Free Anything You Ask by Lynn Kellan Page B

smiled.
    Hale had fallen asleep on the couch before the last orange strands of sunset disappeared from the sky.
    In April, he’d insisted that falling asleep on the couch wasn’t good for his back. Now that they were right in the middle of growing season, the poor man couldn’t seem to avoid dozing on the soft cushions after putting in a full day of hard labor.
    Fatigue was beginning to catch up with her, so she went upstairs to read in bed for a while before turning off the light.
    Shortly after ten o’clock, Hale entered the bedroom with his dog. Cocoa trotted over to sniff Danielle’s ear.
    “That tickles.” Danielle giggled, scooting under the covers to evade the curious nose.
    A loud zip preceded the sound of denim dropping to the floor. “You awake, Dani?”
    She poked her head out of the covers to nod.
    Taking advantage of her sudden reappearance, Cocoa’s prickly muzzle snuffled her neck. Danielle yelped and tried to fend off the friendly attack.
    The sheet flipped back and a solid chest bumped against her shoulder as Hale reached across Danielle to give the dog a conciliatory scratch.
    “I know my wife smells good, but you can’t have her.” He pointed to the corner of the room. “Go to bed, Cocoa.”
    With a slow shuffle, the dog went to her cushion.
    “Now I’ve got you to myself.” Hale looped an arm over Danielle’s waist, lying beside her so his torso snuggled against her slender back. Since last week’s thunderstorm, he held her this way every time he came to bed.
    Danielle curled her fingers along the thick contour of his bicep. Deep inside her ribcage, happiness grew, crowding out the hopelessness that had crippled her for so long.
    “My favorite time of day,” he mumbled into her hair. “Just you and me.”
    Surprised by his tender admission, she gave his arm a gentle squeeze. A moment later, he twitched. The man was out cold.
    Sleep should have come quickly now that Hale was beside her, but Danielle couldn’t stop thinking about the phone call she’d taken an hour earlier. Her colleague wanted to tell her about a lucrative teaching position available at Virginia Tech. The search committee was looking for a professor to start teaching the fall term. The job was one she should endeavor to obtain.
    Instead of feeling excited, sadness cramped her insides. She hated to leave the one man who made her hurt fade away, but staying on the farm wasn’t an option. Too many secrets were hidden beneath the rolling fields, buried by every Cooper man she’d known.
    The past few months with Hale proved he was no different. Even though his family was gone, he still wouldn’t talk about the fiery night that sent him into exile.
    Perhaps that made him the most dangerous Cooper of all.

Chapter Seven
    The barn’s second story floor shook beneath Hale’s feet. Concerned the boys were fooling around after he told them to stay put, he paused to look over his shoulder.
    Luke and Drew were sitting beside Cocoa, playing with the toy cars he bought them yesterday.
    Assured they weren’t going to dart in front of him, he threw a bale of hay into the corner to start a new row. When he picked up another bale, he saw Danielle striding across the loft. He experienced a jolt of surprise at the frown on her pretty face.
    “Lucas and Andrew, I thought you were gathering eggs from the chickens.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “What are you doing here?”
    When she spoke, her words were sharp enough to cut bailing wire. Hale watched the exchange between mother and sons but stayed quiet.
    “We put the eggs in the refrigerator and then followed Hale here,” Luke explained, wiping his nose. “He said we could stay if we didn’t get in the way.”
    “You’re not permitted in this part of the barn.” She tightened her ponytail with a yank. “Go downstairs. I’ll be there in a minute.”
    The boys scrambled to do her bidding, their feet clunking on the wooden ladder.
    She propped her hands on her hips