Page 43 of The Cowboy Complication

Most of it anyway. And it was glorious.

Cooper went upstairs to brush his teeth and handle his morning business, so she cleaned up their little nest, folding the blanket and stashing it back into the table, then putting away all the snacks and wiping up the crumbs.

Cooper came hurrying down the stairs, wearing fresh clothes, his dark hair combed, and the scent of his cologne still carrying a hint of alcohol. He stopped and scanned the living room. “You didn’t have to clean up.”

“I don’t mind.” She gave him a small smile before admitting, “I actually kind of like cleaning.” It was a trait Er—people—had taken advantage of in the past, but that’s not how Cooper was. He was the kind of person who’d appreciate her effort, and that made her want to do it even more.

Plus his house was so nice. It was driving her a little crazy to see it messy.

“Believe it or not,” Cooper said as he walked to the kitchen, “I don’t mind cleaning either.”

She followed behind him, looking over the counters and sink. “I believe it.”

In addition to being gorgeous, the place was spotless. Even as a single person, he’d still have dishes and junk mail and dust to deal with. But there wasn’t a single bit of it in view.

“It bothers me when the place gets messy.” He pulled out a container of coffee and dumped some grounds into a filter on his pot. “I was shocked to find out not all women love that in a man.” He flashed her a grin, but there was a hint of vulnerability behind it. Like he was expecting her to pass the same sort of judgment whatever women he’d shown this side of himself to had.

“That’s surprising.” She was as shocked as he was to discover there were women who would find that to be a flaw. Her fingers were already twitching at the dusting of dark brown specks scattered across the counter from his coffee production.

Cooper set the maker to run and grabbed the dish rag hanging over the faucet, running it under the tap to dampen it before swiping the rogue grounds into his palm and tossing them down the drain. “I think they figured I’d expect them to be just as neat, but I don’t. I just like to pick up as I go.”

Isla reached out to press one fingertip against a single grain of coffee, picking it up. “I know you wouldn’twantto expect it of someone else, but I can tell you from experience it gets really exhausting being the only one cleaning a place up.”

She thought sharing her past with Cooper would make her feel more ashamed. Instead, it felt liberating to finally confess a little of what she’d been dealing with. A sip of what was bottled up inside.

Cooper turned all his attention to her. “Tell me about it.”

Part of her wanted to keep holding back. Keep hiding the uglier parts of her life. But what for? It’s not like Cooper would like her any less for the mistake she’d made.

“I was with someone for a very long time.” She watched the coffee drip from the filter into the carafe. “Like, since my sophomore year of high school.” Almost half her life had been occupied by Eric. It was no wonder he’d made such a mark on it. “He wanted to be a surgeon, and I didn’t necessarily have any interest in college, so I just followed him around. Went where he did and worked while he went to school.” She’d stuck with him while he got his bachelors. Then went with him to the city for medical school. “We talked about getting married once he was done with his residency, and then I’d be a stay-at-home mom and all my hard work would pay off.”

She swallowed, hating the lump trying to fill her throat. Even though it wasn’t the loss of Eric—just the loss of the dream she’d been stupid enough to include him in—it was still silly to be so emotional about it.

“Six months ago, out of nowhere, he told me he wasn’t happy. That I wasn’t what he wanted.” She stopped short of explaining exactly why she wasn’t what Eric wanted. It didn’t matter to Cooper and it shouldn’t matter to her. “So I finished out the lease on the apartment he stuck me with and came here to start over.” She kept her eyes on the pot, embarrassment making it impossible to look Cooper’s way.

“Good.”

Embarrassment turned to confusion and it snapped her head his direction. “Good?”

“Yeah. Good.” Cooper came her way, an intensity in his gaze that had her stepping back a little. “He did you a favor by setting you free. Now you can find someone who wants you more than anything they’ve ever wanted.”

She struggled to swallow as he loomed over her, big and broad and focused completely on her in a way that had her knees weak. “I’m not sure that’s a thing.”

“It’s a thing. I promise.” Cooper’s gray eyes moved over her face and her heart skidded to a stop. He almost looked like…

Like he was going to kiss her.

The seconds ticked past, or maybe time stood still, it was hard to tell, her pulse picking up more and more with every breath she fought to claim.

And then he stepped away, eyes dropping to the floor. “We should get going.” He took out a couple travel mugs, filled them with coffee and creamer, then tipped his head toward the mud room where their boots and coats were.

They finished getting ready in silence, but the air was charged with something she couldn’t explain. A sort of tension that she’d never felt.

Instead of taking her to Grady’s, Cooper drove to her apartment, letting her be the passenger. He parked in a spot then shut off the engine and got out.

She did the same, meeting him at the back end of the truck.

“I figured you didn’t want to go to Grady’s wearing the same clothes you had on yesterday.”

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