Champion (Studs in Spurs) (7 page)

Blowing out a breath, she headed for the fridge to see what it held. Beer and an old nearly empty bottle of hot sauce. No surprise there. Given all else she’d seen, she hadn’t assumed he was stocked with groceries or cooking meals for himself.

Pulling open cabinets, she fared a bit better. There were at least canned goods, though she’d have to wash a pot before she could even start to heat anything. Maybe if she could find a clean bowl, she could microwave something. She’d just turned around to see if he had a working microwave anywhere when she saw Cooper standing in the doorway.

His hair was damp and his face was clean-shaven. She smiled at the tiny piece of toilet paper stuck to his chin where he must have cut himself. He’d even changed into clean clothes, which was a huge improvement over the stained T-shirt and grubby-looking jeans she’d found him in. Considering the state of the household, she was surprised he had something clean left to wear.

Hoping he couldn’t read her thoughts in her expression, Hannah smiled. “You look nice.”

Cooper snorted at the compliment. “What the devil are you looking for?”

“A pot so I can heat this on the stove.” She held up a can of beef stew. “Or a bowl if you’ve got a microwave.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Well, I am, and I know you’ll want to sit and eat with me. It’d be rude not to.” Hannah glanced at the table. “Take a seat. I’ll have this ready in a few minutes.”

Her full-steam-ahead approach seemed to be working. He still looked unhappy and confused, but he sat in the chair and didn’t protest as she rolled up her sleeves and faced the sink.

Figuring she’d better keep him occupied before he decided to kick her out, Hannah scrambled for small talk as she twisted the faucet and hoped at least the water heater still worked in this place. “So you probably don’t know this, but Skeeter is staying over at Butch Davis’s place.”

“Nope. Didn’t know.”

Not much of a response, but at least it was something. Hannah grabbed a sponge with one hand and squeezed out the last remnants of liquid dish soap from the bottle with her other. “Mmm, hmm. He and some of his friends are there helping out Butch’s daughter, Riley.”

“Why does she need help? Butch get hurt?”

Uh-oh. This was probably not the most uplifting topic of conversation to be having with a man already down in the dumps. Hannah realized it had been a bad choice of conversational topics on her part. She turned off the water and turned to face Cooper. “Butch had a heart attack right after the competition last weekend. I’m sorry to tell you this, but he’s dead.”

A shadow visibly settled over Cooper’s features as his gaze seemed to lose focus. Frowning, he stared at something just past her. It was like he was no longer there in mind, only in body. He was quiet for so long, Hannah was afraid to break the silence and disturb whatever battle raged within him. Then, as if he remembered she was there, he glared at her. “What the hell are you really doing here? That kid of yours send you to check up on me?”

She stood a little taller. “No. That kid of mine didn’t even want to tell me anything about you or the condition of your place.”

He seemed angry at her comment. “Then why are you here snooping around?”

“Because he was so upset after visiting you I figured I’d better come and see for myself. And don’t you take that tone with me, Cooper Holbrook. I’m here to help—”

He stood so fast the kitchen chair tipped over and crashed to the floor behind him. He took a step closer, staring down as he towered over her. “I didn’t ask for any help and I sure as hell don’t want it.”

“Too bad. It’s not optional.” Chin raised, Hannah returned his glare.

“You need to leave.” Nostrils flaring, Cooper might have frightened a less determined woman, but not Hannah. He could try and look as big and as mean as he was capable of. She could handle it.

She’d survived eight years with a husband who liked to intimidate and push her around. She knew when a man was about to blow and it was time to back down or suffer the consequences. She also knew when a man was bluffing, like Cooper was now. He’d no more hurt her than he would Skeeter, or anyone else for that matter. He wasn’t the type.

Hannah crossed her arms and stood her ground. “No. I’m not leaving until you have something decent to eat and I get this kitchen cleaned up.”

“What the hell is wrong with you? Why the fuck would you wanna be where you know you’re not wanted?”

“If you think cussing at me will help you get your way, you’re wrong.” Hannah spun back to the sink, leaving him to face her back, though she could still sense his eyes boring into her from behind. “Might as well sit and get comfortable, Cooper. We’re both gonna be here for a little while.”

