Sultry

“Ah, hell, I’m fine. Don’t fuss so.” Cooper cut his eyes over at Tim. “If I had my way, I’d be on the golf course right now.”

“Dream on,” Lindsay muttered, looking toward her brother, then back to Cooper. “I have to say, you don’t look like you’ve been run over by a truck.”

“I don’t feel like it, either.”

Lindsay scrutinized him. If not for the brutal-looking circles under his eyes, circles that heretofore hadn’t been there, and the purplish spot on his right cheekbone, no one would have known he’d just experienced a life-threatening trauma. Dr. Cooper Newman was still a striking figure.

Blessed with deep-set, piercing green eyes, a thick head of silver hair, and a tall lean frame, he was downright good-looking. When he was dressed for success, no one would guess he was in his middle sixties.

“Well, he has a concussion to prove it,” Tim said in a firm tone.

Lindsay’s gaze shifted back to her brother, who did not have anywhere near the commanding presence Cooper had. Yet in all fairness, Tim, who looked like their mother, Emily, had no trouble holding his own.

Perhaps if he didn’t wear glasses and have a mustache, there might be more of a resemblance between father and son, Lindsay had always thought. At thirty—four years her senior—Tim was tall and fine-looking in his own right, with light brown hair and dark brown eyes, the same as hers—eyes they had inherited from their mother.

“What about his heart?” she asked into the silence, her voice anxious.

“My ticker’s ticking right along,” Cooper snapped before Tim could answer.

Lindsay raised her eyebrows at her brother. “Is it?”

“So far, so good. Other than what’s visible, and the fact that his muscles have to feel like he’s been in a war zone, he came out of the fiasco relatively unscathed.”

“Thank God for that.”

Cooper made a strange noise. “Would you two stop talking about me as if I’m not here?”

Lindsay cut her gaze back to Cooper and smiled. “You haven’t even said you were glad to see me.”

“There was no need for you to come home,” he muttered darkly.

“I disagree. That’s precisely what I should’ve done.”

“Dad’s right, you know,” Tim said. “You could’ve remained in London. I had everything under control.”

“I know you did, but I had to see for myself. Anyhow, I was ready to jump ship, so to speak.”

“Bored, huh?” Tim asked.

Lindsay ignored the mocking smile that seemed itching to break across his thin lips. “A little.” She shrugged, unsure of what else to say. She hadn’t sorted through all the emotions that were warring inside her as yet, so she couldn’t share them with anyone.

“Now that’s a problem I could love,” Tim said.

Cooper snorted, then glared at his first-born. “That is your problem. You don’t want to work.”

“That’s not true,” Tim countered mildly.

So mildly that Lindsay picked up on the insincerity behind his tone. It was obvious Cooper had, too, for he snorted again, this time with more disgust.

Tim’s face flooded with color, but he didn’t say anything.

In order to fill the growing and uncomfortable silence, Lindsay asked, “How long do you have to stay in bed?”

“Through today only,” Cooper said fiercely.

Tim merely looked at him. “We’ll see.”

“No, you’re the one who will—”

“Hey, time out!” Lindsay exclaimed. Then, turning back to Tim, she added, “Now that I’m home, I’ll see that he behaves.”

Cooper’s eyes shone with disapproval. “I’m not at all happy you cut short your trip and deserted your friends.”

Tim held up his hands. “I’ll let you two duke that out. I’m gone.”

“Don’t go. Not yet, anyway,” Lindsay said quickly. “Dolly’s making some tea cakes.”

Tim halted with a smile. “In that case, I’ll meet you on the porch.”

Once her brother had left, another silence descended over the room. Finally Cooper broke it. “You’re a good daughter, Lindsay.”

“I try,” she said, not sure where this conversation was leading. His out-of-the-blue statement took her aback. Rarely did Cooper compliment her on anything. Yet there were moments when he was warm and appreciative of her and what she did for him. These moments she treasured.

But by and large, he made more demands than anything and expected them to be carried out. Within the confines of the house and grounds, one soon learned that Cooper ruled and didn’t like to be crossed.

“Sometimes you try too hard.”

Lindsay almost shivered, thinking how difficult he was to love, and how much he tried to make both Tim and her bend to his strong will.

“How’s that?” she asked, though she already knew the answer.

“You know. It’s time you married and had children. You’re certainly not getting any younger.”

How well she knew. At twenty-six, she had never even lived away from home. She had remained here, occupying her own suite. When she wasn’t busy raising money and heading her favorite charity, she acted as Cooper’s hostess when he entertained, which was often.

To the outside world looking in, she had everything money could buy.

“I want you to stop dallying and set a wedding date.”

Lindsay rubbed her forehead. “You know I don’t want to marry Peter.”

“Why the hell not?”

“You know that, too. I don’t love him.”

“So what?”

“Daddy!”