Page 51 of Knot Your Problem, Cowboy (Wild Hearts Ranch #1)

The street is busier than usual, kids darting between cars, two women chatting outside the florist, someone unloading a crate of apples from the back of a truck.

I spot Mrs. James across the way, already angling to flag me down.

Probably to complain about something we did wrong.

I ignore her. My attention is locked on one thing: finding Sophia.

“Café,” Walker says suddenly, like the thought just snapped into place, and he’s already crossing the road. Ridge and I follow him.

I push open the door to Wildflower Bakehouse I can hear the breath leave him. Walker doesn’t say a word, but his whole stance shifts, angling toward her like instinct alone is pulling him in.

We’ve found her. Now we just have to make sure we don’t lose her for good.

My chest loosens and tightens all at once. She’s here, safe, but her face is blotchy from crying, and she’s stabbing a fork into chocolate cake as though it personally wronged her.

June leans in and murmurs something to Sophia that earns the tiniest twitch of a smile from her.

The café hum quiets to a low murmur, small-town quiet, where every single person is pretending not to watch while absolutely watching.

I stop at the edge of their table. “Afternoon, ladies.” My voice comes out lower than I meant, the words directed at Sophia and June but pitched so the whole damn room could hear. “Mind if we join you?”

Sophia doesn’t look at me, just keeps cutting her cake into smaller and smaller bites. “I don’t think there’s enough room.”

The dismissal lands like a kick to the ribs. Ridge shifts beside me, restless, but I hold my ground. “Then we’ll stand.”

June tips her mug toward us, her gaze flicking between all three of us like she’s weighing the entertainment value. “Soph’s got cake and I’ve got caffeine. You boys sure you want to do this here?”

“We’re not here to cause a scene,” Walker says, calm but steady, his hat shadowing his eyes. “Just to clear the air.”

Sophia finally glances up at him, and the ache in my chest sharpens. She’s guarded, braced for a fight. “If this is about Brittany, I don’t want to hear it.”

“You deserve to hear it,” I explain before she turns away again.

“And you deserve the truth from us, not pieces of it, not when it’s convenient.

The Carsons buy more horses from us than anyone in the state.

Brittany’s been circling me for years, and I’ve been tolerating it for the sake of keeping her father’s business. ”

Her jaw tightens, but she doesn’t interrupt.

“That’s not an excuse,” I add quickly. “It’s a mistake. A bad one. I should’ve shut her down harder, and I should’ve told you exactly who she was after the rodeo.”

“We all should’ve told you,” Walker adds, his voice rougher than mine. “You shouldn’ t have had to find out while—” He cuts himself off, glancing at her hands on the table.

“I shouldn’t have left you alone this morning. I thought our catch-up with the Carsons would be quick,” Ridge adds.

“You were scared,” I say quietly, studying Sophia. “That’s the only reason you’d tear up your nest like that. And I get it. We made it worse.”

Sophia exhales slowly, but her eyes stay on the cake, not on us.

“We’re not here to crowd you,” Walker says, letting his voice drop lower so only the five of us can hear. “Just to tell you, we want to fix this. However we can. However you’ll let us.”

The café hum picks up again, chairs scraping, cups clinking, but I barely hear any of it. All I see is Sophia, silent and unreadable, the fork still in her hand.

I drop to one knee beside her booth.

The scrape of my boot against the tile is loud enough to draw a few curious glances, but when I lower myself down, it’s like someone hit mute on the whole café.

Forks freeze halfway to mouths. Conversations die mid-sentence.

The espresso machine cuts off like the damn thing is holding its breath. Even June is gasping.

“Cash—” Sophia’s voice stutters over my name, caught somewhere between shock and… I don’t know.

I don’t get time to figure it out before Ridge sinks down next to me, his big frame casting a shadow over the table, his hat tilted low. Walker follows, slower, like he’s committing to something irreversible. Three grown men on their knees in the middle of Wildflower Bakehouse & Café.

I keep my eyes locked on hers. If I look away, even for a second, I might lose her.

