Page 11 of Knot Her Cowboys (Big Sky Omegas #2)

I borrowed a button-down and a belt from Levi, turning it into a dress since my clothing was soaked.

He disappeared to get dressed and I made sure I didn’t look like death warmed over before tearing out of the bathroom on a mission, crashing straight into Cash when he turned from the stairs into the hall.

“Whoa there. Where are you off to in such a hurry?”

“To yell at assholes.”

Cash stepped to the side, bowing and sweeping his hand down the direction of the stairs. “Don’t let me stop you.”

Dakota also got out of my way as I charged ahead, both of them following me out of the big house.

Bare feet probably wasn’t the best choice, but the dust was surprisingly soft beneath my feet.

Levi followed hastily after us, and I heard the three of them talking but couldn’t quite understand the words.

I didn’t even make it all the way to our cabin before a car horn scared the shit out of me. I spun around, seeing Bruce and Bryan in our rental car.

Bryan rolled the window down. “There you are. Get in, babe. We’re leaving.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

They both frowned and I took a step back when they unbuckled their seat belts, their car doors swinging open.

“Anne, don’t make a scene,” Bruce admonished.

“Oh, I’m gonna make a fucking scene and there’s not a damn thing you can do about it. You don’t get to say that to me anymore after the stunt you pulled.”

“Anne,” Bryan said softly. “Be reasonable. Bruce got kicked out. We can’t stay.”

I growled when he took a step closer. “ He can’t stay.

I can, you can, but I bet you didn’t even think about making this work so my birthday didn’t get ruined, did you?

You’re all so fucking worried about me embarrassing you that you don’t even give a shit he almost made me drown.

You didn’t stand up for me at all. What the hell kind of behavior is that?

” I ripped off my engagement ring and threw it at Bruce.

“You don’t ask someone to marry you and stop caring if they live or die. ”

Bruce rounded the vehicle and I took another step back, hitting a warm body and lifting my head to see Cash right there, Dakota and Levi at his side.

“And you don’t accept a proposal and hang all over other alphas,” Bruce hissed.

“Oh my god. Cash is my friend. I’m allowed to hug him.”

“And what’s your excuse for the other two?”

“They pulled me out of the fucking river, Bruce. I think that warrants a little touching to haul my ass out of the water.”

Cash set a comforting hand on my shoulder, all three alphas at my back rumbling with a low growl.

“You know, we accepted that you didn’t come untouched when we started this relationship, and we were willing to overlook that, but I see old habits die hard.”

I bristled. “Fuck you.”

“This place isn’t good for you,” Bryan said calmly, keeping one palm on Bruce’s chest to stop him from advancing. “You’re clearly struggling with the stress of being back here. Why don’t we stop at a doctor in the nearest city?”

I let out an indignant squeak. “This place is fine , and it’s not the stress of here, it was a fucking near-death experience.

I’m allowed to have feelings about it. And it wouldn’t have been an issue if either of you cared about that.

You didn’t even get off your fucking horses when I fell in.

No. Bruce was worried about getting his shoes wet and you were too busy placating him.

So fuck that and fuck you guys. You can go to Germany by yourselves. ”

“We have a deal, Anne,” Bruce snapped. “You can’t bail on Oskar and Karl.”

“ Watch me .”

“Baby, we’re sorry.” Bryan moved closer, arms open like he was coming in for a hug. “We love you. Let’s just go get a nice hotel, have some lunch, and talk about this. Don’t throw away your whole future because Bruce made a misstep.”

“Hey!” Bruce frowned.

Bryan ignored him. “We have a plan. I know you’re upset, but a meal and a nap will make it all look better.”

I shook my head, leaning harder against Cash, his cedar and sage tainted with burnt edges.

“It won’t fix it,” I insisted. “It won’t fix anything . Why did you propose when I got accepted for Tuscany?”

Bryan gaped. “We…we?—”

“Or book a nonrefundable trip for me to meet your families only after I told you about the classes I was going to take at the culinary institute in Paris?”

“We didn’t,” Bruce snapped. “It was already booked and you forgot.”

“No, I didn’t. I always check your calendars because I know how important your work is to you.”

“Then our assistants forgot to?—”

“ Stop .” I took a deep breath. “That’s not what happened.

