Part 1

ca thunk, ca thunk, ca thunk.

“Great”! Ella muttered as the old truck came to a jerky stop on the side of a deserted, western back road. The only thing still working was the radio, belting out a song too cheery for the current situation. Opening the squeaky door, Ella jumped down from the truck, a cloud of dust covering her worn out boots. Pushing back her long, brown curly hair, she popped the hood and prayed the smell coming from the engine wasn’t a precursor to what she would find. Hoping for the best but bracing for the worst, Ella raised the hood to a cloud of oil filled smoke rolling from the engine. “Awesome”! Ella said in her best sarcasm that was wasted on the obviously dead truck. Throwing her unruly curls into a pony tail, she glanced under the truck to see a puddle of oil. Walking back to the cab, she kicked the tire, trying to figure out her next move. No cell service, nothing but corn fields and an overly warm Septemeber day. So much for that relaxing drive into the middle of nowhere to waste some time today, she thought.

Debating on walking or waiting for a serial killer to come by, she saw a glare from a vehicle on the horizon. Talking to herself, she said, “I’m either going to get killed or a ride, both would be welcomed right now”. Shaking her curls out of her pony tail, hoping she didn’t look like the serial killer and get left there to die, she splashed some water on her cheeks, put some lip gloss on and thought, “I might as well die pretty”. Forgetting how long it takes a truck to come down these long country roads, she waited impatiently, tapping her foot. Having time to think, she thought about how she was always getting into these situations. Trouble really should be my first name, trouble and bad decisions.

The truck finally came over the last hill and rolled to a stop. As the window came down, her mouth dropped open and for once, Ella was speechless. Every memory of the summer when she was 17 flooded back like it was yesterday.

“Well, I’ll be! What brings the honor of your presence to our little town”? , came from the handsome guy in the truck with a voice so sweetly familiar it wrapped Ella in a sweet melody of a memory. Inside that truck was a memory Ella had been trying to erase for 7 years. Trying to find her voice, her dignity and maybe even a witty reply, all Ella could come up with was, “Damn my luck, I’d rather you be a serial killer”.

“What”? The brown eyed God in the truck asked? Turning on her heel, all Ella could think about is perfume. Such a crazy thought in this situation but it was the perfume she has worn for 7 years. The perfume he liked. Composing herself, she straightened her shoulders and ran her pink fingernails through her soft curls and saw him visibly swallow while watching her. “Good, I still have it”, she thought to herself. Feeling a little victorious, she looked at Cooper and answered his question is a long, slow, soft drawl. Her accent always got her on his good side, no matter what his mood.

“I’m here for my sister’s wedding”.

“Ahhh, yes, I remember now. My mother got the invite but I didn’t realize the day was getting closer”. Copper told me. “I didn’t think even that would get you back here”. Ella saw the pain from 7 years ago flash in his eyes and it the hurt her heart caused her mind to wonder back to the cold and rainy day. “Well”, Cooper said, bringing her back to earth with his dry tone. Clearly he wasn’t willing to think about the past and I was okay with it. Just walking over the truck with him brought an onslaught of memories she wasn’t prepared for. Ignoring her thoughts and his look, she told him she was sure the engine blew because of oil loss. Rolling his eyes, he opened the hood and then crawled under the truck to inspect further. “No plug”. That was all he said until he saw her scowl and decided to provoke her further. She deserved it after all. Trying to hold down his temper, his mind reeled. How dare she roll into town like nothing ever happened? How dare she even drive down the road that led to his house? “It was probably your driving”, Cooper said. “It must have worked loose with your hell on wheels driving technique. Hop in my truck, I’ll bring you home”.

Sighing and seeing no other choice, Ella reached in the truck to grab her keys, purse and phone. Bending over the seat to pretend to search for something, she stole a quick glanced in her compact mirror. Mad that she cared but having too much pride not to, Ella slammed the truck door to the sound of laughter.

Throwing Cooper a look that would cripple a normal person only made him laugh harder. “I see you’re the same Ella you’ve always been when caught in a situation you can’t win”. Trying to control the storm brewing her eyes, Ella gave Cooper her sweetest smile and tried not to stomp over to the passenger side of his truck. Still standing outside laughing, knowing she was a lit rocket, Cooper gave her time to get in and get settled. Taking the time to look at Ella, Cooper saw she only got more beautiful with age. Her already pretty face matured into a graceful beauty and her confidence only added to it. The anger seeping out of her intensified her beauty, adding a charge that made you want to step closer to see what color her bright eyes were and touch her lips to yours, no matter what the consequence.