Her knuckles are white. And all I can think is Don’t pull away from me, sugar . Not now. Not after the way we left things.

“Sophia,” I say, making my voice steady when my chest is anything but. “You are our scent match. Our Omega. Something we’ve wanted for so long that we’d almost stopped believing it could happen.”

Her breathing changes, slowing, deepening, but her face is careful. Guarded.

“We thought we were doing right by you,” Walker explains, his voice low. “Giving you room. Letting you settle without pressure from us.”

“And in doing that,” Ridge adds, “we left you in the dark. Made you think perhaps you weren’t our choice.” His jaw works like he hates the words as much as I do. “That’s on me, on us.”

I swallow hard. “You’re not just our choice. You’re the only one who’s ever felt like home .”

I want to touch her, take her hand, push her hair back, anything, but my hands stay braced on my knee. Because if she’s not ready, I won’t force it.

Her lips part like she’s about to speak, but she doesn’t. Instead, she looks at me the way she did that first night she arrived at Wild Hearts Ranch. She’s measuring us as though weighing whether we’re worth the risk.

Ridge leans in, his voice rough like gravel. “You’re it for us, Sophia. Our Omega. Our home. The only star in the damn sky worth following.”

Walker nods, his eyes never leaving hers, steady and unblinking like she’s the only thing in the room worth seeing.

“You’re not just someone we want, Sophia.

You’re the center of all of it. The reason we get up in the morning, the reason the ranch even feels like a home.

Without you…” He shakes his head slowly.

“Without you, all of this is just land and chores and empty nights.”

I feel the weight in my chest twist tighter, the words spilling out before I can stop them.

“Will you forgive us? I swear, Sophia, you’ll never have to deal with Brittany again.

Or any other woman who thinks she has a claim on us.

Because there is no other claim. There’s only you.

” My throat goes tight, but I push through.

“We’ve built our lives on dirt and sweat and stubbornness, but none of it means a damn thing without you in it.

Without you, we lose the purpose. The fight. The… us.”

“You’re our universe, darlin’. Everything orbits around you,” Ridge murmurs.

I meet her eyes. “The only one we will ever want is you. The only one we will ever fight for is you. And if it takes the rest of our lives to prove that… we ’ll do it.”

Something cracks in her expression, just a hairline fracture, but I catch it. Her fork slips from her fingers, the metal clinking against porcelain.

“I… needed to hear that.” Her voice is quiet, almost lost under the hum of the refrigerator case.

Walker’s gaze sharpens. “So you forgive us?”

Her mouth curves, but it’s not quite a smile.

“Not that easy, cowboy.” She swipes under her eye, the movement quick like she doesn’t want anyone to see.

“My pre-heat is making me a little crazy, I’ll admit.

But I guess…” Her gaze drags from Ridge, to Walker, to me.

It’s like she’s searching for a reason not to trust us, and not finding one.

“I guess I’d already chosen you three as mine.

I was just too scared to say it. Afraid you’d hurt me like?—”

“Never,” we say together.

“We’re not him. We’ll never be him,” I admit, holding her stare, needing her to know we mean every damn word.

She studies me, really studies me, and I let her. If she needs to see every fault line I’ve got, I’ll stand here and let her examine the whole damn map.

Finally, she grins so sweetly that my insides melt. “You three gonna join us in the booth already?”

Her grin isn’t big, but it’s real, as is the acceptance in her forgiveness, which eases something sharp in my chest.

June scuttles out from her side of the booth, sliding past Ridge with a muttered “Let me get out of the way before things get all Hallmark in here.”

I take her spot, going in beside Sophia. Not too close, but close enough to feel the warmth radiating from her thigh, the subtle shift of her breathing. Walker slips into the other side, boxing her in gently, while Ridge takes the spot beside Walker.

Sophia exhales, just the smallest lean toward us, and my lungs finally start working again.

“Well,” June says. “Guess I’d better go order some celebration cake before this turns into a full-on group cuddle.”

The room slowly resumes its chatter, but for me, it might as well be empty. Sophia’s here. She’s forgiven us. And even if we’ve still got a long way to go, she’s ours.

