He’d failed to take her response, and what it would do to him, into account. It stoked the flame inside him. Her mouth was still sweet and cool from the ice cream. He savored her, suddenly desperate to hold on to her, on to the moment.

  Her fingers threaded through the hair at his nape, and a shiver passed over him. He touched under her jaw and felt her racing pulse beneath his palm. She was a drug, and he’d been born addicted. How had he ever lasted this long without having her in his arms?

  A crack of thunder snapped him back to the present.

  He was kissing Kate in broad daylight. He fought the pull of reality, drew out the kiss another moment. Then two. Because, man . . .

  A moment later, with the discipline of a saint, he slowly drew back. Their ragged breaths mingled in the space between them. She gave him that sleepy-eyed look, making him want to kiss her all over again.

  But a blink later the desire in her eyes shifted to something else. Reality was settling in—for both of them.

  Nothing had changed. She was still his brother’s girl.

  Cooper reluctantly let go of her and put a few more inches between them—just to be safe. There was no going back after a kiss like that. He should say something, but he couldn’t bring himself to apologize for a kiss that had felt so right.

  Instead he said what loyalty demanded of him. “We can’t do this, Katelyn.” His whisper sounded harsh even to his own ears.

  “I know.”

  He hated the defeat on her face. The furrow splitting her brows. The guilt shimmering in her eyes. Hated that he’d put those there.

  They needed to cool off. “I’ll take you back to the clinic.”

  “I’ll walk. You take my car.”

  “It’s raining.” But even as he said it, he realized the rain had stopped as suddenly as it had started. In the silence raindrops fell from the overhang.

  Katie looked down at her melting cone. The ice cream was dripping onto her hand. She stared at it as if unsure what to do with it.

  He took the cone and tossed it in a nearby trash can, then handed her the wad of napkins he’d tucked into his pocket. “Let me drive you.”

  “It’s okay. I need to . . . think.”

  He’d put her in a terrible position. He did regret that. He’d thought he had the self-control to resist her. He’d been so wrong. “I’m sorry.”

  She tossed the dirty napkins in the trash and gave him a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Let’s just . . . I should go now.”

  “What about your keys?”

  “Just leave them in the car.” She was already backing away. And there was nothing left to say.

  33

  Katie was glad it had stopped raining because her sanity required a good, hard jog. She needed some space. Some endorphins. Some thinking time. And boy did she have a lot of thinking to do.

  Her feet pounded the wet pavement, and her lungs pulled rain-scented air into her lungs. The humidity had broken, leaving the temperature a full ten degrees cooler. She moved through the neighborhood unseeing, her thoughts spinning in a whirlwind.

  She’d crossed an unforgivable line, and there was no going back. She wouldn’t be able to be around Cooper and not want his kiss. There was no hope whatsoever of keeping things between them strictly platonic.

  She had to break up with Gavin. There was no way around it now—she’d have to hurt that lovely man. Her stomach twisted hard at the thought.

  She’d also have to leave behind the family she’d grown to love. Avery might very well hate her for a while—even if she didn’t find out about the kiss.

  She swallowed hard. What had she done? One brush of the man’s lips, and she melted like a snow cone in August. But, oh, what a kiss. It made her kisses with Gavin seem downright lame.

  The thought plagued her. She should’ve known it wouldn’t work with Gavin. The chemistry had never been there. There was no forcing such things. She should’ve broken up with him before he’d had a chance to develop more serious feelings. Now she was going to hurt him, and that’s the last thing she wanted. She of all people knew the cruel pain of rejection. And now she had to inflict it on someone she cared about.

  Furthermore, she wouldn’t be seeing Cooper anymore. He would never date his brother’s ex-girlfriend. That thought settled like a leaden weight in her stomach. Tears stung her eyes, making the road before her blur. She could hardly stand the thought. How could she live in this little town, run into him, and pretend she didn’t—

  What? Love him?

