Page 6 of Knot Her Cowboys
Cash dropped us off at our cabin, giving us a quick rundown of the local amenities. “Dinner is in two hours. I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me. It’s just over there.” He pointed to a charming cabin-like building with haphazard stone facing. “Our regular chef went on parental leave, so I’m filling in.”
I perked up. “I could help while I’m here.”
“You were just harping on us about not working this weekend,” Bruce pointed out.
“And we both know you weren’t going to listen to me, so what’s the problem?”
“I’m not going to say no to help,” Cash said. “Obviously your stay would be free if you did.”
“Then it’s settled,” I said before either of my alphas could protest. “You two can work as much as you want as long as you do at least one activity, and I’ll help out Cash in the kitchen.”
Neither of my alphas looked particularly happy about that. They’d have been fine if it was just permission for them to work, but they had a bee in their bonnets about Cash for some reason.
“Wait here and I’ll get changed,” I told Cash.
I dipped inside, locking myself in the bathroom. I hastily freshened up and changed into a tank top and jean shorts, pulling my dark hair up into a ponytail before re-emerging and slipping on some sneakers.
“What on earth are you wearing?” Bruce asked. “Did you buy those specifically for here?”
“Yep. I wanted to be comfortable. See you guys at dinner.”
I kissed each of their cheeks and dashed back out, sprinting up the path, forcing Cash to run after me until we were out of the line of sight of the cabin.
“Your alphas seem like real peaches.”
“They’re out of their element,” I defended. “Not great with change, you know?”
“So terrible with change they’re moving to Europe?”
“That’s for business. They’re very adaptable when it comes to that.”
“I’d rather they be adaptable foryou, but I’ll let you handle your own affairs.”
I slung my arm through Cash’s. “A wise choice. Also, I wasn’t offering to help for shits and giggles. I’m trained as a chef and know how to run a kitchen.”
“Thank god.” Cash laughed. “I’ve been meticulously following recipes, but it’s stressful as hell and I’m never one hundred percent sure if it’s gonna turn out right. We’ve been rotating through the staff who want to give it a go.”
“You didn’t have a plan in place, knowing your chef was gonna go on parental leave?”
“He didn’t tell us his omega was pregnant, so we didn’t know it was going to be a thing when we hired him. I think he worried we’d say no since he’d only have been here for a couple of months.”
“Would you have?”
“Help is help, for however long it’s here. Our last cook before him was amazing, but she retired unexpectedly for her health so it was all a bit chaotic for a while. We’re muddling through, though.”
“Well, you won’t have to muddle for the weekend, at least.”
“I’ll take it.” Cash grinned, leading me into the beautiful commercial kitchen. “If you weren’t fixing to move far away, I’d say you should come back here and be our permanent chef.”
“Cashy, I can’t face Cooper. I can’t be somewhere I can run into him, and that means I can’t stay in Montana. I don’t know where he’s ended up, but I fucked up with him. I just can’t do it right now.”
Cash was quiet for a long moment.
“That probably sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? I shouldn’t think Cooper gives a flying fuck when it’s been over a decade. He probably forgot about me long ago.”
Instead of replying to that, Cash swung open the cooler. “Steak and baked potatoes for tonight, I think.”
Noted. That wasnota conversation we were going to have. I despised the idea that Cooper had forgotten me because as much as I’d tried to move on with my life, he was impossible to forget. First loves were like that, or so I’d been told. No matter how sweet Bryan could be, or how generous Bruce was, Cooper was an ever-looming specter of my past. From the outside, it probably looked like I had successfully moved on—given my engagement—but a piece of my heart had never left Montana.
