Cooper's Wife

“Mrs. Potts is shopping, so she said we gotta come on over and see Anna.” Katie ground to a stop in the middle of the parlor, braids bobbing. She rubbed several strands of escaped hair out of her eyes. “Papa, Mrs. Potts is really, really mad at you again. Hi, Anna.”

A little blond sprite of a girl stared out at her from between Cooper’s knees.

Anna’s entire heart warmed. “Hello.”

He cleared his throat. “You mean Mrs. Potts is really mad at you. What did you do this time?”

“Nothing. A snake got into the pantry, that’s all.” Katie’s eyes twinkled with barely restrained mischief. “She’s awfully scared of things like that.”

“You and I will discuss this later.” He didn’t look pleased, but he wasn’t angry, wasn’t punishing.

A good father, Anna decided. Just the sort of man she’d hoped to find. “Katie, I haven’t forgotten about returning your storybook. I’m still reading to Mandy from it.”

“Only Maisie likes those stories now.” The girl turned serious, obviously concentrating on more important matters. “Do you like my papa enough to marry him yet?”

Anna couldn’t hold back her chuckle. She looked up and caught the surprise in Cooper’s eyes, laughed at the astonishment slackening his unshaven jaw. “No, Katie. I don’t like your father that much.”

“Pretty women always say that.” Katie affected a troubled sigh, her heart-deep need for a mother’s love dark like lost hope in her eyes.

“Katie. Maisie. Let’s go outside.” Cooper wouldn’t meet Anna’s gaze as he headed for the door. Apparently he did know about the letters, about her embarrassing situation. Why hadn’t he said anything? Was he afraid she’d demand marriage whether he wanted her or not?

“Anna, come see Bob,” Katie called as she bolted toward the door, braids flying.

“Yeah. Come see Bob,” Maisie chimed.

Cooper’s gaze snared hers, intense and unflinching. The air stalled in her chest. She saw the warmth of this family and couldn’t help wanting to be a part of it, just in a small way, for this one moment. “Who’s Bob?”

Katie hopped out onto the sunlit boardwalk. “Bob is my pony.”

“A very bad pony.” Big blue eyes met Anna’s. Maisie blushed shyly, then dashed outside in a pink blur.

“She’s precious.” Delight transformed Anna’s heart-shaped face.

“You see what I’m up against. Two adorable girls who have me wrapped around their little fingers.”

“I’ll say.” She smiled, but it was warm, without censure. Not judgmental, not disapproving. When it came to Katie, he got the latter reaction most of the time.

He could only stare at Anna, liking her for liking his girls. He couldn’t help it, even if he was looking disaster in the face. Not only did Anna know he knew about the letters, but now both his girls thought a marriage between them was possible.

That matchmaking Katie had gone too far this time! Cooper gave Anna one more look, for he was too angry to speak, then stepped outside.

He had to remember Anna wasn’t all that different from Katherine. Needing his help. Seeking his protection. Looking up at him with doe-soft eyes so that he would lay down his life—or his honor—to protect her, no matter the cost. He would not make that mistake again.

“Anna, come on!” Katie’s voice lifted in the springscented wind, loud enough to make people turn on the other side of the street and look.

“Katie,” he admonished, grabbing her arm and pulling her close. “This is going too far and you know it. You can’t go against my wishes like this.”

“What?” Innocent eyes. Yes, they really were innocent. With Katie, he had to be certain.

“You know very well Mrs. Bauer is not going to be your mother. I thought we agreed no more—”

“But you promised!” Dismayed, she stepped back. Then remembering, lowered her voice. “Papa, you promised. You said you would fix everything. Make it all right.”

He closed his eyes. Counted to ten. “Yes, that’s what I said. But I never said I would marry the woman.”

“Nor should he,” Anna’s voice, firm but gentle, interrupted. Thank goodness she was on his side. “I know you wrote the letters, Katie.”

“You do?” Eyes so filled with surprise.

He turned and looked down at her exhaustion-lined face. His skin buzzed with her nearness. He breathed in the scent of the dust-filled air and Anna, soft as roses, intoxicating as fine whiskey.

“I appreciate this, Anna.” He caught her gaze, as soft as a featherlight touch to his face. “I didn’t know how to bring up the subject.”

“I understand.” And she did. It shone clear and honest in her eyes. She didn’t blame him. She didn’t blame Katie.

The guilt and his burden doubled. A harridan or a manipulator he could send out of town on the next stage without a thought. But Anna... She posed a real problem.

Yep, she was as appealing as the lemony shafts of sunshine burnishing her gold curls. She breezed by him, and the hair stood up on his arms. She smiled at him and his heart stopped beating.

Maisie hid behind his legs, her grip on his knees keeping him from stepping forward. Bob’s mouth opened, those beady intelligent eyes focused on Anna’s dress.

“Come pet her,” Katie coaxed. “She don’t bite.”

“She bites,” Maisie whispered.

Anna offered her slender hand to the defiant pony. Big teeth closed around Anna’s ruffled hem and tugged.

“Watch out.” He dove forward, breaking away from Maisie to rescue Anna.

But already she’d waved away the concern with a flick of her slender hand. “No harm done.” Her smile shone as true as the North Star. “Bob looks like a great pony.”

Approval shone in Katie’s eyes. That mischievous, certain-to-be-punished Katie. “My Bob’s the fastest pony in town. Everyone says so. And she jumps really high, too.”

“Jumps?” he boomed. When did she start jumping that pony? She was under express orders not to—

“She?” Anna interrupted his thoughts and then laughed with such honest gentleness he forgot to be angry. “You named a girl pony, Bob?”

“She’s tough like me. I didn’t want her to have no frilly name.” Katie patted Bob’s brown side with pride before springing up onto the pony’s back.

“Being tough must be pretty important.”

The breeze lifted through Anna’s hair, shivering around her shoulders. So delicious, so inviting, he had to fist his hands. What would it feel like to wind his fingers through those gold locks, to feel that rich silk against his skin? The touch of a woman, her gentleness in his life—he hadn’t realized he’d missed such things.

Until now.

Maisie stepped out and tugged at Anna’s skirt. “Katie said you are gonna be my mama. That’s fine by me.”

Anna’s face crumpled, charmed and touched. Cooper rushed forward to grab his littlest girl, but Anna was already kneeling before her, laying a hand to that childsoft face. “Dear heart, what a sweet wish.”