Champion (Studs in Spurs) (6 page)

Chapter Seven

Present day

Hannah walked out of the house she’d lived in her entire life and made her way down the path through the tiny but neat flower garden. She opened the picket fence and closed it behind her like she’d done countless times before, but today her hand shook as she secured the latch.

She had to be crazy. Maybe spending half her life as a single, working mother had finally gotten to her. It was the only explanation for why, after ten long years of coveting Cooper Holbrook, she was going over to his house.

What had changed since that night when fate had stepped in and put her on the highway where he’d been stranded? The night he’d kissed her senseless and then told her to steer clear of him? The night he’d walked away from her car and left her wanting and feeling unwanted?

Some things had changed. Skeeter was ten years older, for one. Now her son wasn’t Cooper’s student anymore. He was a grown man out on his own, riding in the pro circuit and making a life for himself. But that meant Hannah was ten years older, as well.

Silly that back then, at not quite thirty, she’d felt too old compared to the girls a champion rider like Cooper was constantly surrounded by at the arena. She’d seen one such girl and him in action, live and in person that first time she’d gone to see Skeeter ride.

Now, with her thirties behind her, she knew what it was really like to feel old. Not to mention what it was like being single and living alone for most of her adult life.

At her age, she was starting to have to squint to read really fine print and had to buy better bras because her breasts seemed to sag in the cheap ones. Yet in spite of all the changes brought about by her turning forty, none for the better in her opinion, it was now that she decided to go see Cooper.

She should have pursued him when she’d been younger. It was a cruel trick in life that youth was wasted on the young. When she had the body, she hadn’t had the will. Now she had the will, but it was firmer than the rest of her.

Hannah hiked her boobs higher beneath the T-shirt, hoping Cooper still thought she had something about her worth his interest. He’d gotten older as well. Sadly, the steadily revolving fresh crop of buckle bunnies never aged.

But he was retired now. No longer on the circuit and surrounded by adoring female fans. He didn’t go to the arena anymore. Word was the man didn’t go much of anywhere lately, except maybe to town a few times a month to stock up on supplies.

That was one point in Hannah’s favor—accessibility. He no longer went to the competitions where the girls were, but she could go to him at his house.

Sitting in the driver’s seat, she flipped down the visor and glanced into the mirror there. She eyed herself critically, from the laugh lines in the corners of her blue eyes, to the fact her light-brown hair didn’t seem to shine quite as brightly as it used to.

One good thing from working two or more jobs for the past fourteen years or so since her bastard ex-husband, Steven, had left her and Skeeter was that there hadn’t been much opportunity to abuse her skin sunbathing. That kept any major wrinkles or age spots caused by sun damage away. Thank God for small favors.

She ran a finger beneath the lower lashes of each eye, wiping away any makeup that might have strayed. She checked her lips and wondered if she should apply more lipstick.

Annoyed at herself for primping for what could amount to an embarrassing mistake on her part, she slapped the visor back up. Procrastinating wouldn’t help her nerves. Neither would more lipstick. Best to just go and face whatever kind of welcome Cooper greeted her with upon her unannounced visit.

The drive didn’t take as long as she would have liked it to, and all too soon she was pulling onto Cooper’s road. When she saw the beginnings of the fence of his ranch she saw what her son had alluded to the other night when he’d come home upset after dropping in for a visit with Cooper.

Skeeter had been concerned for his old teacher, and now she could see why. Cooper had really let the place go. A few posts were broken and the fencing was completely missing in one spot. Not that it mattered since it was obvious he had no stock left on the land. The acreage was overgrown with weeds that looked to be waist high, and there wasn’t an animal in sight.

It was quite a change from the last time she’d been there. That had to have been about five years ago. She’d driven Skeeter to that last lesson before he’d gotten his driver’s license at sixteen. Her son always had been a hard worker. He’d saved up his money from his odd jobs and bought himself a rusty old pickup truck. He’d gotten his license the day the law said he was old enough to qualify, and that was it. No more shuttling him around for her.

