Free Woman On the Run by Lisa Marie Rice Page A

you?”
    “Don’t know. She died when I was three. Hardly remember her.”
    “What did they call you at school?”
    “Coop.”
    “And your wife?”
    “Mostly she called me a son of a bitch, ma’am.” His black eyes bored into hers. “’Specially just before she left me.”
    Well, that was a conversation stopper.
    “Oh. I, ah…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry, it’s just that…” Julia wound down with an embarrassed shrug, then watched curiously as Cooper pulled a note out of his jeans pocket and handed it to her.
    Surprised, she unfolded it, only to find that it was one of the notes she had written and addressed to Rafael’s parents and that she’d tucked into the little boy’s Barney lunch pail. It didn’t matter which note it was, they all said more or less the same thing.
    Rafael is having serious problems at school and I would appreciate a chance to talk it over with you.
    She looked at the tall, silent man before her, then back at the note. “I don’t really see…”
    Then, suddenly, she did.
    Obviously, Sam Cooper was little Rafael’s father. Julia’s fertile imagination filled in the dots. Cooper’s wife—the one who mostly called him a son of a bitch—must have left him very recently, which was why little Rafael was having so many problems.
    No, that didn’t work.
    Rafael’s last name was Martinez not Cooper, so she couldn’t have been his wife…but he had said his wife had left him, so maybe Rafael was Cooper’s wife’s child from a first marriage—Cooper’s ex-wife’s child—it was hard to work it all out in her mind while those opaque black eyes were steadily watching her.
    As always when at a loss, Julia talked.
    “Look, I apologize for interfering, I usually don’t, believe me, but Rafael is truly having problems coping at school. Why just today, he cried because Missy…”
    “Tomorrow,” Cooper interrupted. “Could you come out?”
    She was starting to be able to decipher his code. Translated into human speech, Cooper was asking her if she would be willing to come out to the ranch tomorrow and talk over Rafael’s problems.
    Fred poked his nose into Cooper’s hand and he idly scratched the matted fur, seeming to know just the spot to make Fred wriggle with delight. It looked like Sam Cooper was infinitely more gifted at communicating with animals than with human beings.
    There wasn’t much Julia had to do tomorrow afternoon, besides fret over her situation and whine to Fred. Even talking over a little boy’s problems was preferable to that.
    “Yes, of course,” she said, and Fred swung his head around to her without leaving Cooper’s side. “Where’s your house…er, ranch?”
    “Drive five miles west out the old McMurphy Road towards the Interstate, turn right at the intersection, then drive northeast for two miles, take the east fork, drive four hundred yards…”
    Julia listened to him in rising panic, having a sudden image of herself zigging when she was supposed to zag, driving in frantic loops around the vast empty countryside until the gas ran out and wolves ate her.
    Her face must have registered panicky despair because Cooper stopped. “I’m coming into town tomorrow morning,” he said and she thought maybe she heard a slight sigh from him. “Could you be at Carly’s Diner around ten?”
    “Carly’s Diner,” Julia said, enormously relieved, delighted she wouldn’t have to go out all by herself in this wild and lonely country, fodder for wolves. Five miles west…south fork…four hundred yards. He might as well have spoken Greek. “Ten o’clock. I’ll be there.”
    “Fine.” He dipped his head gravely. “Thank you.”
    “Don’t mention it.” Julia said softly. “It’s the least I can do after…” She waved a hand awkwardly, fighting the urge to pantomime dropping a big pumpkin on Cooper’s head.
    Cooper was in the open doorway now. It was still sleeting and the temperature had dropped precipitously. His breath created a wreath