Page 116 of Knot Her Mountain Men

“I’m not going to get kidnapped in the house,” I told her. “I promise I’m okay now.”

Stubborn, beautiful girl that she was, she remained glued to my side.

“Come on, firecracker. Let’s get you tended to.”

I followed Ryder into the living room, letting him and Kit brush liquid bandage over my numerous cuts and carefully rub some arnica gel into the bruising, avoiding any of the broken skin. It wasn’t comfortable to submit to, even knowing it would help. With the adrenaline and heat hormones gone, I felt every single injury, no matter how small.

Maverick deposited a cup of tea and a glass of water next to me, Bear adding a few bottles of painkillers so I could take my choice of them. Once I was dosed, we sat together in front of the fire, my alphas alternating hot and cold packs against my aching muscles. What helped the most was their symphony of purring, soft touches, and warm cuddles keeping me relaxed.

Brandon had tried to take so much from me. After the first time, I’d been worried the forest would never be the same, and maybe this time would be different, but I trusted my pack. If anyone could help me reclaim my peace, it was them.

“What do you think about a second dog?” Ryder asked.

“For what? Company for Pumpkin?”

“Protection. I guess mostly for peace of mind. Pumpkin goes on the hunts with us, so a second one could always be with you if you didn’t want to come out with us. Plus, two dogs is twice the deterrent.”

“Do you think something else could happen?”

“I don’t anticipate it, but even in terms of wildlife it wouldn’t be a bad idea. A bear or mountain lion is going to think a lot harder about approaching a house with barking dogs.”

“I’m definitely not opposed to another dog.” I scratched Pumpkin’s ears. “Do you want a sibling?”

She tilted her head adorably, obviously not answering my question.

“A buddy of mine back in DC raises guard dogs. I bet he’d have a good fit for us. I’ll send him a message.”

My yawning drew us to bed and I slept fitfully, waking as exhausted as when I’d gone to bed. Being up ’til four in the morning certainly didn’t help.

Over breakfast we scrolled through Ryder’s friend’s website, looking at an assortment of Rottweilers, Dobermans, German Shepherds, and Belgian Malinois. Pumpkin looked over our shoulders as if she knew our plan, but she could’ve also just been begging for some of my bacon.

I was particularly besotted with a doe-eyed Rottie named Muffin. All of her littermates had bakery names, and most of the pups were already spoken for.

I called Cooper to let him know about what had transpired, and predictably, he freaked out, but after a video call where he could see my face, I managed to convince him he didn’t have to drop everything and drive to see me. I loved how much he loved me, but luckily his pack were there to help him see reason, assured themselves that I was safe and needed to rest. Bless them, because I really did want to chill for a long while.

My pack and I spent the day quietly. I wasn’t in any condition for more than that. The police were on the property most of the morning, Bear and Maverick taking them back up the trail where Brandon had been found.

Once the cops were gone, we put on a couple of movies I vaguely remembered from my early childhood about kids rescuing a panda cub, and after that another about kids rescuing their dad from his plane crash in the Alaskan mountains. The alphas had an impressive amount of DVDs to account for the often shitty Internet required for streaming.

I drifted in and out, cozy as hell with Pumpkin on my lap and my alphas surrounding me.

* * *

Over the next week, I healed and avoided going into town. I was a bit of a spectacle since it had broken on national news that Brandon’s trial was underway. Sheriff Marks’s cousin who had my number phoned me a few times for follow up questions, but otherwise no one bothered me too much about it unless I was in front of them.

My alphas brought everything remaining from my storage unit out to the lodge. It seemed silly not to have my things here. I wanted my pack more than my independence, and even though it wouldn’t have made sense to me a few months ago, I knew I was where I wanted to be. Every time one of them looked at me, I was practically swept away by the surge of affection. I probably did the same in return, given how often they looked pleasantly surprised whenever they caught my eye.

We all needed the reassurance that we had chosen correctly.

Rather than dwelling on everything I had been through, I tried to focus on the future. I spent hours every day working with my pack to develop new programs for the lodge. We set up additional security measures—a gate to get onto our driveway, trail cams near the lodge that would report movement, floodlights, and in a few days Muffin would be joining our ranks—so anyone coming out would feel safe.

Even despite the bad press of my second encounter with Brandon being on the lodge property, people still seemed interested. Kit put out feelers with his extended family on the reservation, getting their input on what the kids and omegas might like. We reached out to schools, community centers, and Scouts, and I coordinated with Cooper so the lodge and the ranch could promote each other. We were a couple of hours apart, but that wouldn’t be too difficult for tourists or groups interested in experiencing both options.

The more I planned, the more optimistic I became. Having a business and tourism background let me cover the basics easily, and my pack was ridiculously supportive. Educational programs might not be thrilling for some people, but experiencing and understanding nature was a way people could fall in love with it enough to protect it. More than just our national parks deserved people’s love and protection, and I was happy to play a part in fostering that.

“Email came in that Muffin is on her way to us,” Ryder said. “I also think I’ve made my final selections for the bird calendar, if you want to take a look.”

He scrolled through images of soaring eagles and brightly colored songbirds, each showing off the beauty of their particular month.

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