Page 2 of Wounded Cowboy
You’re being way too overprotective, he told himself.What could possibly happen in my own back yard?
Still…
“Abby, April, why don’t you over to Grandma and Grandpa’s place for now?” he suggested.“I’ll be right back.”
“Okay, Daddy!” Abby and April chimed in unison.
Still clutching their toys, they ran off in the direction of the ranch house.
Assured that Mom and Dad would keep an eye on his girls, Spring rushed towards the guest cottages, Rory hot on his heels.
As he arrived at the cluster of small cabins, he caught sight of Daisy.
Instead of hopping around on a cabin rooftop as Spring expected, she was submerged up to her long neck in the guest hot tub’s steaming water. Her chin rested on the edge of the hot tub and her golden eyes were half-closed in bliss, as if enjoying her impromptu spa day.
A small group of B&B guests, some in bathing suits, were gathered around the hot tub, filming her on their phones.
“Ofcourseshe’s in the hot tub,” Spring muttered, trying to keep his annoyance in check.
Now he’d have to empty out the water, disinfect the tub, and refill it after removing Miss Daisy.Great. So much for spending the evening with my girls.
As he approached, Daisy’s eyes popped open. Bleating, she backpedaled and splashed her way to the opposite side of the tub.
Spring scowled and pulled a carrot out of the back pocket of his jeans. He waved it at her.“Daisy, wanna treat?”
Daisy let out a defiant “Baa,” and studied him for a long moment.
Spring could see she clearly torn between the tempting treat in his left hand and the coil of rope in his right. Then her insatiable appetite outweighed even her past experience with his lasso.
As she lunged for the carrot, he deftly slipped the loop of rope over her head and around her neck, then tightened it securely.
Fair was fair, though, and he let her have the carrot. She munched it rapidly, uttering a plaintive bleat when the last of it disappeared into her mouth.
“C’mon Daisy,” he urged, pulling on the rope.
If he was lucky, she’d leap out of the tub on her own and he could walk her back over to the goat pen. And then figure out how she’d escapedthistime.
Daisy-proofing that pen was quickly turning into a full-time job.
As per usual, Daisy refused to cooperate. She bleated at him, and braced all four hooves against the plastered bottom of the hot tub.
“Stubborn goat,” Spring muttered, all-too-aware of the guests filming him.
She wasn’t overly large for a goat, but still weighed over eighty pounds. And he couldn’t just haul her out by her neck without hurting her.
That meant he had no choice except to get into the hot tub with her. He groaned silently, removed his t-shirt, boots and socks, and hopped over the rim into the waist-deep water. Heat immediately soaked through his jeans and the heavy fabric molded itself to his legs.
Someone wolf-whistled at him. He tried to ignore them.
Daisy bleated loudly in protest. Her legs thrashed, hooves scrabbling against the stucco as she tried to evade him. But he had her on a short leash and she wasn’t going anywhere.
What he needed now was a helping hand.
“Rory!” Spring barked, seeing the ranch hand just standing there like a spectator.“Get your butt over here and help me lift her out!”
“Sorry, boss!” Rory replied, rushing to pull off his boots and shirt.
Together, they managed to lift the heavy, wet goat out of the hot tub, earning yet another disgruntled bleat from a frantically wriggling Daisy.
