Page 24 of Knot Her Cowboys (Big Sky Omegas #2)

C ooper was gone when I woke up. I tried not to let the disappointment crush me too much, but it did nonetheless. I rolled over, pressing my face against his pillow, breathing in his alpha scent of aged oak and autumn leaves.

“You sniffing my sheets, honey bun?”

I popped up, seeing a grinning Cash watching me. “Shush.”

“Are you up to being on breakfast duty today, or would you rather rest?”

“I’m getting up.” I groaned, sliding first into his arms for a few seconds of comfort, then pried myself out of the warm bed.

“If I’m going to take over the chef job, I need to get myself on a schedule.

Dakota is going to take me into town today, but I’ll get everything prepped so all they have to do for lunch is put it in the oven. ”

“My staff thanks you.”

I rushed through a quick shower and tidied my damp hair back in a braid before heading down to the kitchen. It was still quiet across the ranch, so I flipped on the radio and turned up the volume.

Slicing fruit and cracking eggs was a meditation for me.

Having a kitchen to myself was like having my own little castle.

In some ways I missed the hustle and bustle of everyone moving around the space, but with a set menu, it was easy to manage myself and I appreciated that the only noise was what I chose.

For ease, I decided everyone could have lasagna and Cobb salad for lunch after checking the guest notes on dietary restrictions. Once I was done with the breakfast prep, I moved on to that, tired but satisfied when everything was settled into the fridge.

Dakota slipped into the kitchen while I was pulling the sizzling bacon out of the oven.

“Good morning, sunshine,” I greeted him.

“Good morning.” He turned down the radio so I’d be able to hear him properly. “You’re up early today.”

“Trying to get all my work done before we go to town.”

“It’s not your responsibility yet,” he reminded me, already tucking his hair into a hair net and washing his hands. “You’re allowed to take some time to settle in.”

I waved off the sentiment, and scooped all of the bacon into the warmer. “Better to keep myself busy.”

“What can I help with?”

The timer for the steamer went off. “You can grab the scrambled eggs for me if you want.”

He removed the tray, and gave the eggs a stir, breathing in the delicious scent. I’d mixed in roasted peppers, sautéed mushrooms, shredded cheese, and cubed ham to give it some pizzazz. None of the staff had any restrictions listed in the kitchen notes, so that made things easy.

Dakota deposited the tray in the warmer. “Spoiling the guests today?”

“Spoiling the staff. During the week I’ll make them something a little more substantial. Keep it simple on weekends when there’s always going to be more guests.”

“You’re going to be everyone’s favorite in no time.”

“That’s what I strive for.”

He helped me get everything prepped and checked the hot table to make sure it was ready to keep the food warm. Staff came through first, sticking to the tables on the far side as they inhaled their food, already tidying up after themselves by the time guests started to trickle in.

I had coffee with Morgan and her pack, getting caught up further on her life.

“How does it feel to be back in the kitchen?” Morgan asked.

“I love it. This one is way lower stress than the other kitchen jobs I’ve done.”

“I bet the ranch hands wouldn’t be opposed to you trying out recipes on them.”

“Oh, hell yeah. It’ll be so easy to fuck around with different stuff when the busy season is over.”

“You’re planning on sticking around that long?”

I shrugged. “I’m trying not to plan too hard, but it seems kind of miserable if I can only think about one day at a time. I can be excited for the future and still change my mind later.”

“Too true, you can. Where the hell is Cooper?”

“Not a clue. He was gone when I woke up.”

Morgan paused, coffee halfway to her lips. “Like he left the house or left the bed?”

No sense giving her anything to read into when I had no fucking idea myself what Cooper’s acquiescence had meant last night. “The house.”

Morgan sighed. “He’d better not be being weird again.”

“Cooper’s always weird. It’s part of his charm.” Cash settled up next to me with a heaping plate. “What time are you heading out?”

As if on cue, Dakota stepped inside, and I replied to Cash, “I’m assuming now.”

“Have fun,” Cash whispered in my ear, nipping the lobe. What the hell did he mean by that? What was fun about going to town to get a death certificate?

“Ready?” Dakota asked. “We can go later, if you’d rather.”

“Nah, might as well get it over with.”

He nodded and turned to Cash. “Let me know if there’s any last-minute additions for the supply run. We’ll be back this afternoon.”

“Sounds good.” Cash kissed my cheek and dragged my coffee cup closer. “Don’t worry about your dishes. I’ve got it.”

Morgan gave me a fierce hug and I squeezed her right back. “Don’t be a stranger,” she ordered.

“I won’t be. Have a safe drive back.”

I followed Dakota out to his truck, a flatbed hooked to the back of it. “Where’s Levi? I haven’t seen him yet today.”

“There’s a sick cow on a neighboring ranch. He left before the sun was up.”

“And Cooper?”

“On the trail.”

“How do you know?”

“His horse was gone from the stables when I checked on them before coming here. If Ranger’s not there, he’s off with Cooper.”

I slipped into the passenger side of Dakota’s truck, watching him move around the vehicle for a final check, the sun catching his dark hair and showing off teasing strands of red that were all but invisible most of the time.

