Page 40 of Knot Her Cowboys (Big Sky Omegas #2)

W e returned to the ranch in the wee hours of the morning, exhausted and anxious but successful in saving the herd. Instead of going to bed, I showered all of the goat and dirt off myself, scrubbed until my skin was pink, and then headed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for everyone.

The repetitive work of measuring and chopping helped steady my mind.

Cooper showed up while I was taking out my stress on an innocent cantaloupe. “What did that melon ever do to you?”

“I’m imagining it as Paul Decker’s head.” I chopped it swiftly in half, wishing I could do the same to the disgusting little weasel who had stolen Maisie’s freedom from her.

“Put the knife down, Riley.”

“I’m busy. Breakfast has to be prepped.”

“Wielding knives when you’re exhausted and pissed off is a recipe for disaster.” He slipped up behind me, wrapped his arms around my waist, and rested his chin on my head. “Put it down and come to bed. Our team knows we just got back and they’ll fill in the gaps.”

“But…” My bottom lip wobbled.

“They can handle it. You’ve already got everything ready for them.”

The chef’s knife hovered in my trembling hand for so long that Cooper unlocked my fingers from the handle himself.

“We’ll do what we can,” he promised. “But we can’t fight a war we won’t win. If she gets out, I swear we’ll do anything needed to keep her from going back, but that’s not a problem we can fix today.”

“I hate them so much,” I ground out. “Fucking monsters, every single one of them.”

Cooper’s sweet crackly purr rumbled for me and I succumbed, melting into his embrace. “They’ve been on my shit list since day one. Could I persuade you to hate them while horizontal?”

I spun slowly until I could plant my forehead against his chest with a grumble. “Okay.”

Every protest melted away when Cooper scooped me into his arms and carried me all the way back to the big house. The others were in the kitchen when we arrived, Cash on the phone, Dakota and Levi halfway through glasses of water.

“Can everyone come upstairs when you’re done?” I asked as Cooper walked right past them.

They followed immediately, the five of us going up to the omega suite. I stripped out of my clothing and climbed straight onto the bed, collapsing naked and face-first into my pillows with a distressed whine.

Stupid fucking Deckers.

My pack wrestled me under the blankets and tucked in around me. Cooper laid me across his body, leaving more room for the others to get close. His purr was joined by more, my own included.

Maisie deserved to feel safe like this too.

Dakota wiped tears off my cheeks. “I’m sorry, petal. I wish we could have done more tonight.”

“I called around,” Cash told me. “We’ve got friends all over the state who would be able to house Maisie and her kids. Didn’t use any names or give any info, but they’ve got the space and the Deckers wouldn’t be able to find her or think to look for her there.”

I flipped my head to look at him. “Really?”

He nodded, smoothing his hand over my hair.

“I know it’s not ideal. It would be nice if we could storm the compound, get her and every innocent person out of there, but we do what we can.

If she can get herself out with all three kids, which doesn’t sound easy from what you’ve said, then we can handle the rest.”

“I hate feeling so helpless.”

“You’ve got your own demons to face,” Dakota said softly. “The important thing now is that both you and Maisie know you’re not alone in all of this.”

“You guys are too good. I don’t deserve this after dropping the Riley bomb on your life.”

Someone pinched my ass cheek, thoroughly derailing my pity train and making me yelp. I popped up, staring at the most likely offender.

“Don’t look at me. I only treasure those cheeks,” replied Cash.

I narrowed my gaze, swiveling it to Cooper.

“I’ve been waiting for you to drop for more than a decade. Don’t apologize for it now.”

Pressing my lips together, I tucked back down, wedging my head beneath Cooper’s chin. “I’ll be quiet only because I’m sleepy.”

It took a few seconds of rearranging before enough of each alpha was touching me. The combination of their scents was like Montana in autumn: sweet, herbaceous, and drugging me into a contented sleep.

“Uh, I’m really sorry to bother you guys.”

I lifted my head, it feeling more akin to a lead weight than anything else. A young woman peeked through the door, making sure to stay on the stairs and not invade my space. My alphas rustled awake around me.

