Page 19 of Rope Me

“Close the damn door!” Alex barks, his face a mix of rage and sheer panic, but I don’t budge.

I shake my head, grinning with no intention of letting this go anytime soon “Alex, I honestly can’t decide which version of you I liked better—the broody, hard-up loner, orthis.” I gesture toward him, still laughing. “I mean, you’re definitely nicer now, but at least before, I never had to see your damnass.”

Cassidy groans from her hiding spot on the bed.

“Welcome to the family, sis,” I call out through my laughter.

Alex is still shooting daggers in my direction when he bends over to pick up a shoe. The sight is like something out of a fucking horror movie. Then he chucks it at my head hard enough to put a hole in the door. He’s agile for a big dude.

I hold up my hands in surrender. “Alright, alright, I’m leaving! If you damage this place before the big arrival Priya’s gonna kill both of us. And Alex, when you’re, uh…done,the guys and I are meeting over atThe Velvet Spur. It’s important. We’ll wait for you.”

Another shoe flies in my direction, and I barely manage to duck as I pull the door shut behind me. As I head down the hallway, I can’t help but grin. It’s good to see Alex settled. The dude deserves it. Cassidy deserves it too.

She’s like the older sister I never had. As a bonus, she comes with a kid who is funny as hell. He’s smart too. They’ve both brought something to this place. And since I’m not planning to settle down anytime soon, it’s been nice having a little family around.

By the time Alex makes it up toThe Velvet Spur, the rest of us are already gathered, drinks in hand, waiting. All except for Fallon of course, that dude isn’t slated to be home for another few months still. I’ve kept the discussion under wraps, but there wasnoway I could resist spilling theothertea.

Alex shoves the door open. His eyes sweep the room like he’s already expecting trouble.

“Hey, man. You look… relaxed.” Holden flashes Alex an enormous grin.

Alex’s expression darkens. His gaze locks on Holden and then he cuts his eyes in my direction.“You fucking told them.”

The room explodes into laughter.

“I mean, how could Inot?” I shrug, barely suppressing a smirk. “The desecration of thePillow Plow Palacesuite by you of all people? That’s legendary.”

Holden claps a hand on his chest. “Our boy’s all grown up. Finally getting some.”

Alex mutters a curse under his breath, but there’s the ghost of a smirk tugging at his lips.

“I’m just glad you’re blowing off some steam,” Holden chimes back in, raising his beer. “I was starting to worry you’d forgotten how.”

“Enough already. What the hell is this meeting about?” Alex grumbles.

I lean forward, my grin fading. “That guy from the hoedown. The one poking around where he shouldn’t be. He’s been back a few times wandering around the ranch. I couldn’t track him down myself, but you know how people talk. Patty June says he was out back today the last time she checked.” I tip my chin toward Alex. “Before we had to wait on you to, uh… finish up yourbusiness.I thought maybe we’d catch him roaming.”

Another round of laughter ripples through the group. Alex exhales sharply, his amusement vanishing.

“What the hell does he want?” Geoffrey demands, leaning forward.

“No clue,” I admit. “But I figure it’s time we find out.”

Alex doesn’t hesitate. “Let’s go see if he’s here.”

Before I can make a move, Alex grabs a set of keys and swings himself into the driver’s seat of one of our work trucks. It’s probably for the best—because as soon as I hop into the passenger side, the rest of the guys pile into the back like a damn clown car. If I had been driving, we’d have lost a few before we even hit the gravel road. We take the long route, circling the bottom of the ranch near the stables before heading up towardBareback Haven Spa.

That’s when I see him.

A tall, broad-shouldered man leans against the backside of the spa. He’s got a camera in hand and appears to be snapping pictures of the fields beyond the split rail. On the surface, he looks harmless enough. But he’s hiding out on our ranch and that isn’t going to fly.

I don’t like it. Unfortunately for him, neither do my brothers. It’s not just his presence, there’s something about the way he carries himself that sets me on edge.

Alex doesn’t hesitate. Without a word, he slams his foot on the gas, and the truck lurches forward. We come to an abruptstop just three feet from the guy. I commit the chaos to memory for use the next time Alex gives me shit about my driving.

Gravel kicks up around us and the tension is thick enough to cut with a knife. Any normal dude would be pissing his pants right about now. But this guy doesn’t look bothered and that’s one more reason not to like him.

I hop out first, but the second my boots hit the ground, I hesitate. There’s something unsettlingly familiar about this man. I’ve never seen him before, I’m sure of it. Alex must clock the same thing I do because he hesitates.

---