Page 8 of Seeking Her Studs

“Of course. It’s parked out at Rile Ranch. And you’re in luck. Colt Rile is right over there. If you ask nicely, I bet he’ll even give you a ride.”

I don’t follow her hand in the direction she’s pointing. I don’t need help to recognize Colt Rile. In fact, I could probably find him in a dark room with the lights turned off. And it wouldn’t be the first time.

But she’s wrong about one thing. Having to ask Colt Rile for a thing certainly doesn’t make me lucky.

CHAPTER FIVE

Blaire

One egg-white omelet, a glass of lemon water, and a heap of dirty stares later, I know I can no longer avoid the elephant in the room. Although, Colt is more like a stallion than an elephant.

I’m not sure if he’s noticed me, but I’ve noticed every hair on the back of his head from four booths away.

The man has a presence to him. A steely demeanor that makes people respect and fear him. Every person who passes his table nods their head in acknowledgment, as if bending a knee before their king. Objectively, I know he deserves the admiration.

I was there the day his parents passed away five years ago. Well, I didn’t know what had happened until I had already landed in Los Angeles. Mr. and Mrs. Rile got into a car accident and didn’t recover. It knocks the wind out of me even thinking about it.

But from what I’ve heard from Lacey, Colt and his brothers stepped up in a way that few people could imagine three young men would have to. They agreed to take custody of their sister, who was only eleven when it happened. And as if that wasn’t enough, they now run Rile Ranch, too. The brothers were always preparing to take over the ranch one day, but no one would have guessed they’d have to do it so soon. And the ranch is a significant source of income for many Solace Springs residents. So, yes, he’s beloved in this town for good reason.

And apparently, I’m disliked in this town for good reasons too.

I procrastinate by texting my friend Ruby. We actually met online before she even knew who I was, but now she’s a close friend. Meeting people through the anonymity of the internet has become a bit of a hobby for me. My therapist says it’s a healthy outlet for someone like me. And hey, it worked out with Ruby. She’s my closest friend, even though recently she’s been busy making babies and having hot sex with her three husbands.

Yep, three. I can’t even get one real fiancé, but she has three loving husbands.

BLAIRE: Guess where I am? Hint: I’m staring at the back of Colt Rile’s head.

RUBY: Solace Springs! How does it feel to be back? Please tell me you finally decided to look for your mountain studs?

I laugh. Okay, I might have met not just met Ruby online, but in a very specific chatroom. The Fun and Filthy Forum is for women who are interested in more than one man. I had been grappling with why I was attracted to all three of the Rile brothers and went online to figure it out.

Then, after chatting with Ruby more, I decided to join another chatroom for singles in Wyoming open to the idea of multiple partners. There’s no way I was going to do that in Los Angeles, but I wanted to test out if it was something I could actually stomach, and Wyoming felt like a safer option. Three guys who Ruby and I started calling my “mountain studs” charmed the hell out of me and we started talking almost every day.

Until I told them who I was. I trusted them enough to share my identity, thinking they had the right to know what they were signing up for if we took things to the next level. And instead of falling in love and riding off into the sunset, they blocked me immediately. I’m guessing they thought I was a catfish. Ruby saw me heartbroken over it for a while, which probably seems absolutely ridiculous, as I never even met them. But that’s how rare genuine connection is in my life. So far, it’s only come from behind the safety of a screen when people don’t know my name before they know me.

BLAIRE: Do you think I should? I’m here for my Gram and to finally get that camper she left me. But seeing Colt is making me already overthink what the hell I’m doing here. Maybe a distraction could be good.

RUBY: Hell yes! The mountain studs just need to know you’re not a catfish and then you’re going to have the best sex of your life. I’m telling you, you’re going to love it. We tried this new position last night that is physically only possible with at least two partners, but preferably three. I can send you a diagram?

I stifle my laugh with my hand. It feels good to laugh.

BLAIRE: I’ll let you know if I have any use for that.

I follow up that message with three laughing, crying emojis.

RUBY: And you’re absolutely positive your mountain studs aren’t the Rile brothers?

That makes me laugh again. No way in hell. Even though Ruby likes to think somehow that could be possible, I know it’s not. The three of them are as territorial as it gets. And they’re certainly not interested in romance. They wouldn’t be wasting almost a year of their life to get to know a girl they might never fuck. It’s just not how they work. And I would know.

I look back up at Colt’s dark hair. In fact, he never responded to one damn message I sent him after I left. None of them did. I just wanted to know if they were okay when I found out what had happened to their parents. I didn’t even really expect Colt to respond. Even before that tragic day, he never let his guard down with me. We gave each other our bodies freely that summer, but nothing else. But I thought Reese or Briggs might have at least let me know they were okay. Maybe it was selfish of me to even expect that from them.

I take a deep, long sigh. I can’t avoid this forever.

I owe it to Gram to do this. It’s the one thing in the world she asked of me.

I take another breath and pull myself together. I’ve accepted a damn Oscar. I’ve met three standing presidents. Hell, I’ve had lunch with Meryl Streep. I can face Colt Rile.

I drop cash in the bill sleeve and place my phone back in my purse.