Cooper had been the only one who hadn’t brought a bag of clothes, since his plan had involved returning all of us to Deadwood in one piece. He wore his black henley shirt and blue jeans from yesterday that he’d washed and dried last night at the Morgan house.
A round of gunfire rattled from the speakers.
I smirked. “Like you can focus over the sound of Tuco and Blondie shooting up the town?”
“Gunplay is music to my ears,” Cooper replied, closing one eye as he lined up his throw.
A glass clinked over at the minibar.
“Ohhhh,” Susan purred. “I like a man who knows how to handle dangerous toys.”
I grimaced, turning to look Medusa in the eye. Pillar of stone be damned.
Chapter Fifteen
Several remarks flew through my head while I held my tongue, none of them very Christmassy.
Stay positive, Violet, my mother’s voice said in my head.
I smiled so hard it hurt. “Susan, why am I not surprised to find you down here with Doc and Cooper?”
“I came for the liquor.” She held up a bottle of rum, and then leaned back against the bar, crossing her gazelle-like legs. “And stayed for the company.”
I rolled my eyes at her stupid sexy-strumpet act. It wasn’t an easy feat while holding that smile in place.
“Stop with that mad grin,” she snapped. “You look like some kind of creepy clown who escaped the circus of the deranged.”
I smiled even harder at her, making my eyes bulge.
“Come here, my little crazy clown.” Doc caught my hand and pulled me to his side, kissing the smile off my lips.
“Miss me already?” I joked, tugging on both loose ends of the Gomez Addams tie looped around his neck. I’d found the tie online and hoped Doc wouldn’t think it was too sappy of a gift. The smile and flirty wink he’d aimed my way when he’d opened it this morning had squelched my worries.
“Always, but that kiss was for good luck. Coop’s on the verge of kicking my ass.”
I chuckled, taking a step back from Doc. “What a coincidence. He’s always on the verge of kicking mine.”
Cooper threw the dart, missing the bull’s-eye by a good inch. “Damn it, Parker. You’re messing with my concentration.”
“She’s good at that,” Doc said, scoping out the beaded v-neckline of my green tunic that I’d changed into after breakfast. “I haven’t been able to think straight since July.”
“Oh, look,” Susan said, butting into our conversation. “A sprig of mistletoe.” She dangled it out in front of her. “How fortunate that someone left it down here.”
Crazy smile back in place, I strode over and snatched the mistletoe from her fingers.
“Hey!”
I stuffed it down the front of my black velvet leggings. “Not today, sister.”
“Rude!” she said to my back as I walked away.
“How’re things going in the kitchen?” Doc asked when I returned to his side and dropped the crazed smile.
“Aunt Zoe says dinner will be ready in about half an hour.” I glanced at my sister, who was glaring daggers at me. The urge to flip her off came and went. Whew! I was getting good at this positivity shit. “Susan, Mom wanted me to tell you it’s time to set the table.”
She took a glass from the bar and poured two fingers of whiskey in it. “Why can’t you set it?”
“Because I’ve been working in the kitchen.”
“Maybe you should come help me anyway.”
Frowning, I tried to figure out her angle. “Why would I want to do that?” Besides the fact that Mom said I was supposed to help her.
“Because it’s our joint job to play hostess.” She held up the glass of amber liquid. “Coop, here’s your whiskey.”
Coop? I mirrored Clint Eastwood’s squint on the big screen. “Susan, be a good daughter and go set the table as your mother requested.”
She set the glass of liquor down hard. “Take notice, Doc. Violet may seem sweet and innocent on the surface, but underneath that curly nest on her head she’s a bossy bitch.”
This time I did give her the finger, but I waited until her back was turned, so that had to be worth something on the character-building scale.
After she’d climbed the stairs, Doc chuckled and stepped up to the line to throw a dart. “Joke’s on her. I knew you weren’t sweet or innocent from the start.”
“Really? You didn’t buy my virtuous virgin routine?”
“Not with the way you looked at me when we were alone.” He lined up the dart. “Not to mention the things you can do with those lips of yours.”
Cooper groaned, grabbing the glass of whiskey Susan had poured for him. “Don’t you two start with the lovey-dovey shit or I’ll bury the next dart in your ass, Nyce.”
Doc threw, his dart landing closer to the bull’s-eye than Cooper’s last one.
“Nice throw,” I said, patting him on the butt.
“Parker, go back upstairs. You’re ruining the game.”
“Coop’s a poor sport,” Doc said. He caught my hand and lifted it to his lips. “Now, where were we, cara mia?”
“You were reminiscing about my lack of virtue.”
“Right.” His gaze lowered. “Did I or did I not see you stuff mistletoe down your pants a moment ago, gorgeous?”
Cooper cursed. “You two make me want to plant my head in a snow bank.” He moved behind the bar. “Where’s the ice? Your sister pours a lousy whiskey on the rocks.”
Speaking of Susan, I scowled at Cooper. “You let my sister call you ‘Coop’ but not me?”
He smirked. “That’s right.”
I crossed my arms. “It’s not very warm and fuzzy of you to be so mean to me on Christmas.”
“I’ve told you before, I’m not a warm and fuzzy guy.”
“He talks tough,” Doc said, dropping my hand and lining up for another throw. “But I think he just needs some sugar to sweeten him up.”
“Sugar, huh? Where is Natalie, anyway?” I goaded Cooper, earning a glare in return. “Did you scare her away with your sharp and scratchy personality?”
Cooper flipped me off. Apparently, he