The sound of the wooden legs hitting the linoleum floor as he righted the chair had her smiling, even if the noise was accompanied by Cooper’s annoyed huff.

After a pause so long she considered he might never speak to her again, Cooper said, “How’s Butch’s daughter handling it?”

His interest took her off guard, but Hannah did her best to answer as if she wasn’t shocked he’d reopened the conversation. She stayed facing the sink as she worked at scrubbing a pot. “I think she’s gonna be okay. Like I said, Skeeter is there at her place in Mississippi now along with a whole slew of the guys. Some of their girlfriends too, so she’s not alone. And there’s a local hired hand who used to sometimes help her father with the ranch when they were traveling. She can call on him if she needs to.”

“She’s gonna try and keep the place going?”

“I’m not real sure. I’m not certain if she even knows at this point. It all happened so fast.” Then again death, whether it came with a warning or out of the blue, was always hard to handle.

“Stock contracting’s a tough job. It’s sure no life for a young girl all alone.”

“I suppose it’s not, but I think Skeeter will be there for her as long as she needs him.” It was bittersweet for Hannah seeing Skeeter so grown up and independent. But at the same time, him building a life of his own freed her to do the same.

“It’s good he’s helping her out. He’s a good kid, Skeeter.”

Hannah glanced over her shoulder at Cooper and found him picking at a chip on the kitchen table. At least it looked as if he’d accepted she was there for the duration. “Yeah, he is. I also think he’s got more than a little crush on Riley. Of course, he’d never tell me that. He tries to keep his feelings close to the vest—like someone else I know—but he’s not real good at hiding things. I can tell he likes her a lot.”

Finally, the old pot was clean enough she wouldn’t be embarrassed to cook in it. She put in on the burner and started pulling open drawers.

“Now what are you looking for?”

“Can opener?” She answered as sweetly as she could in spite of the exasperation she’d heard in his tone. Kill them with kindness—Hannah had plenty of experience in doing that with the patients and customers at both her jobs.

Cooper stood and she braced for another battle with him, but it didn’t come. He moved to the other side of the room, reached behind some beer bottles on the counter and emerged with a hand can opener.

“Ah. Thanks. I wouldn’t have thought of looking for it there.”

He scowled and sat back down. “It’s got a bottle opener on it. I use it to open my beer.”

“Oh. Handy.” As he cocked a brow at her comment, Hannah supposed she should be grateful he hadn’t chosen to pop open another bottle for himself and drink away his annoyance at her.

She used her nervous energy to open the can with a little too much force, dumped the contents into the pot and turned on the burner. While that heated, she turned back to the dishes in the sink. “You could take out this garbage while you’re waiting. And there’s some more trash and recycling out on the front porch that can also go into the bins.”

Hannah half expected him to tell her where she could shove her request and the garbage, but he didn’t. He grumbled something as he went but grabbed the trash can and pushed through the back door. When his overwhelming presence was no longer filling the room, she let out a long, slow breath.

Fighting a stubborn man was easier than wondering what a quiet one was thinking. She’d steeled her nerves and had been as unyielding as he was when he’d confronted her. But when he was compliant and looked so down in the dumps like this—that was far harder for her to deal with. It made her want to wrap her arms around him. Ask him what had happened to bring him to this point and promise to make it all better.

She had to remember that the last thing she wanted to do was mother this man. Far from it. If there was anything physical between them, she sure as hell didn’t want it to be of the soothing, comforting variety. The contact she’d longed for with Cooper over the past decade had been more of the sweaty, break-the-bed kind.

He seemed to have changed over the years. He wasn’t the flirtatious Casanova with the legendary skill at charming the ladies she’d known him to be ten years ago, but that wasn’t a bad thing.

A little age, a lot of experience, a big change in his life—it must have all worked to calm the wild man he’d been. Hopefully, time had made him older, smarter, maybe even ready to settle down.

Settle down. Now she was really getting ahead of herself.

First things first. She washed a spoon and gave the stew a quick stir and then went back to the rest of the dishes. She needed to excavate in this mountain and locate a couple of bowls or they’d have nothing to eat out of when the meal was heated.

