Page 13 of Cattle Stop

“You’re drooling.” Cooper props his foot against Drew’s hip and gently kicks him. “Go. You’re in my bedroom.”

Drew rolls halfway upright, yawning and rubbing at his eyes. “You want to come upstairs?”

Cooper claps his palm to his chest and gasps as dramatically as he knows how. “Andrew. I thought you’d never ask.”

“I’m serious.” Drew stands and yawns again, stretching his arms over his head. “You’re not really sleeping down here, are you?”

“I’m keeping my girl Sadie company. And thanks, man, but you’ve got a double bed. You’re cute, but get a queen mattress, and I’ll think about it.”

“There’s a joke in here about you jumping into bed with anyone who even casually identifies as male.”

“Yes, thank you, but you don’t have to say it out loud.”

“And then not ever calling them again.”

“Good night, so great to be visiting you, sleep well, asshole.”

“Just saying.”

“Look, if it’s embarrassing-your-friend hour, why the hell aren’t you and Penny a thing yet? That’d free up an entire bed for me, thank you very much.”

“Fuck you,” Drew says, his cheeks red. He tugs Cooper’s hood down over his face, and by the time Cooper’s brushed it back, Drew’s jogging up the stairs, the back of his neck flushed.

Ah well, Drew’s too easy. Low-hanging fruit, his lifelong crush on Penny. Cooper yawns, stretching out his back. He should put sheets on the couch, at least. Get a decent blanket if nothing else. It’s weeks until the weather warms, and despite the woodstove in the kitchen, the house is entirely too damn drafty.

“Cooper.”

He looks up at Whit’s voice. “Whit.”

“Drew really is glad you’re here.”

It’s hard to look at Whit straight on. Silhouetted against the light from the kitchen, he looks taller than normal, his shoulders wider. His sweatpants sit low around his narrow hips, and his shirt falls loose around his stomach.

Cooper sets his elbows on his knees and shrugs. “Well, yeah, it’s good to see him.”

“I mean it. It makes a difference to him, you helping out.”

“And you’re here to let me know I’m not actually being helpful?”

“I wasn’t going to.” Whit pulls his sweatpants up an inch, though they just slip back down, revealing the elastic band of his boxers.

Not that Cooper’s looking. He frowns at the mess on the coffee table and scratches his fingers into his hair.

“You can come upstairs,” Whit says.

Cooper jerks his head around. “What?”

“I have that second bed.”

A laugh bubbles out of Cooper’s throat. “You’re not serious.”

Whit takes a step toward the stairs. “Suit yourself.”

“I will, thank you.”

It’s quiet when Whit goes back upstairs. Drew’s sink runs for a couple minutes and then shuts off again. Across the kitchen, Sadie sneezes. A blanket, Cooper thinks again.

He’s got another sweatshirt in his truck. A hat and gloves, too. He hauls himself off the couch and shoves his feet into his boots, not bothering to tie them. Outside is still and silent, frost settling over the ground. The air nips at his cheeks by the time he gets to his truck and roots through his duffle bag, filling his backpack with a change of clothes and his toothbrush.