Page 47 of Knot Her Cowboys (Big Sky Omegas #2)

R iley was too sweet. Utterly spent, she lay sprawled across my chest after she, Cash, and Cooper were finally able to separate.

I’d fed her bits of food until her exhaustion overtook her hunger, pleased that she was relaxed enough to accept the care.

She purred in her sleep and it melted my heart that she felt so safe and happy.

“We should head back soon,” whispered Cash, staring at her like he couldn’t help himself.

“You think she’s going to be able to ride a horse after all that?” Cooper asked.

“Not much choice to get home,” Levi replied.

I stroked my hand over Riley’s hair, her purr amping up in volume. “Omegas are sturdy. We’ll run her a bath when we get back.”

When I tried to adjust her to sit up so we could head out, she grumbled a protest and held on tighter.

“Come on, petal. We should get home before dark.”

Riley lifted her sleepy, ruffled head. Her hair was dry now, and in wild waves from sleeping on it wet. “We can’t stay out here? Spend the night?”

I shared a look with the others. It wouldn’t be the first time we’d camped under the stars, and we had packed extra supplies just in case, so we could reasonably navigate an overnight stay. “Sure, we can sort that out.”

“Really? Good. I’m not ready to go back to reality yet.”

“We’ll sort that out too,” Cooper said. “A lot to figure out for the future.”

Riley reached toward him, pawing his arm until he wedged himself against us. “I really like the sound of planning a future with you. All of you,” she amended. “Little Riley didn’t know how to plan for anything. I wasn’t even sure I’d have a future.”

“You have one now,” Cooper said, love in his eyes and humor turning up his lips. “Start planning.”

“What do you want while living your life with us?” I asked.

“Kind of a loaded question. I haven’t thought that much about it besides this,” she said, gesturing to the four of us sprawled out on a blanket around her.

“Fair enough, but Cooper is right. You should figure out what you want. You don’t have to just slot into the way things already are. We can accommodate what you need to thrive.”

“What do you think about starting up your restaurant?” Cash asked.

Her head popped up. “What do you mean?”

“We already have the kitchens. I know it’s not New York, but the people out here appreciate good food, and we get tourists from all over the world.”

“You guys really want me to work?”

“I mean, only if you want to,” said Cash. “You’re certainly not obligated to if you don’t enjoy it, but that’s not really the vibe you’ve been giving.”

“But it would be mine? Menu? Branding?”

“Who else’s would it be?” Cooper asked with a laugh.

I could see the gears turning. A smile broke over her face and she tossed herself at Cooper, rolling to wedge herself between him and Cash.

“You think I could do it?”

“I think you could do anything you put your mind to,” said Cooper.

“We have the resources and the community to do it,” I pointed out. “My dads and brothers have their own construction company. They could build a new space for it.”

“And people out here are always hungry for work,” said Levi.

“Not everyone is suited for a ranch, but it could be tempting for people who want to work in the kitchen. We might have to hire a couple of workers who could double up as servers. Can’t imagine people would want to move all the way out here for that particular job, but maybe for a sous chef or a pastry chef. ”

“What kind of food would you like to make?” I asked, turning on my side so I could properly appreciate how fucking cute she was, tucked between Cash and Cooper.

“Obviously seasonal would be a big thing. Can’t have a Montana restaurant without having steak on the menu, but I think having some fusion items on offer would be a good segue for a lot of locals to try something new, and a lot of tourists to get familiar flavors while still enjoying what we’re famous for.

How hard would it be to put in an orchard? ”

“It would take a few years before it’s going to produce much,” said Cash, “but not hard to put in. We have a bit of a garden, mostly perennial so we don’t have to babysit it much, but we could always add in a greenhouse and more beds.”

“Honestly, that sounds like heaven. I never got to grow anything at Darlene’s. No land to do it on, and I feel like she would’ve fucked it up out of spite even if it had been an option. I’d kill to have my own garden, grow whatever I want, eat stuff right off the plant.”

“We can get construction going,” I assured her. “Too late in the season to start growing anything, but we could get raised beds built, fences put in. If we can get all the framing done for the restaurant, then work on the interior can be done through the colder weather.”

My family did a lot of renovation and contract work when they weren’t doing construction from scratch. I wasn’t sure what their schedule was like, but once we got back to phone service, I would give them a call and see if the time could be spared.