  She gave a slow blink as reality settled in, clear and palpable. Yes, she loved him. Somehow, while trying to force things with Gavin and after two months of trying to avoid Cooper, she’d fallen in love with the man. All her life she’d been searching for a place to belong, a person to belong to, and she’d finally found him.

  But she couldn’t have him.

  God, how could You let this happen?

  She winced at the accusation. That’s it, Katie. Blame God.

  There was no one to blame but herself. She was the one dating Cooper’s brother. She was the one who should’ve handled this much differently. She’d let this go on too long. But she’d been so enamored with the Robinsons, she hadn’t been willing to risk losing them.

  How sad was that? How selfish?

  Now, in one fell swoop, she’d lost Lisa, Jeff, Gavin, Cooper, and possibly, Avery—her boss and, most importantly, her friend. Everything in Katie’s life seemed to overlap now. How had this gotten so complicated?

  * * *

  So much for clearing his head. Cooper’s long ride through the mountains hadn’t helped. His thoughts were still as tangled as last year’s Christmas lights.

  He pulled into his apartment’s parking lot and shut off the motorcycle. Twilight closed in around him as he removed his helmet and made his way into the building. How was Kate doing? What was she thinking right now? Would she break up with Gavin?

  He hated the way his heart lifted at the thought—and to what end? Nothing could happen between them now. He hated himself for being disloyal to his brother, and he’d never repeat the mistake.

  His thoughts snagged on the last word—how could something that felt so right be a mistake?

  Once inside his apartment he kicked off his boots and checked his phone, some small part of him hoping to hear from Kate. He’d missed two calls, a voice mail, and a text—all from Avery.

  Surely Kate hadn’t told his sister what had happened between them. That wouldn’t end well. But he could hardly blame her for needing to talk it out with her best friend.

  Avery’s text simply demanded that he call her back. The voice mail reiterated the message in a blunt, measured tone.

  Oh boy. Kate had definitely told her about the kiss.

  Cooper took a minute to gather himself before he dialed Avery’s number. She answered on the first ring.

  “Oh, you’ve caused a real mess this time, Cooper Holland Robinson. How could you? She’s Gavin’s girlfriend, for crying out loud. You said there was nothing going on, but obviously that’s not the case.”

  “I didn’t lie to you. There wasn’t anything going on—not physically at least. I don’t know what Kate told you but—”

  “Katie didn’t tell me anything—the photo pretty much said it all!”

  His blood froze. “What photo?”

  “Oh, the one someone plastered to the wall of your campaign page.”

  “What?”

  “Little piece of advice, Coop. Next time you make out with your brother’s girlfriend, you might want to find someplace more private than the Dairy Barn.”

  “Who posted that? Take it down.”

  “I did, genius. But not before it was noticed—and shared to the tune of twenty-eight times.”

  This was out there now. Gavin. Cooper closed his eyes, his breath escaping in one long, defeated sigh. This was bad. So bad.

  But wait a minute. Avery managed his campaign page. “How can someone even post things on my page without your approval?”

  “Are you really trying to blame this on me right now?” The clipped words cut right through him.

  He ran a hand over his face. “I’m sorry. This isn’t your fault obviously. Was it a clear picture? Could you tell who it was?”

  “Oh yeah. You can see for yourself. I’ll send it to you now.”

  She went quiet, presumably doing as she said.

  Cooper’s mind spun at the possible implications. Was it possible Avery only recognized Kate because she’d already had suspicions about the two of them? He whispered a desperate prayer. Crossed his fingers. Wished on a star. Where was a dandelion when you needed one?

  “Who took that photo? No one was around.”

  “I don’t know. The profile that posted it seemed fake so I reported it. There, I sent the picture.”

  A moment later his phone buzzed. He opened the text and tapped on the photo. It had been taken from the side, perhaps from the sidewalk, though the photographer had zoomed in. Cooper’s hand was on the wall beside Katelyn as he leaned in. Their identities were obvious, and the kiss appeared every bit as passionate as it had been.

  His last flicker of hope was snuffed out in an instant. “This isn’t good.”

  “You think?”

