Wandering Heart (10 page)

Josh threw up a
hand and waved, as he cast a quick glance at his mother. "Did ya'll
have a good time, Mom?"

"Y…yes, we
did," she lied, then saw the look in Cooper's eyes. He knew she was
lying.

She bit her
longest fingernail to the quick. "So, who's teaching my son to play
poker?"

"I confess, it
is I," Cooper admitted as he sat the popcorn between the two card
sharks. "Well," he looked up at her with mock sincerity, "he's old
enough to help run a farm, I suspect he's old enough to play poker.
Don't you think, Angel?"

Heads rolled at
his misdirected endearment, but Cooper seemed to pay them no
mind.

Josh was the
first to grab a mug of hot chocolate and a fistful of popcorn.
Maxine dipped into it with her free hand, not once taking her eyes
off Josh.

Cooper and
Angela reached for the popcorn at the same time, their hands
colliding. They glanced at each other, and then burst out laughing.
But Greg wasn't laughing. And the way he kept bouncing his unlit
cigarette on the flat of his gold lighter made Angela realize how
upset he was.

"Okay, Smartie,
what have you got?" Maxine asked Josh a moment later, breaking the
tension in the room.

"You really
want to see this?" Josh squinted his dark blue eyes at her.

"Absolutely. I
paid to, didn't I?" Maxine pouted, pushing their matchsticks into
one big pile.

"Read 'em and
weep." Josh chuckled as he laid his cards on the table proudly.

Everyone
gasped.

"Beginner's
luck," Maxine protested. "Can you believe this character? Who'd
believe a ten-year-old could draw to an inside straight like that?
I've had it. I've got to get home. Will you walk me to my car,
Cooper?"

Cooper nodded
instantly and got to his feet. "Sure, excuse us. Josh, you better
hit the bed. Have you fed Partner?"

It sounded as
though Cooper was part of the family, the way he commanded Josh so
easily, and the way Josh seem to take his commands for granted. The
only one who noticed was Greg.

Angela glanced
at Josh, then Cooper.

"Yeah, I fed
him as soon as I got home," Josh replied. "Night everybody. See
you, Maxine."

"Not if I see
you first. You won't catch me playing poker with you again. Night,
Angela, Greg."

"Good morning,"
Greg responded dully.

Josh kissed
Angela on the cheek, and then as he headed down the hall, he called
over his shoulder, "Night, Mom, Greg."

A moment of
silence passed before Greg spoke. "Well, I'm impressed. I do
believe that's the first time he's bothered with a goodnight to
me."

Angela smiled,
knowing how her son really felt, yet respecting his effort. "Maybe
he's coming around, or, at the very least, trying to."

"More like
growing up a little," Cooper's soft voice echoed from the
doorway.

He hadn't spent
much time with Maxine at her car. And there were no lipstick stains
on his cheek. Not that Angela cared or was looking.

"You're
probably right," Greg acknowledged. Then he looked at Cooper and
smiled. "Funny, but your face looks familiar."

Cooper
shrugged. "I doubt it, but yours sure is."

"Why, thank
you. I take it you are an avid voter?"

Cooper frowned.
"Sometimes. If I know who and what I'm voting for."

Angela chuckled
softly. "Coop's not fond of politics or politicians."

"I can
understand that. It pays to be skeptical these days, no doubt about
it, Coop. So, I'll make sure we become better acquainted,
then."

Cooper didn't
react; he merely stared, first at Greg, then Angela.

"Well, I've got
a lot of work to do tomorrow. Want me to help with the dishes and
clean up?"

Angela
chuckled. "No, I'll take care of it. Get some sleep."

Cooper nodded
and grabbed his jacket off the back of the couch. In jeans and
black t shirt he looked like a different version of James
Dean, Angela thought silently. She shouldn't be noticing such
things, but it was hard to ignore a man like Cooper when he was in
a room. He filled the room.

"Night, Coop,"
she called after him softly.

"Night, Angel,"
he murmured, tossing a smile over his shoulder at her.

Greg helped her
clean the table off, and followed her into the kitchen. "Why does
he call you that?"