Cooper slumped back into the room, empty garbage pail in hand. He set it on the floor next to the sink and turned back toward the table.

“Got a bag for that?” Hannah eyed the pail and then glanced over her shoulder at the man who’d starred in her dreams so many nights.

With every fiber of her being, she hated nagging him. Or worse, treating him like a child and ordering him around, but what choice did she have? She had to straighten this man out so he could get back to being his old self again. At the very least, she had to straighten his place out and hope that started the ball rolling for all the rest. This was the only way she knew how to do it.

He leveled a gaze at her and moved to stand close behind her at the sink. She’d forgotten how tall he was. How small he made her feel when she stood next to him. He’d have to lift her up and set her on top of this cluttered counter for her to be eye level with him. For her to comfortably reach his mouth and kiss him…

That image made it hard for Hannah to breathe. Cooper planted one hand on the edge of the sink and leaned lower. Hannah parted her lips as her heart rate sped and she anticipated the touch of their lips.

“Excuse me.”

Her gaze dropped to his mouth as he spoke before she dragged her focus up to the multifaceted hues that made up the color of his eyes. “Hmm?”

“The trash bags. They’re below the sink.” Cooper tipped his head in the direction of the cabinet Hannah was blocking. He hadn’t wanted to kiss her. She was just in his way.

“Oh, of course. I’m sorry.” Once a fool, always a fool.

A smile bowed his lips, the first one she’d seen in years. It made him look like he had in the past and made her feel just like she had back then. Her breath caught in her throat as he hovered there. Close. Low.

“Hannah, I need to get into the cabinet if you want me to get the bag.” He cocked one brow as he said it and she realized she still hadn’t moved so he could open the door beneath the sink.

She took a step back and then walked all the way around him to the stove. She needed something to do to cover her embarrassment. Concentrating on the meal, even if it was canned stew, seemed the best way to distract herself from this attraction that made her look and act the fool. She wasn’t sure what to do about the overactive hormones that had woken with a vengeance at the mere sight of one of Cooper Holbrook’s smiles aimed in her direction.

Hannah shot him a sideways glance. “This should be hot enough for us to eat in a minute.”

“A’ight.” The slight smile remained on his lips, making him look sexy and devilish, just like the old Cooper.

Her hand stilled on the spoon. “You’re not going to fight me about eating?”

“Nope.” He whipped the plastic bag open and hung it on the edges of the trash bin.

“Why not?”

Still bent over adjusting the bag, he raised his gaze to hers. “Would it help?”

“Probably not.”

“See.” He shrugged, slid the trash can to the side and moved back to his chair.

Cooper stretched out his long legs in front of him. Leaning back, he crossed his arms over his chest and focused his eyes on her. The bland expression on his face masked any remaining amusement.

With a scowl, Hannah turned back to the stove. The balance of power seemed to have shifted over the past few minutes. She didn’t like that she no longer felt in control—not of the situation and definitely not of her own damn sex drive.

Stirring the now-steaming stew, she realized she’d never finished the task she’d started when Cooper’s closeness had distracted her. Only one bowl was washed. The other remained buried beneath the rubble of dirty dishes. After flipping the burner off, she grabbed the one clean bowl she’d managed to wash. She scooped a good amount of stew into it and planted it in front of him with the spoon.

Maybe with him occupied eating, she’d be able to focus on something besides him.

His gaze swung from the steaming food on the table, to her. “Aren’t you eating?”

“I will. Just have to grab another bowl.” And wash what looked like a month’s worth of dishes.

Ignoring his doubt-filled expression, she turned back to the sink and dug into the pile. She should be able to make some headway on the mess while he ate.

“You know, I’ll get to doing those myself.”

“Will you?” Hannah imbued the words with a good bit of doubt of her own as she propped the clean bowl in the drain board and moved on to the cutlery.

“Yes. Later.” Cooper’s answer came from directly behind her, making her jump.

When had he stood? He leaned closer and braced one hand on the edge of the counter. She was caught between his body and the sink as he reached past her and turned off the hot water. She felt the heat of his body pressed against her back as he took the wet, clean spoon from her hand.