Page 34 of The Cowboy Complication

She parked in the same spot he’d directed her to two days before, shutting off the engine once his truck was in place. “Actually, I’ve been coming here every night to watch you sleep through the window.”

“That’s extra impressive since my bedroom’s on the second floor.” He opened his door. “But let’s be real. If you did come over here, it’s the chickens you’d be spying on.”

Isla laughed as she climbed out, taking his keys and her coffee cup with her. “It’s true.” Unsurprisingly, she went straight for the side of his house, making a beeline to the coop. As they went in, her mouth dropped open. “They seem bigger already.”

“They are bigger already.” He closed the door behind them to keep in as much warm air as possible. The day was turning out to be a cold one, and if one of those chicks died, he’d have a hell of a time sneaking a new one in without her noticing. “They grow really fast at this stage.” He collected the food and water dishes from the brooder, setting them aside before sliding a smaller bin next to Isla. “Can you transfer them to this?”

She started scooping them up, one in each hand, gently moving the flock into their temporary home while he pulled out the block of plastic-wrapped wood shavings that made up their bedding.

Once all the chicks were out, he picked up the brooder and carried it out to the compost heap, dumping the soiled shavings on. When he came back in, Isla was coming out to dump the messy water into the grass.

She wrinkled her nose at the cloudy mess. “Do they always poop in their dish like this?”

“Every damn time.” He held the door while she went back in. “Even once they’re bigger, the first thing they do when you give them fresh water is crap in it.” He settled the clear bin back in place and piled in enough new shavings to cover the bottom.

“Gross.” Isla went to the industrial sink in the corner and rinsed out the bowl. Her head tipped to one side as she looked over the faucet. “Doesn’t this freeze in the winter?”

Cooper chuckled. “No.” He pointed to the shelf above her head. “There’s a heater that sits right there and keeps the space above freezing in the cold months.” He shook his head. “My dad went a little overboard building this thing, but my mom loved her chickens, so…”

After buying the place from his parents, he’d emptied the coop out and figured it would just become a storage shed at some point. Even if he did one day end up with chickens, they were more than capable of keeping themselves warm as long as they were dry and had a place to roost, so he hadn’t planned to bring the heater back inside.

But if he didn’t heat the place, he’d be stuck dragging water in from the barn every day. And that sounded like a pain in the ass. Plus, Isla was as soft-hearted as his mother, so she’d likely hate the thought of her girls being cold at night.

“That’s a pretty good idea.” Isla filled the bowl with clean water and carefully set it on the fresh bedding. “It sounds like your dad loves your mom a lot.”

That was an understatement. “He does.” Cooper spent most of his younger years being horrified by his parents’ relationship. They weren’t shy about PDA, and watching your parents kiss or flirt was not how most teenagers wanted to spend their time. “But she loves him a lot too, so I guess they’re even.”

Isla smiled, a hint of something that almost looked like sadness pinching the expression. “That’s awesome.”

“I didn’t think so when I was younger, but now I understand how lucky they were to find each other.” He filled the chicks’ food dish with crumble and added it to the cleaned brooder. “It’s not easy to find your person.”

Isla huffed out a laugh that almost sounded bitter. “I can tell you it’s worth waiting for them instead of trying to settle.” She scooped up a couple chicks and added them back.

“Sounds like you almost settled.” He was pushing, but damn it he wanted to know what in the hell happened back in New York. Wanted to see if there was a way he could help her get past it.

“I did almost settle.” She picked up one of the dark colored chicks, giving it a gentle pet as she cuddled it against her chest. “But thankfully he saved me from himself.”

Was she really being thankful a dumbass dumped her? “He must have figured out you were too good for him.”

Isla laughed, the sound genuine as she put the chick in with her sisters. “He did not figure that out.” She finished adding everyone to the brooder then dusted her hands off and stood. “He very much thought he was the catch in our relationship.”

The revelation knocked him a little speechless. Who the fuck was this guy? “What in the hell would make him think that?”

“Lots of things.” Isla tucked her hands into the front pockets of the hoodie she wore beneath a flannel overcoat. “Is it time to go see the horses?” She rocked up onto the toes of her boots. “And will we be riding them?”

He wanted to scowl over being shut out yet again, but Isla looked so excited about the horses. Not that he could have made himself be irritated at her anyway. “We can ride them if you want to, but it’ll get real cold, real fast.”

Isla glanced down at her outfit. “I’m sure I’ll be fine. I’ve got a long-sleeved shirt under this and?—”

He shook his head, cutting her off. “You need a heavy coat and a hat and some gloves.” He draped one arm over her shoulders, turning her to the door and leading her out into the yard. “Because once they get going, that wind is going to cut you like a knife.”

Her eyes widened. “They’ll run?”

“They have a tendency to get a little fast footed if I’m not careful.” It never bothered him—he liked to ride full throttle—but the thought of Isla trying to hang on while his gelding raced across the pasture made him queasy. “So maybe it’s best if we ride together this first time.”

It wasn’t even out of his mouth before his mind and body ran with the possibility, reacting in a way that made him glad he had his shirt untucked.

“That’s fine.” Isla grinned at him. “I’ll probably feel better knowing I’m not on my own anyway.”

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