When he finally settled in his seat, he brought with him the scent of sweetgrass and sandalwood, making goosebumps dance down my arms and legs.

“It’s an hour drive,” he told me. “You’re in charge of music unless you’d rather talk.”

I turned the radio on low, loud enough I could make out what song was playing in case one of my jams came on, but not enough to interfere with conversation. “Tell me about yourself.”

“What do you want to know?”

“Anything. Everything.”

“Okay, well, I grew up on the Rez just north of here. I have four brothers and two sisters, most of whom still live there.”

“What do they do there?”

“Two of my brothers went into carpentry, like our dads. One went into teaching, and the youngest is in law school right now. My oldest sister is a doctor. She runs the Rez clinic, took over it last year. And my youngest sister, I guess you could call her the community caretaker. She makes sure all the elders have what they need to survive, runs errands, takes them to appointments, that kind of thing.”

“That’s so cool. How did you end up off Rez when everyone else stuck around?”

“Levi and I met at Montana State doing our bachelor’s degrees, and then we both went to Washington State, where he did his veterinary program and I did my master’s in psychology.

By the time I finished, I was already comfortable not being home anymore.

We met Cooper and Cash after taking jobs on the ranch, formed a pack, and the rest is history. ”

“You guys have been pack for a while?”

“Almost five years.”

I couldn’t quite decide if I was glad they’d been able to forge all those connections without me being around, or sad that I had missed the years of their pack building.

Sometimes it was easier for alphas to come together when no omega was on the scene, and sometimes it was the omega who brought everyone together.

“I always figured Cooper and Cash would be pack.”

“They are quite the pair,” Dakota agreed with a laugh.

“Levi told me you guys were never planning to have an omega because Cooper was hung up on me.”

Dakota nodded.

“You were okay with that?”

He shrugged. “I’m content with myself, and I have my pack for companionship.”

I admired the confidence of not needing an omega, but at the same time it felt weird to not be needed. Doubly so when I wasn’t sure how my brain would react to it if they did.

“But do you want an omega?”

The look he gave me had my pussy clenching.

“If you’re asking if I want you , the answer is yes. I would have you in a heartbeat if you gave me the word.”

My tongue felt like lead in my mouth. God, I wanted to give him the word, but was that even fair?

I chewed my lip. If I was going to entertain staying, I needed to be sure I was compatible with all the members of the pack.

Cooper would come around in time—hopefully—but I owed it to Cash to examine this from all angles, didn’t I? Was his “have fun” comment about this?

If I had a pen I’d be a smartass, write “the word” on my hand, and hold it out to Dakota. I had to find other ways to be a smartass instead.

“Pull over.”

He blinked at me. “What for?”

“I’d like to end your omegaless existence.”

His whole body tightened at my words, his breathing coming short as he surveyed the road for a safe spot to turn off.

The truck slid to a stop on the gravel and Dakota shifted into park before spinning in his seat to face me properly. “Sorry, that’s not a conversation I can have while we’re in motion. Say that again.”

“You said to give you the word. I’m giving it.”

“And you want to…right now?”

I glanced around us, seeing only the empty fields. “No one here but us.”

“You want your first time with me to be in a truck?”

I shrugged. “My first time with Cooper was in a truck, same for Cash. And Levi fucked me in a barn. My standards for locations are not very high. I care about the people, not the place.”

“What if I care about the location?”

“Then we wait. Not a big deal.” I liked watching the battle in his eyes. Maybe his mind preferred to take me on a fluffy bed, but his body looked pretty into the idea of some roadside play. “No pressure.”

“Are you asking because I’m part of the pack or because you want me specifically?”

“Both?”

“I want to be chosen , not just accepted. And I absolutely don’t want you to feel any pressure about offering because you’ve been with the others. That’s not the way I want to start things off with you.”

“Okay, well, I’m choosing you because I like you.

You’re basically a whole-ass angel of a man, and hot as sin, if I’m being honest. I’m sure my thinking you’re amazing didn’t come across very well when I’ve spent more time freaking out in your presence than anything else, but I want it made very clear I don’t cry on people unless I feel safe with them. ”

“Well, I’m honored to have created a safe space for you to panic,” he said with a gentle laugh. His sweetgrass and sandalwood scent filled the truck cab, making my nerves all tingly. “As long as you’re sure this is what you want.”

I flipped up the armrest between us, exposing the full bench seat so I could unhook my seat belt and slide closer to him. “I have two speeds: zero and maximum. But I can work on being a very good girl and creating a speed in between if you need me to.”

His low groan and whispered curse were my only warning before his hand slid into my hair and pulled me close.

Dakota’s mouth on mine was a revelation.

He unclicked his seat belt and crossed the short distance between us. At the first touch of his hands on my hips, I changed position so I could climb onto his lap and press myself against every inch of him, where he devoured me with barely restrained power.

I ground my hips against his, rocking desperately as I learned the way he moved. “How much of me do you want today?”

“How much do you want to give?”

My instincts wanted me to strip down and sprawl out, to stake my claim on the final member of this pack. “Everything.”