Another weekend, another wedding. Cooper snapped a candid picture of the happy couple as they mingled with their wedding guests on the lawn at Miller’s Vineyard. The hardest part of his job was over, and the fun part had begun. Unfortunately, rather than absorbing the good vibes like he usually would, he was mulling over his woman problems. Since their argument two days ago, he hadn’t heard from Sophie, and he didn’t know where he stood with her. Had she decided she couldn’t trust him, after all? Should he let her go? The prospect of a girlfriend who analyzed his every move was hardly appealing.
Cooper took another photo, focusing on the quiet groom rather than the vivacious bride. The groom was looking at his new wife with admiration written across his face. Cooper often left weddings with a reasonable idea of how long the marriage would last. He had a good feeling about this one.
A movement in the corner of his vision drew his attention to a man approaching him from the side, and he turned with a polite smile in place. When he saw who it was, the smile faded.
“Evan,” he said curtly.
“Cooper.”
Evan offered his hand, and Cooper shook it reluctantly. Behave, he told himself. You have a professional reputation to uphold. He nodded to the busty blonde woman on Evan’s arm.
“This is Amber,” Evan said. “Say hi, Amber.”
Amber tossed her hair over her shoulder and appraised Cooper openly. “Hi,” she murmured, her voice a warm invitation.
“Nice to meet you. You’re Evan’s girlfriend?”
Her upper lip stiffened, losing its sultry pout. “I guess you could say that.”
“Speaking of girlfriends,” Evan interjected, “I hear you’re dating my little ex-baggage.”
Cooper’s insides turned to ice, and cold fury like liquid nitrogen bubbled just beneath the surface. “If you mean Sophie, then yes, I am.”
Evan’s forehead wrinkled. “I’ve got to ask, my friend: Why? Everyone knows you could sleep with any woman you want. Sophie’s frigid. Worst shag of my life. Don’t know what I was thinking, keeping her around for so long. And I’m sure that if she can’t keep a guy like me entertained, then she can’t keep someone like you entertained, either. So, what gives?”
Forget ice. The blood in Cooper’s veins began to boil. A red haze descended over his vision as it became blatantly obvious why Sophie had such horrific trust issues. This man—no, he didn’t deserve to be called a man—this monster had taken advantage of her generous nature and messed with her head. He was responsible for the self-doubt that plagued her. Cooper couldn’t comprehend how anyone could do such a thing to another person.
Calmly, he set the camera aside. Then, before Evan could guess his intentions, he drew his fist back and launched it into Evan’s face. It had been years since he’d served on active duty, but Cooper’s arms were powerful from hours of weight training, and Evan dropped noiselessly to the ground.
Someone shouted. Amber’s hand flew to her mouth.
Cooper stepped over Evan and said calmly, “First off, I’m not your friend. Secondly, I love Sophie, both in bed and out of it. Don’t you dare speak about her that way again.”
Lowering his fists, he backed away, allowing Amber to attend to her prick of a boyfriend. A muffled drone in the background grew to a roar as the wedding guests’ furtive voices pierced the thick fog of his rage.
He slumped into a nearby seat. Holy shit. He’d fucked up now. He shook his head, his disgust turning inward. Cooper had punched a wedding guest. His business was screwed, he realized as he fisted and un-fisted his useless, no-good hands. It would take a significant lowering of his prices for him to have any hope of surviving the damage he’d caused tonight. Word would spread quickly. This was Itirangi, after all. He could only hope that the gossips would cut him a bit of slack because they all knew Evan was a douchebag.
And seriously, how could anyone be so fucking rude about Sophie? She was sassy, funny, strong. Perfect. He’d meant what he’d said in the heat of the moment. He loved her. Though he’d never consciously thought about it, and he didn’t know when or how it had happened, somewhere along the way, he’d fallen for the pint-sized redhead. Now, he could only cross his fingers and hope she felt the same way.
He wasn’t like Evan. He could wait forever and prove himself over and over again, if that was what he took. He needed to tell her that before she decided to ditch his worthless ass. Who cared if he walked out of the wedding at this point? He’d ruined it, anyway.
