Page 86 of The Billionaire Who Saved My Cat From The Mafia

Her eyes pop.

“And you’re Summer,” I say, nodding.Then I go down the line.“Hello, Phoebe.Hello, Emma.”

“Well, fuckin-A,” Summer exclaims.“Hey!”She points to my hiking boots.“I wondered where those got to!Did Special K bring them up here for you?”

I feel totally ridiculous.“Yes, but he didn’t tell me they belonged to someone else.”

Victoria laughs, dismounting.“We all steal Summer’s boots.She’s got ninety pairs, and that’s just the cowboy boots.”

“I’m down to about eighty-two pairs these days, and only half those fit my fat feet.”Summer dismounts too.Phoebe and Emma follow.

Summer’s horse snorts and lowers her head, curious about Pussy, who puffs up her fur and hisses in a show of dominance.

“I think she’s intimidated,” I say as an explanation for my cat’s behavior.

“But you’re not, clearly,” Phoebe says, grinning.

“What’s your cat’s name?”Emma asks, crouching down to rub behind her ears.“She’s such a sweet, sweet thing!”

“Her name’s Pussy.”

It goes quiet for a moment before the snickering begins.

“Anyway,” Victoria clears her throat.“First off, you should know that Special K didn’t send us.He has absolutely no idea we’re here, so don’t be mad at him.”

“He’ll be seriously pissed off if he finds out, too,” Summer says, stepping forward.Special K told me she’s a few months pregnant, and I can see the beginning pooch of her belly.

“Oh, he’ll find out,” Emma says, standing from her crouch.“Yosemite Ranch is where secrets go to become breaking news.”

They all laugh.

“It certainly seems that way,” I say.

Truth is, I’m a little surprised by this feminine ambush.“What can I do for you ladies?I don’t have much to offer by way of refreshments, just tea, and I only have two mugs.”

All four women exchange pointed looks.

“Thank you for the offer, but we don’t need anything,” Victoria says.“Maybe just a few minutes of your time if you don’t mind.”

“We’re here because we wondered what was making Special K act so weird,” Summer explains.“Mystery solved.”

“You’re not exactly how we pictured the infamous Squatter of Washoe Ridge,” Phoebe says, eyes sparkling.I like her immediately.Actually, I like all of them immediately, even though each one is very different from the others.I know I’d enjoy spending time with them, and instantly, a wave of sadness washes over me, a sense of loss.

Because this kind of future and family is not in the stars for me.

But, wait.The Squatter of Washoe Ridge?“Isthathow I’m described?Special K and his flowery language, am I right?”

Everyone freezes, then bursts out laughing.

We sit out by the fire ring and chat.Emma has brought a picnic breakfast, and we eat, talk, and laugh, as if it’s totally normal that I’m hiding out here in the wilderness with my cat, wearing stolen boots, so obviously a fish out of water.

I know they’ve come up to be nosy, and that’s why it’s so weird that nobody asks me any probing questions about myself.It’s bizarre really, and I don’t know that I’d be able to resist if I was in their shoes.

The questions they do ask are surface-level, with zero follow-ups.

“Where do you live?”

“Oh, I just recently moved from Las Vegas.”