“What happened to you, Natalie?” Kate took a left and hit the gas. “You used to be more fun.”
“I’m still fun.” But Kate was reaching an all-new level of deranged now, which was two tiers of lunacy above and beyond Natalie’s threshold most mornings. “I’m just tired.”
“That’s because you were silly enough to try to sleep on Ruby’s couch.”
“Where else would I have slept?”
“With Coop.”
“He’s on a couch in their fifth wheel camper.”
Kate shot her a grin that would have made Chester proud. “Yeah, but at least you could have had fun while you weren’t sleeping there.”
“That’s a hair-raising smile, Kate. Next you’re going to ask me if I want some of the candy that you keep in the back of your old Dodge van.”
Truth be told, Natalie had mixed feelings about not joining Coop in his uncle’s camper. Not that he’d asked her to, but the longing in his eyes last night when she’d told him she was going to Ruby’s place to crash could have easily turned into an invitation if she’d pushed for it.
“So, you’re still a sabbatical virgin.” Kate giggled. It was an unsettling sound, more of a tittering whinny made by people secured in straitjackets.
Natalie changed the subject. “When’s your next baby doctor appointment?”
“I don’t want to talk about my— Hey! Do you see that guy?” Kate slowed down, pointing at an older man up ahead with silver-blond long hair tied back in a ponytail. He was walking along the sidewalk using a cane, moving slowly.
“What about him?”
“Tank rammed the killer into his workbench really hard. The killer limped when he ran off, his left side or hip injured.”
“Kate, that guy is as old as Gramps.”
“There’s no age limit to being a killer.”
“Yeah, but if you’re going to stop and add every guy who uses a cane and has blond hair to your suspect list, you’ll have that baby before we make it to the grocery store for your damned mint chocolate chip ice cream.”
Kate harrumphed. “Claire’s right.” She eased back up to the speed limit as she drove by the guy with the cane. “You’re too uptight lately. You need to get laid.”
It wasn’t like Natalie hadn’t been willing to do just that the last two nights. It was as if the universe was working against her now, forcing her to keep her sabbatical vow. Was it a sign? Was sex with Coop a colossal mistake? Or was it just another example of her rotten luck when it came to men?
Amazingly, Kate made it to the grocery store without any other ridiculous chases. Natalie followed her cousin across the parking lot, checking her phone for messages on the way through the sliding glass doors.
There was a recent one from Coop: Where are you?
She replied: Yuccaville. Ice cream emergency.
Coop wrote back quickly: I have an emergency, too.
He must have been waiting for her reply.
What’s wrong now? Natalie typed.
You’re not here. Are you available tonight?
She hesitated, waiting for the universe to weigh in on her decision. The universe remained stubbornly quiet, so she went with her silly heart. Yes. After I’m done at The Shaft.
We have a pool game to finish.
She smiled. Are you looking to get your ass kicked by a girl?
You’re cute when you talk tough. Like a tiny hissing kitten.
Prepare to lose your shorts, Law Dog.
He replied: Prepare to lose your shirt, kitty cat.
She stopped next to a display of seedless grapes and green apples, her pulse rate doubling. Are we still talking about playing pool?
No. There was a slight pause, and then he added: But I am talking about playing with you.
A rush of heat warmed her face and then raced south past her navel. She glanced up to see if anyone had noticed she was on the verge of “sexting” in the produce section of the grocery store and noticed Kate. She was standing frozen at the end of an aisle, her jaw gaping. Then the side of her face was hit by a series of twitches, like lightning strikes on the leading edge of a storm.
Uh oh.
Kate’s lips flat-lined, her gunslinger mask sliding into place. All she was missing was a cowboy hat pulled low and a pair of six-shooters on her hips.
“Kate?” Natalie called, lowering her phone.
Her cousin glanced her way. Killer, she mouthed and took off up the aisle.
“Leapin’ lizards!” Natalie pocketed her phone and jogged after Kate. She turned up the aisle, catching sight of her cousin two-thirds of the way along, bending to scan the various boxes of bandages for sale. What the hell?
On the way to Kate, Natalie veered around a blond guy with a shaggy haircut who was reaching high to grab a big bottle of peroxide from the top shelf. The hem of his faded T-shirt lifted up a couple of inches as he stretched, exposing a white bandage on his side.
The sight of the bandage reminded Natalie of Coop, her brain flashing back to last night before everything went up in flames … including her plans for romancing Coop after she’d taken off his bandages.
Oh, Coop. What were they doing? Sex would only complicate the crap out of their regular lives up in Deadwood. Was a night of pleasure worth upsetting the applecart? The old Natalie would have shouted “Hell, yes,” and jumped into the fire with both feet. But months of soul searching had given her a new perspective. Sex was good and fun, but she was in it for the long haul now.
What was Coop looking for from her? She doubted he was the settling-down type of guy. One look at his life made that clear—from his soul-consuming career to his current gypsy lifestyle to the number of scars on his body and the risks they represented. He was another bad boy, clear down to his love of guns and motorcycles, and Natalie’s history with men like Coop was littered with pieces of her heart.
But what if she didn’t take this opportunity to further explore