Cooper started to stand, but a hand on his shoulder shoved him back down.
“What the hell?” he demanded, looking up.
Sergeant Gareth Wayland towered over him, wearing a crisp uniform and a frown. “I could say the same to you.”
“What’s up, Gaz?” Cooper asked.
Gareth moved back a couple of steps so Cooper didn’t have to crane his neck to look at him. The policeman scowled. “Anonymous caller rang the station and reported an assault. You hit someone, Coop?”
Cooper’s stomach bottomed out. Yep, he was well and truly done for now. His being arrested would be the icing on the cake for the gossiping community. “I’ll be damned. Someone reported me?”
“Of course they did. You can’t go around assaulting people.” Gareth sighed, running a hand through his close-cropped brown hair. “It’s been years since this happened last. I thought you’d recovered.”
Cooper looked away, embarrassed by the reminder of the last time he’d had a run-in with Gareth. A truck had backfired, and all of a sudden, he’d been back in Iran, attacking the nearest bystander. He was lucky not to have injured anyone, and equally lucky that the victim of that episode had been the understanding type.
“It’s nothing like that, okay? Evan insulted Sophie.”
Gareth nodded, and Cooper thought he saw a flash of understanding behind his cool eyes, but regardless, he brought forth a pair of handcuffs.
“Is it really necessary?”
“You assaulted someone,” Gareth growled. “I can’t just give you the evil eye and send you home. I have to see if he wants to press charges. In the meantime, you need to come downtown with me.”
Cooper rubbed his eyes wearily. His declaration of love would have to wait.
Sophie had just read an email Antonia’s new nurse had sent, complete with photos of Antonia in the garden at her temporary home. She typed a reply and attached a photo of herself with a big smile, then hit send.
The cottage seemed lonely without Antonia being only a short distance away in the Big House. While they didn’t live together, Sophie had always known she was close. Not anymore.
The shrill ring of her phone cut through the silence, jarring her. She checked caller ID. Unknown.
“Hi,” she said cheerfully. “Sophie, here. How can I help you?”
“Hey, Shorty. It’s Coop.” Her stomach turned upside down at the familiar timbre of his voice. “What are you doing at the moment?” he continued, blithely unaware of her rioting emotions. “Would you be able to come and pick me up?”
“Where from?” she asked, latching on to the second question. “Don’t you have your own car?”
“Um, funny story, actually. I’m at the police station.”
She gasped. “What?”
“It’s not a big deal,” he soothed. “Just come and get me. I’ll explain everything.”
Sophie glanced at her watch. Still early. The time seemed to pass more slowly when she was lonely. Cooper was giving her a reason to get out of the house, and he must have an interesting tale to tell. “I’ll be there in five. Please tell me you’re not in an orange jumpsuit.”
“No jumpsuit,” he confirmed. “Thanks, Soph.”
“No problem,” she said, feeling oddly flustered. “I’ll be there soon.”
She hung up, then dashed outside, hopped into her car and drove to the police station, which was located in a stout concrete building opposite the soccer field. She strode inside, heels clacking loudly on the tile floor.
Suzy, the receptionist, greeted her with a smile. “Well, if it isn’t my favorite girl. How are you doing, honey? How’s your mum?”
“I’m doing just great,” Sophie replied. “Mum is okay, too.” Not a total lie, for once. “How are you, Suzy?”
She hadn’t seen the motherly receptionist more than a handful of times since her father had died. Sophie experienced a twinge of guilt. She should have made more of an effort to keep in touch.
“I’m ticking along,” Suzy said. “Only another six months until retirement.”
“Congratulations!” Sophie exclaimed. “If anyone deserves a break, it’s you. Do you have plans?”
“Bill and I are going on a cruise.” Suzy’s smile was smug. “To celebrate freedom. After that, who knows what I’ll do with myself.”
“I’m sure you’ll find a way to fill the time. Pick up a new hobby. Start working in the garden, maybe?”
