Rescue Me: A Frazier Falls Novel Page 17

  He looked as if he wanted to scream back at us, but he was smart enough to know it was better to leave than to kick up a fuss.

  As he turned to leave, I said, “Wait.”

  When he spun to look at me, I slugged him in the face and looked at my brother.

  “That’s how you punch someone if you want to leave a mark,” I explained to Rich, shaking out my hand.

  He laughed. “Remind me never to get on your bad side.”

  “Keep plying me with hot chocolates, and you’ll be fine.”

  Mr. Smith covered his bloody nose and screamed about how he was going to sue until Rich pointed to my bruised wrist. We stared after his retreating body, knowing he wouldn’t be stupid enough to press the issue.

  When we were alone in the office, I leaped toward my brother, forcing a hug on him.

  “You were amazing. It was like watching a showdown between the hero and the villain of a film.”

  “Hardly.” He walked over to his desk drawer and pulled out two bottles of whiskey. “You up for closing the mill early and having a few drinks with Devon and the crew?”

  “Absolutely.”

  That was how Owen found us, tipsily pouring a fourth round of shots for everyone who worked in the mill. Everyone old enough to drink that is.

  “This wasn’t what I was expecting,” he joked. “I take it the Cooper lumber order is gonna be delayed?”

  I waved a hand. “Nah, we did that first, but now’s the time to celebrate.”

  “Did you tell Smith to piss off?”

  Rich laughed. “A little more eloquently than that.”

  “Definitely,” I said. “Owen, you should have seen Rich in the meeting. He was amazing.”

  “I can believe it.”

  “Not as good as Carl punching his lights out.”

  Owen looked at me, stunned. “You hit him?”

  “Seemed like it was only fair.”

  I’d told Owen about what Mr. Smith had tried to do on the way back from the exhibit. I could tell by the tightness in his eyes that he was still struggling to accept he hadn’t been there for me when it happened, but there was nothing we could do about that now. All we could do was move forward.

  I glanced at Christian, who lifted his glass in a silent thanks. I knew saving of the mill was incredibly important to him and the health of his daughter, Paulina.

  Rich motioned Owen over to sit on a stack of two-by-fours. He submitted as my brother poured him a large measure of whiskey.

  “To Owen Cooper and our wonderful Carl,” he said, holding up his own shot in front of him to make a toast. “Thanks to the two of them, this damn mill is saved. May the Frost Corporation never return to Frazier Falls.”

  “I’ll drink to that,” Devon announced, glancing at me. Something told me I’d gained a new dad whether I wanted one or not. It was reassuring, and something my own father would have been happy about.

  After another couple of drinks, Owen sidled up to me. “I don’t suppose we can go somewhere to talk?”

  I smiled. “Your place or mine? Oh, scrap that, I know somewhere better.”

  Owen raised an eyebrow. “Okay, now I’m curious.”

  We got to our feet, much to the chagrin of Rich. “No, don’t leave already,” he whined. Now that the air had been cleared between him and Owen, the two of them were getting along, so well, I was almost jealous. “Let me know if you’re not coming home,” he called after us.

  “You’re not Mom,” I said over my shoulder as Owen and I left the mill.

  When I walked to my car, Owen shook his head.

  “I’m not letting you drive drunk.”

  “Who said anything about driving?” I unlocked the trunk and hauled out a large blanket before locking it again and walking up the path behind the mill into the forest.

  “I like where this is going,” Owen said as he caught up with me. He matched his strides with mine as we wandered through the woods, the sounds of our footsteps muffled by the thick carpet of pine needles and moss beneath our shoes. The sun was setting. It painted the edges of the trees in beautiful, glorious gold.

  We walked in companionable silence for ten minutes or so. The air filled with the sounds of birds and a breeze rustling through the trees. Owen kept glancing at me as if he were building up the courage to speak, but nothing came out.

  Eventually, he said, “Is this a full-on forest trek, or are we going to be putting that blanket to good use?”

  “Just round this bend, I swear. It’s my favorite part of the forest.”

  When we reached the small clearing, I shook out the blanket and placed it on the ground before collapsing on top. The thick layer of moss and pine needles beneath the fabric was as soft as a bed. Owen followed suit, sighing contentedly when he realized how comfortable it was to lie on the forest floor.

  He turned his head to watch me. “Do you come here a lot?”

  “I practically lived here as a kid, but not so much now. Whenever I need to be alone, to think, or problem-solve, or cry, or to get away from everything, I come here. There’s something comforting about being the only human around sometimes.”

  “Now, you’ve ruined that by bringing another human into the fold.”

  I gave him a small smile. “You’re okay. You can know. I can share.”

  Owen laughed, but then his face grew serious. “With everything that happened, are we okay?”

  His beautiful blue eyes were clouded with uncertainty. I could tell that, for Owen, my decision was what he’d accept on the matter regardless of what I said.

  In answer, I reached out my hand and entwined my fingers with his. I snuggled in against his side, bringing my face so close to him our noses nearly touched. We hadn’t shared so much as a kiss since we returned. Maybe it was mean, but withholding was my way of punishing him slowly. Today it would end.