Truth be told, Hannah had been disappointed when Skeeter started driving. It meant no more opportunities to run into Cooper. To see him smile and tip his hat when he greeted her, even if that was all the attention she got from him aside from that one embarrassing night.

Maybe it had been for the best that she’d stopped having to see him every time she dropped Skeeter off and then picked him up again. After she’d felt the heat of his kiss that one time, having him treat her like a polite stranger was heart wrenching. Even if he’d given her the excuse that it was better for her to steer clear of him, it hadn’t done her ego any good. No single mom nearing thirty wanted to have an attractive man walk out on her when she’d all but thrown herself at him.

None of it mattered anyway. The lessons with Cooper had stopped shortly after Skeeter had started driving anyway. Cooper had quit teaching, saying he didn’t have the time anymore, and Skeeter was juggling school, part-time jobs and riding in every competition he could get to.

Yet here she was, five years after she’d last pulled into this drive, and ten years after that kiss, driving right up to his doorstep. Unannounced, uninvited and most likely unwelcome. She was apparently a glutton for punishment, because she was really going to do this.

Hannah put the car in park and cut the engine, but she couldn’t bring herself to get out quite yet. Instead, she sat and stared at the house. It almost looked abandoned. One front step was broken. A piece was missing from the peeling porch railing. Was cash so tight for Cooper he couldn’t maintain the property? She’d replayed every word of their conversation from that night she’d found him walking on the highway and driven him home. Back then, he’d told her that he spent too much money. Obviously more than was wise, considering the condition of his place.

A good woman in his life might have prevented this from happening. Kept him on the straight and narrow. Made him not want to drink so heavily or spend so much. Then again, Hannah hadn’t even been able to hold on to her own husband, so what the hell did she know about keeping a man at all? Never mind keeping him in line.

But she did know about good hard work and—after years of living hand to mouth—how to stretch a dollar so far you could see through it. She’d help Cooper get out from whatever hole he was in…if he let her. Time to see if he would.

Drawing in a breath to steel her nerves, she got out of the car. She stood tall and marched her pedicured feet right to his front door. Yeah, she’d painted her toenails and put on her prettiest sandals to come visit Cooper, as if he or any man would notice or care about her toes. She’d obviously lost her mind.

It was too late now. If he was inside, he would have already heard her car. He might have already looked out and seen her there. Leaving now would look even more foolish than her having come in the first place.

Besides that, her decision had been made. Once Hannah set her mind to something, she didn’t let it go easily. Too bad she hadn’t done this ten years ago when she’d been younger and physically better equipped for the job of seducing a man—and before Cooper had fallen so low.

God, how she hoped it wasn’t as bad as it seemed, because things looked bad. As if he didn’t have the money or the will to keep up the place. He could have hurt himself and couldn’t tend the stock and that’s why he’d sold the animals. That scenario was slightly less horrible than him being destitute. Maybe—hell, she didn’t know what was happening here, but it was time to find out. She raised her fist to the front door and knocked, a little too hard and for much too long.

Peeling paint drifted to the floor in front of her as she pounded loud enough to raise the dead, or at least a sleeping drunk, if that was the case. Skeeter had mentioned Cooper had seemed like he’d been drinking when he’d seen him.

Hannah didn’t want any question as to whether he could hear her knocking or not. If he was in there and not dead or deaf, he’d hear her pounding. If he didn’t answer, it would be because he didn’t want to see her.

But no, it wouldn’t be just her he was trying to avoid. From the looks of things, he didn’t want to see anyone. She hadn’t missed the no-trespassing sign nailed to the post at the end of the driveway. That was one big clue about his feelings toward uninvited visitors. As she knocked again, she realized she’d ignored that sign. More than that, she was knowingly outright disobeying it.

“A’ight. Hold your horses! Jesus H, what the hell—” The front door swung wide and she stared into the face from her past. Cooper’s eyes widened as recognition hit.

Hannah’s heart pounded so hard it seemed to vibrate her whole body, but she managed to get out two words. “Hi, Cooper.”

He glanced past her to the parked car, as if looking to see if she was alone. “Skeeter’s not here, if that’s who you’re after.”