Riley being willing to plan for the future with us was a good sign. Even with the damage her mother had done, and likely would try to do in the future, Riley felt secure enough in the foundation she had with our pack to not only talk about what she wanted, but to get excited about it.

When she’d first arrived, I wouldn’t have thought that was possible.

Now that she was outside of the influence of her previous alphas, she could allow herself to blossom.

Her bond with Cash steadied her, and her healing relationship with Cooper revitalized her roots.

I wanted those things with her. I loved that she had those connections, but I wasn’t certain what I could personally offer to improve her situation.

“What’s your face doing?” Riley asked.

“Hmm?”

“Why are you frowning?” She wriggled over Cooper to wedge herself between him and me. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing,” I promised.

She narrowed her eyes, looking at me shrewdly. “Bullshit.”

“I—” I hesitated. “I suppose I was just wondering how I fit into everything.”

“What do you mean, how you fit into everything?”

“What she said,” added Cooper. “What context are we talking about here?”

I sighed, rolling onto my back so I could stare at the sky instead of looking at either of them.

“I’d like to know that too,” said Levi softly.

“Me too.” Cash agreed. “Is this general pack stuff or Riley-specific stuff?”

“Mostly Riley stuff,” I replied slowly.

Her eyes were misty when I snuck a glance at her. “What did I do?”

“Nothing, petal. I swear it’s nothing you’ve done. I guess I’m just feeling a little jealous of your relationships with Cooper and Cash.”

“Relatable,” Levi said with a laugh.

She looked at me with enormous eyes and the sweetest pout, which I was pretty confident she didn’t know she was making.

“I promise I love how close you are with them and how comfortable you’re getting with the pack. You have so much history with Cash and Cooper. I just want the opportunity to build some memories with you too.”

“Cooper and I could go home and let you three have your wilderness sleepover,” Cash offered.

“I don’t want you to leave,” I insisted. “We’re a pack.”

“Mhmm, we are,” Cash agreed. “And part of that is recognizing what packmates need. I know I monopolize Riley. Won’t kill me to spend the night away from her so you guys have more time to get to know each other.”

Cooper grumbled but eventually sighed. “We’ve got a whole lifetime ahead of us, but Cash is right. You deserve time with her.”

“You cool with that, honey bun?” Cash asked Riley.

“I’m down for a sleepover, but I’ll still miss you.”

Cash beamed and kissed her sweetly. “Be a good girl for Dakota and Levi. We’ll help you get set up, but we can’t stay long or we’ll lose the light before we get home and that’s dangerous for the horses.”

Within a few minutes we had a lean-to strung into the trees in case nature surprised us, and the horses were unsaddled for the night, minus Ranger and Betsy Boo that Cooper and Cash were taking with them.

“Grizzy, you be the best girl, okay?” Cash said, patting her flank. “Guard our girl.”

She leaned into the attention, happy to be in the thick of things, especially when the end-of-season wildberries were plentiful for her to graze on in the trees.

Cooper got her, Big Jack, and Sky eating some of the grain and apples we’d brought as treats.

They’d be able to forage the rest of their dinner.

Riley gave Cash and Cooper each a kiss fierce enough that the first bit of their ride home was likely to be very uncomfortable sitting in their saddles. She waved until they were out of sight and then turned back to us, a little uncertain but determined.

“We’ll get everything for a fire going,” Levi told her. He’d already cleared some space on the lakeshore.

Riley gathered kindling while Levi and I took apart a downed tree for firewood overnight. I didn’t spend as much time out here as I had in my youth, but it was always satisfying to test my skills living off the land, even if it was just for a short while.

I hadn’t expected Riley to know how to set up and start a fire, but I was given a fresh appreciation for her.

She constructed a tidy cone shape with the sticks she gathered, and dry kindling stuffed between them.

She even had a whole pile of branches neatly stacked nearby so she could feed them in as the flames caught.

Her smile was bright and satisfied as she sat back, surveying her success.

While we worked, she filled a camp kettle with water and slid it close to the fire to start warming before rooting around the packs to see what all we had brought.

She paused in her search, watching us work.

“Like what you see, sweetheart?” Levi asked.

“Mhmm,” she replied. “I’d like to see it a little closer, too.”