Chapter 29
Chapter Twenty-Nine
EMILY
“ O h, shoot!” Faedra mutters.
I turn in my saddle with a frown, trusting Havanna to keep on the trail heading back toward the Misty Mountain stables.
Faedra’s horse, a tiny little gelding named Toto, is happily munching on the prairie grasses lining the trail, ignoring Faedra’s attempts to redirect him.
I sigh even as I smile. I direct Rose’s horse to stop and then pull Havanna into the brush, leading her around Rose and Iris to help get Toto back on track.
Faedra’s cheeks are bright red as I grab Toto’s lead and bring him in front of her daughters. The trail’s wide enough here I don’t stress too much at riding two across. Toto tries to stop again, but I quickly redirect him.
“I’m so sorry,” she says.
I shake my head and give a brighter smile. “Toto can be like that. Not your fault! We’re almost back, so at least you haven’t had to deal with him being this ornery the entire time.”
Ideally, I would have given Faedra a horse more like the pair I gave the twins, happy geldings who also aren’t prone to trying to forage at any given opportunity.
Unfortunately, the other four horses that are like that are out on a longer ride with some of the ranch’s guests.
So Toto was the next best option for her.
“This whole valley is really pretty,” Faedra says after a few minutes. “It’s always so impressive to me how much the mountains can change in just a few miles. This feels completely different from the Monroe Ranch.”
“Growing up, I’d always joke with Melissa that she got the cooler mountains,” I admit.
“Especially the view when you first see the ranch spread out from the main road. It was the town’s main post card for a few years.
They moved on from it after she had the barn torn down to make room for the new outbuildings when she transitioned to a recreational ranch. ”
Iris’s bubbly voice cuts off Faedra’s reply. “Momma, can we take photos of the purple flowers by the mini goats? To go on my wall at home?”
Faedra twists in her saddle like she’s ridden for years and not exactly twice.
Her eyes don’t go to Iris, though, but to her Alphas behind them.
I glance over my shoulder as I guide them across one of the dirt roads that criss-cross the ranch and along the far side of the pastures that edge the stables.
“I have them,” Logan calls from the back of our line. He holds up the little blue instant camera high enough to be seen around Jude. “And we have plenty of time before dinner tonight.”
A chorus of noise greets us as I guide them into the main pathway leading to the various trails.
Beau tilts his head back and laughs, the sun catching the lighter strands of his dirty blond hair that’s grown longer than typical the last few week, and Carter grins beside him.
Penny and Rue are digging through the dirt with sticks a few feet away, still within touching distance, not paying any attention to all the horses around them.
Even as we approach, Dahlia runs toward Carter, holding out a rock for him to see.
“Dada! Rock!”
Carter smiles as she holds the rock up and presses it against his stomach. Beau looks over his shoulder and then frowns.
“Whoa, you are not supposed to try and roll when you’re saddled, bud. Can we go one day when you’re not trying to give everyone a heart attack?”
He starts over the fence but then pauses.
A hat pops up between the horses prepped for rides later today, and I relax.
One of our staff is already on top of it.
I bring the Bennetts to the long, raised platform that helps inexperienced riders mount and dismount with more confidence.
I help Faedra off first and then the twins.
Logan and Jude manage without any help, and Logan hands Iris the instant camera before kissing Faedra’s temple and giving her the larger camera bag he’s had draped over this shoulder for the ride.
Beau’s quick to cross the path and ease the horses back along the fencing, tying them out and working to unsaddle them alongside me. Rose comes up as I’m pulling the bridle from Toto.
“Thank you,” she says, wrapping her arms around my waist. “That was so much fun.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll see you at dinner tonight.”
I can’t help but smile as they wave and start toward the mini goats closer to the main lodge.
And then my heart is in my throat, warmth spreading out from my stomach like the branches of a shade tree, as Triston climbs over the fencing.
He’d been moving cattle this morning. How is here before lunch?
His gaze goes straight to me. He smiles, his cheeks flushing, and then pulls Havanna across the field, guiding her into the larger pasture for the horses who won’t be ridden that day.
Penny looks up as he walks away, her lips pushing into a pout. She starts toward him, but Beau scoops her up, the saddle blankets in his hand dropped in favor of keeping her from getting hurt.
“Whoa, Penny bug. He’s coming right back. No running while we have horses out, okay?”
When Triston passes me to grab one of the other horses, I grab one of his belt loops and pull him toward me.
His eyes widen, but he doesn’t tense. I kiss him, long enough it’s probably way too flagrant for the ranch I help run, but I can’t seem to care, the need to mark him and claim him riding me hard again.
His cheeks are flushed and his breathing is choppy when I finally let him go, but his clove scent stays hidden under scent blockers.
“Hi,” I whisper.
“Hi, baby.” His smile is slow and sultry as he presses a thumb to my lips.
