Page 88 of Yours and Mine (Friends with Benefits)

“Awww, Carter, she loves you.”

“What?”

“Don’t you remember? It’s what she used to do to Nick when we passed by the farm. She wants you to pet her. I guess now that he’s gone, she’s found a new buddy.”

“She loves me?”

“Step closer, and she’ll kneel and let you rub her head.”

I watched him pace toward the cow as if he were approaching a tank that was aiming right at him. The scene was getting funnier by the moment, and while I wanted to warn him about what would happen if you approached Betsy from the left side, I didn’t. Everything inside me was twisting into knots filled with laughter as I composed myself on the outside. As Carter reached out toward Betsy’s head, she did what she’d always done to Nick — licked him from the jaw right up the center of his face, over his nose and to the top of his head, setting his hair standing.

I burst out laughing.

“What the hell, Betsy?”

“I told you she loves you.”

“You knew this would happen, didn’t you?”

“Sort of. You need to be on her right to pet her, otherwise she’ll lick you.”

“Lick? I feel like I just took a shower. Stay, Betsy. I’m grabbing a cupcake and taking you back home.”

“If you don’t pet her, she’ll break out again,” I said.

“How did Nick deal with her?”

“He stopped by the farm each time we jogged.”

“To pet her?”

“Yes.”

“And that made her happy?”

“I guess. It worked. She hasn’t escaped since we were fourteen.”

“Jo, will you come with me to bring her back?”

“Are you afraid of a cow, Carter?”

“Me, afraid? Hell, yeah.”

“Let me brush my teeth at least. And move her over by the tree, so she doesn’t chew up all my flowers.”

I turned on my heel, changed into leggings and a tank top, and quickly brushed my teeth. I grabbed a single cupcake on the way out.

“Is that your breakfast?” Carter asked.

“No, this is for Betsy.”

“Aren’t you having breakfast?”

“No appetite.”

I jogged down the three steps and took Betsy’s rope, which was attached to the leather strap around her neck. “Come on, Betsy. Let’s teach Carter how to deal with women.”

She mooed as if understanding me, took the cupcake out of my hand, and followed. We walked down the road with Betsy behind us. I let go of the short rope. Given that Carter was her new best friend, he could also be her guide.

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