Page 28 of Knot Her Cowboys (Big Sky Omegas #2)

I went down to the corral with Cash and Dakota. Cooper was still steadfastly avoiding me, but at least it appeared he wasn’t totally neglecting his work. I already felt bad enough about hogging the others when they probably had a lot to do.

Tons of guests were already there and we squeezed into some of the available space.

Dakota and Cash had probably seen Cooper do this a thousand times, but I was glad they stayed with me anyway.

The bond was so new I got squirmy if Cash was too far away and I didn’t have another scent match stuck to me.

I pressed closer to the fence, the rough wood digging into my hands and chest. Cooper’s gaze passed over me for one electrifying second before he focused back on the crowd.

He gave a brief explanation on the history of cowboys and ranches out west, not skipping over the violent land grabs during settlement to spare those watching the discomfort of acknowledging the past.

After our history lesson, Cooper moved on to showing off. He was totally in his element inside that corral, rope hanging from his hip, smiling at the hordes of tourists lining the fence.

I wanted that smile directed at me. I still felt like I didn’t deserve it, but I craved it anyway.

He swung the lasso in wide loops, hopping through the opening effortlessly before sweeping it overhead and tossing it forward, where it snagged a bottle off the fence edge ten feet away and whipped it back into his hand.

My mouth went dry. The buttons of his shirt strained when he moved. Cooper had filled out so much since the last time I’d truly gotten my hands on him. We were pack now, so even with all of our painful past hanging between us, it didn’t feel wrong to hope for his eventual acceptance.

He was making it really fucking hard to make things up to him.

I hated that I was disrupting their lives so much, but Cooper couldn’t just disappear before I woke up every day.

He could try, but my patience only went so far.

We needed to talk and if he was going to be stubborn—one of his key traits—then I was going to have to force the issue.

Maybe I’d have to steal that lasso and truss him up for the conversation.

However much I might prefer he come to me in his own time, Cooper knew how to hold a grudge.

It could be weeks or even months before he came around on his own.

“Like what you see, honey bun?” Cash whispered in my ear, a bolt of desire sliding down my spine at his warm breath caressing my skin.

I squeezed my thighs together. “Why do you need to ask when you can feel it in the bond?”

“More fun to ask. Now answer the question.”

“Come on, Cash. You know I like what I see. Look at him .”

Cooper’s cowboy hat prevented the sun from lighting up his hair like flame, but the sharp shadows highlighted the planes of his face. Every muscle moved like a dance beneath his clothing.

He’d never had new clothing growing up, existing solely on hand-me-downs in the brief period before they fell apart completely after making their way through nine brothers.

These clothes were obviously new. I wasn’t sure if he would’ve accepted tailoring, but they fit him like a glove, almost obscenely showing off his absolute cake of an ass.

“Do you love what you see?” he asked quietly.

Guilt lodged in my throat like hot lead. If I was honest with myself, I’d probably always love Cooper. I’d given him my heart and I’d never gotten all the pieces back.

Cash stroked a soothing hand on my back. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

I dipped my head, letting my own hat hide my face. It was just a loaner, one of the extras they kept at the big house, and too big for me, but I used it like a shield anyway.

“Do you need to leave?” Dakota asked, leaning close so his question wasn’t overheard.

I shook my head.

I got so little of Cooper, and I wasn’t about to sprint away like he was prone to doing.

He was a curious mix. His fight or flight had been honed living in the Harris household.

What he couldn’t fight, he ran from instantly, and what he could fight…

Well, Cooper had ended up with more than a few black eyes over the years when he got big enough to get between Morgan and the rest of the Harris clan.

He couldn’t fight me or what I represented, so instead he was committed to running.

If I had to take him out at the ankles to get him to quit that for a few minutes, that was what I would do. We owed it to the rest of the pack to figure out a way to live peacefully.

“Now’s the fun part,” Cash whispered.

“Do I have any volunteers who want to see if they can outrun the lasso?” Cooper asked the crowd.

A dozen hands shot up, including mine. Cooper ignored me, not that I expected him to pick me for this. The staff handed out helmets and wrist guards to the people Cooper chose.

First up was a smug teenage boy, absolutely confident he could thwart Cooper’s efforts to catch him.

“They won’t get hurt?” I asked Dakota.

“That’s what the gear is for. The ground is pretty soft, and we do a comb-through for any rocks before this show so it’s like landing in a dust bowl.”

The teen took off at a sprint, and not even a second later, his feet were flying out from under him, Cooper’s lasso hooked around his ankle. He squawked and crash-landed, but was laughing when his head popped up. “Again? I can do better.”

Cooper lifted one questioning eyebrow. “That’s what they all say.”

They let the teen have another go, but he got exactly the same result. Same with the next person, and the next, no one evading Cooper for long.

