It's In His Heart (A Red River Valley Novel) by Shelly Alexander Page A

times. Maybe.”
    Ella’s silky brow arched.
    “Okay, once.”
    Her brow went higher.
    “I think.”
    Coop’s gaze anchored to the stray locks that dangled over her face. He reached out and grasped one before he could stop himself and tucked it behind her ear. Her eyes went soft. And dropped to his lips. Then those green emeralds slid lower and took a nice long tour over his bare chest. He found himself holding his breath.
    “You’re . . .” She swallowed. “You’re all . . . sweaty.” Something flared in her eyes. Something akin to . . . physical attraction? Yeah. He’d been with enough women to recognize that look. But seeing it in Ella’s eyes shocked him. And seemed to shock her even more, because she took a step back. Her eyes still roamed his chest, though.
    “I’m busy, did you need something?” Her tone gone hard, she turned away from him and snapped off the gloves.
    “Nope.” He went to the pantry. Every item was lined up in perfect order. “What’d you do to my stuff?”
    “Organized it.” She sprayed the already-spotless counter and wiped it down.
    “I can’t even make toast because I can’t find the bread,” he huffed.
    “It’s in the section labeled B .”
    He turned a frown on her.
    “Just kidding.” She marched over to the pantry and gave him a miniscule push to move him out of the way. “And you say I need to loosen up.” She lifted some sort of wood contraption with a small roller door and shoved the bread at his chest.
    “What is that , and where did it come from?”
    “It’s a bread box that keeps our bread fresher. I got it at the market when Cal and I shopped for groceries. I picked up a few other things to brighten the cabin up, too. This place could use it.”
    “This place is fine.” Coop popped some bread into the toaster and got out eggs and bacon. “Want some breakfast?” He’d never had a problem with the cabin, why should she?
    Ella bent and started replacing cleaning supplies under the kitchen sink in precision rows. “No thanks. I already ate cereal.” She stood just as Coop turned to put something in the sink and they bumped into each other.
    “You’re in my way,” she ground out.
    “I was here first. Remember?”
    “That’s real grown-up, Coop. Are you going to stick your tongue out at me, too?”
    Maybe. He inhaled. “Look, I just need to fix something to eat before I go to Cal’s summer school parent-teacher conference.” Maybe he should ask her to make a schedule for taking turns in the kitchen. Although why she’d need to spend much time in the kitchen was beyond him, because coffee and a bowl of cereal seemed to be the extent of her culinary skills.
    Her expression went blank. “You go to Cal’s conferences?”
    Coop stepped around her and got out two frying pans for the bacon and eggs. “Of course. I helped Dad raise him since Cal’s mom didn’t stick around.” Coop tossed two slices of bacon in the pan and cracked some eggs into a small bowl. Since he was so much older than Cal, he’d stood in the gap where a mother was glaringly absent.
    He looked up to find Ella staring at him.
    “That’s . . . really nice.”
    Coop shrugged. “Don’t most parents do the same thing?”
    She snorted. “No. Actually, they don’t. I’m a teacher, Coop. Trust me, I know.”
    He scrambled the eggs with a fork. “It’s not the same as having a mom to orchestrate a birthday party, or participate in the PTA, or show up at his Little League games with homemade cookies decorated to look like baseballs.” He poured the eggs into the pan and turned on the burner. “But I try.”
    “Sounds like the voice of experience.” Ella tucked the mop and bucket inside the pantry all nice and neat.
    Coop’s jaw hardened because it was none of Ella’s business that his mother hadn’t been around.
    “I could get cleaned up and come with you. Since I’m a teacher, I might be able to offer some insight into Cal’s learning disability. It might be