Page 31 of Knot Her Cowboys (Big Sky Omegas #2)

I cozied up to Cash the next day while he worked on some ranch business as he minded reception. Everything was prepped for lunch, so I was being indulgent with myself and placating the bond’s demand that I be glued to Cash at all hours.

I was so fucking relaxed, chilling on Cash’s lap until he glanced out the window and a bolt of panic shot through the bond. He shoved me right off his lap and under the desk before I could fully react and ask what the fuck was going on.

The bell on the door jingled and I instantly knew what had caused his panic by the waft of wildberry and cigarettes.

My mother.

Anxiety crashed over me like a tsunami so hard my breath stalled and my heart thundered in my ears. My stomach turned and I pressed my hand to my mouth, willing myself to not throw up all over Cash’s shoes.

“Where the fuck is she?”

Darlene’s voice was like a fucking ice pick in my chest. I hadn’t heard it in over a decade and it evoked the same fear and nausea it used to.

“Darlene, you’re not welcome here,” Cash snapped, getting to his feet and boxing me beneath the desk with his legs. “Leave.”

“No. My friends and I figured out who she was with, and he’s one of yours.”

“I’m surprised you have any friends, Darlene. Haven’t shown them what a snake you are yet?”

“Fuck you.”

“I hope you’re not using security footage from a government service for your own personal bullshit. Pretty sure that would be illegal.”

Her scoff was all too familiar, a bitter sound full of so much loathing it was the vocal equivalent of her spitting right in your face. “I shouldn’t be surprised this is the first place she came crawling back to. Little whore never could stay away from the Harris boy.”

I pressed my hands over my ears, desperately trying to drown out the sound of her voice, though it did nothing to obscure her scent that invaded my nose and dredged up far too many memories. Cash was too close, and Darlene was too loud, rendering my hands basically useless.

“You’re trespassing on private property, and if you talk about her like that one more time, I’m going to rethink my personal policy of never hitting omegas.”

“You hit me and I’ll sue.”

“We both know you don’t have the money for that, Darlene, and the Deckers don’t give a shit if their omegas get a black eye. Now, you’re going to turn around, get back in your car, and I’d better never see your face again.”

“You can’t keep me from her if she’s here.” Darlene growled, another sound I was all too familiar with that usually popped up right before she got violent.

“Get the fuck out of here,” Cash barked.

“She’s been ignoring her damn duties too long. I’m tired of getting shit on because she can’t be responsible.”

“I don’t think you’re one to be talking about responsibility. You’ve got about ten seconds to get back in the car before I call the cops and have them escort you off the property in handcuffs.”

If Darlene wanted to respond, she didn’t get a chance because Cash started to loudly count backwards from ten. The bell jingled again before the door slammed shut.

Cash dropped his hand down, offering it to me out of sight, and I gripped it like a lifeline. It was several more agonizing seconds before he dropped to his knees and pulled me out from under the desk.

“Holy shit. I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”

I shook my head, panic thick in my throat.

Cash clutched me to his chest. “Deep breaths for me. I’ve got you.”

I held tightly but couldn’t quite make my lungs obey his order. Every inch of me shook as the adrenaline drained away. Fucking hell. I hated that even with so many years apart, my mother could still do damage just by walking into a room.

“I’m going to call the construction company we’re waiting on,” Cash told me. “If I can catch them before they go on break and promise to pay for all their kids to go to college, I bet we can have the new gates installed by this afternoon so Darlene can’t even get on the property.”

“I need—I need some air.”

Cash released his grip and I used the desk to get to my feet, standing on wobbly legs. “Give me two minutes to get the call done and I’ll come with you. I need the landline.”

I shook my head. “Handle the gate. Buttons and Bluebell will distract me while you’re gone. I’m not going to fall to pieces in the few minutes we’re apart.”

I wasn’t so sure that was true, but I felt like I was going to suffocate if I stayed in this room where her scent lingered.

My breath shuddered when I drew it in, but I put on a brave face.

Cash would know it was a lie. My panic spiral was probably like an air raid siren in the bond for him, and I knew distance wouldn’t change that, but I needed it anyway.

He cupped my cheeks and kissed my forehead. “I love you so fucking much. I’ll be there as quickly as I can.”

I lifted my face, basking in the warmth of him. “I love you, too.”

“I’m also going to call around the ranch and get the staff on alert,” Cash promised. “The more eyes, the better, I think.”

Nodding, I slipped away to visit Bluebell for a few minutes and wrapped my arms around myself so my chest didn’t feel like it was going to fly apart any second. Buttons and her baby were enjoying some sunshine in the small corral attached to the barn.

I stared blankly at Bluebell, the little sweetie flinging herself in my direction for some attention. “Hi there, angel baby.”

