Page 5 of The Cowboy Complication

“Trimming them up on a regular basis is gonna be real important. Not just because it’ll keep them healthy, but also because it’ll make it harder for them to trample you to death the next time they knock you down.”

He lifted his eyes from the task to find a hint of a smile teasing Isla’s lips. Her shoulders were a little more relaxed, and the murderous glint in her eyes was fading. He took that as a good sign and kept going, talking her through the process.

“First thing you do is clip down the hoof wall.” He worked his way along the side, snipping away any overgrowth. “Then you can trim down the toe edge if there’s too much there, but this one looks pretty good.” He kept working, enjoying the process as much as he did when he was a kid. “You just want to make sure it’s nice and flat for him.” He pointed at a tiny speck. “And if you see a little pink, be careful. That’s the blood supply. It won’t hurt them if you nick it, but it’ll be messy.”

He repeated the process on the next hoof, explaining each step again.

Then, he held the trimmers out to Isla. “Your turn.”

Her eyes jumped to his face, going wide. “I don’t think…”

“Why not?” He moved the trimmers closer to her. “Give it a try. If you don’t want to do any more, you don’t have to.”

It was evident Isla loved the little buggers and thinking they might be in pain bothered her. Maybe it would make her feel better—more in control—if she could help take care of them.

Slowly, she reached out and took the trimmers, positioning them in her hand as she moved to grasp one of the small goat’s dangling legs.

The harness was a fucking brilliant invention. It removed the animal’s ability to put up much of a fight, so Isla was able to easily get the hoof into position. She lined the cutting blades up along the growth, but instead of cutting, she looked up at him. “Here?”

“That’s perfect.” He stepped closer, keeping one hand on the goat so it didn’t sway as she worked. “Just trim right up that side.

She squeezed, her face scrunching up as she made the first snip, evidence she still wasn’t confident the process was painless. Her eyes bounced from the goat to him then back to the hoof as she inched along, carefully, but perfectly executing the cut. Once the overgrowth was gone, she let out a breath, her shoulders relaxing the smallest bit.

“Fantastic job.” He smiled, proud of her for tackling the task. “It’s like you were born to trim goat hooves.”

Isla’s head fell back as she started laughing, the sound filling the space. “My mother will be so proud.”

“She should be.” He watched as she went back to work, methodically working up the opposite side of the hoof. “Not everyone has enough patience to do this well.” He lowered his voice, knowing full well Grady would still hear. “There’s a reason I’m here.”

Isla laughed again, this time softer, as she continued working. “In that case, I’m glad Grady called you.” She finished the hoof, peeking up at him through her lashes. “Done?”

“Done.” Cooper stepped back, giving her a little space. “You want to finish that up while I get our next shot ready?”

Isla nodded as she moved to the final hoof on their current victim. “Okay.”

“I guess if you two don’t need my help, I might go check on Evelyn and Hudson.” Grady passed over the vials of medication and the pack of syringes, flashing Isla a grin. “Take your time out here.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Gross.”

Grady’s eyes widened. “That’s not what I meant.” He shook his head a little aggressively. “I was gonna take a nap too.”

“Sure you were.” Cooper couldn’t stop himself from making the jab. “Whatever you say.”

“I was.” Grady got louder as he backed away. “It’s the middle of the day.”

Cooper raised a brow. “I don’t know if you know this?—”

Grady stabbed an accusing finger his way. “Shut your mouth before I can never look Isla in the eye again.”

Isla leaned to peek at Grady around the dangling goat she was working on. Her expression was deadpan, but there was a hint of orneriness in her eye. “Are you insinuating I didn’t already know it was possible to have sex in the middle of the day? Because I did.”

Grady’s pointing finger swung between them, like he couldn’t figure out which one of them deserved it more. “You two dirty birds can kiss my ass.”

Cooper looked at Isla. “Did he just call us dirty birds?”

She nodded, her focus back on the hoof she was finishing up. “I think he’s been hanging out with Gram-Gram too much.”

“I hope that goat shits on your boots.” Grady paused, amending his statement. “Not you, Isla.” He still had his finger going and it came Cooper’s way. “Just him.” He turned and stormed toward the door.

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