“I tried to call out, but no one answered. We’ve had, like, twenty calls from a German number in the last hour and I don’t know what to do with it. Scammers don’t call that many times.”

“German?” I asked. “Did they leave a voice message?”

The woman shook her head. “Our phones go straight to voicemail between midnight and six AM. The most voice message we’ve gotten is a disconnect. I tried to call back, but they got really mad when I said Riley wasn’t here, like you told us to say if anyone called looking for her.”

Cash dragged a pillow over his face, letting out a frustrated growl before flinging it away. “If that’s your exes being total fucking weirdos, I’m gonna fly to Germany and punch them in their smug little faces.”

I glanced at the clock on the wall. We had only been down for about three hours and I was feeling every second of lost sleep. “Get their names if they call again. If it’s Bruce, Bryan, Oskar, or Karl, tell them I’ll call later. If it’s anyone else, tell them to fuck off, I guess?”

Cash snorted next to me.

“I vote we tell them to fuck off anyway,” Cooper grumbled.

“Thank you, Jen,” said Dakota. “It’s probably not urgent, just some people reacting poorly to a breakup. If they keep calling, feel free to block the number.”

She nodded hastily. “Okay. I’m so sorry for waking you. I didn’t know what to do.”

“No worries, kiddo,” Cash replied tiredly. “Thanks for checking.”

When the young woman left, the pack dropped like flies.

I could only assume the caller was Bruce.

Bryan wasn’t the type to mass call like that, but I could definitely see Bruce doing it if he got frustrated.

That was why he always let his assistant handle calls or he’d fuck up business deals.

Presumably they were settled in Berlin by now, and the only reason I could think of for them to be reaching out again is if Oskar and Karl were being difficult about my absence.

Why they would even care, I didn’t know. They hadn’t seemed to like me very much in the few short calls we’d had. I’d tried to chalk it up to German directness, but I always got the sense it was more than that.

I drifted in and out, surrounded by my pack, weird twisted dreams that melted the Deckers and my exes into fucked-up cartoon villains plunging me into quicksand. I always thought that would be more of a problem when I grew up. Like the Bermuda triangle.

When I finally did rejoin the waking world, it was with burning eyes and a surly attitude. I probably could’ve slept all day, but then my sleep schedule would be utterly fucked. Better to suffer for a few hours.

Each alpha gave me a sweet kiss before they emerged from the bed to get dressed for the day, until Levi was the last remaining. I didn’t blame him for being the most exhausted. He probably used up so many brain cells saving that herd.

I didn’t want to outwardly say that responsibilities were stupid and my pack should stay in bed with me all day, so I thought it instead.

Levi didn’t make a peep of protest when I wormed my way into his arms. “Good morning, sweetheart.”

“I don’t think good belongs in that statement,” I said petulantly.

Levi laughed, pulling me closer. “Any morning I wake up with you right here is a good one.”

“Quit being so cute when I’m moody.” I burrowed closer. “Is it bad I was hoping Bruce and Bryan would disappear into the night and never talk to me ever again?”

“Not bad, but maybe slightly unrealistic.” Levi hummed softly. “I’ve been thinking about them a bit since they left.”

“Yeah? Why’s that?”

“I like to consider situations from different angles. I was kind of distracted during the whole river thing with you almost dying and Bruce taking swings at us, so I didn’t give as much thought to Bryan. Has Bruce ever gotten physical with him?”

I wracked my memory. “Not that I saw. Bruce was more of an emotional abuser prior to the trip. Maybe it just tipped him over the edge.”

“And why were they in a pack together?”

“Their families were really close, I think. They were friends, and Bryan seemed keen to give things a chance when Bruce suggested a pack. Bruce wasn’t so bad at the start.

I could tell he was raised very privileged, even more so than Bryan, and he had very high expectations.

Neither of us were good at meeting them, and Bryan’s family didn’t like me much.

He always got twitchy when we had to see them, but Bruce fit in well with his. All the same sort of people.”

Levi listened, his eyes closed and his fingers tracing patterns on my back. “I’m obviously not an expert on the whole situation, but from what I’ve seen, Bryan might be in an abusive relationship with Bruce, and it sounds like his family are no better.”

