Get a Clue

'We're going searching for the BB gun,' Cooper said.

'We are?'

His gaze swiveled to hers. 'You sound disappointed. What did you think we were going to do?'

'Nothing.'

He ran a finger over the groove in her forehead. 'You are such a liar. You were thinking about getting naked and losing some brain cells.'

'Losing brain cells?'

He reached for her hand, the gesture sweet and tender. “Every time I get you naked, I lose brain cells. Hell, you don't even have to be naked for that to happen.' He pulled her in for a tight hug. 'I want more of this, Bree. When we're out of here, I want more of you.'

Now her heart, all warm and cushy- and locked up tight- quivered. 'Cooper-'

'Don't panic.' He stroked a hand down her back, then pulled free.

Thank God.

'Let's go exploring.'

In the dark. Damn it, she didn't know which was worse, facing her feelings for Cooper, or exploring this dark, haunted house.

He pulled out a flashlight. 'I noticed Patrick did some extra digging,' he said as they entered the garage through the foyer door. The large, cavernous room was icy and eerily silent. 'I want to know why.' With that, he let go of her hand and moved away.

Breanne bit back her pathetic whimper, gasping when Cooper lifted the garage door manually, rolling it up a few feet. 'What are you doing?'

'With no power, it's the only way to open it. Come here.'

Into the dark night. Into the snow. 'My boots are finally dry-'

He vanished beneath the door.

'Damn it,' she muttered, and hurried to the door. Taking a deep breath, she ducked beneath it.

The darkness felt different outside; colder, deeper, all-consuming, with no walls as boundaries. Nothing but trees and mountains she couldn't even see. And bears. Let's not forget the bears.

Cooper had trudged past a buried vehicle-'Mine,' he tossed back-and through the snow to another parked about fifteen feet away. A truck, she saw, when his light flickered over it.

He was peeking in the windows with the flashlight 'Bingo.'

She eyed the still-falling snow and sighed, then stepped out from beneath the protective edges of the eaves. They'd shoveled here, so she didn't sink much more than a few inches into the new stuff. Buoyed by that, she grinned at him as she came up to the car. 'Made it.'

He didn't smile back.

'What?' she asked, hers fading.

'Hold this.' He handed her the flashlight. Then he pulled the sleeve over his hand before opening the door of the truck. 'No fingerprints,' he whispered. 'Light the backseat for me.'

She lifted the light and stepped closer, her boot heel catching on an icy patch. The next thing she knew, her feet slid out from beneath her and she was down, the flashlight bouncing twice before going out.

In the dark above her, Cooper sighed at the loss. 'You okay? Anything broken?'

'Just my butt, and possibly my pride.'

In the pitch darkness, a hand slipped beneath her elbow and lifted her up. Another hand slid over the butt in question. 'Feels good to me. Your pride'll heal, too.'

'But the flashlight won't.'

'No.' The disconcerting darkness reigned, and that eerie, utter silence of the woods all around them.

Except for the very distant call of a coyote.

Breanne shifted closer to Cooper, hating the weakness, bill hating even more the thought of facing a wild animal out here.

'Did you see?' he asked quietly. 'Before you slipped?'

'I saw,' she said, and hugged herself. 'I saw the BB gun in the backseat. Oh, my God, Cooper. This is insane. Bloody towels, bloody gloves. Edward's shoe… What does it all mean?”

'I don't know.'

Blind as a bat and disoriented with it, she shivered. Cooper pulled her closer. 'Come on,' he said, and nudged her around toward the house. 'Back inside.'

'It's just as cold in there.'

'I'll warm you up.'

'It's also just as dark in there.'

'I'll be your light.'

She managed to find a laugh. 'That was hopelessly corny.'

'Yeah,' he said in disgust. 'I'm not that great at romance.'

Breanne set her head on his capable, sturdy shoulder as he led her inside. 'I think you're better at this than you think you are.'

***

Breanne woke at the crack of dawn and opened one eye. She was sprawled facedown over most of the bed with all of the covers.

There was a big, warm hand on her butt.

Lifting her head, she turned and found Cooper on his side, head propped on his hand, watching her.

'Hey,' she said.

'Hey, back.' Leaning in, he kissed her. 'Time to rise and shine, Princess. Today is the day we get the hell out of Dodge.'

Sounded good.

And yet… She looked into his see-all blue eyes and pictured her life back home. Searching for a new job. A new place to live. Seeing her friends and family.

Would Cooper really be interested in that life? He'd said so.

Could she trust him enough to believe it?

'I can see the wheels spinning,' he said. 'Want to share?'

She looked at him, trying to find the words to express her fears, her worry, but none came. 'It's nothing.'

If he was disappointed, he didn't let it show. He just kissed her, then rolled out of bed and took his fantastic body into the bathroom.

Breanne stretched, rolling to her back, eyeing her PalmPilot, which was on the nightstand. She reached for it, figuring she had a new entry to make, something along the lines of enjoying the moment because that moment was about to be over.

Only there was already an entry for today. It read: Keep Cooper.

Keep Cooper? 'What does that mean?' she murmured out loud.

'Just that,' Cooper said from the bathroom doorway, one-hand propping up the jamb. 'Or better yet…' He pushed away and came closer. Naked. 'Take a chance on me.'

'Cooper.' Her heart lodged in her throat.

'Come on, Bree. I'm falling hard here. Fall with me.'

Lodged in her throat and swelled. 'It's not that simple.'

'Why not?'

'Because I'm bad at it.' She let out a low laugh, inviting him to laugh with her, but he didn't. He wasn't kidding. 'You know my track record,' she said. 'I fail at these things, with a regularity you could take to a bookie and make millions.'