Elizabeth Lee - Storm Warning

Hayden must’ve taken her contemplative silence for something else because he moved to stand up. “Hey, it’s cool if you want to be alone. I’ll leave you be.”

“Um, wait.” She reached out to him without thinking. “Stay?”

Darkening green eyes took in the sight of her hand on his arm. “Whatever you say, angel face. I got nowhere else to be.”

WAY to go, dumbass. Coop cursed himself for not just telling Kyle the truth right then and there before Ella Jane took off like a bat out of hell. That would’ve been the best thing he could’ve done—just put all of his cards on the table. But nope. He had to go and make some stupid, completely false statement about him not even noticing how she was dressed. He’d noticed. He always noticed, and he didn’t mind it when her tank top was a little tight or her shorts a little too short.

And then for the grand finale of his asshole show—the fact that the word incest had come out of his mouth. The last thing he pictured Ella Jane as was a relative. He saw the look on her face when he’d said what he’d said and it was comparable to the reaction a kid had when they found out their favorite pet died.

He’d panicked and he’d crushed her. Especially after their almost whatever it was at the canyon the other day. He really wanted to backtrack, tell her he didn’t mean it, and tell his best friend that he was in love with his sister. But the don’t-you-dare look on Kyle’s face stopped him from following her like he’d desperately wanted to.

“That girl needs to quit being such a big baby,” Kyle said as he and Coop climbed into the cab of Coop’s truck. “Everything is end of the world with her these days.”

“She’s just having a rough time.”

“So you’ve said,” Kyle replied, side-eyeing his friend with an accusatory look. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were hot for my little sister.”

“Hardly,” Coop replied, baffled as the words came out of his mouth. Why can’t I just tell him the truth? He knew exactly why. Because he was stuck between a rock and hard place. When your best friend asked you not to do something, you didn’t do it. Bro Code. Plain and simple.

“Better not be.” Kyle chuckled and punched him in the arm as they drove down the gravel and dirt drive and pulled out onto the road.

It didn’t matter anymore anyway. The look on Ella Jane’s face told him that he had royally blown any shot he had of making any moves anytime soon. Maybe once he could explain to her—how he hadn’t meant it—she’d forgive him.

Yeah right, he thought to himself. And maybe on the first day of school I’ll tell the guidance counselor I want to go to college after all so I can major in wishful thinking.

“GRAB me a Coke,” Kyle said as they pulled into the gas station. He turned his hat around and gave his buddy a stern look. “Quit moping around and make it quick. We’re never gonna have your slow ass ready for the next race if you don’t pick up the pace.”

“Ha-ha,” Coop deadpanned. “I can be around the track ten times before your slow ass makes it through the whoop section, and that’s on my worst day.” He headed into the station to pay but turned around to dig into Kyle one more time. “You need me to pick you up a couple wedding magazines, too?”

The look on Kyle’s face told Coop that he had no idea what he was talking about.

“I mean, I just figured as whipped as you’ve been lately with your secret girlfriend, surely wife-ing her up is the next step.”

Kyle shook his head. “Go get me my Coke,” he said, fighting back a smile and pointing at the station.

Coop laughed his way to the counter. He was still trying to figure out Kyle and his new girl. He didn’t mind that his best friend had been ditching him lately for the mystery chick, but she was just that—a mystery. Kyle hadn’t even told Coop her name. All he knew was that she was some rich girl from Summit Bluffs and that Kyle was batshit crazy about her. His best friend’s eyes got all dopey and glazed over any time she was mentioned.

Coop knew the feeling, which was exactly why he didn’t ask any more questions about her. When Kyle was ready to talk, he’d talk. Just like Coop. Someday he’d tell Kyle how he felt about Ella Jane…right after he told her.

“Hey, George,” Coop greeted the grizzly looking guy behind the cash register. “Can I get five gallons of the high octane?” He pointed at Kyle, who had climbed into the truck bed, ready to fill the gas cans.

“You paying with cash?” George asked.

“Something wrong with the farm account?” Coop was confused. He had always just charged his gas to his family’s line of credit.

“Well, yeah,” George replied gruffly. “Ain’t been paid in over a month.”

