Page 68 of Knot Your Problem, Cowboy (Wild Hearts Ranch #1)

SOPHIA

T hunder Creek Arena pulses with an energy that makes my skin prickle.

Every single seat is filled, people are in the aisles getting food and drinks, kids are perched on shoulders, and the noise is this constant thrum that vibrates through my chest. I’ve never seen anything like it and certainly never imagined I’d be at the center of it.

“Your hands are shaking,” Cash observes, his fingers interlaced with mine.

“That’s because you’re both cutting off my circulation,” I point out. Walker is gripping my other hand just as tightly, like I might disappear if they let go.

“We’re not that bad,” Walker protests, but he loosens his grip slightly.

“The radio station posted those photos they took from our interview,” Cash says, nodding toward a group of women wearing matching T-shirts with our faces on them. “And the calendars are already circulating.”

“Apparently, Mr. July is very popular,” Cash boasts, grinning and referring to one of his photos where he’s shirtless on a horse.

“I still think they photoshopped your abs,” Walker mutters.

“They didn’t need to,” I assure him, which makes him preen.

The truth is, seeing my cowboys’ faces on calendars being sold for the fundraiser is surreal. Four weeks ago, we were just trying to figure out how to save the ranch. Now we’re here, surrounded by thousands of people who care about our story.

“Sophia! Oh my God, Sophia!” a female voice calls out my name from somewhere in the distance behind us.

I turn toward a woman standing and waving frantically our way from four rows back, wearing a City Omega Blog T-shirt I set up and sold with quotes from my posts printed on it. This one says I came for the ranch drama, stayed for the cowboy measurements in bold pink letters.

“That’s, like, the twentieth person,” Walker observes quietly. “We’re basically celebrities now. Still processing the fact that thousands of people know about the measuring tape incident.”

“I’ve embraced it,” Cash says cheerfully. “Someone asked me to autograph their tape measure in the parking lot.”

“You didn’t,” I gasp.

“I absolutely did. Even wrote ‘Size Matters’ above my signature.”

“Cash!”

“What? It’s good marketing. We should sell branded measuring tapes as fundraising merch.”

“We are not?—”

“?‘Wild Hearts Ranch, Where Everything’s Bigger,’?” he continues, grinning. “It writes itself.”

I’m laughing at Cash when I spot June leaning forward, sitting on his other side.

“Seriously, this is insane. I’ve lived here my whole life, and I’ve never seen anything like this. They opened the standing room only section. That literally never happens.”

Belle, two seats down from June, nods enthusiastically. “Kitty from the café said she sold out of food at her booth in thirty minutes. She brought enough for the whole day, and it’s gone.”

“Wow,” I mutter, still surprised by how popular this event has turned out to be.

The sound system crackles to life, and a booming voice fills the arena. “Good evening, Thunder Creek! I’m Tom Garrison, owner of the arena and here to welcome you to the most important night in our arena’s history!”

The crowd roars in response .

“Are you ready to save Wild Hearts Ranch?”

The noise gets louder.

“Are you ready to witness Ridge Colter make rodeo history?”

The crowd is on its feet now, screaming.

“Then let’s get this started! Fifteen minutes to showtime, folks. Fifteen minutes until we make miracles happen!”

My stomach turns with anticipation. “I need to move,” I announce. “To walk or something or I’m going to?—”

“Sophia!”

That voice. That particular combination of Chicago accent and excitement that could only belong to one person.

I spin in my seat so fast my neck protests.

There she is, Meredith, my best friend since college, pushing through the crowd with the determination of someone who’s navigated Michigan Avenue during the Christmas shopping season.

Her blonde hair with fresh pink tips catches the arena lights, and she’s wearing her super skinny jeans, paired with a Western shirt that definitely came from some boutique’s urban cowgirl collection.

“Meredith!” I scramble over Walker’s lap, definitely kneeing him in the thigh accidentally in my haste, practically falling into the aisle.

“Girl, look at you,” she says, catching me in a hug that smells like expensive perfume and airplane. “ You’re glowing. Is that what good dick does? Because I need to move to Montana immediately.”

“Could you not?” I chuckle, though my face burns while several people nearby clearly eavesdrop with interest.

She pulls back, mascara already smudging from tears. “I’ve been reading every post. Every. Single. One. The heat one? Girl, I had to take a cold shower, and I was at work.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?” I ask, still halfway between shock and joy.

“Because surprising you is half the fun. The other half is meeting these cowboys you’ve been hiding.” She grins and peers over my shoulder. “Please tell me those are them, because if Montana has more where those came from, I’m never leaving.”

