Page 68 of Knot Her Mountain Men

The alphas brought him tea and stew they’d made on the fire, and Cooper inhaled it like he was starving. He probably was.

“Good news is that you’re not going to lose any toes,” Maverick said, filling his own bowl after serving everyone else. “We gave you a quick check-over to make sure you weren’t going to perish.”

I cuddled between Bear and Cooper, nursing my food. “How long were you looking for me? How did you find out I was missing?”

“Four, maybe five days,” Cooper replied, slurping more tea. “You were all over the news.”

“Thenews?”

“Where’s my coat?” Cooper asked.

Ryder grabbed it where it was hanging off the back of a chair at their dining room table, passing it within reach.

Cooper fished around in his pockets before bringing out his phone. “Fuck, it’s dead. Charger?”

Kit got it plugged into an extension cord that looped outside to the generator. “We don’t have Internet right now. A tree took out our satellite.”

Cooper nodded, already falling asleep as he ate. I took his bowl before he could spill it all over himself, his body slumping down to take a much-needed nap.

I made sure he was bundled up, smoothing down his hair the same shade of red as mine. He took his role as my protector seriously no matter how many times I had insisted he didn’t need to. When he was in better condition I would ask my questions, but they would have to wait for now.

“You okay, firecracker?” Ryder cupped my head, leaning down to kiss my hair.

“Maybe? I hate that he got hurt because of me.” I couldn’t even begin to think about losing Cooper. Of anyone in the world, he had been the closest to understanding me, but he had moved a couple of hours north with his pack a few years ago to start their ranch, so although we talked regularly, this was the first I had physically seen him in months.

“He got hurt because of that fucker Brandon,” Maverick corrected. “Cooper wouldn’t have had to go look for you if Brandon hadn’t left you.”

Bear tucked me onto his lap, his proximity soothing the sharpest edges of my anxiety.

“Do you think he’ll be okay?”

“He’s in a similar condition to you when Bear brought you in,” Kit replied. “The road will be cleared soon and we can take him into town for a doctor. Until then, we’ll keep him fed, hydrated, and resting.”

“I’ll get the fire going in the bunk rooms,” said Ryder. “He’ll still be close by, but won’t have to lie at the door of your nest. Quieter for him, too.”

“Sure, that sounds okay.” I wedged my head under Bear’s chin and wiggled until he had both arms wrapped securely around me. “We’ll have to figure out how to let his pack know he’s here. They’re probably worried sick.”

Had they looked for me too or had Cooper gone out alone? Both seemed equally probable. Cooper was stubborn as a mule and didn’t always listen to sense. If not for his good heart, he and I probably would’ve gotten into a lot of fights as kids. The whole Harris clan possessed a stubborn streak a mile wide, which didn’t work very well when everyone was forced into close proximity. Wayne was the oldest and therefore had the most experience managing the stubbornness of our fathers and figuring out how to control the siblings. He was a mean son of a bitch and the main reason I never went home.

Once the bunk room was warm, the pack moved Cooper onto one of the beds in there. Having someone to care for seemed to activate them. They bustled like little ants around me and Bear, already preparing food for later, stripping down the top layers of the nest to get them washing while the generator powered the basics in the lodge.

I felt squirmy and useless, watching them all go about their tasks. I hated sitting still while others did things, but Bear had a firm grip on me, and I wasn’t nearly as recovered from my heat as I would like to be.

Falling asleep against Bear hadn’t been my intention, but apparently I was more exhausted than I was willing to acknowledge.

Cooper stumbled out of the bunk room some time later, eyes wild. “I have to find her.”

Kit went to check on him and Cooper clutched his arms with a desperation I had never seen on his face.

“Please. Have you seen my sister?”

“Coopy, I’m right here.” I climbed out of Bear’s lap and Cooper pulled me close like it was the first time he had seen me. “It’s okay. I’m okay.”

His sobs took over him like before, Cooper pouring out every ounce of anguish he felt over believing me dead. “I thought finding you was a dream.”

“Close, but it’s real.”

He squeezed me until I let out a squeak, and then Bear was gently extracting me from my brother’s embrace.

---