly heartbreaking, even if it was for the best.

Then one night she couldn’t stand being in her room any longer and found herself slowly coming down the stairs, unsure if she were intruding on Cooper or not. Before she saw anything, Stormy could hear the crackling of a fire and the smell of something delicious in the air. The darkened house was lit by the flickering glow that emanated from the great room.

The couch was positioned in front of the fire with the coffee table in between. On the table were two plates and two glasses of wine. Cooper sat quietly on one end of the couch, looking incredibly inviting.

Her cheeks flamed. What if he had a date? The thought of that made her eyes prickle with tears, though she felt like a fool to be feeling that way. It would be good if he had a date, she tried convincing herself. But the pressure on her chest assured her she really didn’t feel that way at all.

She turned around to scamper away before he could see her humiliation. But that’s when he called out to her.

“Come sit, Stormy.”

“What is this?” she questioned as she turned back to him.

“You’re on my mind constantly. I thought we’d have a nice evening together,” he told her.

Stormy’s breath caught as she looked at this man telling her that she meant something to him. Was it real? It seemed real. He felt real.

She had two choices. She could accept the invitation or she could run and hide. Stormy was sick of running and hiding. So she moved forward and sat—on the other end of the couch, which made Cooper chuckle.

Handing her a glass of wine, he raised his own in a toast.

“This is to you, Miss Stormy Halifax. You make me . . . I don’t know, feel something I haven’t felt in a very long time.”

Dang, she loved hearing him say this to her. It brought back that moonlit walk, that night when she had felt special. Was her prince back to stay?

“Thank you, Cooper. You’ve been incredible,” she said.

“I should warn you, I’m doing all I can to get you to come back to my bed—willingly,” he said with a smile and a wink.

She flushed as the image of the two of them entwined on his bed shot to the forefront of her mind. Oh, how she wanted that more than she wanted breath. But it couldn’t happen. She decided it was time to change the subject.

“Now that I’ve met your brothers, why don’t you tell me more about your family?”

“That’s a boring topic,” he said with a slight choke. Of course it was a lie.

“I’ve met the Armstrongs, or a good amount of you, and boring is never something I would use to describe your family,” Stormy said with a raised eyebrow.

“My dad was a pilot for Pan Am, but died several years ago. My mother was a talented photographer who sold her art in galleries around the country. Just your average family, really—I have three brothers, no sisters.”

“That would explain all the photographs of you around the house. You obviously enjoy spending time with your family.”

“Yes, my brothers and I are incredibly close.”

“Okay, so I know Nick is in the Coast Guard, but what does Maverick do?”

“Are you sure you want to hear about them? I’m much more interesting,” he said with a laugh.

She agreed. But to know him she needed to know his family, too.

“Yes, I’m sure I want to hear.”

“All right. First there’s Nick, who you know is a Coast Guard pilot. Then there’s Maverick, who flies an F-18 for the Airforce and is based here at McChord Field. Then there’s Ace . . . Ace has been away for a while.”

The slight crack in his voice intrigued her, but she could see that wasn’t something she could push him to talk about so she didn’t.

“It’s really cool that you all share a love of flying,” she mumbled.

“Yeah, it just sort of happened. Our father and our uncle were pilots, and we all fell in love with flying at a young age, none of us realizing that it would become a career for us,” he explained.

“What made each of you choose such different avenues of flying?”

“I don’t know, to tell you the truth. When I decided to do it as a profession, I wanted to fly bigger and bigger planes, though I’m telling you it’s not as much of a joy as flying my personal aircraft. Mav always wants adventure and speed, and I think Nick likes being a hero,” he said.

“You are quite the trio,” she said. She desperately wanted to ask about Ace, but he wasn’t speaking of his youngest brother so she didn’t want to pry.

“Do you want more wine?”

“I think I’m good,” she told him, knowing she didn’t want to lose her wits.

The darkness of the room, the warm fire, and the wine were quickly sinking her resolve. And the look in Cooper’s eyes nearly burned her alive.