“I always did fancy the idea of designing a rose garden,” Suzy said thoughtfully.
“You should do it. Now, I’m here for Cooper Simons. Where can I find him?”
“Oh, you’re here for him.” Suzy’s forehead puckered. “I’d hoped you were here to see the sergeant.”
“No, sorry.” While Gareth was a good-looking man, he’d been hung up on Avery since forever. Sophie would never touch a man who wanted another woman. “So, where can I find Cooper?”
“He’s in a cell out back. Let me call the sergeant for you.” Suzy picked up the phone and hit a button.
“In a cell?” Sophie demanded. “What on earth is he in a cell for?”
“Assault,” Gareth rumbled from the doorway.
Suzy lowered the phone.
“That’s crazy!” Sophie protested. “Coop would never hurt anyone.”
Gareth’s eyes widened, and he rocked back on his heels, surprised by her fervor.
“I mean,” she continued more quietly, “not on purpose, anyway.”
“Coop punched a man, Sophie. On purpose. Maybe he didn’t think it through, but he did it. Luckily for him, no charges have been pressed, and no serious harm’s been done.”
Sophie’s mind focused on the detail she noticed Gareth had excluded. “Who did Coop punch?”
He cringed ever so slightly. “Evan.”
“Evan? My ex, Evan?” Cheating scumbag Evan.
“Yes, that Evan. They were at a wedding together. Coop was working. There was an altercation, and he struck Evan in the face.”
Sophie crowed, “Yes!” and pumped her fist. “Go, Coop! Do you know why?”
“No.” Gareth’s frown deepened. “And I have to say, I don’t approve of this bloodthirsty streak of yours. You shouldn’t encourage him.”
“I didn’t. That is to say, I haven’t. I’ve barely even mentioned Evan to Coop.” Except for that first day. “And I can hardly believe Evan wouldn’t press charges.”
Gareth shrugged. “Guilty conscience?”
Doubtful. “Can I see Coop?”
“Yeah. Follow me.”
Gareth twirled a keychain around one finger and turned on his heel, leading Sophie towards the back, where the overnight holding cells were located. He walked with a slight limp, the result of an old rugby injury.
“Can he leave?” she asked, trotting after Gareth.
“Yes, but I’d recommend you speak to him about that anger problem of his.”
Sophie blinked, curious, then realized she’d stopped walking and he’d left her behind. She hurried to catch up. “Anger problem? He doesn’t have an anger problem.”
“Sure seemed like it tonight.”
They rounded a corner, and she spotted Cooper behind bars, leaning against the concrete wall, wearing a pair of dress trousers and a collared shirt and tie. He would have looked immaculate except that some of his hair had fallen loose and he hadn’t bothered to fix it. For some reason, the imperfection made him appear disheveled and elevated him from merely sexy to mouth-wateringly hot.
Sophie wiped the edge of her bottom lip to make sure she wasn’t drooling.
“Sophie.” As soon as he set eyes on her, Cooper pushed off from the wall, rushed to the bars, and wrapped his fists around them.
Sophie stretched onto her toes to kiss him between the bars. “What happened?”
Cooper glanced at the sergeant, who was unlocking the bolted door, then focused on her, his intense grey-blue gaze skimming from her face down the length of her body and back up. “You look good.” His voice was husky and low.
Sophie’s lips quirked, and heat fizzed through her blood. “You’re trying to distract me. Why’d you hit Evan? And tell me the truth. Don’t gloss over it. I know what he can be like. It must have had something to do with me.”
Scowling, Cooper shoved away from the bars and stalked through the door Gareth had unlocked. For a moment, she thought he wouldn’t say more, but then he murmured to the sergeant, “Can you give us a moment, Gaz?”
Gareth hesitated.
“We won’t make any trouble,” Sophie added. “Promise.”
“Okay,” Gareth relented. “But if you’re not out in two minutes, I’m coming back.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Cooper waved a hand dismissively.
“Thanks,” Sophie said without looking away from her lover. When Gareth was out of earshot, she crossed her arms over her chest. “So, what happened? Spill.”
