Page 40 of Claimed By the Cowboys
Giddily, I skipped my way down the stairs on light feet, dancing a dixie waltz into Montana’s office, where I knew Iwould find him and Dakota poring over feed orders and other administrative stuff I didn’t concern myself with.
I burst in with little to no regard for what they were doing, a smile a mile wide plastered on my face.
“Lord help us,” Montana sighed, sitting back in his leather desk chair. “That shit-eating grin always means trouble.” He shook his head disapprovingly, but there was already a smile playing at his lips.
“What is it? What’s that look for?” Dakota pressed, impatient.
“Guess.” I spread my hands wide, gesturing to unseen possibilities.
Montana rolled his eyes, but Dakota sprang up from his chair, running through guesses, rapid fire.
“You got a new truck?”
I shake my head.
“There’s a new kind of cookies in the kitchen tonight?” Dakota tried again, hopefully.
“No, siree,” I snickered, drifting to one of Montana’s bookcases to pick up an old silver spur he’d placed on it for decoration.
“Clay actually gave you a raise?”
“Hell, no,” I laughed heartily as I gave the eight-pointed spur a spin.
“Can I have a hint?”
I began to rhythmically jingle the spur while softly singing, “Someone’s in the kitchen with Piper, someone’s in the kitchen I know, someone’s in the kitchen with Piper?—”
Both twins shot upright, their spines like fence posts and eyes wide.
“What!?” Dakota crowed in disbelief before I finished with a flourish.
“Knottin’ on the countertop!”I thumped my palm in time to the song on the corner of Montana’s desk.
“Bullshit.” Montana shook his head, but an amused grin curled his mouth upward.
“Yep, Bossman finally caved—got him some of that sweet, sweet Piper Collins.” I sighed dreamily, thinking fondly of being knot-deep in her myself.
“We’re probably going to have to add him to the tally now.” Dakota shook his head, but a grin had already crept across his face.
“Well, shit.” Dakota scrubbed a hand over his short hair, looking from me to Montana, then back to open space.
“Clay wants to have a ranch meeting in the living room in an hour to ‘talk.’” I did my best to mimic his dire expression, which drew a laugh from both twins.
“Yeah, I bet he does,” Montana sighed, kicking back in his seat, hands knitted behind his head. “Probably wants to make sure he can put his own spin on the situation, so no one forgets who runs the place.”
“Yeah, well, I think we all know who runs the place now.” I punched Dakota in the shoulder and watched a flush spread across his cheeks.
Montana pursed his lips, eyebrows pinched together, as if he was about to askWho?—but it dawned on him before he got the word out, nodding slowly.
“Hell, she managed to get MontanaandClay to loosen up. She deserves to rule the roost, if you ask me. I’m not even jealous that I’m the only one who hasn’t knotted her today. She’s put in a lot of good work.”
I slapped Montana on the back, nearly sending him flying, and any doubt that I’d meant Piper taking the lead was erased.
A while later, I plopped down onto the sofa beside Piper, who was freshly showered and dressed in modest pajamas. Dakota was quick to fill the seat on the opposite side.
Montana, patient as ever, perched on the chaise portion of the sectional facing the three of us. Clayton hovered over us from his place standing on the rug, bulky arms crossed over his chest.
“I called this meeting to discuss a few important things,” he began gruffly.