“Good, then I’m going to hold you.”

He didn’t give her a chance to refuse him; he simply stood up, picked her up, and then sat back down, pulling her onto his lap.

“I don’t think this is a good idea, Cooper,” she said, though she wasn’t trying to pull away.

“A lot of things in life aren’t a good idea,” he replied.

His hand trailed down her back and Stormy leaned into him without even realizing it. This man was affecting her more than she wanted him to.

He said nothing else and she felt her eyes drooping as her head rested against his chest. She struggled with whether to take this to the next level, to make love with him again . . .

Soon the decision was out of her hands. She drifted peacefully to sleep.

Cooper glanced down, realizing Stormy had relaxed enough in his arms to let her guard down. Smiling, he gazed at her peaceful beauty. He leaned in and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

“We’re getting closer,” he whispered.

He slowly stood, cradling her in his arms. He was falling for this woman in a way he’d told himself he never would. And it was both terrifying and exciting. But even being shaken to his bones, he still couldn’t manage to take her to her own room.

He slipped inside his door and laid her on the bed, not even letting her go for a moment as he clasped her in his arms and held on tight.

For the first time in a long while, he fell asleep with his lips tilted up.

CHAPTER THIRTY

The ringing of the doorbell startled Stormy as she was putting the finishing touches on a new bouquet on the kitchen table. She’d never had access to beautiful flowers, and now that she did, she decided it was a luxury she would continue when her time at Cooper’s was over. She loved how bright they were and how they left a subtle scent in the air.

She turned toward the door. It was the first time someone had come to the house with just her there. She didn’t know why she was concerned.

Obviously whoever was visiting had the code to the gate to get in, so there was nothing to worry about.

When she peeked out the side window and found Sherman standing outside, she immediately unlocked the house and threw the door wide open.

“I’ve missed you,” she said, not hesitating as she threw her arms around him.

“I was going to say the same thing, young lady. I thought you promised to call me when you were free for a visit.”

“Oh, Sherman, I’m so sorry. I’ve been busy with work, and well . . .” She trailed off.

“What are you hiding from me?” He was on instant alert.

“It’s nothing. But I did want to ask you what is happening with the cottage. There are guys there, but they don’t seem to know what they are doing. And then no one will be there for days at a time. One time I even saw three men sitting out there on the cottage porch drinking beers,” she finished in a hushed voice.

His cheeks flushed, and she figured he was probably upset. She didn’t want to get anyone fired, but she also thought it fair to let him know what was happening.

“I will have to check in on that,” he finally murmured. “Now tell me what it is that you’re hiding. I know it’s something.”

Should she tell this man she was dating his nephew? What if he thought she was using Cooper? That would break her heart. Still, the way he was looking at her made her feel like she had to confess.

“I’ve sort of been dating Cooper, if you could call it dating, but I probably shouldn’t say we’re dating. It’s more just . . .”

She trailed off. Had she really just been about to tell Cooper’s uncle that she and Cooper were friends with benefits? What in the heck was wrong with her?

“Cooper sure talks about you an awful lot,” Sherman said with a secret smile she couldn’t quite understand.

“Yeah, well, we are living under the same roof,” she easily explained.

“Are you happy with him?” Sherman asked as he moved into the kitchen. He grabbed a soda and some chips and then sat down.

“Yes, but it isn’t anything serious,” she said, not wanting this conversation to get back to Cooper and freak the man out.

“Any time two people are in an intimate relationship, there’s nothing casual about it,” Sherman assured her, making her squirm in front of him. The only thing holding her in place right now was that she had convinced herself it was nothing serious.

“That’s not what I meant exactly,” she hedged.

“I wasn’t born yesterday, missy, and you know there are many forms of intimacy. Don’t mistake what you have with my nephew as casual.”

“He holds himself back,” she said, feeling as if she were tattling.

“There’s been a lot that’s happened in his life. There’s reasons for that, but he’s opened up a lot since meeting you. I’ve seen him blossom in the past month or so,” Sherman assured her.

