Page 83 of Knot my First Rodeo

This is serious.

Her first heat.

My stomach twists unexpectedly.

Because first heat means first everything.

First real omega instincts, first scent match possibilities, first time her body does… all of this.

I start pacing again, slow at first, then faster.

Because there’s another problem… a very inconvenient problem.

She’s stunning.

The kind of pretty you stop noticing until suddenly she laughs at something dumb, or gets dirt on her cheek during chores, or storms into a feed store and punches somebody for touching Briggs.

Yeah, I’ve thought about kissing her once or twice.

But thinking somebody’s gorgeous and helping them through their first heat? Those are two wildly different things.

Because this isn’t casual, or some random hookup.

Hunter trusted us with her.

Could we really help her through this and then just… send her home? Pretend none of it mattered?

My shoulders tense.

Because the honest answer?

No.

No, I don’t think any of us walk away from this unaffected.

I stop pacing again, staring at the weird half-eaten Santa.

“Barely holding it together, huh?” I mutter.

Another roll of thunder shakes overhead.

Suddenly, all I can picture is Autumn upstairs, trying not to panic while thinking everybody bolted because nobody wants her.

“Ah, hell.” I scrub a hand through my hair and head for the stairs.

Because scared or not, overwhelmed or not, there’s no way I’m leaving her up there thinking she’s alone in this.

Not a chance.

Briggs

The rain soaks through my shirt within minutes, cold water dripping steadily off the edge of the porch roof, while lightning strikes in the pasture. I pace anyway.

My boots creak against wet wood while I drag both hands through my hair for what’s gotta be the tenth time, jaw tight enough it aches. I shouldn’t have walked out. The second the door shut behind me, I knew that, but staying in there while her scent kept blooming stronger every damn minute felt like trying to hold on to a fence during a stampede and pretending I wasn’t getting dragged anyway.

Because the truth? I want her.

Bad.