Angela's head
jerked around to stare at Greg, surprised at his sudden change in
voice. She rolled up the sleeves of her blouse and put an apron on.
How could someone sound so nice one minute and angry the next?

"Coop has
always called me that. He's done it so long I guess I hardly
notice. It means nothing. It's just his way." When Greg frowned she
continued, "I guess you have to know him to understand. He likes
slang names. Why, he's never called anyone by their proper name
before that I can remember. He'd probably call Maxine Max. You just
wait, he'll have one for you before you know it."

"Let's hope not
that endearing. You said you've known him a long time. Did you grow
up together? Was he a friend of your husband's?"

Angela stalled
at the sink. How could she answer that and until be truthful? She
hated lying to Greg, but he just wouldn't be satisfied. Besides,
she had begun to think of Cooper as a real friend. And why not? He
was so good with Josh, and he worked a good ten to twelve hours a
day. What wasn't to like? But the truth was, Cooper and Raif had
never been real friends. Merely acquaintances. Cooper Johnson had
been a loner, except with the girls.

"Y…yes, he
was."

"It's no wonder
Josh likes him so much."

When Angela
said nothing, Greg came closer, took her hand in his. "You know you
never talk about him."

"Who?"

"Your husband,
Raif."

"Well, that's
for a very good reason, actually. You see I don't want to dwell on
the past. It took me a long time to get over Raif's dying. I was so
young. And the way he died. I've made a vow not to live with a
ghost. You see, he died very unexpectedly. He was hit by a train,
going home from work one night…" She paused, grabbed a chair and
held on to it. "No, that's not true either. Raif was pretty wild,
took a lot of chances. He always tried to beat that damn train.
Cooper was in another car, and they were daring each other with
stuff. The way teenagers often do. Cooper made it, Raif didn't. His
death was nothing short of a nightmare to me."

Her mind seemed
to come alive with memories and a tear escaped down her cheek. Greg
wiped it away tenderly. "I understand, I think. But didn't you
blame Coop for the accident?"

"At first, yes,
but then I had to come to grips with reality. Raif made a choice
that night. Not a good one, but it was all his."

"It must have
been very hard on you. But if we are going to be married I thought
we should talk about it. It's probably a very silly question, but I
have to ask it. Were you madly in love with him?"

Angela felt the
need to do something. Anything. Her mind clamored. Talking with
greg about Raif was difficult for some reason. Her answer came
slowly as she gathered her thoughts and emotions together. "I
thought I was. But…it was a young kind of love. You know, sort of
frivolous." She glanced at him, and sat in the chair. "He was a
mechanic, a very good mechanic. He came from a fairly wealthy
family. He was the only son, and very spoiled. And quite the rebel.
The main reason my parents never liked him."

Greg's brow
shot upward, enough for Angela to take notice. "You never told me
about that. Why not?"

Angela
shrugged, knowing why, but not wanting to tell him everything
tonight. "You saw Coop tonight. How he dresses, acts. Like a
rebel."

Greg scoffed.
"Rather appropriate attire for a farm hand, I'd say. Besides,
that's not enough to judge a man on."

The fact that
Greg sounded sympathetic prodded Angela on. "Raif was wild, he
liked taking chances. I guess that's what attracted me to him; we
were so opposite, and he was several years older. There were a lot
of things that made our dating difficult. My father didn't like his
father."

"That must have
made things rough on you?"

"A little,
yes." Angela had never confided completely in Greg about her past.
Not that she was ashamed, but the chance of being intimidated held
her tongue.

"Is Josh like
Raif?"

"I'm just now
beginning to see how much."

Greg nodded and
pulled her into his arms, nibbling at her cheek and neck. "You
always smell so sweet. I'd like to make love to you, here and now.
But we've got to be up early, don't we?"

Angela pulled
away to look at Greg. "It's impossible."

"Damn," Greg
uttered with a heavy sigh. "You are so—unapproachable at times.
Almost to the point of cold. I would think at your age, given your
circumstances, you would be ripe for the picking. Until, I find you
inviting. I've wanted to make love to you many times. But it's so
hard to find any privacy in my kind of life. And believe me, it
won't be much better when we're married. Sometimes it makes me
wonder if it's all worth it."