I tucked closer. “Well, now I kind of feel like a dick.”

“Why?”

“Now that I’m out of it, I can look at it a little more objectively. I knew Bryan was trapped, but I hadn’t considered it that way before. The way that they all abuse him doesn’t look like how Darlene abused me.”

“It’s hard to recognize when you’re in the depths of it, especially if it’s not what you’re used to looking for.”

“Would you come for moral support when I call back?”

“Absolutely. You don’t have to face anything alone if you don’t want to.”

“Good,” I said with a deprecating laugh, “because I really don’t want to call them at all, but I also don’t want them harassing the staff.”

“That’s what blocking is for,” Levi reminded me.

“Yeah, but Bryan is going to bear the brunt of it, and now that feels extra unfair.”

Levi and I got ready for the day in silence, both of us still exhausted. He had coffee ready when I made it to the kitchen, and I loaded it up with extra milk just so I could chug it.

My phone went fucking wild when we got in range of the boosters at the reception building. I pulled it out of my pocket, seeing thirty missed calls, nine voicemails, and sixty-four texts.

“Good god.”

Levi excused Jen from reception, letting her go on lunch break while we took over temporarily.

The voicemails were Bruce getting progressively more pissed off, but the final one was Bryan profusely apologizing.

The texts were the same.

With a sigh I sat down at the desk and dialed the number to return the call.

Bryan answered breathlessly. “Riley?”

“That’s me. Are you okay?”

“I’m so sor?—”

The sound of a scuffle followed and Bruce’s voice came across the line. “About fucking time. I cannot believe the disrespect.”

“Um, news flash, but we’re broken up. I don’t have to return your calls or answer your texts.”

“Don’t get smart with me. We had a business contract in place, and you fucking off to the middle of nowhere in Montana is ruining it. It’s time for your little temper tantrum to be over.”

“ Temper tantrum ? Excuse me?”

“We all know you were going through some sort of crisis, but the time for that is over. We’ll be there next week to pick you up.”

“Absolutely fucking not. I’m not going anywhere with you.”

“You’re going to Berlin where you belong. Oskar and Karl are devastated. You liked them. Why would you treat them like this?”

“The more important question is why would you treat me the way you have been?”

Levi gave me a thumbs-up.

“Bruce, we’re broken up. I’m not coming to Germany, and you are not coming back to Montana.”

“Our flight is already booked. You’ll see reason.”

“Look, I’m sorry that Oskar and Karl are upset, but I’m not going to do anything about it. If your business deal can’t survive without an omega in your new pack, maybe it shouldn’t go forward.”

I could perfectly envision his sneer. “Anne, I’ve been very accommodating while you’ve been a capricious cunt.

You have obligations and you don’t get out of them just because you want to roll around with some hillbillies.

You have a week to sort yourself out and I expect the respectable woman you’ve been in the past to make a reappearance. ”

Ice filled up my chest. He sounded so similar to Darlene in that moment, and I would never be able to undo that correlation.

Had I really run from here only to find myself a new version of my mother?

“You’re like talking to a fucking wall. I’m not going with you.

I have a pack here. I have a bondmate because you planned our move when I was supposed to have a heat and I missed a dose of suppressants.

Please get it through your fucking head. We’re over .”

The silence radiating from the other end of the call was like an iceberg drifting past. “Is it the blond fucker you told me not to worry about?”

I pressed my lips together, not wanting to respond. We’d broken up before anything had happened with Cash, but Bruce would see it however he wanted.

“I see. We’ll add whore to the list too, then.”

“Bruce, what the f—ow!” Bryan protested in the background of the call.

“I’ll be magnanimous and not mention this lapse to Oskar and Karl. Be ready.”

The call ended before I could say anything else. I hung up the phone harder than necessary and balled my hands into fists.

Levi gathered me into his arms. “I only caught bits of that, but fuck that guy. No one should speak to you that way.”

No one should, and yet he always did. I released a frustrated sigh, holding tight to Levi. Maybe it was selfish to depend on all of them so hard, but right now, these amazing men, these gifts of fate, were all that was keeping me standing.