Page 19 of The Cowboy Complication

No.

No.

Well…

“Don’t let her pressure you into doing something you don’t want to do.” Betty’s arm went around Isla’s waist as she tugged her from Gertrude’s grip. “Just because she slept with Kenny Rogers doesn’t mean you need to go around sleeping with strange men.”

Isla turned to Gertrude. “You slept with Kenny Rogers?”

Muriel balked. “You didn’t know about this? She’s got a damn T-shirt.” She slapped at the zipper of Gertrude’s knit jacket. “Wears it to class every week.”

Gertrude yanked down the fastener, revealing a hot pink shirt with an image of the country crooner’s head floating at the center. Above it were the words ‘I boned’ and below it said ‘Kenny Rogers’.

“That’s…” Isla fished for words to describe not only what she was seeing, but the information itself. “Something to be proud of, I guess.”

Gertrude’s head tipped back, making it seem like she was affronted. “Wouldn’t you be proud of sleeping with one of the hottest men of the seventies?”

“You don’t really want her to answer that. It’ll hurt all our feelings.” Betty led Isla to the doors of the building that housed Evelyn’s yoga studio. “Let’s talk about finding your own Kenny Rogers.”

Was that what she was looking for? Some random dude she’d be able to brag to her friends about when she was old and gray?

I mean, first she’d have to get friends. But random hookups didn’t really seem like her style. “I’m not sure how I feel about that.”

“Well you won’t know until you try.” Muriel fell into step at her other side, using her cane to balance as they crossed the gravel lot situated behind Evelyn and Grady’s house. “We should all go out to The Creekery this weekend. Let you spread your wings a little. See what happens.”

“You guys want to go to the bar with me?” She’d heard Evelyn talk about taking the Bridge Bitches out drinking, but never thought of herself as the kind of person they’d want to bring into their fold. Even though they were decades older than she was, they still had sort of a ‘cool girl’ air. And she’d never been invited to sit at that table.

“Hell yes, we want to go to the bar with you.” Betty patted her hand with a sigh. “The only problem is, none of us is comfortable driving at night.”

“Oh.” Isla chewed her lower lip. “I would offer to drive, but I don’t have a car.”

“You can use my jeep,” Gertrude offered. “It’ll be good practice for you too. Help get you ready to take that test.”

It probably was a good idea for her to drive with someone other than Cooper. Even if it didn’t quite hold the same appeal. He was just so calm. So patient. So unflappable. It made it easy to relax knowing he wouldn’t be bothered if she made a mistake or did something wrong.

“It’s settled then.” Gertrude clapped her hands together. “I’ll come to your place Friday at six and then we can get everyone else from there.”

“Okay.” Isla forced on a smile. “That sounds good.”

It actually sounded like a lot of things, but good was the most flattering option she could come up with. And it had nothing to do with the Bridge Bitches. It was all her. Having her first girls’ night ever at twenty-four—almost twenty-five—and with a group of women old enough to be her grandmothers? It was a little humiliating. And it really drove home just how much she'd allowed Eric to control her life.

He never came out and said he didn't want her socializing without him, but it was inferred. Always neatly hidden behind the guise of wanting to spend time with her whenever he could. As a result, she’d sat at home and waited. Waited for him to have a few free minutes. Waited for him to prioritize their life the same way she did. Waited for him to find value in her existence.

But it never happened. So what was the point of sitting around continuing to wait for the life she wanted? There wasn’t one. Might as well start grabbing it by the horns and dragging it where she planned to go.

After walking the girls to their cars—making sure everyone got across the rocky lot safely—she went to collect the yoga mats, carrying them into the back room of the studio. Dropping them into the large tub they used to scrub away any goat residue, she filled the basin with warm, soapy water, making sure all the mats were properly submerged. Then she left them to soak for a few minutes while she checked on the goats.

After class, she’d let them into the pasture so they could run off the excitement that always came with meeting new people, and, as expected, they were bouncing around the fenced-in space. She leaned against the fence, smiling as she watched them jump onto the obstacles placed around the enclosure like little traceurs practicing parkour.

“Looks like they’re having fun.”

She jumped a little at Cooper’s voice, her heart picking up when she turned to find him standing next to her. “What are you doing here?”

“Just came to check on things. Make sure everybody’s still doing well.” He tipped his head at the goats. “Seems like you’re taking good care of them.”

“I can’t take all the credit.” She tried not to step on boss’s toes, because while she’d fallen in love with the little herd, they were still Evelyn’s and she loved the heck out of them too. “Evelyn does most of the work.”

Cooper’s eyes found her face, studying her for a minute. “She wasn’t the one out there trimming their hooves or giving them their shots.”

---