Bluebell was looking much more like a proper horse today, with glossy fur shining in the sun, and her horrible demon-finger hooves were just regular hooves now from all her scampering around.

I perched on the fence, hooking my legs over the bottom board and leaning over a higher one, and she thrust her little head into my hands.

Buttons came over to sniff at me, unwilling to let her baby get all the attention. With a hand on each of them, I used the smooth motions of petting them to start getting my heart under control.

Fucking Darlene.

Not going to see her when I had her address should’ve been a crystal-clear message, but then she’d never been good at taking no for an answer. My sperm donor of a father probably regretted getting anywhere near her. Unfortunately for me, his shit choices meant we were both stuck with Darlene.

Bluebell was living her best life, wiggling her head this way and that so I found all the right spots.

Buttons shifted nervously, ears pinning back.

“What’s wrong, sweet girl?”

A sharp pain in my scalp had me shrieking, careening backward from the yank on my hair. Splinters drove into my legs where I slid off the fence and I crashed hard against the ground, knocking the wind out of me.

Darlene was on me like a barnacle. “You stupid little whore. You think you can hide from me?”

I flailed my hands out, trying to push her away, but she had a two-handed grip on my hair so tight my eyes watered. “Mama, stop!”

“ Mama, stop ,” she mocked. “I’ll stop when you quit being a useless cunt and bond one of the Decker boys like you were supposed to. Tired of you making my life shit ’cause you won’t do what you’re told.”

I bucked hard and tried to turn to bite her wrist, but she swung her arm back and clocked me across the face so hard my ears rang.

Her wildberry omega scent was sour in my nose, and the scent of her favorite cigarettes clung to her like a second skin, turning my stomach and ensuring my brain was a tangled mass of panic as it dredged up years of abuse.

When I tried to scream, she slammed her hand over my mouth, blocking the sound and my air intake. I writhed like my life depended on it because that was always how it felt when I was dealing with her.

“Darrell said he’d still take you.”

A fresh bolt of panic shot through my stomach.

“Don’t be such an ungrateful bitch,” Darlene hissed. “They’ll welcome us back if you stop fucking running.”

I wrenched her hand away to suck in a sharp breath and scream out a “NO!”

“Such a goddamn baby. Who cares if he’s got a face like a foot when he’s next in line for power? You could give us that.”

I wrestled my way onto my belly, trying to scramble away but she crawled right onto my back, knees pinning my shoulders so I could hardly breathe, her hand yanking my hair.

Black spots danced in my vision.

The cock of a shotgun had Darlene freezing.

Cooper stepped around where I could see him, shotgun barrel carefully aimed. “Mind yourself, Darlene. You know what we do to predators around here.”

“You wouldn’t shoot me,” she hissed.

Cooper didn’t move an inch. “I don’t think you want to test what I’ll do when it comes to your daughter. I couldn’t do anything as a kid, but I’ve got a lot of land and a lot of gullies where a body could disappear. Now, why don’t you let Riley go and step the fuck back.”

I winced as Darlene shoved my head away and I bolted to my feet. My chest burned from panic and all the dust I’d inhaled in the struggle.

“Riley, come on over behind me,” Cooper ordered.

I darted toward him, tucking myself out of sight at his back.

“You all right?”

“Nothing I won’t heal from by morning.” My scalp ached, and so did my bones. I’d have some bruises, but Darlene hadn’t done too much damage before Cooper showed up.

He nodded. “Darlene, get the fuck off our property.”

“You can’t tell me what to do. If Riley’s here, I get to be too.”

“You know that’s not how it works. Either you leave on your own, you leave with a police escort, or no one ever finds out you were here. Can’t imagine many people will care if you go missing.”

Darlene growled. “You can’t keep me from my own damn daughter.”

“Actually, I can. She doesn’t want to see you. Respect that, or you’ll learn what kind of man you’re provoking.”

I risked a glance around Cooper to see Darlene getting to her feet with a nasty sneer on her face. “Useless fucking whelp. You’re no better than the rest of your trash family.”

The barrel of Cooper’s shotgun followed Darlene as she inched away, keeping her face to us as she backed toward the path that would take her to the driveway. When she finally drove out of sight in her beat-up truck, the adrenaline flooded out of my body, leaving me shaking.

Cooper set the shotgun down and dragged me into his arms, holding me tightly and cupping my head. The moment I was wrapped in his embrace, my tears snuck up on me until I was ugly sobbing against his chest.

“I’ve got you.” Cooper swallowed hard. “You scared the absolute shit out of me.” His voice was rough with emotion, his hands shaking almost as badly as my body where they held me.

“I’m sorry,” I wailed against him. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Please don’t run away again. I never wanted to go.”

“Riley, I?—”

I braced for his rejection, knew it was coming…and I deserved it.