Oblivious to Cooper’s thoughts because she was caught up in her own, Ella slid into the cool truck and was reminded how warm it was outside. Seeing his bottle of water made the hour outside even worse. Cooper must have sensed her thirst and he grabbed her a bottle of water from his cooler before he got in. “You never were good at hiding your feelings, especially from me”. He bragged, handing her the water. Especially from you, she thought. Taking a long drink of water, Ella used that time to compose herself, yet again. Cooper was too close. All this was too sudden. Sneaking a look at Copper, she almost choked on her water. The 19 year old boy was still there but he was every bit of twenty six. Layers of hard muscle and work lay beneath his shirt and rippled with each move. Soft boy features had matured into devastatingly handsome looks that left you breathless. Thirty five minutes in this truck would surely kill her.

Cooper never was much of a talker and it didn’t seem like he was going to start today. Finally, the silence was too much for her. Naturally, she blurted out the first thought in her head. “I’m so sorry about your dad”. Really?!? Of all the subjects in the world, she picked this one? Regret hit her like a ton of bricks and she couldn’t even bring herself to look at him. “Thanks”, he breathed. Clearing his throat, he added insult to injury and reminded her how much his dad loved her. “I know”, she whispered, “I loved him too. He called me his lil’ spitfire. All fire and ice, he would laugh. I wrote to him, you know? Once a week, every week, until…..” Ella trailed off; not wanting to finish her thought out loud and finally found the courage to look at him and saw him nod. “I know”. He answered. “He kept every letter, even the card where you recorded your message”. Ella felt the tears well up in her eyes; those stinging tears that you never let go and they just stay there waiting for the right moment to pour out. Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to squeeze out the feeling of guilt that was coming over her. Cooper picked that moment to look at her and say; “he understood and he was happy for you. “Life has a way of creeping up on us”, he would tell me”. Hearing Cooper mimic his dad made her laugh but also allowed those tears to escape. Falling down her cheeks, she turned her head to look out the window, trying to hide them. Ella laughed some more to cover up the pain and she told Cooper, “that always was his reason for everything”.

“Dad told me you named your son after him”. Surprised, she turned towards him, the tears still on her face. Of course Cooper would know that. How stupid of her to think otherwise. Swallowing the lump in her throat from the tears, she found her voice to answer him. “I always loved your dad. His character, his personality, his strong name. I wanted a piece of him with me, always. I just wish….” Wish it was your son, she wanted to scream. “Wish he could of met him, my son. He is wonderful. Everything you want a little boy to be. Your dad would have loved Wynn.”

“Wynn”. Copper let the name roll off his tongue.

“Short for Winston”, Ella explained.

“I like it, dad would have too”.

Fresh tears welled up in her eyes, even more painful that the first set. She didn’t bother to look away this time.

“Ella, please don’t. Dad understood”.

Knowing Winston understood didn’t mean Cooper did and suddenly it was important that Cooper knew. He needed to know how foolish she was. Not knowing Ella’s thoughts, Cooper went on with the conversation.

“How did your husband feel about the name”?

“Ex-husband”. She corrected.

Seeing the surprise and maybe hope on his face changed the energy in the truck. It warmed Ella’s heart in ways that could never describe in words. You just have to experience it to know that feeling. Feeling hope after this year of hell gave her a courage that she wouldn’t normally have. In typical Ella fashion, she opened my mouth and the words poured out.

“I wanted to come back when I found out your dad was sick. Then he got better and we all thought he beat the cancer. I was 7 months pregnant when they found out it was back and untreatable. I would have come if I could. I would have been here for him”. Ella wanted to add, and you, but she knew that was going too far.

“Don’t be foolish”, Cooper said bitterly.

Shocked, she looked over at him but his face was stone. She never could read him anyway, why start today?

“Dad would have never expected you to travel that pregnant”. Cooper thought back to those horrible months. Seeing Ella happy and pregnant with someone else’s baby would have been too much.

Taking a deep breath, Cooper pulled over and turned the truck off and turned to face Ella. “I read him your last letter. Mom was too upset and hospice had been slowly increasing his morphine all day. Your letters were what he looked forward to each week”.

