10
One week later…
“You haven’t foundanything?”
Coop stood on his parents’ front porch and looked down toward the fenced in area connected to the barn. He watched Mac’s ponytail bounce up and down as she trotted around the enclosure on his dad’s favorite horse.
Her wide smile shone bright, even from here. She’d done that a lot this past week—laughed and smiled. Now he was going to have to go tell her they were no closer to figuring out who’d sent the threat than they were when they first got here.
“Sorry, man.” Derek’s southern drawl hit Coop’s ear. “I’ve been tryin’. Like I said, the military thing was a dead end. None of Mac’s uncle’s men were ever in the service. Not the ones we know of, anyway. Like she said, he had others in his pockets. Could’ve been someone on the police force. Or hell, someone with a lot of huntin’ experience. I tried, man. Sorry.”
“I know you did. I appreciate it.”
“How’s our girl doin’ otherwise?”
Coop continued watching her ride. He smiled when she laughed at something his dad said. “Good. Really good, actually.”
“Glad to hear it.” There was a slight pause before Derek said, “You know. And correct me if I’m wrong, but I sure thought I sensed a little…somethin’ between you two on the plane ride home last week.”
“A little somethin’?” Coop repeated.
“You know, an electrical current of sorts. Like maybe you two were—”
“We are,” he blurted without thinking.Shit.“But don’t tell Mac I told you.”
“Well hot damn, brother. Congratulations. It’s about fuckin’ time you two got your heads out of your asses.”
“What are you talking about, D?”
“Oh, come on. The whole team’s been wondering when you two were finally gonna get together. In fact, if memory serves me correctly, I believe there’s a pot goin’ on as to when it would happen.”
Coop blinked, tearing his gaze away from Mac for a minute. “You guys bet on when Mac and I would sleep together?”
“Well…yeah. I mean, we didn’t wager on y’all doin’ the nasty. We just kinda figured you two would end up like me and Charlie, Trev and Lexi, Jake and Liv. You know, together forever.”
“Let me get this straight. The rest of the team thinks Mac and I should get married?”
“Hell, yeah. You two already bicker like an old married couple, anyway. May as well get to enjoy the fun parts, too. Am I right?”
Coop lifted his ball cap and ran his fingers through his short hair. Looking back over at Mac, he readjusted the hat. His heart filled to the brim as he watched his dad help her off the horse before giving her a big hug.
“Yeah, D.” He nodded. “You’re right.”
He could practically hear the other man’s smile through the phone. “Just make sure I get an invitation to the wedding.”
“Don’t get too ahead of yourself there, cowboy. I’m not sure she’s ready for all that yet. Plus, I should probably talk to Jake. If Mac and I did tie the knot, I’m not sure what that would mean for us as partners on Alpha Team. For all I know, Jake may get pissed at me for screwing up the team dynamics and send me packing.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”
“What makes you say that?”
“While we’ve been talkin’, I’ve been searching through my documents on my phone. I found the Mac and Coop Get Together pool. Wanna take a guess on whose name is included with the rest of ours?”
Coop’s jaw dropped. “You’re shitting me.Jakeplaced a bet that Mac and I would get together?”
“Boss Man didn’t just bet on you two, brother.” Derek chuckled. “He won the whole fuckin’ pot.”
I’ll be damned.“I don’t even know how to respond to that.”
