Page 7 of Knot Her Cowboys
No point in dwelling.
“How many people are we feeding?”
“Almost a hundred, including the staff.”
“All right. Let’s get a move on.” After washing up, I got Cash helping me oil and foil the potatoes, arranging them on the gigantic baking sheets to head into the oven a bit later. I loved the familiar rhythm of the kitchen, and this one was even easierbecause everyone was getting the same thing. I didn’t have to contend with fifty different orders at a time, which made the work more meditative than anything else. I missed kitchens. I’d had to scale back a lot over the years because the long, unsociable hours conflicted with Bruce and Bryan’s schedules, but it wasn’t so bad. Mostly. I’d always figured I’d be a working gal, though I could see the allure of being a kept omega when I still had my own money.
Cash told me all about the ranch while we worked, ignoring any mention of Cooper even when prompted. I shouldn’t have been prodding for information about Cooper, but seeing Cash again had made the curiosity insatiable. Was he okay? Was he happy? Cash was, and Morgan had a pack. Had Cooper’s life gone the way he’d wanted?
I got the spice rub onto the steaks and popped them back in the fridge while I worked on the side dishes and dietary restriction options.
“You’re a wizard at this,” Cash commented.
“A lot of practice.”
“I always hoped you’d get to be a big fancy chef.”
“Really?” Had I let him down by giving up on that dream of mine?
“Do you not remember me crying as hard as you when you got your acceptance letter and your scholarship? I wanted the world for you and I knew you wouldn’t get that here.”
“I don’t love that I had to leave, but I can’t deny that I had to.”
“None of us were ever mad at you for going. We just missed you. We loved you a whole fucking lot. I can’t lie and say the no-contact thing didn’t hurt like a bitch, but I promise I understand. We all knew what you were running from.”
“Darlene made it impossible to stay. I didn’t know what to do when she?—”
“I know, Riles. You wouldn’t have gotten a day of peace if you hadn’t gone. I saw how she treated you, and I remember the bruises.”
I swallowed hard, staring up at the overhead lights, trying to suck back my tears. “Life isn’t very fair.”
“That’s for damn sure. I’m glad to have you back, though, even if it’s only for a couple of days.”
“Want to be pen pals when I’m in Germany?”
“Fuck yeah.” Cash beamed at me. “I’ll take any opportunity to get off that no-contact list.”
“Good. You’re stuck with me now.”
“A tragedy I shall never recover from.”
Holy shit. Ho-ly shit!
Cooper was going to lose his fucking mind when he found out Riley was here. He thought I didn’t notice the timing, how every year on Riley’s birthday he’d go visit Morgan, as if to console himself he had made the right choice in staying behind to protect his sister instead of racing across the country to follow the love of his life.
She washere. And somehow even more gorgeous and vivacious than when she’d left. Those alphas, though?Gag.
Should I call Cooper and tell him about Riley? I wasn’t sure how hard it would fuck him up if he knew she was engaged and about to leave the country. It would probably be healthier for everyone if I let him live in blissful ignorance, let Riley go on her way, and never make a peep to Cooper she’d been within his grasp.
“Why’d you come back?” I asked.
“Figured I’d make one trip in before I probably never came back ever. Any trips back to the States after we were settled in Berlin would just be to New York, so it felt like a last chance.”
I didn’t want it to be a last chance. I wanted her to come home, even though I knew she couldn’t. Hell, it was already a risk for her to be here at all when everyone who’d made her bolt to begin with was still kicking around. Notsuperclose by, but close enough they’d probably hear she was around eventually.
“Why’d you choose here?”
“I didn’t know you were here when I did. It was the first thing that popped up when I was searching this really cute tourism guide I found.”
