she whispered.
He chuckled and squeezed her. “We get the job done.”
“Yes, we do,” she replied, curling up next to him. “Am I going to see the flowers today?”
“Uh-huh. When I can let go of you. I can’t yet,” he said. “God, what you do to me...”
“You said that already.”
He ran a hand down her body, over a plump breast and down to the apex of her thighs. “I told my parents and sisters I was dating a helicopter pilot and my youngest sister asked me if I was gay.”
“Do you need a letter of affirmation for the family? Because that’s one thing you are not.”
He chuckled. “I just need you to be my girl, that’s all.”
“Does it make you nervous to love a commitment-phobe?”
Was that what was bothering her? Her avowed fear of commitment after a disastrous, brief marriage? “Nope,” he said. “I’m patient. And as long as you love me, I’m happy.”
“You’re not afraid I’m going to get scared any second and run?”
“Nope.”
She propped up on one elbow so she could look into his eyes. “I hope I don’t disappoint you, Cooper.”
“You haven’t yet,” he said. Then he grabbed her, rolled with her and looked down into her eyes. “You’re everything I want, Sarah. When I said I loved you, it wasn’t conditional. And it wasn’t temporary. And it’s not something you have to live up to or down to—it just is. If you think I’m going to quit early, you’re crazy. See, the truth is, I could disappoint you. I might not be enough for you to stick it out. But I’m going to die trying. Now do you want to see those flowers?”
“I thought you wanted me to scream your name at least twice....”
“The day’s not over yet, Sarah.” And then he kissed her as convincingly as he could.
While she showered a second time, Cooper let out the dog and refilled his water bowl.
Women, he thought. They always had some mysterious list of requirements. They were famous for accusing men of not being committed enough or intimate enough but the evidence was in, sometimes there was no such thing as enough. And Cooper had been around the block—he was only capable of feeling his feelings. He wasn’t the best at expressing them, but he had gotten damn good at feeling them since he found Sarah. He felt them down to his toes. He wanted her forever. He’d love it if she wanted him right back, also forever, but the ball was in her court now. She had issues and he had plenty of time. He would concentrate on making her happy. For as long as it took. He was confident he could outlast her.
* * *
The flowers were just getting started in the foothills, but the ride was still fantastic for Sarah. Cooper took her into the foothills south of Thunder Point, getting off Highway 101 at Port Orford and traveling east into the Pacific Coast Ranges. They traveled down a couple of unmarked roads back into the wilderness and it seemed as though every ten minutes they were crossing a river. He drove them up mountain roads, then down again. It was fairly deserted out there, just the occasional house or vehicle, and the air was cool. They passed a sign for Wild Rogue Wilderness and Sarah thought that name suited Cooper perfectly. Along the side of the road the new spring growth bloomed in orange, white, purple and yellow. There were big orange flowers that looked like small sunflowers or large daisies, some that looked like pansies in pastels, little purple puffs and large white blossoms mixed with the green. Spattered among the pine were trees laden with new buds. They drove through a myrtle grove and up along a ridge where they could stop and look down a couple thousand feet to a rushing river that had a few fishermen along the banks.
They found a good spot to stop and Cooper helped her off the Harley. He found a big rock that overlooked the river and sat on it and she came to him, ruffling her hair to get rid of the helmet head. She pushed his knees apart and sat between them and his arms went around her, holding her.
“Lot’s more than just flowers out here,” she said. “This is beautiful.”
“I’ve never been here. It just looked like an interesting road.”
She sighed deeply. “I stay too busy with work, chores and Landon. I haven’t been exploring enough around here. I’m glad we did this today.”
“Well, there was that divorce last year,” he reminded her. “That probably took up some free time.”
“Tell me about it,” she said with a rueful laugh. “The lawyers were very efficient. Most of my time was spent licking my wounds, then looking for a place to settle with Landon. I couldn’t stay in that house and I couldn’t afford it, either.”
“No support?” he asked.
“Are you kidding? I make a little more than Derek, my ex. I have more time in the Coast Guard. And Landon was my responsibility, not his and mine. I never would have accepted support payments, but I would have liked it if Derek had called Landon, acted like there was some loss there, even if it was only a phone call.”
“I want to ask you something about that,” Cooper said. “You know, the divorce and stuff?”
“What stuff?” she said, caressing the arms around her waist.
“That’s over, right? Not just on paper, but in your head?”
She turned slightly to look at him over her shoulder. “Of course it’s over. What are you asking?”
“You’ve been in a real mood lately,” he said, and she turned back, looking down at the river. “Don’t bother denying it, we both know you’re not that great at hiding it. You’re in a real mood, running hot and cold, real distracted. And—”
“Cooper, I’m sorry about that. Just give me a little time, okay?”
“But that’s it—time for what? Is your ex giving you trouble? Pressuring you? Telling you he has regrets? Making you have second thoughts about the divorce? About us?”
“What?” she asked with a laugh, turning again. “Really? Oh, Cooper, I am so over Derek. I thank you for that, by the way. I was not interested in getting involved with a man, but you’re relentless. If there was anything left for Derek, it’s been long gone since the day you first kissed me.”
“Then what is it, Sarah? Is it just me? Do the other pilots and crews notice? You’re not acting like yourself.”
“No one has noticed anything because they’re almost all men and they think women have two behaviors—having a period or not having one.” She smiled at him. “Cooper, it’s a work-related issue that I have to handle on my own. Not only is it confidential, you can’t help with this. I need a few more weeks to figure it out. It’s got to do with my Coast Guard career path. I’ve been lucky, I’ve been on the fast track.”
He tightened his arms around her. “I doubt luck had much to do with it.”
“Gender might have played a role. I don’t mean that they’d throw me promotions for being female, but the boys upstairs might get a little excited to come
