Epilogue Two
Cooper
Two Years Later
“YOU GIRLS WANT some snacks?” Cooper opened the door of the coop, balancing the bowl of kitchen scraps in one hand while also being mindful of the small body strapped to his chest. “I’ve got a lot for you today.” He stepped into the run portion of the pen and spilled the tomato tops and pumpkin guts into the large rubber dish reserved for all the bits and pieces left at the end of the day.
Isla’s flock ran straight for it, flapping their wings to go as fast as possible as they raced to see what he’d brought.
“I think they like it.” He bounced a little, grinning as their resident egg-layers scratched and pecked at the pile. “Should we see if there’s anything in the nesting boxes?” He brought along the scrap bowl, exiting the coop before rounding it to the other side where the trap doors at the back of each box opened.
Continuing to talk to the dark-haired little girl snoozing in the carrier fastened across his front, he went through each of the six boxes, adding any eggs he found to the bowl. “Looks like a few of our feathered friends were late layers today.”
After waiting—and wanting—to be a father for so long, he worried maybe it would fall short of his expectations. That he’d built it up so much, for so long, it would be anticlimactic when Beth finally came.
Nothing could have been farther from the truth.
Being a dad was better than he could have ever imagined. Just like being a husband was.
“You okay out here?” Isla’s sweet voice carried across the yard. “Or did you two decide to run away and leave me to clean this mess up all by myself?”
“That’s not a bad idea,” he called back.
He carried the filled bowl to where his wife stood on the back stoop, looking fucking perfect in leggings, an oversized T-shirt, and a tomato stained apron. “But Beth and I talked about it, and decided we’d miss you too much.”
Isla laughed, the sound light and easy. “She’d miss my boobs, I know that much.”
“I mean…” He crowded her, free hand holding his wife’s hip as he leaned in to press a kiss to her lips. “I kinda feel the same way, so I can’t blame her.”
Isla beamed up at him, the messy bun at the top of her head listing a little to one side. “Maybe if you get your butt in here and help me rectify the salsa explosion that took over our kitchen, I’ll let you see them later.”
“Deal.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “Jokes on you, I would have helped anyway.”
Isla turned to pass into the house as he held the door. “Jokes really on you because I would have shown them to you anyway.”
“Careful, Mrs. Staks. You’ll end up pregnant before this one’s out of her three-month clothes,” he teased.
“ Oh no .” Isla feigned worry. “It would be terrible if my gorgeous husband accidentally knocked me up again.” She peeked at him over one shoulder, wiggling her brows.
“Don’t threaten me with a good time.” He started to move faster, chasing Isla through the mud room as she squealed.
The commotion woke the baby, and she started to fuss, kicking and flailing while she scrunched up her face in an expression that made her look so much like her mother it wasn’t funny.
“I think someone’s hungry.” Cooper carefully extracted his little girl and passed her off.
Isla shifted around her shirt, looking like an old pro as she situated their daughter then went back to wiping down the counter while Beth nursed.
He pitched in, and together they cleaned up the mess they’d made canning their last crop of late summer tomatoes. Once the kitchen was back in order and the jars were lined in the basement, he came upstairs to find Isla sitting at the desk built into the kitchen cabinets. She was chewing her lower lip, looking over one of the many lists she used to keep track of everything they had planned. From the chickens to the horses to the garden, Isla knew exactly where they were and where she wanted to go.
She’d continued working for Grady and Evelyn right up until Beth was born, but passed the torch on to a recent graduate who was eager to take on the task.
Almost as eager as Isla was to be a stay-at-home mom.
“I’ve been thinking.” Isla turned to face him, her eyes narrowed in thought. “What if we built our parents a little place to stay when they came to town?” She turned back to her computer where she had the county sketch of their property displayed. Pointing at a spot between the house and the barn, she said, “I think we could pour a concrete pad there and then build a simple little structure with a bathroom and kitchenette for under ten-thousand dollars.”
“Wow.” He grinned. “You really are planning to start popping out babies, aren’t you?” They had a guest room where her parents and his stayed on visits, but at some point they’d be full-up, and things would feel pretty cramped.
“I just want to be ready.” She scrunched up her face just like Beth had earlier. “And your dad snores and my dad leaves crumbs everywhere.”
“Good point.” He turned to the computer. “Do you know what kind of building you want?”
It was a rhetorical question. Of course she knew what kind of building she wanted.
Isla pulled up a few—very similar—options. Each one was totally doable.
“I think we can make that happen. We’ll have to pay someone to do the concrete, but I think we can handle the rest.”
Isla beamed at him. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
Isla’s bravery and willingness to try just about anything had continued. In the years they’d been together, she’d learned to drive the tractor and could ride any of their horses. She’d picked up drywall mudding while they finished the basement and figured out how to hook their camper up and back it into just about any spot.
He didn’t for a second doubt she’d be right there with him, helping build this in-law house she’d planned. She’d be right there with him on just about anything.
Because she was still his sidekick. Still his best friend. Still his favorite person in the world.
She was also his wife. The mother of the daughter they had and the children to come.
She was, and always would be, his everything.
* * *
Thank you so much for reading The Cowboy Complication! I hope you enjoyed Cooper and Isla’s story a much as I enjoyed writing it. I’ve been wanting to get Officer Staks his HEA for a while now and Isla is so freaking perfect for him. He deserves someone who appreciates him and she needs someone who thinks she’s his everything.
Sigh.
We’re closing in on the end of our time in Moss Creek, but I couldn’t leave without sneaking in ONE LAST STORY.