Page 21 of Knotting the Cowboys

"Austin, get control of your daughter," Cole says, but there's fondness in his exasperation.

"Our daughter," Austin corrects, bouncing Luna as she continues reaching for me. "And she clearly has excellent taste."

"Our?" I finally find my voice, looking between them.

The baby has heterochromatic eyes—one blue, one green-gray—and watches me with unusual focus for an infant.

"Long story," Mavi calls from his careful distance. "Who are you, and what's your business here?"

The direct question snaps me back to reality.

Right. I'm not here to catalog attractive men and their confusing baby situation. I'm here because?—

"I'm Willa James." The words come out steadier than I feel. "William James was my grandfather. He... he left me this place."

The silence that follows is deafening.

All four men exchange looks I can't read, something passing between them in the space of heartbeats.

Luna breaks the moment by babbling louder, her reaching becoming more insistent.

"Well," Cole says slowly, and there's something in his voice I can't identify. "We should probably go inside to discuss this. Austin's right—Luna's overdue for her nap."

Can’t Breathe

~WILLA~

"Your grandfather ran about fifty head of cattle," Cole says, stopping at a fence line where red and white Herefords graze. "We've expanded to seventy-five, introduced some Black Angus bloodlines for hybrid vigor. Market prices have been good, especially for grass-fed operations."

His hand rests on a fence post as he talks, and something about the gesture—the casual ownership, the protective stance—tugs at my memory. But the thought dissolves when he turns those steel-gray eyes on me, assessing.

"You know cattle?" he asks.

"Not really." I watch a calf kick up its heels, playing in the afternoon sun. "Grandpa's letters mentioned them sometimes, but..."

"William was a good man," River says softly from beside me. "Taught us a lot about ranching. About life."

The way he says it suggests years of history I'm not privy to. "How long have you all been here?"

Another one of those loaded looks passes between them.

"Few years," Cole says, which feels like a non-answer. "Come on, I'll show you the barn."

The barn smells like hay and horses and something indefinable that makes my chest tight. More memories trying to surface—the scent of leather, strong hands steadying me, a voice saying "easy, sweetheart, I've got you."

But when I try to grasp it, it slips away like smoke.

"These are the working horses," River says, taking over as we enter the stable area. His whole demeanor shifts here, becoming even calmer if that's possible. "This is Sundance, he's Cole's. Tempest here is mine. That pretty girl is Maverick's mare, Whisper."

"Stupid name for a horse," Mavi mutters from the doorway, but his eyes soften when he looks at the black mare.

"Says the man who spends his evenings brushing her and telling her she's beautiful," Austin teases, making Luna giggle.

"Operational security includes maintaining working relationships with all ranch assets," Mavi shoots back, but his ears pink slightly.

River opens a stall door, and a golden palomino pushes her head out, immediately seeking his hands.

"This is Honey. She was your grandfather's favorite. Gentle as they come, perfect for—" He stops himself, glancing at the others.

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