Page 4 of Knot Her Cowboys
“Should I be offended that you didn’t know who I was? Been gone for so long you don’t even recognize your bestie?” He put me back on my feet and clutched my face in both hands. “Don’t make me bust out a shame, shame, double shame.”
I burst out laughing, hugging him tightly, steadfastly trying to ignore how fucking good he smelled. “I’m sorry. You’ve filled out a lot since high school. You can’t blame a girl for taking a minute.”
Loud throat clearing had me stiffening and turning back to my alphas.
“I’ll thank you to take your hands off our fiancée,” Bruce snapped.
Cash raised both hands into the air, but I was slower to react to the order.
“You guys, it’s fine. Cash and I are old friends.”
“Fiancée?” Cash whispered.
I lifted my hand, flashing the absolute rock on my finger. “Yep.”
“You got engaged tocity slickers?”
“We’re right here.” Bryan glared at Cash.
“Statement still stands. How about I help you folks get checked in?”
I was forced to let go of him when he swept back around the counter.
“What name?”
“Anne Harris.” My cheeks burst into flames as Cash stared me down shrewdly.
“All right, then. Ms.Harris, y’all will be in cabin four. I’ll walk you down.” He fetched three keys off the hooks behind the counter, passing one to each of us before motioning for everyone to follow. “Welcome to Rowdy Rock. We hope your stay will be very comfortable.”
His flight attendant tone had me on the edge of laughter as he waved his arms around, showing off the property.
“Internet is available at reception and in the building we’re passing on the left just now, and?—”
Bruce immediately turned off, heading inside. Bryan stared helplessly between me and the door Bruce had gone through before following after him with a sigh.
“Um, what?” Cash looked at me for some explanation.
“They’re workaholics,” I said, as if that excused their behavior.
Cash frowned. “I see. There’s no Internet in the cabins, at least not that’s reliable. They’ll have to sit next to the booster.”
“I know. I guess, show me the rest and I’ll go back for them after.”
Cash swung his arm over my shoulders, tucking me close to his side. “You got it. You’ll be meeting for the trail ride you booked just up ahead, and dinner is around the campfire on the good weather nights. That’s just over here next to the corral. On shitty nights we eat in the community building where your fiancés are right now.”
I turned questions over in my head, trying to work up the will to actually ask them out loud.
Cash got brave enough first. “So…you’re an omega?”
My stomach flipped. “Yeah, I presented late, not until my junior year of university.” I gave myself an experimental sniff, relieved that the neutralizer I’d spritzed on myself before getting on the plane still seemed to be working. All Cash could smell was the general omega sweetness, not my true scent beneath the chemicals. New York had so many people, often packed into tight quarters, so it was way more common for people there to mute their scents for the comfort of people around them.
“Looks like the East Coast treated you well.”
I couldn’t quite tell if he was serious or not. “I’m sor?—”
He playfully cupped his hand over my mouth, a bolt of lust shooting down my spine. That was not an allowed feeling. Cash was myfriendand I wasengaged.
“None of that,” Cash said quietly. “I’m happy to see you and we don’t have to talk about the past. You left for your reasons, and we stayed for ours. No sense getting twisted up about it.”
