The Newcomer (Thunder Point #2)(97)

She laughed at him. “I think one needs a marriage license to elope....”

“We’ll go to Coquille and get one tomorrow. This weekend?”

“Shouldn’t you ask your family if they’re on board with that idea?” she asked.

“Oh, hell no, I’m not asking. I’ll tell them, though. I’ll find us a little chapel, we’ll do it Friday night and have the weekend away.”

“I’ll move into your place, if Lou has no objections. Tell her I’m prepared to take orders. For as long as she’s there, forever if she chooses that option, I understand it’s her domain.”

“Ach, she talks tough. I’m sure she’ll be glad to have a little help around the house. What made you decide?”

“It was Ash. I told her that it’s hard to say goodbye to you at the end of every day and she said, ‘What are you waiting for? Just do it!’”

“I love that girl,” he said. “I just want you to have what you want, Gina. Big or small, I don’t care. I’d even go common law. I just want you to be the last thing I feel against me at night and the first thing I feel in the morning. I love you.”

“You’re the strangest man,” she pointed out to him. “It takes you years to kiss me and then you’re a runaway train. There will be adjustments, you know.”

“I know. Extreme contentment. I’m a tough guy, Gina. I’m up to the job.”

* * *

Cooper was a genius. It wasn’t lost on him that something serious had been bothering Sarah for at least a couple of months. She tried to pass it off as just work stuff, but it was obviously much more serious than that. And the past few days the quiet had grown deep and a little scary. He was a very straightforward guy, so of course, he confronted it, told her he’d noticed a change in her behavior lately and wondered what it was about.

“I realize I’ve been moody,” she said. “It’ll pass. I’m sorry.”

“Spencer was told they hadn’t even hoped for a candidate of his caliber for that job at the high school. It’s all done but the shouting now. Is it about Austin living here?”

“No, no, of course not. That’s wonderful for you. And I enjoy Austin—I think he’s adorable and exhausting, just as a ten-year-old boy should be. It’s just work stuff. I’ll tell you all about it when I get a handle on it.”

“Your ex isn’t giving you a hard time, is he?”

“No, he’s ben completely silent. In fact, rumor has it he’s found women up there in Alaska, which means he’ll be very busy and will be leaving me alone. Listen, don’t take it personally, okay? Now and then work gets a little stressful at the command level. You know. I’m cranky. I just need a couple of days off.”

“And you’ll get ’em,” he said. “You have the weekend off, right?”

“Right. I’m looking forward to spending it on the beach!”

“Well, maybe except for one night. I have had an interesting request from Mac. Apparently Gina and Mac aren’t waiting any longer—they’re going to get married Friday night in Coos Bay at a little chapel on the water. They’d like us to meet them there, be the witnesses, join them for a nice wedding dinner and then disappear as quickly as possible. It’ll be small, just the four of us. There will be someone at the chapel to take a few pictures and they’re going to hide away for the weekend. We can come back here. Or, if you’re feeling adventurous, I’ll take you on a sleepover. I can get us a reservation somewhere that has a vibrating bed and mirrors on the ceiling.”

She laughed. He could always make her laugh.

“Let me think about that—Mac’ll be out of town, I’ll be out of town, Landon and Eve will be in town....”

“I bet Mac’s got a shotgun Lou knows how to use....”

Again she laughed. “For right now, let’s plan on coming back to Thunder Point on Friday night, but I’ll think about the mirrored-ceiling option.”

“That’s my girl. I’ll call you again tonight.”

Cooper knew it wasn’t the Mac and Gina marriage that bothered Sarah, since she’d just barely found out. He hoped she wasn’t worried about the fact that Spencer and Austin would be making Thunder Point their home. But he’d told not only Sarah, but also Spencer, that if his circumstances changed he could be flexible, he would travel to see his son. So it couldn’t be those things. He’d asked her about Landon—he was under control. No more scary romance issues with him, at least for the time being. Cooper felt as if he was beginning to make things up—none of it made real sense. Of course, there was the dreaded possibility that Sarah had taken this thing with him as far as she could and was ready to end it all, but even that idea seemed pretty far-fetched.

It would be hard to stay strong through something like that because he loved Sarah. He loved her like he’d never loved before. He wanted her forever and he knew he wasn’t just fantasizing—it was real for him. If she dumped him it would put a serious kink in some plans he had to surprise her. Not to mention the idea that she might leave him would kill him.

But things remained the same all week. Sarah was aloof. Preoccupied with some itchy problem, yet not seeming to be terribly unhappy with him.

On Friday he picked her up to go to Coos Bay to meet Mac and Gina. “We’re stopping at a florist,” she said. “I ordered flowers.”