“Ruthie said the loft was open.” I shrug.
He holds my stare. “Just you?”
I give a curt nod. “Just me.”
“All right.” Cooper swipes his phone from his desk and shoves it in his pocket.
He strides back to me, then places a hand on Dakota’s back. “Let me get him settled, then we can finish our conversation.”
She smiles at him when he leans down to brush a kiss across her lips. A pinch stabs at my chest. Not jealousy. Maybe longing? Regret.
“Promise?” She muses.
He slaps an open palm across her ass. “Promise. Now get out of here.”
Dakota leaves the barn, allowing us to have a moment alone.
“Do we need to expect any drama coming this way?” He shuts the office door behind him.
We both know what he’s insinuating.
“Nah. That’s done,” I answer, shifting my bag to the other shoulder.
“About fucking time,” he mutters as we breach the opening of the barn.
I couldn’t agree more.
He motions to the stairwell. “It’s been empty for a bit. Might need some dusting off, but everything from when I lived here is still in place. Couch has seen better days.”
“Should I be concerned about the couch?” I arch a brow. “You and Dakota haven’t christened it yet?”
Cooper smirks. “More than once.”
“You dirty dog,” I mutter.
“Like you haven’t done worse on it,” he scoffs.
Ignoring the comment, I toss my bag at the foot of the stairs. “How’s everyone?”
“Mom and Dad are good. Finally back in the big house.”
The big house burned down last year in a fire that nearly destroyed the ranch, and even I was excited to see it rebuilt. From the drive in, it looked just as Ruthie has always dreamed.
“Ivy has taken over the office now,” he adds.
Ivy is Cooper’s baby sister, and it doesn’t surprise me she was hands on after being gone for so long.
“And Maddox? All good with them?”
“Yeah.” He steps into the yard. “You should see it. The poor sap is whipped.”
I snort. “And you ain’t?”
Before he can answer, an old but familiar SUV barrels up the drive, a tornado of dust in its path.
Excitement swirls low in my gut, a mixture of fear and determination.
She must have found out why I’m here.
