War Woman (16 page)

“So where do we go from here?”

“I don’t know.”

Cooper pushed off from the door frame and came to stand in front of her. He stared down at her so intensely that she could feel her heartbeat starting to quicken but she held his gaze, not moving back when he reached out to cup her cheek. The way he looked at her made her feel like he was searching for the answer to some mystery, hoping to find it in the depths of her eyes. “Isabelle, I’ll be straight with you. I want you and I
will
have you.” The conviction in his voice caused warring sensations to erupt within her, an automatic desire to challenge his certainty, blended with thrilling anticipation.

“Maybe you will, maybe you won’t.” She stared back at him evenly, willing her body not to betray the effect he had on her.

Cooper laughed softly at her words. “Fire and ice…” He lightly caressed her bottom lip with his thumb, his eyes never leaving hers, as though he were challenging her to see what she would do. Isabelle stood firm though, and after a few seconds he smiled seductively before lowering his lips to her throat, his warm breath falling in gentle puffs on her skin as he kissed her slowly, moving his mouth languidly from just below her ear to her collarbone.  

Sweet mercy…
Her skin felt seared with heat wherever his lips trailed and her core ached for the satisfaction she knew he could provide. She wanted him, badly. There was no point in denying it anymore. For that simple reason she knew she had to put a stop to this situation before he completely overrode her defenses.

She wanted to put her hand to his chest but she wouldn’t risk touching him. There was no telling where feeling that smooth, muscled torso first-hand would lead her. So instead, she cleared her throat. “Cooper, whatever it is that’s going on between us, it’s not going any further tonight.”

He withdrew from kissing her and stared into her eyes. “Are you sure about that?”

“Yes, I’m sure.”

Noting the resolute tone of her voice, he stepped back. “Okay, if that’s what you want.”

She nodded in response.

“In that case, I’ll tell you goodnight – again – and see you tomorrow. Wear the closest thing you have to hiking boots. Sweet dreams, Isabelle.” He winked at her and headed back down the hallway, calling Jazz to follow him from the kitchen.

For the second time that night, Isabelle closed the door and leaned against it. Yeah, he was charming alright, but she’d resisted his charms, which no doubt aggravated him.
Round one to Isabelle.
She grinned at the thought as she climbed back into bed.

She hadn’t quite grasped how large Cooper’s farm was until he’d driven her around. Jazz sat in the back of the Land Rover as Cooper navigated the various farm trails, explaining the day-to-day activities of running the farm. Cooper slowed down as they reached the end of a trail that finished at the base of a forested slope.

“It’s on foot from now.” He indicated for her to leave the car as he let Jazz out and then led her up the slope. Jazz bounded ahead, sniffing eagerly and looking back to make sure Isabelle and Cooper were following as she advanced ahead of them.

“I’ve finished with your family’s records.” Isabelle stepped over the gnarled root of a tree as she walked side by side with Cooper.

“Did you find anything useful?”

“Unfortunately not. Well, not that you would see it as unfortunate…”

Cooper smiled at her. “I’m sorry.”

“Uh huh, sure you are.”

“No, really. I know this is important to you. Like you said last night, you were drawn to helping the protestors. I understand it’s frustrating that you can’t.”

“Hey, just because I haven’t found any leads with your records, doesn’t mean I won’t find them elsewhere. I’m not giving up that easily.”

“And that’s what makes you a great lawyer. Okay, we’re almost there. Can you hear it?”

Isabelle paused and listened. In the distance she could hear a faint rumbling. “Is that the waterfall?”

“Mhmm. Less than ten minutes and we’ll be there.”

They continued on until Isabelle could see the trees starting to thin out as they neared the edge of a clearing. Cresting the rise that blocked their line of sight, Isabelle halted in her tracks. “That’s impossible…”

    Cooper turned to face her and was immediately concerned by the shocked expression on her face. “Isabelle, what’s wrong?”

“Am I dreaming?” She reached out and touched the bark of a nearby tree. “It feels real. I was so sure I wasn’t dreaming.”

“Isabelle, you’re not dreaming. Tell me what’s wrong.” He grasped her arm and the contact caused her to focus back on him. “I’ve seen this place before.”

“I thought you said you’ve never been to the area.”

“I haven’t. I’ve seen it in a dream.”

He released his grasp as she brushed past him and walked into the clearing, coming to stand by the edge of the pool. The water rippled as it had in the dream, too deep to see the bottom. Standing so close to the waterfall, it sounded just like it had in the dream. She looked up at the large rock which loomed over the pool, noting how the spray of water made the top of the rock wet.

Cooper came up to stand behind her. “Are you okay?”

She spoke without turning around. “You don’t understand. It’s my dream. Exactly. I’ve been having a recurring dream over the past few months. Each time I’m climbing up that rock.” She indicated the rock with a gesture of her hand. “Each time I stop at the top and look around at the trees and the sunlight and the shadow. The waterfall spray always touches my face and my hands and then I look down at the pool. That pool.” She stared at the pool in front of her. “I feel so happy in the dream. So free. Then I wake up. I don’t know why I keep having it but it’s this waterfall, Cooper. This place, exactly.”

Cooper rested his hand on her arm. She was trembling slightly. “I believe you, Isabelle.”

She turned suddenly to face him. “Do you? Because I’m not sure I do…” She let out a nervous laugh but he didn’t miss the underlying panic.

“Isabelle, listen to me. Whatever is going on, we’ll figure it out together.”

“You were in my dream.”

“What?”

“I had the dream last night but when I looked into the pool you were swimming in it. You said ‘Come find me’. I’ve never dreamed of anybody in the pool before.”

