Maybe she had to stop somewhere to buy the dog a prime rib dinner.
Coop stopped walking Betsy and placed her in the stall. Good girl, he crooned.
His sister had had a way with animals, and could always make Betsy better.
Betsy nosed around, looking for the carrot Brie had always placed there as a treat. Coops throat tightened. He stroked her withers.
Im sorry, sweetheart. You cant eat yet, not until you get over this colic.
Betsy whinnied.
I know, he whispered, laying his head against the horse. I miss her, too. But I promise, Im going to do everything she would have to get you well again.
Giving her a final pat, he headed outside, pulling up the collar of his faded sheepskin jacket. Dark storm clouds had blotted out the moon, and the night had turned wicked cold.
Inside the house, he went into the private family living room and found his mom sitting by the fireplace in the rocker Brie had always liked to use when she was home. Fiona glanced up, lines furrowing her brow.
Hows Betsy? she asked.
Better. Not exactly a lie, but he wasnt going to worry his mom any more than necessary. Horses are all fed, bedded down. Theyll be fine. And the guests?
They left a while ago. They wanted to get a head start away from the storm. I refunded the rest of their stay.
Cooper wanted to protest, but his mothers warning look stayed him. Why? he asked.
Return business is important, Cooper. I didnt want them to think we put our guests safety last and money first.
It sounded like a wonderful principle, but it wouldnt pay the bills. They were okay for now, but the first payment on the refinance of the farm was due soon.
Not to mention the costs of burying Brie...
He rubbed at the tightness in his chest. Sabrina was only twenty-six when a stray bullet pierced her body armor. Shed been responding to a routine domestic disturbance call with her partner. The husband shot them both, but Bries partner wore the standard departmental body armor.
He lived.
Brie died.
Cooper had purchased the armor especially for his baby sis when she started working as a beat cop in dangerous areas of the city. He didnt want her having the standard body armor the department issued. He wanted the best.
Now Brie lay six feet under, and Combat Gear Inc., the company that produced the defective gear, kept rolling in profits. He would hire a lawyer to sue, but the companys owner, M. E. Franklin, probably had enough money to purchase a cruise ship filled with attorneys. Coop had googled his name, but found nothing. He seemed a total mystery.
All hed found so far was that the bulletproof vests were invented by Randall Jacobs, vice president of Combat Gear Inc. Coop had done a little more checking and found out the man owned a posh summer home on a lake near here. Once he got over some of his grief, maybe hed pay the man a visit.
He studied his mother, worried about the purple shadows beneath her eyes. Today had been a tough day. Federal authorities had opened an investigation at last into Bries death after someone tipped them off about the faulty bulletproof vests. Hed sent the family lawyer to give a statement to the Feds and the media.
Dredging up Bries death had opened old wounds. For all of them.
Fionas warm brown gaze sharpened as she looked up at the antique clock on the fireplace mantel. Isnt your guest overdue? I made up the cottage with fresh linens and blankets, and stacked firewood.
Coop stiffened. I thought she could stay at the inn.
She has a vicious dog. Better if she stays in the cottage. His mother gave him a knowing look. With you.
Uh-oh. He recognized that spark in her eye. No. Maybe for the night, but, ah, no. I can find a place for the dog. He flexed his hands in their worn leather gloves. The cottage behind the barn, with a fabulous view of the White Mountains, had been Bries retreat.
Brie would approve of a woman in trouble staying there, Fiona said in her gentle way. You cant keep that house as a memorial to your sister, Cooper. You have to let go sometime.
It hasnt even been six months. He went to the fireplace to warm his chilled body. And Im not sure how much trouble this Meg is in. She lives in Palm Beach and shes rich. She looks like a spoiled beauty queen.
Dont judge. Your friend Jarrett vouched for her. Isnt that enough?
Guilt pinched him. Coop turned around with a sigh and squinted at the now-darkened skies. Ill try calling the number he gave me for her cell phone.
But after dialing it, it kept ringing. Fat flakes of snow began to fall as he paced the porch. Coop pocketed his cell and went inside.
Id better go look for her.
Call me when you find her. Fiona always worried ever since Bries death.
Of course.
Gathering several blankets, he tugged his wool Stetson low over his brow, pulled up his collar and went outside. A blast of icy air slammed into him, sending a chill snaking down his spine. Cooper climbed into the Ford pickup and started the engine.
