Page 135 of Knot Your Problem, Cowboy
They take the hint, shuffling toward the door in silence. I don’t even bother reminding them to watch out for Brutus in the yard. If that bull destroys their shiny SUV, I’ll consider it cosmic justice.
The second the door shuts, my body caves in. I collapse into the couch cushions, my vision blurring as the first sob breaks loose. Walker starts talking, filling Cash and Ridge in with clipped, furious words.
“Motherfucker!” Cash snarls, slamming his fist into the wall hard enough to leave a crater.
“That fucking asshole.” Ridge almost growls the words, his voice darker than I’ve ever heard it. “Heplanned this. Must have moved his assets months ago so the bank couldn’t touch him.”
“Probably hid everything,” Cash mutters, pacing. “Made himself judgment-proof.”
“He knew Rose wouldn’t leave him the ranch,” Walker snaps. “So this way, he made sure whoever did get the place would lose it.”
Their voices are a storm with rage, cursing, threats of retribution, but all I can hear is the pounding rush in my ears. It’s not my fault. I know it isn’t. Ronan set this trap long before I was even in the picture. But knowing that doesn’t stop the heat stinging my eyes or the ache building in my chest.
“It’s not fair,” I choke out, my voice cracking. My hands cover my face, trying to hide the tears, the shaking. “He’s taking everything from you. From us. And I can’t stop it.”
Then they’re there, solid and warm, their presence closing in around me like a shield. Strong arms, familiar scents, the grounding weight of them pressing the chaos back.
“Hey,” Cash says firmly, catching my wrists and pulling my hands away so I’m forced to look at him. His eyes burn with the kind of honesty you can’t fake. “This isn’t on you. You didn’t put us here—he did. And all of us will handle it together, okay?”
Walker is there next to me. “This is our home. All of ours. And we’re not letting that dick take it. Plus, I’m reaching out to our lawyers to review the bankcontract and also find out exactly what Ronan did with his assets.”
“What are we going to do?” I hiccup, looking between them. “Three million dollars in four weeks? God, I feel sick just thinking about that much money.”
“We have some saved,” Ridge says quietly. “We’ve been putting everything aside to eventually buy the ranch properly.”
“How much, if you don’t mind me asking?” I question.
They exchange glances.
“Two and a half million,” Cash admits.
My heart sinks. “We’re still short by half a million.”
The silence that follows is heavy. We’re so close but still impossibly far. Half a million dollars might as well be ten million.
Then Cash straightens, that determined glint in his eye I’ve come to recognize. “When you’re being stampeded, you can either lie down and get trampled, or you can get up, dust yourself off, and find a way to run faster than the herd.”
We all stare at him.
“That’s…” I start.
“Weirdly applicable?” Walker finishes.
“Wait.” I sit up straighter, an idea forming. “What if we could raise the money? We can’t sell ranch assets, but we could bring in outside income. The horse rides, the animal shelter visits. I could promote on my blog,ask for donations. I have over fifty thousand followers. If even a fraction donated…”
“Would it be enough, though?” Ridge asks, but I can see him thinking.
“The blog alone won’t do it,” I admit. “But combined with events? Fundraisers? I’m certain some in town will help.”
Ridge starts pacing. “We need an attraction. Something big that’ll make people need to attend. Something they’ll pay serious money for.”
We all watch him, and even in the middle of this crisis, I can’t help noticing how gorgeous he is when he’s intense like this. The way his jaw sets, how his green eyes go dark with concentration.
“You have an idea, spill it,” Walker states.
He stops pacing, turns to face us, and the serious look on his face makes my blood run cold.
“A rodeo,” he says simply. “Where Ridge Colter returns to the arena for the first and final time.Come see the champion reclaim his eight seconds.”
