Page 19 of Knot Her Mountain Men

“Any particular reason?” Kit asked.

“Because they treated me like I was never good enough. I don’t recommend being the only girl among ten brothers when they don’t like you. One of my brothers fought with them all the time about it, but it never changed. He’s the only one I still talk to.”

“Is your nice brother a rancher too?” Ryder asked.

“Kind of. Cooper runs a property with his pack a few hours from here. They do trail rides, ranch vacations, equine therapy, that kind of thing. Letting all the city slickers experience the great outdoors.”

I chuckled. “Kindred spirits with us, then.”

“Is that what you guys do?”

“This is a hunting lodge,” Kit said, “not just our house. We take people out into the forest all the time.”

“I wouldn’t have guessed. You don’t have taxidermied animals all over the place.”

“We’re not trophy hunters,” Kit explained. “We focus on sustainable practices and teach people how to feed themselves in the wild.”

“That’s so cool! I’ll definitely put it in the travel guide I’ve been hired to put together. Assuming I still have a job when all the storm chaos is over.”

“You work in tourism?” Ryder asked.

“I’m trying to. I went to school for tourism and hospitality, but most people I’ve talked to aren’t interested in anything beyond the national parks. I really want people to fall in love with everything the state has to offer.”

“That’s what happened with Ryder and me,” I said quietly. “We came out here for Yellowstone, then ran into Bear and Kit. They took us on a hunting trip, and the rest is history.”

“Where are you from originally?”

“DC.”

“I went there once with Girl Scouts. Fundraised for three years to afford it.”

“Do you still have cookie connections?” I asked. “I have a weakness for the mint ones.”

“Unfortunately not, but I think you might be able to order online now. “

“That’s dangerous information,” said Ryder. “When he got his first job, he spent his whole first paycheck on cookies.”

“I got pretty good at copycat versions. I could make some for you as a thank you,” Morgan offered.

“I’m never going to turn that down.” I nestled a little closer, and her breath caught, maple syrup filling my nose. I was relieved that even without the scent match she still reacted to me. It wasn’t what I was supposed to be thinking about right now, but the thought came anyway. My brain could only go so many directions when I was wrapped around a beautiful omega.

Everything Morgan told us had her fitting perfectly into our world. She loved so many things that we did, and if not for her drive to move to Missoula for work, she could have slotted in like she had always been here.

Growing up, I had always kind of assumed omegas were prissy little things who demanded the best the world had to offer. A lot of ones I had met only confirmed that stereotype, but after moving around I’d learned omegas were different everywhere besides the need for comfort and security. In many ways, luxury had a different definition here than where I grew up. It wasn’t pricey goods or sleek cars, but rather land and experiences. If that was what you understood a luxury to be, it made sense you would want different things. None of the people I had grown up with who had turned out to be an omega would be caught dead running around in the woods unless it was on a pair of skis.

“How often do you go winter camping?” I asked.

“I try to go a couple times a season. That probably won’t happen anymore, though. None of my friends like it, and there’s no way in hell I would ever do that with Brandon again.”

“We’re not an unreasonable distance from Missoula,” I pointed out. “You could come out here and we could go camping.”

“That’s very sweet to offer. I think I might need a bit of time before I can go back into the woods again.”

Bear grumbled but didn’t say anything.

“What do you like about winter camping?” Kit asked.

“Mostly the solitude. In the summer everywhere is crowded as hell, but way fewer people venture out in the winter. It always feels like I have the whole forest to myself.” She sighed and continued. “The forest is never truly quiet, but the snow muffles everything. It’s a completely different vibe from the summer. When I still lived on the ranch, I would go stand on the edge of the cattle field and close my eyes to get away from the chaos of home. I wouldn’t go in until I stopped feeling my fingertips.”

---