Page 101 of Knot Her Cowboys
“Gonna go shower really quick.” I kissed Cooper’s cheek. “Come with me, ’cause you’re covered in so much slick they’ll thinkyou’rethe omega in our group.”
He tossed me over his shoulder before I could climb off the bed, leaving me upside down, breathless, and giggling as he carted me into the en suite. Cooper swore when I nipped his ass cheek, but in my defense it wasright thereand perfectly bitable. The smack against my own ass made me squeak.
Cash helped get me upright and on my feet, his joy over my ease with Cooper like a spotlight in the bond. “I see you two are rekindling.”
Cooper’s cheeks were pink as he turned on the water. “’Bout time.”
“I’ll fucking say.” Cash laughed. “Wash quick. We’ll sort out something Riley can wear to the compound that doesn’t show off her luscious legs to all those weirdos, and we’ll let the team know we’re heading out.”
Cash, Levi, and Dakota each gave me a sweet kiss on the cheek before leaving me with Cooper. He dragged me under the warm water and pressed me to the cool tile, his mouth instantly on mine. My body lit up like a goddamn Christmas tree.
“Don’t you dare call attention to yourself when we’re on Decker land. If Darrell finds out you’re there and shows up, I’ll have to commit crimes that’ll get me killed.”
“My only goal is to talk to Maisie. I’m going to avoid the others like the plague.”
“What about her younger siblings?”
“I don’t even know their names. Not like our moms were on friendly terms for me to meet them. I only vaguely know Maisie because of the years we crossed in school.”
“So you’re not intending for a whole herd of Combs children to appear at our door?”
“I mean, I wouldn’t turn them away if they did, but I wouldn’t be able to recognize a single one of them to ask if they wanted out. I figured I would get Maisie safe and she could deal with the rest.”
Cooper sighed, kissing me again like he needed the contact to steady himself. “If she comes here, we have to find somewhere else for her to go. I’ll make sure it’s safe. I just refuse to risk our staff and guests if the Deckers come searching for her. You know what they’re like. We have too many kids visiting here to let them get caught in the crosshairs.”
“I don’t wantanyoneto get hurt.”
“We’ll figure out a way to help,” he promised. “In the meantime, we have to get ready a little faster.”
“Says the one distracting me.” I lathered myself up in body wash, removing Cooper’s scent from my skin. I hated doing it now that I’d gotten it back, but it had to be done.
Once we were both scrubbed down, I spritzed myself with a de-scenting spray and dressed in the outfit Cash had returned with. The jeans were a couple of sizes too big, but a belt kept them on easily enough. The T-shirt and flannel were also too big, falling straight down to hide my figure. I bundled my hair on top of my head and secured it all beneath a cowboy hat.
We piled into one of the trucks and got on the road.
“So, what’re we dealing with when we get there?” Cooper asked.
“Ruminal tympany,” Levi recited.
“And for those of us without veterinary degrees?” I prompted.
“It’s a potentially fatal bloat condition. If they’re not treated quickly when the gas starts to accumulate, the animals can die within a few hours. If they’re calling me in from this far away, they have to be desperate. The Deckers have about five hundred goats in their herd, so I’m assuming at least half are impacted.”
“Fivehundred? What the fuck do they have that many goats for? When did that happen?”
“About five years ago,” Levi replied. “They set up a dairy and sell the milk. You don’t have to assist with anything, and you won’t want to either. There’ll be a lot of chaos with this many people working, so if Maisie is accessible, you can take that time to find her, but don’t go far.”
“Roger that.”
Over the length of the drive, we compared our notes on the Deckers. It sounded like the compound had doubled in size since I’d last lived around here, and they’d been buying up a lot of the surrounding farmland.
“Do you think they got new followers to warrant that much growth? Or do you think they bred them?” I asked.
“Both are shit options,” Cooper replied.
None of us knew much about the inner workings of the cult situation they had going on. It wasn’t often that I was grateful to Darlene for being so fucking unlikable that it had kept me from being part of it.
We all fell silent as we approached the gates, several armed guards stopping us to go through the vehicle.
