Page 64 of The Cowboy Complication

When he finally broke through the barricade keeping him from Isla, momentum carried him right into the table, the hard edge nearly knocking the wind from his lungs.

Or maybe it was just the sight of her that did it. Either way, he could barely breathe at the view confronting him.

It was his worst nightmare.

A trio of cowboys ringed her chair, each one entirely focused on her. One was telling a story, inching closer to Isla with almost every word that came out of his mouth.

The fuck is going on?

Every eye in the vicinity turned his way.

Shit. He said that out loud.

“Well look who we have here.” Griselda sat next to Evelyn, looking smug.

That made him do a double take. He looked Gram-Gram over. “I thought you were watching Hudson.”

Griselda lifted a shoulder and let it drop. “Bernard enjoys babies more than I do, and I thought an evening out with Isla sounded much more interesting than watching an infant sleep.” Her eyes turned to where Evelyn sat before shifting to Isla, affection warming her gaze. “And I didn’t want to miss an opportunity to spend time with my granddaughters.”

“That’s great.” It probably was, but nothing mattered to him right now except finding a way to get those assholes away from Isla. “I’m sure you girls are tired. I’m happy to escort you home.”

“We’re fine.” Griselda gave him a smile. “Especially Isla. She’s had quite the entertaining evening.” Gram-Gram’s eyes went to her nails, looking them over. “Barely had a second to herself since we got here.”

It looked like it.

“I’m sure we’ll be just fine.” Griselda continued on. “And I imagine you have better things to do than stand here monitoring this situation.”

Better was relative.

“Grady sent me to check on you guys. Make sure everything was going okay.” So much for being discreet.

“As you can see, everything is going wonderfully.” Griselda seemed way more happy than normal. “Exactly the way I expected.”

He’d stopped listening to Gram-Gram about halfway through the conversation because all his focus was on the cowboy who was way too close to Isla. His skin crawled as the prick moved right next to her, leaning into her personal space as he showed her something on his cell phone. Probably his stupid ass on the back of a bull.

When he slid the phone into a pocket and reached out to touch her, Cooper lost the tiny grip he had on his actions.

The next thing he knew, the guy’s wrist was gripped tight in his hand. Voice low and deadly, he seethed, “Don’t touch her.”

“Uhh.” The cowboy was visibly flustered, but also seemed a little confused. He yanked his hand from Cooper’s grip. “I was just going to?—”

“I don’t care what you werejust going to do.” He was toeing a line he couldn’t cross. Fighting for some semblance of control in a situation where he had none. “You’re not touching her.”

The cowboy—who was likely from out of town since he didn’t know who the fuck he was—gave himthe look. It was something he was very familiar with and had seen once already tonight.

It was the look a man offered right before he did something real fucking stupid.

“I don’t think that’s your decision to make, officer.” The cowboy turned his attention to Isla, drinking her in with his gaze. “I think that’s for her to decide.” He licked his lips. “And if she wants me to touch her, you can bet I’m gonna touch her.”

Isla’s eyes went wide and her skin lost its color. She shifted in her seat, leaning away from the man who was about to lose something he should care about a little more than he did.

His dignity.

“She doesn’t want you to touch her.” Cooper managed a deep breath for the first time since Isla called to tell him about her planned night out. “So move on.”

The cowboy snorted. “I think you’re the one who needs to move along. No one’s breaking the law here.”

“Let’s ask the lady then.” Cooper put his eyes on Isla, took in the slightly panicked expression on her face. “Do you want me to leave, Princess?”

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