Page 52 of Dream Weaver

Had he found out about an inheritance that came with the stipulation that he finally clean up his act?

Fat chance.

Had he found God and decided to repent for his ways?

I really, really doubted it.

There had to be something in all this for Jay — and thatsomethingwasn’t the pleasure of Claire’s company. Something tangible, like money. Enough to recoup the cost of a lawyer.

But what? Why?

“Goodnight everyone and everywhere,” Claire helped me finish. Then she hugged Roscoe. “Goodnight, Roscoe. Goodnight, Mommy.”

“Goodnight, baby. Sweet dreams.”

She smiled. “Will you weave me a good one?”

Ah, if only I could.

I stood and kissed her. “I’ll do my best, honey.”

Chapter Thirteen

ABBY

A fretful week passed, and the metal shop was my sole refuge. If only the rest of the world were a place where problems could be solved with a few slams of the hammer.

The shop was my happy place. There, I could control things, from the temperature of my forge to the number and force of hammer blows that went into shaping the axes.

At work, I could pretend the outside world didn’t exist.

I also had the world’s best assistant there. Cooper, who’d been teaching me what good company a bear shifter could be. With him, it was easy to lose myself in a steady rhythm.

Bang!

Wham!

Bang!

Wham!

“Up,” I murmured.

He struck one more time, then waited while I reheated the metal.

We’d fallen into a perfect rhythm over the past few days. So perfect, we barely spoke — in a good way. Instead, we communicated with our eyes. With hammer taps. With silent, barely perceptible gestures. We were that in tune.

On the flip side, our bodies were a little too good at silent communication. Every time we bumped, my body heated. Every time I paused to wipe away sweat, images of a different hot and sweaty activity poured into my imagination. Every time Cooper came close, my toes curled. One time, I backed right into his groin, and a wild, untamed part of me yowled before I stepped clear.

“Oh, I should warn you,” Cooper said at one point. “My mother is passing through town today, and she might drop in to say hi.” He made a face, like he was really, really embarrassed.

“Your mother, huh?”

He blushed. “Yes, because Igive her great joy.” He made air quotes. “I’ll keep it as short as possible.”

Ha. I knew a good son when I saw one.

“Oh, and do me a favor,” Cooper went on.

---