Page 79 of Knot Your Problem, Cowboy
I sit on my usual stump, glass in hand, staring up at stars that used to mean something more than just a way to pass sleepless nights. The Big Dipper mocks me tonight, that bear forever circling the sky, never quite catching what it’s after. Story of my fucking life.
They invited me. Of course they did. Cash with his grin, Walker with that way he asks without pushing. “Sure you don’t want to come?” Like I’d suddenly decide that watching other men live my dream sounds like a good time.
Three years since I’ve set foot near a rodeo. Thought I’d buried the worst of it. Not the physical pain, a dull echo I’ve learned to ignore—that’s just partof the job now. No, this ache is different. Has nothing to do with bulls or broken ribs.
It’s knowing she was there.
Sophia.
Laughing in the stands, wide-eyed at the rides, probably gripping her drink with both hands and asking a hundred questions. And I wasn’t the one beside her. Didn’t get to see her first reaction. Didn’t get to explain the rules or tease her about city-girl boots in arena dirt. That should’ve been me.
Goddamn, I’m losing my head over her.
Didn’t I already promise myself I wouldn’t? That I’d keep my distance? Let her find her way without dragging her into my mess?
And yet… that twist in my gut won’t quit. Like I missed something important. Something I won’t get back.
She deserves better than this. Better than me.
So why the hell do I want to be the one who shows her everything?
I take another sip, letting the heat of the drink distract me from darker thoughts.
That’s when I hear the sound of footsteps on gravel, pulling me from my spiral. I don’t turn, but I know who it is before she speaks. Something about the way she moves, lighter than the boys but determined.
I smirk as her silhouette comes into view, hair like copper fire, that dress fluttering around her knees.
“Lost your cat clan again?” I ask as she stepsinto view, moonlight catching the edge of her smile. She’s fucking beautiful.
She gives a soft laugh, the kind that hits somewhere low in my gut. “Nope. They’re currently starfishing across my bed like royalty. I’ve been demoted to the floor.”
I smirk. “Sounds about right. Cats got a solid union going.”
She stops a few feet away, wrapping her arms around herself like the night’s chill just caught up to her. “You always sit out here alone?”
“Most nights.” I nod toward the sky. “Good view. Quiet.”
Her gaze lifts, scanning the stars. “Anything happening tonight? Cosmic fireworks? Star-born prophecies?”
I grunt a laugh. “Nah. Just the usual. Scorpius rising. Orion slacking off.”
She grins, and something about the way she looks at me tightens my rib cage. Then she gestures to the spot next to me on the stump. “Mind if I join?”
I shift over without a word, making space. She hops up beside me, legs dangling, hands bracing behind her on the wood. Her knee presses lightly against mine, radiating heat I can feel through my jeans.
And I can’t even smell her.
Damn broken senses. That part still guts me.Knowing I’ll never get her scent the way Cash and Walker do.
“You all right?” she asks.
I glance at her. “Yeah.”
She tilts her head, studying me. “You looked… far away for a second.”
“Was just thinkin’,” I say, keeping it vague. I don’t need her knowing how close I am to losing it when she’s near.
She swings her feet lightly, the motion brushing her leg against mine again. “The rodeo was amazing tonight. Terrifying too. Like, some of those riders? Insane.”