“He doesn’t talk about his past. I don’t know a heck of a lot about him, actually,” she said with frustration. “Besides the fact that he’s a pilot and has pilot brothers and one who is gone.”

“The boys had a very difficult time when they lost their father six years ago. It wasn’t easy on any of them, and they had to do some growing up,” Sherman said with a sigh.

“Six years ago?” she asked.

“Yes. Why?”

He’d immediately clued in to her uncomfortable shuffle on her seat.

“No reason,” she said, not making eye contact. Had Cooper’s father died before they’d had their night together? If she had the courage to ask him, she just might know. “What’s happened with his family?”

“I’m not one to gossip,” Sherman said before smiling.

They both knew that was as far from the truth as a polar bear living in Arizona.

“I won’t say a word to anyone,” she promised, holding her fingers up and sealing her lips.

Sherman smiled as he got a bit more comfortable. This might be a long story.

“The four brothers were once so close, but life has a way of sweeping our feet out from beneath us,” he said with sadness.

“Please tell me what happened. I want to understand.” Anytime Ace’s name was mentioned, Cooper became instantly distant. She wanted to know why.

“I’m warning you it’s a long story . . .”

“It’s a good thing I have nowhere to go,” she replied.

“Well, it begins when Bill and I were just kids,” Sherman said.

“I wish I could have met him. He sounds like a smart man, and a great father,” Stormy said.

“Yes, he was a great man. And he saw a pattern starting to form with his boys. A pattern that terrified him . . .”

His eyes became distant as he slipped into the past and began speaking. “A long time ago, Cooper’s father and I lived a privileged life. We knew only excess, but excess doesn’t make for a happy life, at least not when you live under the abusive hand of an alcoholic father and a mother too weak to stand up for herself, let alone us. Of course, in those days, people kept to themselves and the help didn’t dare intervene or stop the beatings. All they could do was console us and cover our bruises with fine clothing. As children, we needed an escape, a place to freely wander and explore, to be children, free from the oppression of our drunken father and his plans to shape us into the rulers of his financial empire.” He paused, seemingly looking into the past by the glaze in his eyes.

Stormy didn’t interrupt.

“Bill was five years older than me, so I was only ten years old when he met Evelyn. It was love at first sight, even though they were so young. Evelyn’s family was all farmers, but they were pilots, too, mostly crop dusting and such. Well, in any case, never mind what a looker Evelyn was, Bill could have her—I was instantly in love with the airplanes. It took Bill a little longer to become infatuated, but soon both of us spent our summer days flying. It was an escape from our father. He eventually noticed we weren’t home much anymore. He decided to show us what a real man he was when he found out we’d rather hang around a poor farmer than in the luxury of our expensive home.”

Stormy wanted to tell Sherman he could stop talking. She could see how much pain this story was causing him. But she didn’t say a word and he continued on.

“I know this is about the past, but it influences what happened later with Bill and the boys,” Sherman said apologetically.

“I want to know,” she told him gently while laying a hand on his arm, hoping to ease the pain but knowing she couldn’t.

“We got home from Evelyn’s house one day and Father was drunk and pissy. He told us there were union men who were trying to encourage a general strike. Of course, Father wasn’t going to allow that, and he wanted us to see exactly what he was going to do about it, how he was going to deal with anyone who openly opposed him.”

“Oh, Sherman . . .” Stormy was afraid she knew where this was going.

“It’s okay, darling. It was a long time ago. Our father told us that the common men were nothing more than savage beasts, that their role in life was to support those smart enough to make the money. Money was what ruled the world. Without it, people were nothing. Hell, had Bill not met Evelyn, the both of us might have eventually believed that crap,” he said, obviously horrified at the idea.

“Bill and I were silent on the drive to the mill. But the driver didn’t even fully stop the car before our father jumped out at the main gate, having spotted the union rep. In front of all of his employees, he beat the man bloody, leaving him lying on the ground unconscious.”

Stormy gasped. “No one tried to stop it?”