Maybe once, maybe twice, but not as often as it did.

You know I always tried to be so considerate of your schedules, and you might’ve convinced me of this at one point, but not anymore.

I can think of a dozen examples just off the top of my head: things I had to cancel, opportunities I had to let go because I mysteriously ‘forgot’ about something with you two.

I’m not the kind of person who does that. ”

“Clearly you are,” Bruce grumbled. “You can’t blame us for your shortcomings, and you can’t get mad about things years after the fact.”

“Yeah, well, I am mad about them. And I don’t want to do this anymore. I don’t want to go to Germany with you.”

“Anne, please. I’ll do better. Bruce too. We’ll make you happy.” For a moment Bryan looked like the man who had asked me out in university, so earnest and sweet, but I just didn’t care anymore.

“Let me rephrase. I can’t do this anymore. I’m sorry.”

Bruce’s face turned bright red a moment before he slipped away from Bryan and charged me like a bull. Cash pulled me right behind him, Dakota and Levi stepping in to block his way.

“You’re going to regret this!” Bruce yelled.

Who was making a scene now?

“We gave you everything and you’re going to throw it all away for this blue-collar trash? You’re nothing but a selfish little cunt, draining everyone dry until you get what you want. I can’t wait until they get tired of you.”

Each word was like an arrow striking home, burying deep in my flesh.

“Bruce!” Bryan gasped. “What the?—”

“Shut your mouth,” Cash demanded. “You don’t get to talk to her that way.”

“Get off our property.” Levi pushed back on Bruce.

“Bruce, what the hell has gotten into you? She’s our omega. You can’t just—” Bryan dragged Bruce away from us. “Anne’s not sleeping with them. We’d have smelled it on her if she was.”

“Maybe not yet, but I see how they look at what’s ours.”

“Let’s just go,” Bryan pleaded. “We don’t want them to get the police involved.”

“Fucking fine .” Bruce spun on his heel, getting back in the vehicle.

Bryan dashed forward, getting as close as the others allowed. “Baby, I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s gotten into him. I’ll get him calmed down in town. We’ll figure it out, get you to Germany, and it’ll all go back to how it was.”

The car horn blared, and Bryan flinched.

“No.”

“Anne…”

I bent down, picking up my engagement ring from the dirt and handed it to him. “I’m done. I can’t be what you guys need, and I don’t want to try anymore.”

The horn blasted again and Bryan gave me one last longing look before answering Bruce’s summons. He always did. Always Bruce before me. Even with tears lining his lashes, he still cowed to those demands.

The wheels spat dust as they raced off.

Cash pulled me into a tight hug, cupping my head. I curled my fingers into his shirt, torn between fury and anguish.

“You okay, Riles?”

I shook my head, forehead brushing over fabric. What if I really had been mistaken? That question only made me angrier. Even without all of that history, the way they’d behaved this weekend was enough.

“Let’s get you settled,” Dakota said quietly. “You can stay in the big house with us while you figure out what you want to do.”

“Can I get my stuff from the cabin first?”

“Of course,” said Cash.

They walked over with me, but the cabin was completely cleaned out.

“Fucking hell. My purse and luggage were probably in the car.”

“Is the rental car in your name?” Levi asked.

“Yep.”

“Report it stolen.”

I blinked at him. “We can do that?”

“Sure we can. Them leaving with your stuff is stealing. Cops might not care about a purse, but they do care more about grand theft auto.”

“Pretty sure a felony would fuck up their ability to go to Germany, wouldn’t it?”

Levi shrugged. “I’m not too concerned with their futures, to be honest.”

I gave a sharp laugh. “Okay, fair. Do you think the cops would overlook stealing the rental car and just get my stuff back?”

“I’ve got a cousin who works for the sheriff’s office. I’ll go give him a call.”

Levi departed to the reception office, Cash and Dakota leading me back to the big house.

“I’ll ask the staff if we can cobble you together a full outfit that will fit you better in the meantime,” Dakota offered. “I would imagine you’ll be here longer than a weekend, so a trip into town to get a few more clothes probably wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

“I can wait until what I was wearing earlier is washed, but thank you.”

“I’ll get that going for you, then.” Dakota collected all of my wet clothes from the bathroom floor and took them downstairs while Cash showed me one of the guest rooms.

