Page 40 of Knot Your Problem, Cowboy
“Jesus,” I mutter, scrubbing my face. “No wonder she’s so adamant about not reconnecting with Alphas.”
“Yeah,” Cash says, gaze dark. “That kind of shit leaves marks. Doesn’t matter how strong she is now—he did damage.”
“And now she’s here,” I say quietly, more to myself than to them. “Right in front of us.”
Cash sighs and runs a hand through his hair. Then, after a beat, his voice drops to something different. Quieter. “You wanna know the real truth? I think she might be mine too.”
Ridge turns his head sharply.
Cash shrugs like it costs him. “I’ve been trying to ignore it. Figured it was just proximity. Interest. Lust. But it’s not. No one’s scent has ever crashed into me like that. Not even close. It’s like she cracked something open in me, and now I can’t shut it.”
He swallows hard, gaze flicking toward the fence line. “She’s in my head, man. Every fucking second. I want to protect her. Tear down anyone who hurts her. It’s not just want. It’s need.”
The silence that follows feels like a damn earthquake.
Then Ridge crosses his arms, stiff. “And I’m just the third wheel?”
“You feel something,” I say. “Don’t lie.”
“I don’t need to lie,” Ridge snaps. “I can’t scent her like you two can. Doesn’t mean shit.”
None of us speak for a beat. The wind whistles through the fence slats. The buckskin kicks at a patch of dirt.
“Point is,” Cash continues, “our girl’s been through hell. She’s not gonna trust easily.”
“Which is why we’re not pushing.” I glancebetween them. “We show her. Slow. Careful. Make her feel safe. Let her see that she belongs here.”
“With us,” Ridge says flatly, arms crossed, that storm brewing behind his eyes.
“Yeah,” I say. “With us.”
Ridge snorts, jaw tight. “And how exactly do you see that working? We line up and tell her we’re all nuts about her?Hey, Sophia, wanna be our shared mate and adopt thirty stray animals while you’re at it?”
Cash barks a laugh. “Hell, I’d pay to see that.”
“We court her,” I say, simple and solid.
There’s silence.
Cash raises a brow. “Court her? What is this, the goddamn 1800s?”
“You got a better plan?” I shoot back. “You wanna walk up and say, ‘Hi, Sophia, we caught your scent, and now we’re ready to knot you into next week’? Think she’s gonna stick around for that?”
Cash holds up his hands. “All right, all right. No knot jokes.”
“Too late,” Ridge mutters, running a hand down his face. He starts pacing, and I notice his slight limp isn’t there today. “Why complicate things? Why not just take her on normal dates? You know, movies, coffee, shit real people do instead of… whatevercourtingmeans.”
Cash smirks. “Well, I’m not gonna show up in a suit with a guitar, but maybe wecouldtake her out. Individually. Not as dates. Not labeled like that. Just… spend time. Ease her into it. She has to feel the same toward us, so let her open up to us first.”
“Yeah,” I add. “Take her to the market in town, see if she wants to check out the bookstore, maybe show her the ridge trail.”
Ridge shrugs. “Not terrible.”
“Coming from you, I’ll take that as glowing praise,” Cash mutters.
“You’re both missing the point.” I push off the fence, pacing now too. “This isn’t just about doing things with her. It’s how we make her feel. Protected. Wanted. Free. We can’t risk her thinking we’re doing this to manipulate her over the ranch or the inheritance. This—us—has to be separate. Has to be real.”
They go quiet.