  “No more lies. No more excuses.” I whispered. “I want this. I want you. I want us to be a team both professionally and personally. That’s what I want. How about you?”

  Owen broke the minuscule distance between us and kissed me, softly at first, but gradually he deepened it until we were both breathless and filled with a burning longing for one another.

  “I think that makes my opinion clear,” he said once our lips parted.

  I laughed. “I guess you don’t need to be good with words if you’re good with actions.”

  “True.” He cupped my face. “Carla.”

  “What?”

  “No lies, only truths. I’m so sorry for what happened, but I did it from a place of love. I love you.”

  My eyes widened for a moment, stunned into silence.

  All this time I thought I was the only one being an idiot for falling in love so quickly when Owen was doing the same thing.

  “You love me?”

  “Every time I see you, I fall in love all over again. You’re it for me. The first time you touched me, I was yours. I made excuses for my feelings, but they were the lies I told myself to protect my heart.”

  I kissed him and squeezed his hand, closing my eyes to revel in the moment. The dying sunlight warming my lids. The softness of the blanket beneath me. The feeling of Owen’s hand in mine. It was heaven.

  I looked up at him. “I love you, too. You don’t need to protect your heart. It’s wrapped up in mine for safety.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Owen - Six Months Later

  “Stop dicking around, Pax, and do your job,” Eli said.

  “You’re a cruel taskmaster,” he muttered under his breath. “Don’t forget who’s at the helm of Cooper Construction these days.”

  “Never forget that I’m older than you,” Eli said before he whacked a folded newspaper over Pax’s head.

  “You sure you can handle everything while Rich and I are gone?” I asked, chuckling as Pax continued to curse Eli.

  “You act as if everything will fall apart with you away,” Eli replied.

  “You never know.”

  E
li glanced at Pax. “We’ll be fine. And Carl’s over at the mill, anyway, so it’s not like Pax can screw up too badly.”

  “I heard that.”

  “That was the plan,” Eli called back.

  I was still getting used to the new work dynamic that had risen from my Green House Project becoming successful. Now that I had to travel farther to meet interested clients, there was no choice but to take a step back from the general management of Cooper Construction.

  Pax of all people was the one who had risen to the challenge of taking over.

  With the Stevenson Mill saved, Carla took over the running of the business completely from her brother, which enabled him to leave Frazier Falls if that was what he wanted.

  Nobody had expected Rich to ask to work with me, of all things. But it worked perfectly for him. He got to travel, and it turned out he was as charismatic as his sister was with clients. Now that I’d spent a few months working with him, I found him indispensable.

  Eli appreciated the help, too, because I was terrible with finances. With Rich along for the ride whenever I traveled, it meant Eli could rest easy knowing somebody was making sure I didn’t accidentally go over-budget or get the numbers wrong.

  And with Devon’s help in running the mill, Carla had become the figurehead for the whole thing. Most of the lumber orders were for the Green House Project, anyway. Everything went through her first, from setting up meetings, to building new show-homes, to arranging viewings and so much more. I couldn’t successfully operate my project if not for her, especially as it was only growing bigger and bigger.

  “If it keeps going like this, we won’t need any work outside of building eco-friendly homes,” Eli joked.

  It was an exciting prospect, if not daunting.

  “I’m sure with Carla and Rich on board, we’ll still be able to take on other projects we like.”

  “Ah, so what you mean is you finally get to be picky and veto any building designs you absolutely despise?”

  “Exactly.” Our work was no longer geared toward making a living, but toward making a life.

  The sound of a car pulling into the lot below caught my attention.

  “That’ll be Rich,” I said, turning to face Eli and Pax. “Don’t kill each other. I’ll be back in four days.”

  “We’ll try to keep the blood splatter to a minimum,” Eli teased.

  When I went outside, it wasn’t Rich’s car but Carla’s, and she was smiling and waving at me as I made my way to the passenger seat.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked happily. I climbed inside, and she kissed my cheek.

  “I persuaded Rich to stay at the mill this week so I could go with you instead. God, it feels like he has joint custody over my boyfriend. Gross.”

  “Are you jealous of your brother?”

  “Just so long as he isn’t doing stuff like this with you,” she murmured as she pulled me in for a deep, passion-filled kiss.

  “Nope. I definitely don’t do things like that with your brother.”

  “Good, then I think I can manage.”

  “Rich and I had separate hotel rooms booked. Do you think we can get that changed?”

  “Already done.”

  “What would I do without you?”

  Carla threw me a look.

  “Considering what happened last time, I feel rather disinclined to joke about such things.”

  “Must feel pretty great, knowing that I fell apart without you.”

  “That wasn’t great at all, but knowing you fell for me is amazing.”

  I kissed her in response. “You know I’m fine, and I have you. The solution is, don’t leave, and everything will be great.”

  She laughed against my lips. “No pressure or anything.”

  “None whatsoever.”

