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“Cooper—”

Tight-lipped, he tossed his cell back onto the table, cutting off his sister-in-law, and without pausing took the stairs two at a tian know she could finish up whatever it was Charlie had hired her to do for the day He would pay her and then get on with things

Cooper strode across the landing and peeked into the first bedroom, but it was e products and other stuff near the bathroom and took exactly two steps in that direction before a woaze for all of two seconds and then proceeded to toss a fewback into the bathroom

Huh Seems he’d been dismissed

She reappeared with aup here was dih for hi Her lips were pursed tightly, and she pushed back a strand of dark hair that fell over her eyebrows

“Do you alalk around the house in dirty boots?” She glared at him as if he’d just committed some sort of crime

He glanced down at his feet and then slowly ain He’d just tracked a boatload of crap all over his newly refurbished hardwood floors, so he wasn’t exactly winning points, but then, he didn’t exactly care

“Not generally, no,” he replied slowly

She was on the tall side for a female—maybe five foot ten—and every inch of her was covered Loose track pants and a long-sleeved sweatshirt gave no indication of her shape Hell, she could have been hiding an entire litter of kittens under there for all he knew She was pale, as if she didn’t get out much, and her hair was scraped back, secured into a low ponytail She had high cheekbones, a generous mouth, but from where he stood, he couldn’t tell what color her eyes were

He squinted a bit There was so on the side of her neck…a tattoo maybe?

Small dots of red appeared on her face, and Cooper realized that he was staring at her, which was rude His eyes fell away, and that hen things got aard

She cleared her throat, and he found hi her once more as she bent down to retrieve the caddy

“Take your boots off, and I’ll clean up after you,” she said, voice curt and to the point Her eyebrows rose as she er or whatever it was he’d seen before was gone There was just…nothing It was as if she’d pulled down the blinds and disappeared

Cooper wasn’t exactly used to wo to him this way, and it piqued his interest

Still unsure, Cooper kicked off his boots and held them in his hands as she walked past with her caddy and headed downstairs She set it near the front door and then climbed the stairs onceabout the way she er on it