Page 5 of Rope Me

I need to keep it together before she decides I’m some kind of perv and disappears from my world again.

“Your son is with your ex today then?” I ask, more to keep myself grounded than anything else.

“Yeah, this morning.” She sighs, sinking back into the cushions. “I’m sure he’s playing an unlimited number of video games and enjoying a gourmet diet of French fries and frozen pizza.”

“The meal of champions,” I say with a laugh and I gesture to the freezer over my shoulder. “My palate has not changed. I’ve got every brand in there.”

Cassidy laughs too, the sound is soft and warm, wrapping around me like a lasso. “Please tell me you’re joking.”

“Nope.” I grin. “To be fair it isn’t eating real food that bothers me, it’s the cooking that gets me tripped up.”

“Alex…” She shakes her head, but there’s a smile pulling at her lips. “I’ve got to get you taken care of. Maybe some banana bread or cookies. Something homemade…” She continues on, complimenting my home and the views from the picture windows in the kitchen.

As she talks, my mind goes to work, weaving her into the story of my life on this ranch. Then my dick takes over. Before I know it I’m picturing Cassidy in a tiny apron, hair pulled back, and black heels standing in my kitchen. I shake it away.

But before it goes the image morphs into one of weasely Mayor Randolph Bellcourt wrapping his arms around her from behind. And that takes care of the half-chub trying to grow in my pants.

When they first announced their marriage I remember seeing the pictures all over our local paper and social media. Then their constant drama on our town’s podcast was impossible to avoid. After a while I blocked it out, she wasn’t mine. But now the thoughts are enough to make my stomach turn.

The question falls out of my mouth before I can stop it. “What did you see in him, anyway? Your ex, I mean. He’s old and so… ferret-like.”

She laughs but then Cassidy visibly stiffens. Her face tightens into pinched lines and she lets out an exhale. “I didn’t grow up like you,” she says, her voice quieter now. “You had a family. Money. As crazy as things got, you had a safety net. For me, itwas just my grandpa. We barely got by when it was the two of us. And when he passed, I had nothing at all. Marrying Randolph gave me stability. Security. At the time, that felt more important than anything else. It was never love, I was a child compared to him.”

Hot fury whips through me. “What an asshole.”

“He is, but if I’m being honest it was an exchange. It’s not like I was in love. I knew even then I was trading his money and stability for… Well, you know.”

My fist balls as Cassidy’s words land heavier than I expect. “You should’ve stuck around. Pa had his issues. But even in his drinking days, he would’ve helped you. Hell, we all would’ve.”

“Hindsight,” she says softly with a shrug. “That’s why I’m making a new choice this time. I want to show Connor that I can build a life for him and that I can be his safety net. I’m never going to be in a situation again where my entire world hinges on someone else. My divorce fresh start might be rough, but it’ll be mine.”

Her words knock something loose in me, and all I want to do is pull her into my arms. Instead, I get to my feet. “How's that feel?”

She moved her leg from left to right. “That’s great, thank you. So much better.”

“Then you’ll get a job, save up, and buy a place?”

“That’s the plan,” she says, her mouth pulling into a line as she gets to her feet. “But Randolph won’t make it easy. He’s got his hands in every business in town. On top of that the prenup I signed as a twenty-two-year-old idiot says I have to stay within twenty miles of Sagebrush Creek until Connor turns eighteen.”

My jaw tightens, the anger curling hot and tight in my gut.This guy is just looking to catch one.“The ranch counts then. We’re within twenty miles. Randolph won’t dare mess withyou out here. And if he does…” I roll up my sleeve, flexing dramatically.

Cassidy laughs and the sound warms me.

“It’s beautiful out here, always has been,” she says, her voice softening. “But you’re not exactly set up for kids.”

“What do you mean?”

She bites her lip, and the gesture is more distracting than it has any right to be. “I mean, I can’t exactly bring my son to a place with signs like ‘Udder Satisfaction Milk Barn’ with the girl and the tits or ‘Bareback Haven Spa.’ They’re funny, but can you imagine the way Randolph would nail me to the wall in our next custody hearing if Connor had photos taken here?”

“We might not have advertising degrees but when the Kingridge brothers get together we can come up with some winners.” I grin, “those names are classics.”

“They’re something,” she teases with a playful laugh.

“We’ve got a new marketing director, Priya. She said something similar. She’s already working on cleaning things up. This place will be family friendly in no time with the direction she’s taking us.”

Cassidy reaches for her keys on the kitchen countertop.

“Do you want to stay for lunch?” The question comes out like some sort of weird last-ditch effort and I don’t know what’s come over me. I’ve never asked a woman to stay for lunch.

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