Page 175 of Knot my First Rodeo

The fact that Tripp is the only one of my alphas who won't have a mild heart attack when he sees his horse covered in bows is merely a bonus.

"You're lucky you're pretty."

River flicks an ear, and I take that as agreement.

The barn is quiet, except for the occasional shuffle of hooves and the soft rasp of the brush moving through hair. It's just me, River, and an entirely unreasonable number of pink ribbons spread across a tack trunk.

I finish one braid, and lean back to admire my work. River looks exactly as unimpressed as a horse can possibly look.

"You're being dramatic."

I reach for another section of mane, already planning how hard Tripp is going to laugh when he sees this.

Right now, my biggest concern is whether River is about to become the prettiest mare in Montana.

Okay, I lied, a part of me is nervous. I just know Gidge and Gears are going to lose their minds when they find out I called the cops instead of the club.

Too bad.

I'm not patched, not an old lady, hell, I'm not even in Virginia. I'm Hunter's little sister in Montana, while somebody follows me around taking photographs. Montana needs to handle Montana problems.

River nudges my shoulder and I scratch the side of her neck.

"You're the prettiest thing on this ranch. Well, next to me, of course."

Her ears flick and I smile.

Then somebody's hand settles on my hip, startling me. For half a second, my body relaxes automatically.

One of my alphas.

The thought barely has time to form before every instinct I possess starts screaming.

Wrong.

The hand is wrong. The scent is wrong. The feeling of somebody standing behind me is wrong.

Ice floods through my chest.

"Miss me, baby?"

The brush falls from my fingers and hits the ground with a dull thud.

Peter.

My heart slams into my ribs so hard it hurts.

I spin instinctively, but his hand catches my arm before I can get away. The barn suddenly feels smaller than it did thirty seconds ago. Smaller, quieter, and impossibly far away from the house.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I spit, not wanting him to know he’s shaken me.

Peter grins.

"Had to come get my girl." His eyes move over me slowly, and something sour settles in my stomach. "Been watchin' you for weeks. Saw you at that rodeo."

The blood drains from my face.

I fucking knew it was him.