For the first time in almost two years, everything feels balanced. I lean into him, soaking in the sensation.
“Not to ruin the moment,” Beau says dryly, “but Sage is about to be bringing in the next actual trail ride group.”
I sigh, and Triston laughs. When he pulls away, I bite the crook of his shoulder, grinning as he gasps. Vanilla wraps around us, more overwhelming than it’s been in a long time, like I’m the Omega and not him.
“ Fuck ,” he groans.
Toto stomps, and his tail hits Triston. He chuckles and takes a step away from me, turning toward the horse and quickly unsaddling him.
With a sigh, I work through the steps with the other horses, letting the feeling of contentment swell until it threatens to burst. When the last of the horses are back in the pasture and we’re walking toward the main lodge, Triston clears his throat.
“What’s up?” Beau asks, adjusting Penny and taking Triston’s hand in his.
A couple cars pass us on the dirt road, turning toward the main road that leads back to the highway.
Rose and Iris wave at us as we pass the chicken coops and the smaller field where the mini goats spend most of their time.
I smile as I wave back, then lean against Triston, letting my fingers lace with his.
“There’s a showcase rodeo in Billings over the holiday weekend,” he says after a minute. “It’s raising money for an Omega retreat that’s opening there this fall.”
“You’re riding?” Beau asks.
Triston nods. “Lance said he has tickets if you’d like to go with me. Access passes, not just tickets to the rodeo.”
Beau sets Penny down when we reach the grass and wildflowers just outside the lodge. She walks a few feet away from us and then sits down, picking at some of the grass. Triston purses his lips and looks at the ground, clearly nervous.
“I know it will be the second weekend in a row that I’m missing the cattle, so I understand if you can’t make it or don’t want to,” he says.
I cut him off before he can talk himself back into thinking we’re only tolerating him.
“Of course we’ll be there,” I answer.
I’ve never let myself watch his professional rides, not after that first showcase event where he went viral and that bitch doxxed him.
Beau hums his agreement. “I’ll work out the cattle with Ethan. He’s chomping at the bit to get back out on the land, anyway. And Kyle loves the overtime pay.”
Triston offers a small smile.
“There’s… There will a lot of cameras.”
Beau nods. “Yeah, there always are.”
Triston frowns.
“If we weren’t comfortable with the attention,” I say, squeezing his hand, “we wouldn’t have asked you to stay.”
“Besides…” Beau’s smile is so wide, it brightens his entire face. “I’m pretty sure it’s illegal for me and my brothers to announce a relationship in any way other than a hard launch. And now I’ll have more of them than they do.”
Triston’s chuckle has warmth spreading through me. I kiss his shoulder, and the small whimper he swallows is my new favorite sound.
“Lance said he’ll organize everything for all of us,” he says after a minute.
I frown. “He doesn’t have to inconvenience himself. We can pack a car and drive six hours.”
“He gets paid a lot of money to be inconvenienced by me.” Triston huffs a laugh and shrugs. “He was excited to do it, honestly. I’m the first single athlete he’s managed in a while. I think he misses the business of coordinating the pack alongside the actual athlete.”
Fair enough. If he’s willing to figure out the details, I’ll leave it to him.
After another minute, Triston says, “There’s another event on the Fourth. One of the other riders helps with a nonprofit in Nashville. I’m going to do some work with the kids there. Probably mostly PR type things. You’re invited to that one, too, if you’d like to come.”
Beau and I exchange a look. This time, it’s him that agrees without reservation.
“Of course, Triston,” he says.
The door of the lodge opens and then slams shut with the breeze. Melissa walks across the porch, pulling out her phone. My own vibrates with a text a second later. I don’t bother checking it, opting to just walk across the open field.
Beau and Triston follow wordlessly. Penny walks with them, her hand holding one of Triston’s fingers.
“What’s up?” I ask as soon as I’m close. Melissa looks up, her eyes wide but tear-filled.
“The new kid quit and now I’m scrambling to cover the desk,” she admits. “Especially since the schedule is already weird because we’re gone next weekend. I can’t do it. I’m covering Ben’s animal shift tonight.”
I turn to Beau, and he nods.
“I can handle it tonight.” I step up onto the porch and wrap my arm around Melissa’s shoulders. “Let’s not have Maggie max out her overtime just in case we need her as backup while we’re gone.”
Her shoulders drop.
“I didn’t want to mess up your time,” she whispers.
I shake my head. “You’re not. And even if you were, this is part of running the ranch with you, Mel. Let me help you.”
“All right.” She pushes her glasses up as she flushes. “Sorry.”
On cue, Penny follows me up the porch and grabs onto my leg, babbling as she taps my shin. I pick her up and kiss her cheek. Beau’s quick to take her and then he’s kissing my temple. I grab Triston’s hand, running my thumb over his wrist, marking him the way I can right now.
“I’ll see you at dinner,” I tell them both.