Cooper cupped her face, the gentle caress of his hands sending tendrils of pleasure tickling down her spine. “You’re so gorgeous.” He bent to kiss her, and Sophie melted against his burly chest, her arms coming undone and looping around him. “And strong, and special.”
If he kept this up, her head would be so inflated, she wouldn’t be able to fit back through the door. She returned his kiss softly until heat began to flare between them, then pulled back.
“Stop it,” she chided. “Tell me what happened.”
“Fine,” he muttered. “Evan was being disrespectful towards you, so I straightened him out.”
“Disrespectful how?”
“Just plain rude. It doesn’t matter.”
While she was intrigued to know what Evan had been saying to provoke Cooper into punching him, her gratitude that he was all right outweighed her need to know the truth. Besides, for him to have reacted in such a way, he must feel some deep emotion towards her.
“Come here,” she said, and wrapped herself around him, resting her cheek over his heart, which was beating erratically. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I just…” His arm tightened around her. “Sophie, I need to tell you—”
“You’ve had your two minutes,” Gareth interrupted from behind them. “Cooper, can I speak to you privately?”
Sophie released Cooper but didn’t leave. His arm remained banded around her waist, and he wasn’t giving any indication that he planned to let go either.
He lifted his chin. “Sophie can hear anything you have to say to me.”
“If you insist.” Gareth’s foot tapped impatiently. “We’ve just got word that a murder suspect may be laying low in Itirangi. Christchurch Police Department tracked him here using the GPS on his cell phone, but the phone died a few minutes ago. Either that, or he wised up and ditched it. The detective in charge of the operation has asked me to organize a manhunt. I’m short-staffed. You’ve got a military background. Can you lend a hand until support arrives?”
Cooper ran a hand through his hair. “Sure. What do you want me to do?”
“No!” Sophie screeched, her heart pounding so wildly in her chest that she could barely hear herself over its drumming. “You can’t. It’s too dangerous.” She glared at Gareth. “He’s not a policeman, and he’s not in the military anymore. You have no right to ask anything of him.” She rounded on Cooper. “And you—don’t be stupid. It could be dangerous.”
“It could be,” Gareth acknowledged. “And you’re right. I don’t have any business asking Coop to help, but I’m asking anyway. As a friend.” He held out a hand to Cooper. “You in?”
Cooper grabbed his hand and pumped it. “I’m in.”
“Please don’t,” Sophie pleaded, desperate to break through the steely resolve she saw in Cooper’s eyes and the set of his jaw. “Just take a second to think about it.”
Cooper rubbed his thumb across her cheekbone. She wanted to squeeze her eyes shut and turn away, but she held his gaze, praying he could see how much she needed him to stay away from that murderous psychopath.
“There’s nothing to think about,” he said. “If there’s anything I can do to keep Itirangi safe, to keep you safe, I have to do it.”
Tears welled in her eyes, and she blinked rapidly to stop them from falling. She felt as though a fist had closed around her throat, and she struggled to breathe. Keep composed, she told herself. Don’t break down. Not here. Not now.
She breathed in, counted to five, and breathed out again. Her lower lip trembled, and she bit it. Finally, she nodded, though it was more of a head-jerk, really.
“Go, then.” Inwardly, she congratulated herself on sounding like she didn’t care. True, her voice was harsher than the situation warranted, but some things couldn’t be helped.
“I’ll come back,” he promised.
Sophie did look away now. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”
Her father had promised he’d come home. Every morning, he’d kissed her cheek and said he’d see her in the evening. Then, one day, he hadn’t, and she’d been left on her own, with a shell of a woman for a mother. Everything had gone to shit, and she wasn’t about to watch history repeat itself.
“Text me afterward to let me know you’re safe. But don’t bother coming over.”
Yanking out of his embrace, she stalked away, holding the tears at bay.
She drove home, changed into her pajamas, and turned on the TV. All the while, the great sucking hole inside of her grew larger. She wanted that big, stupid oaf to be safe.
More than that, she needed it.