The Cowbear's Christmas Bride (Curvy Bear Ranch 4) (7 page)

A garbled cry escaped her lips. She lost track of everything but the feel of him inside her, filling her, stretching her with the biggest cock she’d ever seen. Sweat formed tiny beads on her forehead. She bounced against the headrest, totally lost in his frenzied passion.

She came again, this time with a long, almost feral moan. The quiver of her pussy against his cock was too much. Her heart threatened to explode from her chest. She could hardly take a breath. It was too good. Too fast. Too hard.

And then he grunted and forced himself even deeper. A roar burst from his lips to fill the cab as he pumped into her. In the same moment that warmth flooded her pussy, he shuddered and collapsed against her. Still thrusting. Still claiming her with his body.

When he finally stilled, his ragged breath blasted against her back. His knees shook as he climbed out from behind her and collapsed on the seat.

“Come lie here with me,” he whispered.

“The seat’s too small.”

“Lie on top of me.”

“I’m too big.”

“Woman!” He reached forward and pulled her down to cover him. “There, that’s better.”

She stroked the thick hair on his chest. She couldn’t think of anything to say, so she simply enjoyed the way he held her.

“I could fall asleep right here,” he said.

“You’re such a guy.”

“Yep. But I guess I need to get you back to your bed.”

She smiled at the note of regret in his voice. Although she didn’t want to get up, she slid back into the reclined seat and started pulling on her clothes. It was a shame he also had to cover up all that hotness, but it was ten degrees outside.

They spent the trip back to the ranch in comfortable silence, but as they pulled up to the B & B, Madison came running out. Mack was instantly at her side, helping her waddle through the snow.

“Where have you been?” Madison demanded.

“We were out looking at the stars,” Hank replied.

“Your mom called,” Mack said.

“She did?” Carol asked.

“Yes. She was screaming something about being evicted if she didn’t pay her mortgage tomorrow,” Madison said. “I didn’t know your mom lived here.”

“It’s a long story,” Hank said.

“How’d she find me here? I didn’t give her the number,” Carol said.

“She probably called all the hotels until she found you,” Hank said.

“What should we do?” Carol asked.

“It’s after midnight so there’s not much you can do right now. But maybe you should head over there first thing in the morning,” Mack suggested.

“We’ll leave as soon as the sun’s up,” Hank said.

They turned and walked into the B & B.

“We’re going to head upstairs and go to sleep. We just wanted to make sure you got the message,” Mack said.

“Thank you,” Carol replied.

She followed Mack and Madison to the second floor. After the couple disappeared into their room, Hank followed Carol to hers.

“Do you want me to stay here tonight?” he asked softly.

“I should have been here. If I’d been here and not off gallivanting around, I wouldn’t have missed her call.”

“Hey, don’t blame yourself. There’s no way you could have known. I wonder why she didn’t tell us she needed help yesterday.”

“She’s too proud and stubborn for her own good,” she said.

“We can leave first thing in the morning. Are you sure you don’t want me to spend the night with you?”

“No. I need to get some sleep.”

She stood at the door until he disappeared down the stairs. After the front door clicked closed, she sagged against the wall. She hated turning him away, but she wanted to be alone with her guilt.

She shouldn’t have let the sexy cowboy distract her. No matter how much she loved being around him, and no matter how hot he was, she wasn’t here to find a relationship. She was here to find her mom. At this point, she needed to keep him at a safe distance. She’d already risked heartbreak by trying to build a relationship with her mom. She didn’t need to put her heart at risk twice.

Chapter 7

As Hank navigated the truck through the snowy roads, a blanket of silence hung between them. Carol turned away slightly and tried to look anywhere but at him. She couldn’t stop picturing his naked chest and ripped abs. How messed up was that? She should have been thinking about how to help her mom. Instead, she was fantasizing about a man she hardly knew.

“Is it warm enough in here?” he asked.

For a moment she wondered if he was being sarcastic, but that wasn’t his way. “Yes.”

“About last night…”

“Can we talk about it later?” she asked.

“Are you regretting it?”

“Yes. I mean, no. I don’t know right now.” She didn’t regret it, but she wasn’t sure how she felt about it yet.

“Honey, everything’s going to be okay.” He reached over and squeezed her hand.

She squeezed back. To be mad at him for this was completely irrational. She recognized it, but she needed to blame someone other than her mother for causing her guilt.

But why should she feel guilty? