Chapter 28

What woman wouldn’t feel lucky and desired when a man admits he and his two best friends all want you? It’s a massive ego boost and while it’s not exactly what I thought I would ever find, I’ll be damned if I don’t want to enjoy it. The moment Wiley comes inside my cabin, I forget all about the mysterious text message from earlier in the day. Instead, my mind is filled with visions of Wiley kneeling between my legs, of Dakota stroking his cock inside my mouth, of Levi sitting in a corner watching. Fuck. It’s such a turn on that I explode the moment Wiley presses his lips between my thighs.

“I see you like the idea of all of us,” Wiley muses as he laps at my release. He winds me up more before crawling up my body. “Would you like to imagine how it will go?”

“Tell me,” I rasp as he kisses my skin.

“I’m the gentle one,” he purrs in my ear before kissing my neck. “My demons pale in comparison to Dakota’s and Levi’s. They’ll have me set the pace for your benefit, but I won’t be able to hold them off long, Katie Cat. They’ll be chomping at the bit to get a taste of you.”

I wiggle beneath him, and he grins down at me, his length pressing against my entrance. “Go on.”

“That’s all you’re gonna get for now,” he replies. “You’ll just have to experience it for yourself, witchy woman.”

And then he strokes inside of me, again and again and again, and my only thought is how he’s supposedly the gentle one, and yet he brutally fucks me until I scream his name, until he has me quivering with release after release, until I’m a puddle of goo. Only after he’s satisfied with my finishing does he finish himself before curling tightly against me.

He holds me through the night, and when morning comes, because it’s Sunday, he stays curled against my body then, too. I’ve never felt so safe.

Here in the mountains, no one can find us.

No one can take it away.

* * *

Dinner that night is different. Not because it’s a Sunday and not because someone went into town and treated us with pizza. It’s because it suddenly feels like I’m really dining with family. I’ve apparently been accepted by everyone. Even Levi with his grumpiness and general silence sits closer to me now and says a few words. So what if it’s “you should try the margherita pizza”? It still counts. I’m counting it.

“Hey, Kate! I got you something,” Naomi teases. “I heard through the grapevine that you’ve always imagined yourself a princess.”

I scowl over at Wiley. Clearly the rumor came from him. “When I was a kid. All little girls do, right?”

“Sure, sure,” Naomi grins. “Well, I got you something to help with that.”

She pulls out a tiara and tosses it over. It’s a heavy one, too, quality, and I blink in surprise down at the bright blue and black stones decorating it. “You bought me a tiara?”

“For your hat,” she clarifies. “You can add it to the brim. I’m gonna be disappointed if you’re not wearing it tomorrow.”

My eyes mist just a little and I glance up at her. “I. . . thank you.”

Noami beams. “I might get me one, too. These men don’t know the royalty they’re working with.”

“Alright, alright,” Dakota interrupts with a grin. “Pass me the meat lovers, Your Majesty.”

Naomi giggles and tosses him a slice of the pizza.

The rest of the dinner goes like that, a happy family, everyone teasing, someone talking about Jenny and her pregnancy. Jenny is one of the other ranch hand’s wives, George’s to be exact. Apparently, they’re pregnant with their fourth, and it turns out, it’s not just one. It’s twin girls! They’ve only had boys up to this point so it’s a big deal. I celebrate with them, talk about it all, and when the conversation turns to the cattle drive, I start to ask questions.

“So what exactly is the cattle drive?” I ask, taking a bite of margherita pizza. Levi was right. It’s great.

“Once the calving finishes, we drive our cattle herd out to Teton National Forest. It’s a grazing allotment controlled by the U.S. Forest Service, about one hundred and twenty-seven thousand acres,” Dakota answers.

“Takes about thirteen days,” Wiley joins in. “And it’s about seventy miles. There are about eleven ranches left who join in the tradition. It goes all the way back to the eighteen hundreds. We’ll be crossing creeks, groves of aspen, driveways, and highways, out toward the mountains where the cattle’ll spend the summer. They drift back home by winter.”

Dakota nods. “It’s called the Green River Drift. It takes a lot of preparation, making sure the horses are fine, making sure there aren’t cattle not able to make the trip. Most ranchers use trucks and come on home each night. But we prefer to stick to traditions and camp out under the stars,” he muses. “All the work we do now is in preparation for that.”

“Wow,” I say, shaking my head. “That sounds insane. Thirteen days? And they just come home by themselves?”

Wiley nods. “There’s someone who camps out there to keep watch of them, make sure any who are lost to wildlife are accounted for. Not much can get away from a bear.”

Happiness. This is what happiness feels like I realize as they keep talking. Things out here aren’t as chaotic as the city, but I find I like it. I may not be able to find a fast food joint open at all hours of the night close by, but I can always count on someone to be around to converse with.

After dinner is done, I head back to my cabin to spend some time with William, letting him out to explore more. I no longer have to leash him as he’s figured out how to behave around the other animals. So I let him out and trail along behind him to make sure he doesn’t get into trouble.

He’s even started getting along with the cattle dogs, and often trails up onto the porch to rub against Ole Red and the other cattle dogs resting there.

It’s easier to wake up so early now, and every day I get to spend time with three gorgeous men, even if one of them is still withdrawn. What more could a girl ask for?

This is home now. It’s safe. I’m safe.

Everything is great.

I can’t help but smile as I trail behind William, enjoying the spring air and the smell of wildflowers on the wind.