She could see him withdraw into himself, almost as if he’d erected a protective barrier between them. He avoided direct eye contact, his focus darting around. He looked anywhere but at her as he ran a hand over his messy head of hair.

Cooper might be embarrassed to have her see him and his place in this condition, but that was too bad. If he still had enough pride to be ashamed, he wasn’t past saving, and she wasn’t about to give up easily trying to do just that.

Hannah stepped forward. “I’m well aware Skeeter’s not here. I know exactly where my son is. I’m here to see you.”

The shock on Cooper’s face as he stumbled backward to avoid being barreled over by Hannah would have been comical if this situation wasn’t so dire. He sputtered a second before he finally got out, “What are you doing?”

“I’m coming inside.” She swept her gaze over the devastation within the house.

Beer and liquor bottles covered the cocktail table. It looked as if Cooper had been sleeping on the sofa when she arrived, judging by the bed pillow at one end and the indentation of his head still in it.

“Why?” Good thing he was too much of a gentleman to kick her out, in spite of the fact that she could see he didn’t want her there.

Hannah turned away from the shambles in the living room and faced Cooper. Even in the dim light she could make out the haze of sleep and booze clouding his bloodshot eyes. “I wanted to see you.”

“Why?” His forehead crinkled as he repeated the question.

“I’m old enough that I don’t need a reason to do something. Skeeter’s grown and gone most of the time. I do what I want nowadays, and today, I wanted to see you.” A strong offense seemed like the way to go in this situation. He looked so shocked he might just be compliant. “So you go jump in the shower and I’ll see what’s in the kitchen for us to nibble on while we catch up with one another.”

Cooper drew his brows lower until they formed one unhappy line. He opened his mouth but no words came out. Sure it would only be temporary, Hannah decided to take advantage of his speechless state.

“Go.” She grabbed him by both shoulders and spun him toward the doorway in the back of the living room. Hoping that was the general direction of the bathroom, she gave him a tiny shove.

He took a step forward and shot her one last confused look over his shoulder before he disappeared through the doorway. She had no idea if he’d hide from her and never come back out, or do as she’d said. Either way, she planned to take the time she had alone to clean up this mess.

A man couldn’t turn his life right side up in a house that was upside down.

A quick look around the kitchen yielded some crunched-up plastic bags and empty cardboard beer boxes. She’d just carried all she could find into the living room to start collecting the bottles and trash when she heard the sound of the water running at the back of the house. He was doing what she’d asked. This crazy plan of hers, which wasn’t much of a plan at all, might just work.

Hannah was a nurse full-time and a waitress part-time. That meant she was quick, efficient and not easily rattled or disgusted. She needed all of those traits now as she pawed through what looked like a month’s worth of refuse, but she feared was only a few days’ worth. Beer bottles went into the cardboard boxes. Liquor bottles and cola cans into one bag for recycling. Fast food wrappers, remnants of food and used paper napkins went into another bag of trash. The T-shirt she found on the floor she tossed into the corner. She’d have to locate the laundry machine and put in a load. She’d bet good money that Cooper hadn’t washed clothes in a while. He probably hadn’t laundered his sheets or pillowcases in far too long either.

She’d made quite a bit of headway straightening up but still had much to do by the time she heard the water turn off.

Scrambling, Hannah piled the boxes in one arm and scooped up the bags. She carried it all to the front door where she dumped her load onto the porch. She was afraid to take the time to run the bags outside and search for his trash cans. Cooper might see she’d gone out and lock the front door on her.

It wasn’t as if she was an invited guest. Once he came out of the back and saw all she’d done, he likely wouldn’t take kindly to her meddling or cleaning. Rushing back inside, she headed for the kitchen to do what she’d said she was going to while he showered—check out the food situation.

She’d managed to ignore the disaster in his kitchen before when she’d whizzed through looking for the trash bags, but now that was much more difficult to do. The sink was filled with dishes that looked as if they’d been there for a long while. The garbage pail was full to overflowing and was starting to stink to high heaven.