Damn nasty night to be outside. Maybe the princess had decided to sightsee and didnt have the foresight, or the courtesy, to phone and let him know shed be delayed. But as he drove through the increasing snowflakes, worry niggled him.
Coop knew his irritation masked a greater emotiongrief. It was far easier to give way to anger than to examine the winking light of deep grief that had gripped him since theyd lowered Brie into the ground. Hed refused to cry, held back the tidal wave of sorrow so he could stay strong for his family.
Focus. It was what had gotten him through missions with the team and brought him home alive time after time. He squinted as the trucks headlights barely pierced the thick gloom of snow.
If shes decided to hole up in some ritzy hotel and Im out here for nothing, Ill really be pissed.
But the same tingle that skated down his spine grew stronger. Gut instinct. Had saved his butt a time or two before on missions, so he never ignored it.
Instead of continuing down the main road, he turned off the side road that was a shortcut leading to the farm. Jarrett had given Meg directions, a disposable cell phone that couldnt be tracked, and the fastest way to get to the farm. If Meg used this road and her car had broken down by chance, shed be doomed because only locals used the shortcut.
And most locals were smart enough to be snug at home, curled up by the fire with mugs of hot chocolate, not riding around in a late-autumn blizzard.
He drove for two miles and was nearly ready to give up when he spotted an older model white sedan parked by the roadside. It looked deserted, but the tingle down his spine intensified.
Cooper parked behind the car and got out. A blast of icy wind slammed into him, slicing his cheeks like tiny darting needles. Damn, that was cold! The snow had stopped and turned to freezing rain. Driving on these roads was gonna be hell, but the truck was steady and he knew this turf.
His sole concern focused now on the occupant of the car. Using his Maglite flashlight he always carried in the truck, he shone light into the car.
A slender woman and a dog lay on the backseat curled up beneath a quilt. Neither responded as he opened the door. The dome light overhead didnt even turn on.
Damn it! Cooper was glad shed had the sense not to lock the car doors. He checked her vitals. Alive, but groggy, suffering from the early stages of hypothermia. He gathered her into his arms. His heart raced. She was so tiny and fragile. Storms blew in fast in this region, and what started out as a sunny day could quickly turn into bone-chilling temperatures.
Damn it! Cooper was glad shed had the sense not to lock the car doors. He checked her vitals. Alive, but groggy, suffering from the early stages of hypothermia. He gathered her into his arms. His heart raced. She was so tiny and fragile. Storms blew in fast in this region, and what started out as a sunny day could quickly turn into bone-chilling temperatures.
He surveyed the fashionable, ankle-length black suede boots, thin trousers and light sweater. Dressed for a cocktail party, not the northern climate.
The woman, barely conscious, moaned as he picked her up and placed her into the back cab of his truck. Coop covered her with the thick wool blankets, slammed the door shut with the heater running, and returned to the sedan.
A small brown-and-white dog lay on the seat, looking half dead. Its fur was clipped short in a puppy cut and its eyes were closed.
A sparkling rhinestone collar with a heart pendant ringed its fat little neck. Next to it was a fancy-looking dog purse with a gold monogram that looked expensive enough to feed his horses for the next three months.
Despite the freezing rain dripping down his neck, Coop stopped and stared. This is the vicious killer? I had stuffed animals more ferocious.
Sheesh.
He gathered the dog into his arms and raced to the truck, placing the dog gently on the seat next to Meg. Then he made a quick call to Fiona, assuring his mother hed found Meg and would return home shortly.
Coop cranked up the heat to full blast, then climbed into the backseat. He removed his jacket and wrapped the dog in it until it resembled a furry burrito.
Had to get this wet clothing off Meg. With a murmured apology, he removed her damp sweater, trying to avoid looking at her breasts, but it was tough. She had lovely breasts, full and generous, and a lacy red bra that was mouthwatering.
Focus.
As he went to drape her in a blanket, he saw enormous yellow and blue bruises on her arm.
Cooper went still. Rage boiled inside him. He gently touched one and heard her moan. Cooper pulled her upper body into his lap and tucked her hands between his thighs, knowing that area held the most warmth.
Yeah, it was doing wonders for his groin, but hed survive.
Her eyes fluttered open. Green as the Caribbean he loved for scuba diving. Confusion flickered in her irises, then she blinked and panic set in. She tried to pull her hands from between his thighs.