“Welcome to Casa Riley for however long you need it.”

The walls were a warm brown wood, the bed laid out with cream and gold fabrics, and tidy glass-shaded lamps on matching end tables. I spun into his arms, squeezing him so tightly he wheezed. “I fucked everything up, Cash.”

“You can’t fuck up something that’s already fucked up.” He held me equally tight, exactly the way we used to do when we were young, holding so hard our bones groaned and our lungs protested with squeaks as the air departed.

I pulled in a deep breath when he released the pressure.

It had always helped before, and it helped now, like we could squeeze our problems right out of our bodies and refill ourselves with a breath of fresh opportunity.

“Do you really want me to stay here? I can keep paying for a cabin once I get my stuff back.”

“You’re not paying money to stay here. Our house is your house.”

I stepped out of his arms and flopped onto the bed, popping my head back up when his cedar and sage swept over me, goosebumps cascading across my skin. “What?”

“Sorry, sorry.” He stared up at the ceiling. “The shirt rode up really high.”

I glanced down at where the hem of Levi’s shirt sat, barely hiding my bare pussy beneath it.

A shiver rolled through me. As far as I knew, Cash had never been interested in me, and I was so fresh off a breakup I shouldn’t be remotely enjoying the thought that he might be now.

I flipped the blanket on the bed over my lap rather than move. “Your virgin eyeballs are safe.”

Cash squawked. “I’m not a virgin.”

“No? You fucking anyone I know?”

His cheeks turned the cutest bright pink. “No one right now. I’m just saying.”

“And I’m just teasing you.” I patted the space next to me and Cash came to sit.

“So on a scale from ‘hermit in a pile of blankets’ to ‘letting me buy you some shots and take you dancing,’ where are you landing on tonight?”

What had I ever done to deserve a friend like Cash?

“I don’t want to wallow. I was looking forward to tonight and I’m not going to let them ruin it.”

He ran his fingers over my damp hair, lightly scratching my scalp until my eyes drifted shut and my purr rumbled. “Do you think you’ll stay for a while? We can get the whole gang back together.”

“I was going to go see Morgan tomorrow anyway. I might be awkward as all get out around Cooper, but it would be really nice to see him again. Assuming he doesn’t hate me. He probably does, rightly so.”

Cash let out a laugh. “He definitely doesn’t hate you. Why awkward, though?”

I groaned. “Because I suck. Cooper deserves so much better than what I did. All of you deserved better.”

“Can’t make amends if you don’t talk to him.”

“I know. I’m just gonna need you to be a buffer.”

“Whatever you need, honey bun.”

I burst out laughing. “ Honey bun ?”

“You don’t like it? I can give you a different nickname. Gumdrop? Sugar cookie? Grape soda girly?”

“You’re ridiculous,” I said through my giggles. “You can call me honey bun if you want to. Not sure why you would. I haven’t been all that sweet.”

“You’ve got shit going on, but I know you’ve got a sugar center. Just gotta warm you up so it gets all melty like the old days.”

“How are you just as great as I remember?”

“Did you think I was going to become terrible in your years away?”

“No. I don’t know what I expected.” I curled onto my side, resting my head on his thigh, his hand settling on the curve of my waist. “Didn’t think I could like you more than I did when we were kids.”

“Oh? Am I climbing up the rungs of the friendship ladder?”

“I mean, you were already at the top, so maybe climbing a whole new ladder.”

He smelled way too good, and now that I was calming down, my body buzzed over his proximity.

I tried not to think about Bruce’s comment about seeing how Cash and the others had been looking at me.

If it had been any particular way, I’d unfortunately missed it.

I could—at least on some level—understand that my former alphas might experience a little boost in insecurity if they caught the scent of my reactions to the others if they were also giving me eyes.

Not that they were. With a sigh, I tucked it away, refusing to examine the idea any further.

I yawned and curled tighter into a ball.

“You should rest. Getting yanked out of a river is hard work.”

I stretched out, wriggling around so the blanket was still on top of me but there was room on the bed for Cash. “Would you stay for a bit?”

He lay down next to me, tucking my burrito’d body against him, my head beneath his chin and his arm around my back. “Yeah. I’ll stay.”