Page 41 of Claimed By the Cowboys
Though, after reproachful glances from the boys and I—and maybe even Piper’s apprehensive expression—he softened his tone.
“Obviously, we all know what’s been goin’ on here.” He allowed a moment of acknowledgement before moving on. “We’re all grown-ass adults capable of making our own decisions, but I think we can agree that we need to do what’s best for Maisie.”
Everyone nodded and made sounds of agreement, urging Clay to continue.
“Then, of course, there’s the matter of Piper’s heat.” Clay cleared his throat, obviously distracted by the mereideaof Piper in heat—and who could blame him?
At this, Clayton had the good sense to shut up and let Piper take the floor.
“Well, I guess I hadn’t even thought that far ahead. I’ve been off suppressants for a while, but I could go to the nearest center to make sure that I don’t have one?—.”
I cut her off, quick to clarify. “Nobody’s saying you gotta suppress your heat, Pipes.”
The idea hung in the air a moment without argument, that rosy blush flooding Piper’s cheeks as she stammered, “Oh, well, I mean…I didn’t know if anyone could be spared. It’s been so busy, and with Maisie and everything...” she trailed off, her excuses sounding thin, likely even to herself.
“I, for one, would be happy to volunteer myself and my knot for heat-helping services,” I assured her with a wink. “Anytime you need—heat or not, if I’m being honest.”
Piper’s cheeks deepened to a hot magenta.
“Me too, obviously,” Dakota was quick to jump in, hot on my heels.
“Of course, I’d also be,ahem, happy to support you in any way possible during your heat,” Montana offered gentlemanly, even if he had to clear his throat halfway through to keep his voice from cracking.
“Not like I wouldn’t help, either,” Clayton cut in grouchily before continuing. “All we want is for you to be comfortable, whether that means going to the center and getting some suppressants, staying at the center and going through your heat there with professionals, or having your heat here, at home, with us.”
It felt like forever before Piper offered some kind of response, her sky-blue eyes fixed on her fidgeting fingers as her teeth worked her bottom lip nervously.
She finally looked up at all of us, clearing her throat. “I think I would prefer to go through my heat here, at Blackwood Ranch—if that’s really okay with you guys. It shouldn’t be for a while.”
“We’ll have to make some arrangements for childcare, and make sure that Clayton and I clear our schedules for a few days—but other than that, it’s really not any trouble,” Montana assessed aloud, easing his own concerns as much as Piper’s.
“Oh, trust us, Pipes,” I chimed in with a grin, Dakota smirking over at me. “It is way more thanokay.”
Chapter 20
Montana
After the whirlwind of the first few weeks of Piper arriving and becoming an increasingly larger part of Blackwood Ranch, I’d started feeling better than I had—well, maybe ever.
With Piper picking up our slack, the other guys and I have had a lot more time to spend on work, the house, or—heaven forbid—actually taking care of ourselves. Heck, just this morning Clay took time to go see the barber and get himself a straight razor shave and a haircut. I think Piper might faint when she sees him clean-shaven.
I was even able to sneak down to the antiques store to pick up a little something for Piper. Nothing too fancy—a small figurine of a cowgirl with red hair in twin braids, swinging a lasso over her head, along with an old-fashioned ice cream scoop.
Piper promised Maisie a fancy banana split sundae if Maisie could go a full month of putting all her toys back in the box without being asked. Maisie has been successfully leading Piper and Zeke in the “clean up song” every night for the last week, so it was only a matter of time before we were gonna need that scoop.
And the cowgirl? Well, I didn’t know. Piper’s room was still so empty since she came to us with nothing but the clothes on her back. The little wood and metal painted cowgirl reminded me of our city slicker turned country girl. Maybe she’d like it. I was willing to find out.
When I got back to the ranch, everyone else was out, a piece of paper on the table in Piper’s delicate handwriting letting me know they were stopping on the way home to pick up some things to throw on the grill. I couldn’t blame them. The night air was warm and sweet, just begging for a cookout under the stars.
I lumbered to my bedroom and changed out of the clothes I’d sat in behind my desk all day, in favor of my most worn pair of jeans and a well-loved T-shirt. I had just shrugged into a nice heavy flannel for a Friday night by the grill and the firepit when my office phone began to ring down the hall.
I shuffled back down the hall to pick up the phone just before it would have stopped ringing. “Good evening, Blackwood Ranch, how may I help you?” I droned, unable to drum up my usually snappy customer service voice.
“Dakota, is that you?” a familiar pitchy drawl snapped from the other end of the line, and my blood turned to ice in my veins.
“Caroline?” I scoffed in disbelief.
“Dakota—you listen to me right now. You get Clayton on the phone. I don’t want to talk to your goddamn brother, and I certainly don’t want to talk to that caveman, Zeke,” she snipped as my irritation threatened to spill over.
