Page 7 of Protective Cowboy

And the way she’d broken up with him—over the fucking phone—halfway through her second semester at Montana State.

His lips twisted at the bitter memory. He’d been planning to propose to her during spring break. Instead, she’d dumped him for an old guy.

A sudden commotion somewhere behind him jolted him back to reality.

He and Gabe both spun toward the noise. Something crashed in the distance, followed by the sounds of yelling.

Then Gabe snorted. “Uh-oh, bro, looks like Daisy’s escaped the petting zoo!”

Matt craned his neck and caught sight of the Snowberry family’s pet goat. Fuzzy tail held high, she was prancing down Main Street like a queen on parade.

“Of course it’s that fucking goat,” Matt muttered under his breath.

He was well-acquainted with the little monster. She was a notorious escape artist. And always hungry.

The roasted corn-on-the-cob stand had been her first victim. Half-eaten cobs lay scattered like fallen soldiers around the metal catering tray she’d pulled from the stand’s counter.

Unfazed by the corn vendor’s exasperated shouts, Daisy then made her way over to the gourmet popcorn booth.

“Get outta here, you little monster! Shoo!” the red-faced popcorn vendor yelled, brandishing his broom like a weapon.

But his attempts to shoo Daisy away only seemed to encourage her naughty antics.

She dodged around him, reared up, and snatched a striped paper sack filled to the brim with seasoned popcorn. In doing so, she sent a half-dozen other bags sitting on the table flying to the ground in a fluffy white explosion.

Meanwhile, festival guests were snapping photos and recording videos. Their laughter mingled with the angry shouts of Daisy’s victims.

“Go, Daisy, go!” the Stinson twins shouted, high-fiving each other as they captured the mayhem on their phones.

Gabe bent over, howling with laughter.

Matt clenched his fists, trying to suppress his own amusement. They were on duty, after all.

“Cut it out, Gabe,” he ordered. “We need to do something about that damn goat before things escalate any further.”

Gabe straightened up, still spluttering. “I guess you’re right,” he gasped. “Whaddya say I go around and cut her off at the end of the street? Then you herd her my way.”

It was a good plan. Matt nodded, and his brother took off, his long legs flashing in their khaki uniform pants. Like Matt, Gabe had been on the high school track and field team, and also like Matt, he’d stayed in shape after graduation.

Matt broke into a jog, heading towards the scene of the crime. Who knew Snowberry Springs’ Most Wanted would be four-legged and fond of festival food?

At least chasing an unruly goat down Main Street was better than staring at Autumn like a stalker and dealing with Gabe’s knowing smirks.

“Daisy! Stop, you little troublemaker,” he called out as he neared a shaved ice stand under siege.

“Baa!” He could swear the goat’s pale blue eyes shone with amusement as she glanced at him. She kicked up her heels and took off again, dodging around a coffee stand and making a beeline for the Auntie May’s Old-Fashioned Candy booth.

Matt sprinted through the crowd, trying to keep Daisy in sight. It was tough going, with knots of clueless or utterly oblivious festival-goers blocking his way.

He was so focused on the chase that he didn’t notice Autumn until she appeared at his side. She held her phone high as she filmed the chase.

Up-close, she was even more beautiful than he remembered. Startled, he stumbled and staggered a couple of steps before regaining his rhythm.

“Sure this isn’t an episode of Cops?” she asked, giggling. Then she sang, “Bad goats, bad goats, whatcha gonna do?”

Just like that, the years since their break-up dropped away. And Matt forgot about his long-standing vow to ignore his ex-girlfriend.

Panting, he shot back, “Yeah, I always thought I’d be chasing bad guys, not bad goats! Though she’s a better burglar than some of the two-legged ones I’ve seen!”

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