“Any final contenders?” Cooper asked.

I raised my hand again, squeaking when Cash hoisted me into the air, catching everyone’s attention. I suppose that was one way of forcing Cooper to pick me.

“All right,” Cooper reluctantly agreed.

I scrambled over the fence, accepting the safety gear from one of the staffers.

My heart thundered as Cooper approached me.

“You really want me to flip you into the dirt in front of everyone?”

“I just wanted you to talk to me, and it worked. Do whatever you have to do if it’ll help make a conversation easier.”

He didn’t look happy about that at all, but he sighed, adjusted the rope in his hands, and gestured for me to make a go of it.

I got about three steps into my run before feeling the grip of that rope on my ankle, my feet sailing into the air, and my hands connecting with the ground. I coughed from the dust and rolled over, seeing Cooper blocking out the sun, already poised to help me stand with his arm extended.

His hand was warm and callused in mine, heat instantly erupting through my core at the thought of him dragging me in for a kiss, those hands sweeping down my body to claim me like he used to. The moment I was on my feet, his touch disappeared, leaving me bereft and reeling from the brief contact.

He turned back to the crowd, getting their attention on a beautiful bay gelding one of the staff walked into the corral. Cash collected me, helping me over the fence and back into Dakota’s arms, while Cooper made a sweep of the corral on horseback.

“Are you okay, petal?” Dakota asked.

“Yep. No grievous injuries. Heart might be a little bruised but I’ll take it as penance.”

“I’ll talk to him as soon as he’s done here,” Dakota promised.

“You think you can out-stubborn him?”

“Cooper doesn’t want to be in pain. I know that much. He hasn’t figured out how to leave that state yet, but if I’m able to push a little communication on him, we can hopefully move him along on that path.”

I stood on my tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “Cooper has really good taste in pack members. He’s lucky to have you.” I turned to Cash, seeing his mouth already opened to ask. “He’s lucky to have you too, Cashy.”

Cash beamed. “You know me too well.”

“I try. What’s the horse’s name?”

“Ranger,” Dakota replied. “He’s Cooper’s personal horse.”

“He’s beautiful.”

“Cooper or the horse?” Cash asked with a laugh.

“Both. Always both.”

He and Ranger flowed like water around the corral. The audience learned all about the different gaits, and Ranger performed a whole host of fancy tricks that had everyone clapping.

“Cooper’s done a great job of training him.”

“He’s a man obsessed,” said Cash. “Do a job right or don’t do it at all.”

Was that also part of why he was avoiding me? He wasn’t certain of success, so he opted to not try?

With a sigh, I leaned my chin on the fence, breathing in as Cooper swept past. Aged oak and autumn leaves, the scent of my childhood when September slid into October.

Levi trotted over to join us. “If you’re not busy tonight, I think Buttons might be gracing us with her foal soon.”

It wouldn’t be my first foal by any means, but I could never say no to a brand-new baby horse. “Wild horses couldn’t keep me away.”

“Good. Buttons will love the attention.” Levi dipped his head to kiss my cheek, sending my stomach fluttering. “I’m going to keep an eye on her, but swing by whenever you’re free.”

“Roger that. Send me a homing pigeon or something if the action starts before I get there.”

Levi laughed. “Will do. Enjoy the Cooper show in the meantime.”

Oh, I was going to. He might avoid me, but I was done avoiding him. If we couldn’t talk this through like adults, I could throw it down and go old school. He wouldn’t be able to avoid me if I was stuck to him like a backpack.

Cooper came to a stop in front of us at the end of the show and I reached out a hand to stroke Ranger’s cheek. “Hello there, beautiful boy. You’re so talented.”

I glanced from Ranger to Cooper, finding the latter’s cheeks flushed pink.

“I didn’t hurt you with the lasso, did I?”

“Nah. I’m sturdier than that.”

His shoulders slumped with relief.

“Stay on Ranger,” Dakota ordered. “You and I are going for a ride.”

Cooper’s face pinched, but he didn’t refuse.

“Not with me,” I added in case that was what he was worried about.

I tried not to take it too personally when he relaxed a little more. I kicked the tip of my boot into the dust. Those fancy socks Courtney had made me buy were a fucking godsend. It still wasn’t totally comfortable breaking in new boots, but it spared me a lot of blisters.

“You guys have fun,” I said, looking away from all three. “I’m gonna go hang out with Buttons and Levi while you’re out.” I gave Ranger another cheek scratch. “You bring him back safe, okay? He means a lot to me, so no walking him into tree branches or bucking him into any creeks, got it?”

I got no acknowledgment out of the horse except his ears wiggling to listen intently.

Cooper was staring off into the middle distance when I glanced up at him. Dakota had better be able to get through to him. I was determined to make it up to Cooper, whether he wanted me to or not.