Page 37 of Outlawed

She shakes her head and digs into her food once I place the plate in front of her. I’m glad because yesterday she hardly ate anything. I ruffle her hair before grabbing her a glass of milk and pouring coffee for Hank and Christian.

Christian leans in and kisses my cheek. “Thanks, sweetheart.”

I have a steady flow of ranch hands in and out before Shepard and Riggs stroll in, not looking at each other.

“Something wrong?”

Before they can answer, Hannah asks if she can watch a movie. I send her to the den where she can be comfortable.

Turning back to the guys, I wait for one of them to fill me in. “Well?”

“Nothing. Just don’t like you getting up before us,” Shepard says.

“I couldn’t sleep,” I admit.

“We’re not mad, just slightly traumatized. It’s not often I wake up with a guy’s dick pressed up against me,” Riggs drawls. It takes me a second to figure out what the hell he’s talking about until an image of a sleepy Shepard, spooning Riggs, pops into my head.

I’m laughing before it’s even a conscious thought, full-on belly chuckles that have Riggs shaking his head and Shepard huffing.

“She’s mean,” Shepard complains to Riggs as he makes himself a plate of food.

“I know. We should fuck it out of her system later.”

I stop laughing and clench my thighs together instead, earning a smug grin from Riggs. I point my knife at him. “Behave.”

He tips his hat at me. “Yes, ma’am.”

Shepard walks around the counter, taking a plate of food from me when I hold it out for him. “I know you need to leave, but you have to eat.”

“You worried about me, Poppy?”

“Someone has to be. If that giant ego of yours deflates, how are you gonna float away from all those crime scenes?”

Riggs snorts with laughter, earning a chuckle from me, too.

“Oh, you got jokes, huh?” Shepard bends down and nips the side of my neck, making me shiver, before he heads over to the table to eat.

“You have any plans today?” Riggs asks, popping a grape into his mouth from the bowl on the counter.

“I’m going to do some more work in the pasture, then some in the workshop, while Hannah has her lessons. After that, I’ll text Sarah and Jackie and see if folks want to come up to the ranch to work on shit for the festival.”

“You sure you want everyone up here?”

“The house will let me know if anyone has ill intentions. And I want to be around for Hannah.”

“Maybe you could find some tasks for her to do, too. Give her something to take her mind off things.”

“Good idea. And she loves helping.”

Riggs wraps his arm around me, pulling me in for a hug. “It’s gonna be okay. I know this isn’t what anyone wanted, but you know what they say, when life gives you lemons⁠—”

“Make lemonade?”

“What? No, squeeze them into the eyes of your enemies, therefore blinding them before you cut off their⁠—”

I shove a piece of bacon into his mouth and shake my head.

Shepard watches him with wary eyes. “You’re on a fucking list somewhere, I just know it.”