“Perhaps you dreamed that because I told you I swim here sometimes.”

“Yeah, I thought the same thing. But it didn’t feel like the truth...”

He stepped close to her and framed her face in his hands. “Isabelle, I want you to think about the dream. Is there anything that happens in it that you haven’t told me?”

“No, I always climb the rock and then sit on it and look around at the surrounding landscape.”

“Okay, come with me.” He took her hand and led her to the rock.

“What are you doing?”

“The rock is the focus in your dream. You look at the pool but you don’t go in. You look around at the trees but you don’t walk through them. Your actions are always climbing up the rock and then sitting on it, right?”

“Yes.”

“The rock is your anchor point to the things around you, so it’s what we need to focus on now.”

She nodded slowly, understanding his reasoning. “Okay.”
This is insane.
Reaching her hand out, she grasped the rock surface and climbed to the top until she was sitting just as she had in her dream. She closed her eyes, focusing on the spray that touched her face. The sounds around her seemed to fade into the distance as she sat, and then she focused on the feel of the rock beneath her. What had felt rugged and cool beneath her fingers now started to heat up as scattered emotions filtered through her body…there was love for the land…fierce joy…a sense of freedom…and then another kind of love…different to the first…

Isabelle opened her eyes and looked down at Cooper. “Something happened here. I don’t know what but it was joyful…there was love…so much love, but I’m not sure for what.” She stood up and climbed back down the rock. “I’ve got that feeling again though, like I’m missing something right in front of me.” She stared at the rock, then gasped. “Not in front, under! We need to dig under the rock.”

Cooper glanced at her. “Are you sure?”

She nodded. Without needing further encouragement, Cooper bent down to kneel on the ground next to the rock. “Jazz, come here, girl.” He whistled and after a few seconds the dog appeared from her investigations in the surrounding forest and trotted up to him. He pointed to the ground and uttered, “Jazz, dig.” Immediately the dog started digging as Isabelle leaned back from the dirt that started flying out behind the dog.

“You trained your dog to dig? I thought people tried to stop their dogs doing that?” She looked quizzically at Cooper as Jazz continued digging, a look of delight on her face.

Cooper chuckled. “It comes natural to her so I decided to work with her instincts. She helps me dig stuff up on the farm and gets entertained while doing it. Win-win situation.”

They continued to watch her digging until Isabelle spotted something that contrasted with the dark color of the dirt. “Stop! She’s found something!”

“Jazz, back! Good girl, sit.” Cooper leaned forward and brushed the dirt with his hands, uncovering a piece of material. “Whatever this is, it’s seen better days.” Carefully he scooped around the material until he had uncovered what looked like the remains of a small cloth, with rocks nestled in the middle. Isabelle bent down next to him and stared at what they had uncovered. “Are they crystals?”

“Looks like it. It seems they were wrapped up in some sort of protective material, I’d guess leather from the appearance.” He reached out to touch the crystals but Isabelle held him back.

“Hold on, I want to get some pictures first.” Taking out her phone, she snapped a few photos of their discovery before storing her phone back in her pocket. “Okay, go ahead.”

Cooper carefully lifted the crystals out of the hole and held them in the palm of his hand. “I’d say that’s probably quartz.”

Isabelle stared at the crystals, inexplicably entranced. “May I?”

“Sure.” Cooper held them out to her and she took them, brushing some of the dirt off their facets before holding them up to the light. The wave of grief hit her so hard that it stole her breath, causing her to drop the crystals in shock before gasping for breath.

“Isabelle!” Cooper was by her side in an instant, the crystals forgotten as he grasped her shoulders firmly. “Isabelle, look at me.”

She did, tears forming in her eyes as her breathing calmed. “So much pain…”

“You’re in pain? Where? Tell me where it hurts.”

“No…I’m not in pain.” Isabelle lifted her hands to grasp Cooper’s arms as they steadied her. Focusing on the heat and nearness of him, she breathed deeply for a few moments until she felt calm again. “I felt the pain but at the same time it wasn’t my pain. There was death, so much death.” She glanced at the crystals lying on the ground. “We need to find out what they are.” She leaned down to pick them up but Cooper grabbed her hand. “I don’t think you should touch those again.”

“It’s okay. They won’t hurt me.”

“How do you know that?”

“I just do. Trust me, Cooper.” She reached around him and picked up the crystals. He watched her apprehensively but nothing happened.

Making their way back down the slope to his car, they drove immediately to the local museum in Crooked Creek. The curator examined the crystals and the photos that Isabelle had taken but couldn’t say with any certainty what their purpose was, though he confirmed that they were indeed quartz. Neither Isabelle nor Cooper had mentioned the sensations Isabelle had gotten from holding the crystals.

Disappointed that they hadn’t gotten anywhere in their efforts to find out more about the crystals, Isabelle stood outside the museum, the crystals stored in a packet that the curator had kindly supplied.

“Any ideas?” Cooper stood beside her, watching her out of the corner of his eye for any signs of distress caused by the crystals. She might be carefree with her safety, but it didn’t mean he had to be.

Isabelle, oblivious to his surreptitious scrutiny, considered the events that had taken place over the last few days. “I was drawn to this case between you and the protestors and I’m drawn to your land. I found these crystals under the rock I’ve dreamed about for months before I came here. Then I experienced all those emotions from touching the crystals, in a similar way to how you experienced a rush of emotions when you shook my hand. I think these crystals have something to do with the protestors’ claims on behalf of the Cherokee. So that’s where we need to go. We have to find the Cherokee who live in the area and ask them if they know what these crystals are.” She took out her phone and dialed Vivienne, who was able to provide directions to a house nearby.