Page 136 of Hot Knot Summer
Before I could protest, I was holding three kittens while watching three honest-to-God cowboys grab lassos from hooks by the door like this was just another Tuesday at the ranch.
The photographer threw up her hands. “This is exactly why I don’t work with animals or children!”
I was wrangling the kittens as the orange kitten kept trying to climb up my shirt.
Through the front window, I watched the three men approach the bull with the kind of calm competence that suggested they’d done this before. A lot.
“So, does this happen often?” I asked.
“Which part? The bull attacks, the ruined photo shoots, or random women falling through the door holding kittens?”
I glanced down at the three tiny faces staring up at me with complete trust. “All of the above?”
“Welcome to Wild Hearts Ranch,” she said dryly. “Where chaos is just another word for Tuesday.”
Outside, one of the cowboys had gotten a rope around Brutus’s neck and was having what appeared to be a very serious conversation with him about appropriate social behavior. The bull looked thoroughly unimpressed.
“I’m Sophia, by the way,” I said with my armful of kittens. “And I’m not supposed to be here for a relaxing vacation. I inherited this place from my grandmother.”
The photographer’s eyebrows shot up. “You’re Rose Martinez’s granddaughter?”
“That’s me,” I said. “Though I’m starting to think Grandma Rose left out some important details about ranch life. Like the homicidal livestock.”
The photographer let out a bark of laughter. “Sweetie, Brutus is the least of your problems. Good luck telling those three men out there that this place actually belongs to you.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, though something cold was settling in my stomach.
“Those boys have been running Wild Hearts Ranch for the past five years, ever since your grandmother got too sick to manage it herself. They’ve been paying all the bills, maintaining the property, handling the livestock.” She gestured toward the window where the cowboys were stilldealing with the bull. “Far as they know, Rose left them the ranch in her will.”
I stared at her. “But she didn’t. She left it to me. I have the paperwork.”
“Well then, you’re about to have a very interesting conversation. Because those three are convinced this place is theirs, and they’ve got five years of sweat equity to back up their claim.”
Looking out at the three cowboys, who were now successfully leading a very grumpy bull away from the remains of my rental car, I felt my stomach drop. This wasn’t going to be the simple matter of claiming my inheritance that I’d imagined.
But as the gray kitten purred against my chest and I watched the man who’d handed him to me tip his hat in my direction through the window, I realized that maybe complicated was exactly what my life needed.
Even if it meant fighting three gorgeous cowboys for my own ranch.
I look up from my notebook to find the entire room completely silent, hanging on every word. There’s something magical about sharing a story like this, about watching people get lost in the world you’ve created.
Before I can say anything else, my three Alphas are suddenly on the stage with me, wrapping me in a group hug that makes the audience burst into applause.
“Please tell me those three cowboys are us. I love it,” Atlas murmurs against my ear.
I am nodding crazily. “Of course.”
“Please tell me there are going to be hot sex scenes in this one,” River whispers, loud enough that several people in the front row start laughing.
“River!” I gasp, mortified.
“Everyone can hear you,” Levi points out dryly, gesturing to the microphone that’s still picking up every word.
The laughter that erupts from the crowd is immediate and delighted, and River has the grace to look sheepish for about half a second before grinning unrepentantly.
“Well?” he asks, still loud enough for everyone to hear. “Are there?”
“Oh my God,” I bury my face in my hands while the entire room dissolves into laughter and cheers.