“You don’t understand how different times were fifty years ago. Our father controlled the town. He had all the money and provided the jobs. People were afraid. I get that now, though at the time I didn’t,” Sherman said with a shake of his head.

“I couldn’t just stand there,” Stormy said, a tear falling.

“If you had children to feed, you might feel differently,” he said. It wasn’t judgment in his tone, but acceptance.

“Bill and I had never seen anything like that. We’d seen our father in a fit of rage before, and we ourselves had experienced the brutality of his temper, but we’d never seen him nearly kill a man. We were terrified. Bill grabbed me by the arm and practically dragged me from the car. We went straight to Evelyn’s place. She was in the barn with her dad working on their old bi-plane when we stumbled in.”

“Did your father chase you down?” asked Stormy.

“No. That was the last time we saw him, actually. Later that night, Father was shot and killed by the very man he had beaten. He went to the mill that night and he never came home.”

“Oh, Sherman. I’m so sorry,” she said.

“Yes, it was tragic, but it wasn’t hard to say good-bye. He’d grown worse the older he got, and we were afraid of him. Our mother was afraid. Suddenly we were free. And I think it’s because he left us that we turned out to be half-decent human beings,” Sherman said.

“Did you give up your inheritance?” she asked him. Never had she seen Sherman flashing his wealth, and he was always at that dilapidated café. It made sense.

Sherman laughed as he patted her knee. “I’m a very wealthy man, Stormy.”

She looked at him with confusion. “I don’t understand.”

“We knew we didn’t want to be like our father. But we screwed up. We screwed up big time. No, we were never as cruel as that man, but we spoiled our family, we partied hard, and played harder. We lived a lavish lifestyle for a lot of years. And then, Bill got cancer. It was one of those really nasty types that eats at a man slowly. He was dying, but he wanted to change things before it was too late,” Sherman said with a sigh.

“What things did you want to change?”

“We agreed right then and there that the money would be pulled from the boys until they figured out how to live their lives in the right way. Bill’s last words to his sons were of disappointment and Ace took it the hardest. He was the most spoiled. Bill and I spoke about it, seeing too much of his grandfather in him. We were hoping to stop that cycle. We tried explaining it, but they were too upset to listen.”

“Why would he be so angry about that? It doesn’t seem as if the others are.”

“Oh, they were all angry, but not about the money. The boys had already amassed quite the bank accounts by then. They were angry that their father thought of them as failures when he died,” Sherman told her.

“But the three I’ve met are anything but failures,” she defended.

“They’ve grown up, become fine men, and taken responsibility for their lives. But no matter how much they’ve grown, each still feels he is a disappointment to the man they all idolize. They have to work through that, and part of the process is having a woman by their side who sees them for who they truly are,” Sherman said as he looked Stormy in the eyes, making her nervous.

“Cooper and I are just friends . . . really,” she said somewhat hesitantly.

“If you think that, then you have some more growing up to do of your own,” Sherman told her, not unkindly.

She wanted to change the subject fast.

“What about Ace? Why is he angry at his brothers?” she questioned.

“He felt betrayed by his brothers when they did exactly as their father had wanted, getting jobs, changing into the men we always knew they could be,” Sherman said with a shake of his head. “He’s been on a mission to do the opposite of what his father insisted on since the reading of the will, but I know he’ll come around. He loves his family too much to stay too far away. I see him once in a while and it fills me with joy when I do. He can’t stay away from his brothers even if he tries to.”

“Why don’t they just make him talk to them?” She couldn’t imagine anyone refusing the Armstrong brothers when they were determined to do something.

“They most likely will do that eventually. They have to find
themselves
first, though, before they can save their brother.”

“I feel like I’ve invaded Cooper’s life by hearing this,” she admitted.

“Honey, I have a feeling you’re going to be the one saving Cooper.”

Stormy was silenced by his words. Long after Sherman left, she sat in the loveseat in the living room watching the fireplace flicker as the weight of his words rested on her shoulders.

She wasn’t even sure if she could save herself, let alone someone else . . .