“No need to respond, brother. Just let us know when you two have set a date.”
He laughed. “I have to ask her first, Derek.”
“No time like the present. Besides, you wait too long, you might lose your chance. Trust me.”
“I’ll give it some thought. In the meantime, go back to the pictures and the note. Might be a long shot, but maybe we’ll get lucky and get a hit on something that’ll tell us where they came from.”
“I’ll get started on it ASAP.”
“Thanks, man. I need to know that Mac’s safe. That can’t happen until this is done and over with.”
“I hear ya, Coop. Don’t worry. I’ll let you know if anything comes up.”
“Thanks, D.”
“No problem. And don’t forget what I said about the other.”
Coop smiled. “I won’t.”
He ended the call and shoved his work phone into his pocket. Since this was now officially a R.I.S.C. case, he and Mac had both left their personal phones in their apartments, per the company’s SOP, or standard operating procedure.
Less than five minutes later, Coop was in his old bedroom, pulling out a shoebox from the top shelf in his closet.
Blowing the dust off the lid, he lifted it off and set it on his bed. His heart pounded to the beat of a kick drum when he saw the small, black velvet box nestled between a few stacks of old baseball cards.
He picked it up.This is crazy, right?
Sure, he and Mac had been friends for years, now.Goodfriends. As far as a couple, they’d barely started to…hell, they hadn’t even been on a first date, yet. But the sex—
God, Almighty, the things that woman could do with her tongue. His dick got hard just thinking of the blowjob she’d given him at the cliff the other day. And the one when they’d snuck out behind the barn last night.
Coop walked over to his bedroom window and looked down to where he’d last seen Mac and his dad. They were still outside, his dad showing her how to properly brush a horse.
Ever since he’d taken her to his special spot their first day here, he and Mac had found every excuse they could to go off alone. Between checking in with the team back home, helping his parents around the farm, and their stolen moments, their days were full of all the best things life had to offer.
Like they were living their best life…together.
Maybe his dad and Derek were right. Maybe he and Mac could balance working and living together.
As if she knew what he was thinking, Mac looked up. She saw him through the window and waved as she helped his dad lead the horse back into its stable.
In that moment, Coop was hit with the purest sense of clarity he’d ever had in his life. He knew exactly what he wanted to do. What heneededto do.
Because life was about choices, and for him the choice was suddenly very simple.
I choose Mac.
Before he could talk himself out of it, Coop dropped the shoebox onto his mattress, grabbed the velvet box, and went to claim the woman he loved.
* * *
“Like that?” Mac looked to Coop’s dad for guidance on the proper way to hang the horse’s lead.
Robert Cooper nodded his approval. “Looks perfect, my dear,”
Mac patted the horse’s nose again, the white strip of hair there feeling coarse, yet soft at the same time. “Thanks for letting me ride Star again. She’s such a beautiful animal.”
“Feel free to come ride her anytime, Mac. In fact, we’re having a surprise birthday dinner for Cheryl three weeks from Sunday. Nothing fancy, but Sean and his sisters are planning on being here. I know Alyssa and Emma would love to meet you.”