  He gritted his teeth. He could really do without her sarcasm right now.

  “And I have to say, the caption didn’t help matters much either. Let me read it for you so I don’t misquote. ‘Could this be Deputy Robinson’s mysterious baby mama?’”

  He reared back. “What?”

  “Yes, Cooper. The general public is now wondering if Katie’s the pregnant woman whose baby you’re denying.”

  No. This could not be happening. He paced his living room. “Does Kate know?”

  “I don’t know. Haven’t been able to reach her—I assumed she was still busy making out with you.”

  “It may seem unlikely,” he said in a biting tone, “but that was actually our first and only kiss. I’ve been out riding around trying to sort out this mess.”

  “Well, fortunately, the guy who posted the photo didn’t mention Katie by name. But people around here will recognize her, and everyone knows she’s Gavin’s girlfriend.”

  She was right. In one fell swoop Cooper had somehow managed to publicly humiliate all three of them. The list of people he owed an apology to was growing by the minute. And it started with his brother.

  “You’ve got some massive damage control ahead of you, starting with Gavin. I recommend you go see him before he gets wind of this. He deserves to hear it from you.”

  Cooper checked the time. It had only been two hours since the kiss. Gavin wasn’t on social media. Still, Cooper should get over there. His stomach knotted at the thought of hurting his brother. What was he even going to say? “I’ll go now.”

  “Do that.”

  “Can you keep trying to get ahold of Kate? She needs to know what was said about her, and I think it would be best if I kept my distance.”

  “Fine. We’ll talk later about how we’re going to handle the publicity part of this.”

  He couldn’t care less about the campaign right now; his family was falling apart—and it was all his fault.

  34

  Cooper drove down the campground’s winding gravel road. Evening was closing in, and being a Saturday night, the property was full. Fires flickered at most of the sites, and families gathered nearby, eating dinner at picnic tables or roasting marshmallows.

  Cooper pulled in beside his brother’s Sierra Denali and shut off the engine. His feet were like lead as he exited his truck and made his way toward the camper. The lights were on, so at least he’d caught Gavin at home. Relief and dread battled for the lead in his mind.

  Cooper had rehearsed what he’d say on the short drive over, but everything sounded so lame. Bottom line—there was no excuse for what he’d done.

  As he neared the camper the door burst open. Gavin flew down the steps. “You pig—I trusted you!”

  Cooper barely had time to brace his feet before Gavin’s meaty fist came flying. Light flashed behind Cooper’s eyes. Pain exploded in his head. He stumbled backward, reeling, disoriented.

  “My own brother.” Gavin’s face was a hardened mask. His brows drawn, his jaw flexing, he seemed a little unhinged.

  Cooper shook his head to settle the loose marbles and blinked to clear his vision. His ears rang. His brother packed a punch—literally.

  Cooper held out his hands, palms forward. “All right. All right, I deserved that.”

  “You think?”

  “I’m sorry, Gavin. It was all my fault.”

  “How many women do you need, Cooper? Every woman in town wants you, but that’s not enough? You had to steal mine?”

  He grimaced. “It’s not like that. Kate cares about you.”

  “Kate?” He gave a mirthless laugh and shook his head. “You took advantage of her! You made a play for her like she was just another one of your fans.”

  Harsh. Cooper pressed his lips together.

  “What’s wrong? Couldn’t stand that there was one woman who could resist your charms? Just had to prove you could get her, too, never mind that she’s my girlfriend?”

  “No, it wasn’t like—”

  The left hook came out of nowhere. Pain burst through his jaw and cheek. His head jerked back with the force of the blow. He caught his balance and struggled to reorient himself. Something red and hot rose in his chest. He gritted his teeth and sent Gavin a flinty look. “That’s your last free punch, man.”

  Gavin got up in Cooper’s face. “You’re nothing but a dog! You knew I cared about her, and you went after her anyway.”

  “I never meant to hurt you,” he grated out.

  “What’d you think would happen?” Spittle flew. “You’re cheating with my girl behind my back. How long’s it been going on? Huh? How long?”