Ella remembered her last letter to Winston like it was in front of her. She wrote it within hours of having Wynn. Enclosed was a picture of Wynn and her that a sweet nurse printed out so she could get it in the mail that afternoon. She knew time was running out and if Winston couldn’t meet his namesake in person, then at the very least he could see a picture of the baby he had read about for 9 months. Knowing Coop read the letter to Winston and saw the picture made her hurt for him. She never wanted to throw her new life in his face.

“He died the day your letter came”. The sadness in his voice was too much and the tears fell faster than she could hide them

“I know. Your mom wrote me and told me. 4 days after Wynn was born.

Pain from saying it out loud hit Ella like a ton of bricks. Pain for Cooper. Pain from losing Winston. Pain from her mistakes and foolish pride. Pain from her past with Cooper. It all washed over her, the dam in her heart breaking after being held back too long.

Cooper took her hand and looked her in the eyes for the first time that day. Not knowing where to begin but not wanting to ever let go of her hand, he started with the truth. “Thank you. Thank you for caring and sending the letters and even the picture. We put it in his casket. He was so proud to have your son named after him. I use to get upset that you wrote him but I saw how they got him through each week of chemo and pain”.

Hearing that was the final straw for Ella and the tears that had been waiting to escape for years fell like a water fall. She didn’t even care the Cooper saw anymore. Cooper handed her a shirt for her tears and she managed to laugh through the tears. “Your truck is still as messy as ever”. Cooper gave Ella a smile, a smile that could light up a thousand cities. Seeing hope for the first time in years, Cooper turned and started the truck back up. Like that, the moment was over.

Pulling into her parent’s driveway brought back more memories than neither one of them were ready for but they both pushed them away. Ella hopped out of his truck ignoring the pull in her heart and thanked him.

“See you around”? Ella asked, praying it would be sooner rather than later.

“Yup.” Cooper answered. “Don’t worry about the truck. I have a friend that owes me a favor and he'll tow it here. I’m sure your dad has enough to worry about with your sister’s wedding coming up”.

Knowing to leave well enough alone, she thanked him and practically ran into the house. Thanking God that no one was home, Ella kicked her boots off and fell into a kitchen chair. Spying a note from her dad on the counter, explained the silence in the house. He had taken Wynn for a tux fitting. She smiled at the thought of Wynn in a tux and laughed at the thought of her dad helping a 4 year old get fit for a tux. Thinking of her dad handling it made her briefly forget about the day. Laying her head in her hands, wondering what to do now, she decided a cool bath and some time to reflect is just what she needed to face the rest of the day. Turning the radio up, she grabbed some ice water and her phone and sank into a bubble bath. She must have fallen asleep at some point because silence woke her up. Thinking she heard her name being called by Cooper, she sat up so fast that water sloshed everywhere. Ella scrambled for a towel like he could see through the walls, wondering what he was doing here and what time it was. She knew he heard the water hit the floor because he laughed. Just the sound of his low throaty laugh set her skin on fire. Tightening the towel around her, she peeked out the bathroom door. Looking sheepish, he explained that he knocked but the radio was so loud, he knew she couldn’t hear him.

Looking down, Copper finally realized that Ella was only in a towel. Cooper felt the want for her hit him and she saw the hunger flare up in his eyes. He turned around abruptly and apologized and told her that he would be in the living room waiting.

Shaken to her core from the look he branded her skin with, Ella realized her clothes were upstairs and he was in her direct path. Thinking of other solutions and finding none since the clothes she had on before the bath were soaked from the water spilling out of the tub. Wishing she could sink into the floor, she called for Cooper. “Can you step outside while I run upstairs”?

She heard a very Coop like snort and the door open and shut and took that has her clue. Flying up the stairs with a million thoughts running through her head, mainly the look he had when he noticed she was only in a towel was the most important. Opening the door to her room she went in and picked out her sexiest pair of panties and prettiest bra. “What in the world am I thinking? He isn’t going to even see these”. Feeling a little embarrassed for herself, she put them on anyway. Knowing he always preferred her in jeans and fitted tee, she put that on too. Thanking her lucky stars she didn’t get her hair wet, she ran a brush through her curls and remembered her perfume. One spritz and she took a deep breath, open the door and readied herself for Cooper.

Walking downstairs she realized he was still outside but he wasn’t alone. Her dad was back with Wynn. Glancing at the clock and seeing that is was only 1:45, she couldn’t believe what had already happened in one day. Hoping the most eventful was over, she walked outside.