Page 11 of Knot Her Mountain Men

Morgan stared at us with wide eyes, her delicious maple and black tea scent charring at the edges.

“Stay with Bear,” I told her. “We’ve got room for you here, but there’s still work to be done to ensure we’re ready for the storm.”

“We’re ignoring the part where you said I’m yours?”

I offered an awkward smile. “For the moment, yes. As much as I’d love to explore that further, I need to make sure you’re going to be comfortable here.”

“That sounds like you think I’m staying.”

“You have no choice on that until the roads are clear,” I pointed out. “Might as well make sure you’re not going to hate it.”

I dashed off, leaving her and Bear in the garage. I had to tell Ryder and Maverick about her before they ran into her. Having an extra person while snowed in wasn’t a problem. We had already restocked after hosting everyone from the Rez, so we’d be fine for months if needed.

“Ry! Mav! Where’d you guys get to?”

I heard some vague shout in return and found them in the root cellar.

“Fucking raccoon got in here,” Maverick told me as I descended the steps. His sandy hair was pulled back in a ponytail, his blue eyes looking even brighter since he had somehow managed to sunburn himself yet again. I swear the man was lucky he didn’t burst into flames whenever he stepped outside, but it looked like our omega would be in similar danger outdoors, given the red hair and freckles.

“Any casualties?”

“Some of the carrots,” Ryder replied. A red beanie covered his shaved head, a wise choice considering the root cellar was barely above freezing most of the year. He raised chestnut eyes to me, dust from their work making his usual dark brown skin look paler. “We already found where it dug in and sealed it up.”

“Speaking of uninvited guests…”

They both turned to me.

“Bear found our omega in the woods.”

Ryder and Maverick stared at me like I was an alien, Ry recovering first. “Say that again.”

“He found our omega and brought her back to the lodge. She’s here now.”

“Are you fucking with us?” Maverick asked.

“Wouldn’t dream of it. She’s in the garage with him right now.”

They shared a look like they weren’t sure if they believed me. Our pack was a combination of pairs. Ryder and Maverick had come from out east while Bear and I were born and raised in Montana. The lodge had been a dream for all four of us and we’d come together to make it happen—them with the money and us with the knowledge of how to not immediately die out here. It was one thing to move into one of the smaller cities, but you couldn’t blindly move into the mountains with no survival skills or connections. Well…some people did, but it rarely went well for them.

“What are we supposed to do with her?” Maverick asked.

“I would worry about that after you shower off the root cellar dirt. Might wanna get on that in case we lose power and hot water.”

“Shit.” Ryder sighed. “Been chopping wood all fucking day. I probably look like a mess.”

I shrugged and said with a laugh, “You’ve looked worse. Go wash up. I’ll make sure you don’t trip over our girl beforehand.”

“This is fucking weird, man,” said Maverick. “Fate needs to get its ass in gear. Dropping our omega in our laps before a fucking natural disaster is bullshit.”

He grumbled as the two of them tromped away to wash and change. I diverted to the kitchen and put on some hot water to make Morgan a cup of tea. Bear wandered in with her at his side, snowsuits abandoned. Her wool underlayers clung to her like a second skin, showing off every delectable curve while she stood awkwardly, sliding the toe of her sock against the floor.

“Hey there, little fox. Do you have a preference on tea flavors?”

“Anything,” she croaked.

“Did you hurt your voice calling for help?”

“Unfortunately.”

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