Angela looked
into his handsome face.

"But it is."
Greg said.

Angela's hands
were shaking. She had been cold with him. But she always felt when
the time was right she'd give in naturally. That time hadn't come
yet.

Trying to
soften the moment, she laid her head on his shoulder and smiled.
"It's a little hard to get amorous knowing your ten-year-old son is
in the room down the hall. And at work it certainly wouldn't be
proper. There never seems a right time or place for us. But,
surely, when we're married, we can make time for ourselves. I don't
mean to be so cold, but all the interruptions are a turn-off."

"I know."

"All I want to
do tonight is go to bed."

"Alone?"

"Alone," she
affirmed.

"All right,
darling. I know you're right. I'm tired too. Let's call it a night
and start anew tomorrow. But at least I can kiss you in some
privacy." He pulled her back into the cradle of his arms and kissed
her thoroughly.

Strangely
enough Angela felt numb. The fact that he had to announce his
intentions was another turn-off. She felt as though he were reading
a script or something. She tried to respond; she opened her mouth
to him, gave him free range, but the kiss was short-lived when
Cooper strolled back into the kitchen for a glass of milk, and to
tell her that he had bought more chicken wire that morning.

"Such is life."
Angela chuckled at the intrusion. She had half expected something
to happen. It always had.

Greg seemed
frustrated.

After a quick
apology, and a short conversation about the chicken wire, Angela
walked Greg to his car and kissed him once more, thoroughly. He
deserved it. She threw herself into his arms, and let his hands
wander over her freely, trying to force a more avid response from
herself. But the kiss never took flight. Although his movements
were amorous, her mood wasn't.

Greg left with
a satisfied smile, though, not knowing he had failed to elicit a
real response from her. Perhaps they were trying too hard.

When she turned
to go back into the house she saw Cooper leaving and called to him.
"Night, Coop."

Turning around
slowly, he stared through the darkness at her. Funny she didn't
have to see his eyes to feel them. They seemed to see right through
her.

"So, when is
the wedding?"

Angela shrugged
negligently. She took her high heels off and carried them in her
hand. "Oh, I don't know yet. I mean, we haven't really set a
date."

Cooper nodded,
coming a little closer as he threw his jacket over his shoulder
again. "He seems like a nice guy."

"You think so?
I'm glad you approve."

"I didn't say
that. I just said he seems like a nice guy. Look," he said staring
into her face. "I'm sorry about the interruption. It wasn't
intentional. But by the time I realized what I had done, it was too
late. I figured I should tell you about the wire before you asked
what I spent the money on."

Angela had a
petty cash fund in an old cigar box, and she had informed Cooper
where it was kept if he needed supplies. But lately she hadn't been
checking on the money. Until this moment she never realized how
much she trusted Cooper Johnson.

She moved
toward the back screen door, and shook her head slowly. "Don't
worry about it."

"What's so
funny?" he asked standing in the shadows, a slow smile spreading on
his face.

"Oh, I guess I
expected an interruption. It's commonplace in his line of work.
Besides, I probably should be apologizing to you for ruining your
evening with Maxine."

He moved
closer, a smile lighting the shadows, as the one kitchen light
silhouetted him. "Maxine is quite a gal. Her visit was a little
unexpected. Maybe I'm getting old, but she moves a little too fast
for me. Course, I hope I'm not reading her all wrong, but I think
she was coming on to me tonight. I managed to distract her with
Josh. Maybe I'm misjudging her intentions. After all, I don't know
her very well."

Angela leaned
against the door, letting her head fall against the frame. "No, I
don't think you're misreading her at all. I think she's very
interested in you, Coop."

He shrugged
then chuckled softly, a nice sound, Angela thought.

"So, do you
like her?" Why had she asked that?

Now he was
close, so close in fact he could touch her if he reached the
distance. A warmth seemed to surround them. His eyes searched hers
in the darkness.

"She's a good
looking woman, if that's what you mean. A lot of fun."

Of course he
liked her! What was she thinking?

But then he
added, even softer. "But she's no Angel."