“I’m sure it’s just a misunderstanding,” Coop reasoned. His parents had never been late on a payment for anything. In fact, he quite often got the “how to be financially responsible” speech from both of them. He pulled out his wallet only to find it empty. Should have listened to their spiel. He’d spent all his cash when he bought lunch for Kyle and Ella Jane yesterday.

“Go ahead and fill your tanks this time, kid.” George offered a sympathetic smile as if he knew more than he was letting on. “But tell your old man to stop in and see me.”

“Will do.” Coop thanked him and rushed out the door before George had a change of heart. He was in the truck before Kyle had the tanks full.

“Where’s my Coke?” Kyle asked as he hopped back into the truck.

“Long story.”

“DAD,” Coop called out as he walked through the screen door of the old farmhouse he called home. “Where you at?”

“Hey.” His mom did her best whisper-yell as he walked into the living room. “Your brothers are asleep.” She wagged her finger, warning him to be quiet, and sat down the tablet she was undoubtedly reading some romance novel on. He would have bet money that by the time he came downstairs for breakfast the next morning she’d be on the phone with Millie Mason talking about how hot and bothered some love scene in whatever fifty-shades-of-mommy-porn book they were reading had her. It was beyond disgusting.

“Sorry.” He tossed his hands up. He hadn’t realized it was so late. Well, late by farmer standards. Nine o’clock on a weeknight was like midnight for the people in his house. Especially when five a.m. rolled around. He flopped down on the sofa and put his hand behind his head.

“How was practice?” his dad asked, switching off the television and giving Coop his full attention.

“Ehh.” Coop shrugged. “I’ve had better.” He usually did great at practice, but today his mind had been racing instead of his bike. EJ was mad at him and he couldn’t quit thinking about what George had told him at the station. He’d looked like an amateur out there. He had actually rolled a tabletop jump and that was not like him. He was eight the last time he had done that.

Kyle had roused him the entire drive home. “See ya tomorrow, chicken shit,” he’d teased when he dropped him off. “Maybe Saturday you can actually jump the jumps.”

Coop stared up at the trophies on the fireplace mantel and hoped that he’d have another one to add on Saturday.

“I probably won’t make it to the race this weekend,” his dad informed him. “There’s twenty miles of roadside that need mowing and my favorite farmhand has been too busy chasing the Mason girl all over the county to get them done this week.” Coop looked over at his dad, whose eyes were creased in the corners. He could tell by the twitching mouth that his old man was barely fighting off a grin.

“Quit it, Jim. Wasn’t that long ago you were doing the same thing. I swear, you used to camp out on my front porch,” his mom said in his defense.

“I don’t recall it quite like that.” Jim chuckled. “I’m pretty sure you were the one seducing me with jugs of sweet tea and fresh baked cookies.”

“However you want to remember it.” Penny Cooper laughed before turning her attention to her oldest boy. “So, Brantley,” she said, calling him by his first name. His mama was just about the only one who called him that. Well, her and the teachers at school when he was clowning around in class. “How is my future daughter-in-law?”

“Doubt that’s gonna happen,” Coop mumbled under his breath. His parents had teased him mercilessly about liking Ella Jane for as long as he could remember. “She and I are friends. That’s it.”

“Okay, buddy,” his dad condescended with a smirk. “Whatever you say.”

Coop huffed out a loud breath. “Let’s just say I’m not her favorite person right now.”

“She’ll get over it,” his mom said. “I always forgave your father for acting like a jackass.”

“Who said I was acting like a jackass?” Coop sat up, grabbing a throw pillow off the couch and folding his arms around it.

“You are your father’s son.”

Coop and his dad exchanged smiles as they shook their heads. They really couldn’t disagree with her. She was the only woman in the house and knew her four boys inside, outside, and upside down. Speaking of knowing things, Coop remembered there was something he wanted to know about.

He decided it was as good a time as any to relay the message George had sent that afternoon. “Hey, Dad, George Harwell said that you need to stop in and see him at the station. Something about a missed payment on the farm account.”

“Oh, yeah.” Jim straightened up in his chair, obviously surprised by what Coop had just said. “Yeah, I’ll, er… I’ll take care of that tomorrow.”

He watched his parents trade a look. A look that told him they were hiding something. “What’s going on?”