  “It hasn’t—today was the first time I kissed her.”

  Gavin fisted Cooper’s shirt, pulling him face-to-face. “Sure it was.”

  “It’s the truth!”

  Gavin pushed him away, as if he couldn’t stand to be close another minute. He was all but snarling, blue eyes blazing. “You wouldn’t know the truth if it hit you square between the eyes.”

  It was the cool, measured tone of Gavin’s voice that sent fear spreading through Cooper’s veins like poison. They’d had many arguments over the years. They’d even come to blows a time or two as teenagers. But Gavin had never regarded him with so much . . . hatred.

  Fear compressed Cooper’s chest. Gavin’s wall of anger protected a gaping wound—a wound Cooper was responsible for. His brother may never forgive him for this. And Cooper couldn’t blame him. The red-hot anger dissipated, leaving something much worse in its place.

  “I’m truly sorry. It was a terrible mistake, and if I could take it back, I would.” He meant those words from the depth of his soul.

  Gavin’s shoulders slowly sank even as his chest heaved. “Well, you can’t take it back, can you?”

  Cooper stared into his brother’s desolate eyes. He’d done the unforgiveable. Wished he had the words to fix this. But Gavin was right. What Cooper had done could never be undone. It was just as he’d suspected all along. He really was a terrible person—his father’s son—after all.

  * * *

  Katie had no sooner emerged from the shower and slipped into sleep shorts and a T-shirt than a knock sounded at her door. Cooper. She hated the traitorous way her heart leaped in response.

  But a quick peek through the peephole revealed Avery, her mahogany hair pulled back in the same ponytail she’d worn at noon today. Had it really been less than twelve hours ago?

  Katie pulled open the door.

  Avery turned a very sour look on her. Her left eye twitched.

  Katie hadn’t seen the stress-induced tick since finals week their senior year.

  Her stomach wobbled. “Hi. Come on in.”

  “Have you checked your phone?”

  Katie shut the door. “Um, no. I went for a jog and left it in my purse. Have a seat and tell me what’s wrong. Can I get you something to drink?”

  Avery crossed her arms. “I’m just going to get right to the point, Katie. Someone took a picture of you and Cooper kissing and posted it to his campaign page.”

  Katie sucked in a breath. The ramifications whirled through her mind.

  “I took it down but it’s been shared. It’s out there.”

  “Does Cooper know?”

  Avery’s face went harder—if that were possible. “Interesting you asked about Cooper first.”

  Katie flinched. What was wrong with her? Legs trembling, she sank into her armchair, her gaze falling to her lap. Her breath felt trapped in her lungs.

  “Cooper’s over at Gavin’s right now trying to explain. Though I have no idea what he could possibly say to excuse his behavior.”

  Oh, dear God. What have we done? “I can’t believe this is happening.”

  “What did you think would happen when you kissed your boyfriend’s brother?”

  Katie’s face went ten degrees warmer. Avery was right. What could Katie even say? “What will this do to Cooper’s campaign?”

  “Too early to say but obviously it can’t be good. We’ll meet tomorrow and go over our options.”

  “Have you talked to Gavin?”

  “I thought it best he heard the news from Cooper.”

  “Right.”

  “That’s not all.”

  At Avery’s foreboding tone, Katie braced for more bad news.

  “The person who posted the photo speculated you might be Cooper’s mysterious baby mama.”

  Katie blinked. “What? That’s crazy.”

  “Well, the photo makes it seem plausible, so welcome to the Riverbend rumor mill.”

  Katie winced at her friend’s obvious anger. She couldn’t blame her. Katie had come between her brothers. Avery wouldn’t be the only one angry with her. Gavin’s whole family would probably shun her. Worse yet—she deserved it.

  Her chest tightened at the thought of losing the family that had come to mean so much to her. She’d grown close to Lisa, especially, but the woman wouldn’t want anything to do with her now. Bad enough she’d kissed Cooper, but now people would think she’d gotten pregnant by her boyfriend’s brother.