Page 1 of Cop-Off

CHAPTER ONE

“You cannot write that!” Libby gasped, handing Cat back her phone.

“Why not?”

“Because you’re going to attract the wrong kind of man!”

Why her friend seemed so horrified, Cat had no idea. All she’d done was show her the profile she’d set up on a local dating app. It had been Libby’s idea to get back out there in the first place. That was exactly what she was doing.

“Look, Lib, I love you, but you drag me all the way out here to the middle of nowhere to, what, sit around all day? If I’m gonna be surrounded by nothing but cows, I might as well find myself a cowboy to shag.”

And shewasin the middle of nowhere. Woodvalley Pines, Wyoming was a long way from her home in Brighton, England. This hadn’t exactly been what she imagined when she’d thought about moving back to America. The last time she was here, she’d been living in San Francisco, where she’d first met Libby. And she had to admit she missed the city. The hustle and bustle. Nights out. Takeout whenever you wanted it. The most exciting thing that had happened since moving to Woodvalley was the day Mrs Tucker lost her cat. For an hour.

“A dating profile full of innuendos is not gonna find you a cowboy. It’s gonna find you a horny psychopath.” Libby obviously wasn’t done yet.

“You’re being dramatic.”

“Cat, at one point you wrote:Before I take a long ride, I like to make sure my stud has had a good twenty minute warm up.” Her best friend’s eyebrow was raised, causing her to look all accusatory.

“What?” Cat not-so-innocently lifted her bare shoulder in a shrug. “That’s just good horsemanship, Lib. You don’t want him to be too stiff.” She added a wink specifically to get a laugh out of her. And it worked.

Cat shifted on the box she’d sat her butt down on. They’d been sitting in Libby’s front yard for at least half an hour now, surrounded by stuff. Cat’s stuff, to be exact. They were waiting on Libby’s boyfriend, Zach, who was moving in today. At the same time, Cat was moving into his old apartment. Sort of like a swap.

The move was bittersweet. Since Cat had arrived almost two weeks ago, she’d been staying with Libby, and she was going to miss her friend. But at the same time, she was looking forward to having her own space. Zach was over a lot. As in every night. And being around a happy couple twenty-four seven was starting to get a little depressing. Being a third wheel was never fun.

Libby’s rather loud hooting pulled her from her musings. Peering up, she caught sight of the van they’d been waiting for, and her stomach dropped.

“Oh, for the love of God.” She sighed and threw her head back. “Did your man seriously bringhim? Whyyy?” she whined.

Fucking Cody McBride.The bane of her existence.

“Uh, maybe ‘cause he’s his best friend.” Libby shot Cat her most incredulous look. “Come on, Cat, don’t you think it’s time you two put your differences aside? This is a small town and you’re gonna be running into each other a lot.”

“Well lucky for me, I know how to walk the other way.”

Some would say she was being petty. Well, fuck those people.

“Kitten!” the devil himself exclaimed as he slammed the van door behind him. “Looking sexy as always. You get those claws of yours filed down?”

And so, it begins.

“Why don’t you come a bit closer and find out for yourself?”

“Now, now, children,” Zach chastised as he made a beeline for Libby, wasting no time laying a sloppy kiss on her.

“I’ll come as close as you like, kitten. Just say the word.” Cody lowered his aviators to give her a caramel-colored wink.

Dick.

At least he wasn’t wearing his cop uniform. Every time he did, it was like the navy polyester fumes went straight to his head and made him even more unlikeable and self-entitled. If that was possible.

It was safe to say, they didn’t get on. Never had, never would. She knew he was a dick when she’d come to visit Libby three months ago after he’d almost run her off the road, and he was still a dick now. The worst thing about all of this though, was that their best friends were in love. Now they both had to suffer each other’s company on the regular. Although, she could swear he enjoyed riling her up.

Rising from the boxes, her hands automatically shot to her hips. Battle stance activated. “What are you even doing here, McBride? Do you seriously have nothing better to do today than annoy me?”

He actually had the nerve to tut. “Now, is that any way to talk to the man who’s going to be helping you move?”

She turned to look at her best friend. Cat prayed to all that was holy that he was joking. Surely Libby and Zach wouldn’t actually leave them alone together? That would be madness. Potentially dangerous.

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