No, she whispered. No, please dont make me do that. Please dont hurt me anymore.
Jaw tightening, he forced her hands to remain between his legs. Its okay, he soothed. Im not going to hurt you. Youre safe now, but youre in danger of getting hypothermia.
Had to get her back to the cottage, get her warm before the storm got worse. Cooper gently disentangled himself from Meg. The little dog looked up, whined. Shed feel safer with the dog in her arms. As Cooper reached out for the dog, the animal growled.
And promptly bit his hand.
Chapter 2
Such delicious warmth.
Meg slowly opened her eyes. Shed been back at the car, Sophie curled beside her, wondering how they would survive the storm and not freeze to death. The cold had pierced her bones like icy knives.
And then shed closed her eyes, trying to keep her dog warm by holding Sophie tight. The nightmare had been too real. Sophie, kicked out of the house by her husband, wandering the streets during a south Florida cold snap. Curling up in a doorway to stay warm, whimpering and afraid, confused as to why her owners had abandoned her...
She drove, as she had in the past when it really happened, searching the streets for her beloved dog. But this time during the nightmare, a handsome stranger picked Sophie into his arms and scowled at Meg, as if blaming her for Sophies condition.
Now as she stirred, she became aware of lying in a warm bed, blankets piled atop her. A lamp glowed softly on a nightstand.
Meg realized she wore only panties and a bra.
And in addition to being half-naked, there was a hard male body next to her, also half-naked. Panic swept through her. She startled and moved away, but a strong, muscled arm hooked around her waist.
Relax, a deep male voice said. Youre not going anywhere.
The voice was strange, tinged with amusement and a New England accent. The body belonging to that accent was hardened with thick muscle, not soft with fat like Prescotts. She became aware of the scent of him, all cedar and spicy aftershave, a pleasing masculine smell, not the fancy and expensive cologne disguising the vodka Prescott had consumed far too much lately.
Get away from me, she mumbled. Why are you doing this?
No one dies on my watch, Princess, and you were entering hypothermia. Body heat is the best way of keeping warm. I daresay your little dog knows this, otherwise shed be nipping at my toes instead of snuggled beneath them.
He added, with a wry sound, And if you got frostbite, the local doc would have to amputate those pretty pink toes of yours.
She had to get out of here, but oh, the warmth beneath the blankets and the firm, muscled body beside her gave off heat like a blast furnace.
Meg blinked hard, trying to summon precious energy. Her name is Sophie.
Should have called her Ouchie.
Megs mushy brain couldnt register the joke, until she lifted her head and saw her rescuer hold up his hand where a half moon marked the skin. Bit clean through my glove.
Oh no! Im so sorry. Mortified, she struggled to sit up, more concerned about her dog biting a total stranger who had saved them from death than her lack of clothing.
He pushed her down. Easy now. You need to stay under these covers a while longer.
My dog...
No worries, he said easily. I trust shes had her shots, and Ive had mine, so you neednt worry about your furball getting a disease.
Meg realized he was joking. The tension gripping her sore, tight muscles eased a little. She peered upward to get a closer look at him. A thick shock of wavy dark brown hair was cropped short. He had an intense gaze, thin cheekbones and a wide mouth. Handsome, with a hint of Irish blood in those ice-blue eyes.
A dusting of black hair covered his muscled chest. Washboard abs rippled beneath smooth, tanned skin. He was mouthwatering, a prime example of masculinity. Meg stared, still struggling with the unreality that this man had rescued her from the cold and warmed her with his body.
Youre Cooper Johnson?
The one and only, he drawled. Your host over the next several days.
She pulled the blankets up to cover her breasts, well aware her lacy red bra provided thin covering in the chill, and her nipples had turned rigid.
From the cold. Not the pull of attraction toward this handsome stranger. It didnt matter if her libido sat up and started shimmying.
All she had to do was think of what Prescott would do if he found her, and her heated blood turned to ice.
Wheres Sophie?
Cooper lifted the bottom of the blankets. Snuggled at his feet, wedged partly beneath the covers, her dog snoozed. Relief filled Meg. She tossed back the covers, climbed down the length of the bed and gathered her dog into her arms, checking her over anxiously.
She seems okay. Meg drew in a deep breath as the awakening Sophie licked her face.