Page 11 of The Undercover Cowboy

“Or maybe you’ll find something else for me to take a picture of with,” Nash said.

He wasn’t wrong.

But at least he followed her over to where her sister was kneeling.

“Please tell me you’re not elbow-deep in a cow’s vagina? Because I’ll barf,” Dolly said, ignoring Nash’s amused look.

“Look at this little guy,” Reba said. “He’s aheilan coo.”

“Don’t you mean cow?”

“Same thing.”

Dolly looked where she was pointing. A baby Highland cow stood on stocky little legs in the middle of the pen. It had a fluffy reddish-brown coat and its shaggy hair hung into its large, expressive eyes. It had a button nose, and short, tufted ears. There were two small, curved horns on either side of its head. It bleated at them, a sweet little cry.

“What on earth is that doing here?” Dolly took several pictures.

“That’s Donnan,” Reba said. “His name means little brown one.”

Nash folded his arms, his gaze flicking between Dolly and the calf. “Where did he come from?”

“Originally Scotland,” Reba said, standing up and dusting off her knees.

“I know that this is a rodeo and all,” Nash said. “But the crowd isn’t going to stand for anyone roping him.”

“Of course not.” Reba scowled. “Blevins wanted us to have a traveling petting zoo. He arranged for this little one to be our star attraction.”

“Blevins set this up?” Nash’s interest perked up.

Dolly moved closer to the sign attached to the temporary fencing. Rocky Ridge Ranch was one of the three stock contractors that Blevins set up to exclusively supply stock to the rodeo. “You know, Nash, Donnan could be a great promotional tool for you.”

“Really?” he asked skeptically, glancing toward the calf again as if reevaluating its potential.

“Absolutely. People love cute animals. Think of the attention you’d get.”

Nash frowned, his jaw muscles working as he chewed on the idea. Clearly, he wasn’t thrilled about wasting time on photo shoots or petting zoos when there was investigating to be done.

“Lighten up, Nash. He could be good for your image,” Dolly insisted. “Imagine the likes we’d get with you and Donnan together.”

“Likes don’t lead to convictions,” he muttered, yet his stance relaxed slightly as if considering the possibility.

She leaned in closer to him. “Take a look at the name of the stock contractor on the pen,” Dolly whispered in his ear. “The more time you spend with this calf, the more we can dig into this contractor. You can’t possibly believe that Jackson ‘Wet T-shirt Contest and After-Hours Club’ Blevins decided out of the blue that a petting zoo is the way to get more money.”

“You have a point.”

“And we’ll be able to cross Shane’s ranch off your list.”

He turned to her, their noses almost touching. She should step back. But she couldn’t bring herself to. A frisson of awareness tingled over her skin. Her lips were inches from his. Was this it? Would they finally kiss? Her gaze flicked to his lips and back again.

“We?” he said.

Nope. He looked annoyed with her, not overcome with lust. Damn it.

“You’re going to need me as a cover, taking pictures.” She took a step away from him and tried not to meet Reba’s assessing look. “Otherwise, people will wonder why you’re snooping around the Rocky Ridge Ranch pens.”

Nash hesitated for a moment before sighing in resignation. “Fine, let’s do it,” he said, his voice laced with annoyance. Dolly felt a flicker of satisfaction at having won him over.

“Mind if I take a few pictures of Donnan with Nash?” she asked her sister.

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