I roll my eyes as she waves flirtatiously at the guys.

“Oh,” she adds, tugging her bag up higher on her shoulder, “and before you ask, I brought a small bag. Just a few of your clothes, toiletries, the essentials. But in hindsight… I probably should’ve arranged to have my entire closet shipped here. Tragic oversight.” She laughs, completely unbothered.

I take her hand in mine and turn to my guys.

“Meredith, this is Cash and Walker,” I say as she practically prowls toward them, all confidence and sharp heels. “Cash is the one with the quick smile, impossible charm, and zero chill when it comes to competition. ”

Cash tips his hat, grinning. “What can I say? I like to win.”

Meredith laughs, eyes sparkling as she sizes him up. “He’s a keeper.”

“Don’t encourage him,” I mutter, then gesture to Walker. “And this is Walker. He’s the one with a heart of gold and the ability to make actual edible meals. Basically a unicorn.”

Walker shifts a little, offering her a polite, almost shy smile as he reaches for her hand. “Hi, nice to meet you.”

“Marry me. I’m serious. A man who can cook? In this economy?”

I bark out a laugh, and Walker is grinning, lifting his chin with pride. “I’m taken, sweetheart.”

“All the good ones are.” She sighs dramatically, then flashes him a wink. “No offense, Cash.”

“None taken,” Cash says. “But if I were available, I’d be too expensive anyway.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt it,” Meredith shoots back, clearly loving every second.

I turn toward June, who’s already leaning forward with a welcoming smile. “And this is June, my local ride-or-die. She’s got emergency chocolate in her purse, a radar for drama, knows the best places to have fun, and gives the kind of hugs that reset your whole day.”

June laughs and immediately pulls Meredith into a hug like they were best friends in another lifetime .

“Any friend of Sophia’s is a friend of mine,” Meredith says.

“I knew I’d like you,” June says, squeezing her back. “You have warm-hug energy.”

“And that,” I continue, pointing down the row, “is Belle, who somehow made posing with livestock look glamorous in every single calendar photo.”

Belle waves. “Great to meet you.”

“We need to sit,” Cash says, already shifting to make room as everyone shuffles like a chaotic, half-choreographed dance, eventually squeezing Meredith in between June and Cash.

Meredith settles in, glancing around. “Third cowboy down there, I assume?” She points to the chutes where the bulls and riders come together.

“Yep, this is Ridge’s moment, and he is going to do amazing.” I’m smiling, so damn proud of him.

Meredith grabs my hand with both of hers, drawing me over Cash’s lap, her expression suddenly softening beneath the sass. “Seriously, though, Sophia. I’m so proud of you. Look what you’ve built.”

My throat tightens just a little.

“Don’t make me cry at a rodeo,” I say, nudging her shoulder. “I’m wearing mascara.”

“It’d better be waterproof mascara,” she says with a grin, and I’m nodding, smirking, while Cash has his hand on my back, Walker’s touch on my thigh.

Before I can respond, the lights shift, and Tom walks back to the center of the arena .

The crowd roars before he says a word, and someone behind us blows an air horn that makes my ears ring.

“Easy,” Walker murmurs, his arm sliding around my shoulders, warm and solid.

“As you all know,” Tom begins, his voice echoing through the speakers, “we’re here tonight to save Wild Hearts Ranch from foreclosure.

But this is about more than just one ranch.

This is about community. This is about standing up to those who think they can buy our way of life, our heritage, our homes. ”

The crowd cheers louder, and I see signs everywhere with Save Wild Hearts Ranch , Ranches Not Developments, Rose’s Legacy Lives.

“Now, I’ve got some updates that might interest you,” Tom announces, pausing for effect.

“First, this event is being livestreamed to viewers worldwide. And not just that, it’s also being streamed live on the Confessions of a City Omega blog by one of our own and newcomer to Honeyspur Meadow. Sophia!”

The crowd erupts, a wave of whoops, claps, and hollering that rolls through the arena like thunder.

I gasp, my cheeks going instantly, traitorously red.

Cash squeezes my shoulder, steady and warm. “You did that, sugar. Every single one of them is here because you shared your story.”

“Second,” Tom continues. “The current fundraising total, as of five minutes ago, stands at four hundred and fifty- five thousand dollars!”

The arena explodes. People are on their feet, screaming, crying, hugging strangers. We’re so close I can taste it, feel it humming in my bones. I exchange glances with Walker and Cash, who are holding me tighter against them.

“And third,” Tom raises his hand for quiet, though it takes a moment for the crowd to settle. “To put us over the top, I’m personally pledging forty-five thousand dollars.”