June heads for the counter, already calling to Kitty about the biggest, most decadent cake she’s got.

As soon as she’s out of earshot, we all lean in. Sophia’s smile is so wide it has me grinning too.

“I’m sorry too,” she says, her voice softer now. “For making such a big deal out of this. I know it’s my hormones and emotions, but I just—” She exhales slowly. “I just got so worked up when I saw her with you. It felt like… like I was already losing you before I even had you.”

“You’re never losing us,” Ridge says, his voice steady.

“You have no idea how good it feels to know you came for me,” she continues, eyes flicking to each of us in turn.

She reaches out, one hand on my forearm, another on Walker’s knee, and Ridge reaching over to her.

“All of you.” She gives a little tug, pulling us closer like she can’t stand the space between us.

I lower my head until my forehead almost touches hers. “You’re ours, Sophia. Always.”

Walker leans in from the other side, murmuring something low in her ear that makes her lips twitch in a barely there smile. Ridge’s thumb brushes the back of her hand.

“Speaking of sweet things,” Walker says. “We need to talk about moving you into the main house.”

She tilts her head, the beginnings of that stubborn look in her eyes. “I don’t know?—”

“Your nest is destroyed,” Ridge cuts in gently. “And your heat is coming. You need somewhere safe. With us.”

“We’ve got the blue room picked out,” I add. “Best light in the house. It’s right between all our rooms. Plenty of space for your things.”

She bites her lip, and I can see the hesitation. I don’t believe it’s because she doesn’t want to, but because it’s a big step.

“We’re making you a new nest,” Walker says.

“And,” I add, “I can’t bear to be so far away from you.”

Her eyes search ours for a long moment, then she leans back, the faintest smirk curling her mouth. “Only if I still get my privacy.”

“Deal,” I respond immediately with a grin.

“That was too easy,” she mutters, but I notice the pleased flicker in her eyes.

That’s when June returns, balancing an entire hummingbird cake made with pineapple, banana, and cream cheese frosting, which is piled high and swirled into perfect peaks. Kitty follows with plates, forks, and a knife.

“Well, if we’re celebrating, we’re doing it right,” June declares, sliding into the circular booth next to me and setting the cake down in front of her. “Figured there’s no such thing as too much cake,” she adds, grabbing the knife and making the first cut.

June is laughing, and we’re all eyeing this sinful cake she’s cutting up.

“Careful,” I say, smirking. “That’s sacred territory you’re slicing into.”

“I’ll be gentle,” she deadpans, handing me a plate with a wedge big enough to feed two people.

“You’re so lucky, Sophia,” June says while passing out big slices. “Three cowboys willing to grovel in public? That’s straight-up romance novel material.”

“Careful,” Ridge says with a half smile. “Don’t say it too loud, or someone from the bookstore might start scribblin’ notes for their next release.”

That gets a quiet ripple of laughter from the booth, the kind that draws a few curious glances from nearby tables.

Walker eyes Sophia’s plate. “You gonna eat that whole thing, or?—”

“Touch her cake and I will cut you,” June warns without missing a beat, sending Sophia into a cute giggle, drawing the plate closer to herself.

I chuckle. “And here I thought cowboys were territorial.”

“You have no idea,” June says, already taking a giant bite. She chews, swallows, and then adds, “I need to find guys who will grovel for me.”

They all laugh, but I’m barely hearing them. My attention is locked on Sophia as Walker offers her a forkful of cake. She rolls her eyes but opens her mouth anyway, accepting it like it’s no big deal… and somehow it still squeezes my chest.

I lean in, my voice low enough for only her. “You really had me scared earlier.” The truth comes out rough. “I can’t ever lose you.”

Her gaze catches mine, something soft and certain in it. “I feel the same,” she whispers. “And today… for now… everything’s perfect.”

For now. The words stick in my head even as she takes another mouthful of cake and smiles like the weight is finally off her shoulders. I should just enjoy it, let the laughter around us carry me, but I can’t help wondering exactly what she means by for now .