Chapter 12
12
Cooper
ISLA CAME RUSHING out the back door of her building, long dark hair bouncing with every step. She smiled wide when her eyes found him, lips looking a little sparklier than normal in the early morning light.
“Hey.” Her voice was soft and a little breathless as she greeted him.
And for a second, his brain got hung up on all the things that might have her sounding a similar sort of way. That picture she sent last night still dominated his thoughts. The way she seemed to radiate warmth. The sweetness of her smile.
The sultry way her lips glistened and the spread of her hair across the pillow. Almost like it would when?—
He shoved the coffee he’d picked up for her at The Baking Rack between them. “I got this for you.”
“Thank you.” Isla took it, her fingers sliding against his as she accepted the offering. “I didn’t expect you to be up and moving this early.”
Cooper cleared his throat, forcing his eyes from her face. “The chickens and horses don’t have the same amount of patience you do.” He tipped his head at the driver’s door, knowing it was in everyone’s best interest if he got this show on the road instead of noticing every fucking thing about her. “Jump in. We’ve got work to do.”
When he’d floated the idea of her helping him out with his animals today, he wasn’t sure she’d jump on the opportunity. It was Saturday—her weekend—and he wouldn’t blame her if she wasn’t interested in working on one of her only days off. But Isla had agreed immediately, almost seeming excited about the day he had planned.
She wasn’t the only one. He was looking forward to showing her his life. Their stop to see the chicks two days before had been a short one since he had to work, so he’d only had time to show her the coop before they had to go. Today he had all the time in the world. He could show her his horses. The spot where he planted a garden. The shed he’d built with his dad.
The house he’d worked so hard on.
He took his seat in the truck while Isla set her drink into the holder and buckled up. Then she shifted into drive and pulled out of the lot, looking calm and confident behind the wheel.
They were almost out of town when she said, “So I was thinking.” She shifted around a little, looking uncertain. “Maybe you might not mind helping me find a car?”
Of fucking course he would help her find a car. “I’ll help you with anything you need me to.”
It wasn’t meant to come out the way it did. A little low. A little suggestively.
He was her friend. Someone she could count on to keep her safe and look out for her. Someone she could trust and confide in. Not someone who should be thinking about relieving any other sort of needs she might have.
“I didn’t think you’d mind.” She flicked on the turn signal, taking them toward his house without needing directions. “I’ve just never bought a car before, so I don’t even know where to begin.”
It took him a second to reroute his brain, along with a change of position thanks to a certain shifting in his natural state, before he could respond. “I’ll ask around. It’s possible someone I know has something for sale.” He sipped his coffee, hoping the scalding hot liquid would burn some sense into him, then asked, “Do you have anything specific in mind?”
Her eyes staying on the road, Isla pursed her lips as she considered. “Not really. Just something safe and in decent shape.” Tapping one finger on the wheel, she added, “And within my budget. I’d rather not take out a loan if I don’t have to. I’ve saved up some money, but not a ton.” She cringed, her eyes coming his way for just a second. “If it’s possible to say under ten thousand, that would be amazing.”
Ten thousand dollars wasn’t an amount to sneeze at, but it wouldn’t go super far when buying a vehicle. Especially one he’d feel good about her driving around the country roads of Moss Creek during the winter months. “We’ll do our best.”
Isla smiled at him like he’d just discovered the cure to cancer. “Thank you.”
She might not be thanking him the same way if she knew what he’d been almost thinking just a few minutes ago, but that was information he’d keep to himself.
For-fucking-ever.
Isla managed to get them to his house without a single bit of assistance from him, and she looked so fucking proud of herself when she pulled in, sitting a little straighter as her dark eyes angled his way.
“Impressive considering you’ve only been here once.” He lifted his brows. “Unless you’ve been secretly stalking me.”
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.”
It was something he’d noticed about her right away. Isla wasn’t unwilling to tackle the hard things in life, they just made her a little nervous. But when she had a cheerleader there to walk her through it, she was unstoppable. Brave and ready to jump in with both feet as long as she had someone to keep her steady if she tipped.
And he was happy to be there if she needed something to grab onto.
“You don’t have to worry about being on your own.” He opened the back door to his home and brought her into the mud/laundry room, pausing to kick off his boots. “I think my mom left a couple of coats that I stuck in one of the closets upstairs.”
Isla’s dark eyes roamed around the room as she unlaced her own boots and lined them next to his. “This is a really nice laundry room.” She stood from the inset bench and turned, taking in the row of hooks and built-in shelving. “Your mom has good taste.”
“My mom actually isn’t much of an interior decorator.” He shucked his coat and hat, hanging them up. “When my parents owned the place everything was white and basic. It drove me crazy.”
Isla reached out to run her fingers over the deep green paint of the custom millwork. “You did all this?”
“I did.” He shifted on his feet, feeling oddly exposed. “The winters can get kinda long around here, and I didn’t have much else to do.”
So he’d turned his house into a home. The kind of place where he could imagine raising kids and loving on a wife. As time went on, it became a little bit of an obsession. A way to channel all his frustration and disappointment when what he so desperately wanted continued to elude him.
And the nicer the house got, the nicer he wanted to make it. So that someday, if he ever did find the right woman, she’d see it and fall in love and never want to leave.
Isla rubbed her slightly sparkly lips together, cheeks still flushed from the cold outside air. “Can I see the rest of it?”
“You think I’m gonna make you stay in the mud room?” He grinned as he reached to help her out of her plaid jacket, hanging it next to his coat. “I did consider it, but I guess you can see it if you want.”
Isla laughed, rolling her eyes at his teasing. “I mean, I have seen a lot when I come over to peek in your windows at night. It’ll be weird to see it from the inside.”
“Creepy.” He rested one hand on her lower back, urging her out of the room and into the kitchen. “I like it.”
Walking her through his house, Cooper led her from room to room, watching her expression as she took it all in, wishing he could see it through her eyes. At some level, he was worried he’d missed the mark. That the place wasn’t as nice as he’d hoped and all his work would be for nothing.
While a few women had seen it in progress, Isla was the first to see the fully finished product. And a lot was riding on her opinion.
They reached the living room and she stopped, her mouth going slack. He’d reworked the main level’s floor plan, combining what was originally the living room and dining room, making them into one large family room. He didn’t see a point in having both a living room and a family room—or a dining room and an eat-in kitchen for that matter—so he’d remixed the square footage, ending up with what he hoped was a more functional use of space.
“This is so…” Isla shook her head. “I don’t even know what to call it.” She went for the huge, U-shaped sectional that dominated the center of the space, sitting down on the edge as she continued looking around. “You weren’t kidding when you said you wanted a big family, were you?”
He shook his head. “No.”
“I can tell.” Her dark eyes finally came to his, filled with an odd amount of emotion. “It’s perfect.”