  Carla rolled her eyes as she put the car into gear and drove out of the parking lot.

  “So, about that tux. I’d love to see you in it someday.”

  “Is that a proposition? Me in my tux and you naked?”

  “Scrap the tux. I’ll take you naked.”

  “What if someday I wear that tux, and you wear a gown?”

  She swerved the car but corrected immediately. “Is that a proposition?”

  “No, it’s a promise. I’d love to one day look down the aisle and see you walking toward me.” I stared at Carla, eyes glinting with hope. “I could skip the tux and wear my work gear. Hard hat and all.”

  “Don’t even joke about that.”

  “Why? You could wear your sexy overalls.”

  “Owen,” she warned. “If you're talking about what I think you're talking about, no girl wants to wear oil-stained overalls on her special day no matter how sexy you think they are.”

  I laughed. “I know. I’ll wear a tux when that day comes. When the timing is right, are you going to wear one too, Carl?”

  “Hilarious.”

  “You’d be sexy in one. Hell, you’re sexy in everything.”

  “How about we settle for me wearing you as soon as we get to the hotel room?”

  “I like the sound of that,” I said.

  “I like the sound of that, too.”

  Carla hit the gas pedal and raced down the road. The winter sunlight danced in her hair as the hint of a smile played on her lips.

  A long time ago my mother gave me the best bit of wisdom a man in love could receive when she told me, you don’t marry someone you can live with. You marry the person you can’t live without.

  Carla was that someone for me. I couldn’t wait until someday came, and I could finally call her my wife.

  Eli is up next. Has he met his match with Emily Flanagan, the Irish lass with a serpent’s tongue, and a heart of gold?

  Thank you for reading.

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  Sneak Peek into Shelter Me

  Eli

  I was eager. I was egotistical. I was edgy. Hell, I was Eli Cooper, and that said it all.

  “You want a coffee, love?” Alice let the brown-handled pot swing back and forth between her fingers. “You look like you could use a piece of pie too.”

  From my brother’s favorite booth in the corner, I glanced around the diner and could see why he chose it. Nothing happened in Alice’s Diner that he wouldn’t see.

  “Thanks, Alice. I’ll take my usual.”

  “You’re a creature of habit.” She filled the empty mug.

  “And that’s a problem?”

  “Not for me, but it must get boring for you.” She darted off to fetch me a slice of apple pie.

  She was right, I was a creature of habit. I loved everything about my simple small-town life in Frazier Falls because it was predictable and perfect, all the way down to Alice’s apple pie.

  I knew myself, and there were three truths that would never change.

  First, I didn’t have lofty ambitions. What I wanted was a steady but satisfying job—better if it was stress-free and didn’t come with a horrible whip-wielding boss. Setting up Cooper Construction with Owen and pulling in our younger brother Paxton meant we bossed ourselves, or rather Owen bossed us because we allowed it.

  Second, I wasn’t comfortable with people I didn’t know. The best thing about Frazier Falls was I was familiar with everyone.

  Third, I could be an asshole. I’d always known this, though most people around me did not. In public, I was perfectly polite and kind to everyone. On my own, or with my brothers, it was another story.

  I spent my free time, pretending I knew what everyone was doing, and their reasons for their actions. It was a game Mom and I played to pass the time whe
n I was a child. She called it I Know You. We didn’t know anything, but we made up amazing stories about people that entertained us for hours.

  The best thing was, nearly fifty percent of the time, I was right, which made it more satisfying. The sly and stupid suggestions about what John Reilly was getting up to behind the doors of his bar, or whether Rachel Wilkes knew how to run a convenience store, or whether Sandra the hairdresser kicked out her no-good husband Paul for drinking or cheating on her, entertained me. With Paul, it was usually one or the other, though my guess was both. I was curious about Lucy and why she was the town gossip, or how Alice managed to stay upbeat despite the work and patience it took to run the diner.

  Alice plopped the plate of apple pie in front of me. “I added a scoop of vanilla because you look like you needed it.”

  Staring at my plate, I wanted to scream, but instead, I looked up and smiled. “Thanks, Alice. You’re the best.”

  When she walked away, I pushed the ice cream to the side before it could melt into the perfect flaky crust, making it soggy. Damn … even Alice was becoming unpredictable.

  With the first bite, I thought about Carla Stevenson. I had to hand it to my brother. He’d found a great woman who happened to come with a nice sibling. The joining of the Stevenson Mill with Cooper Construction was a boon. Liking both the Stevensons was a bonus.

  A hand waved in front of my face. “Eli, are you spacing out?” Paxton appeared out of nowhere. “Where did you go?”

  I swatted him away as I took another bite before the quickly melting ice cream could touch it.

  He slid into the bench across from me and picked up a spoon, taking a big bite of ice cream, which saved me from leaving it on the plate and potentially hurting Alice’s feelings.

  “I was thinking you should stop flirting with Carla, you moron.” No way would I tell him the truth. That I was missing our mother, and the predictability of our lives. Pity parties didn’t go over well with the Coopers.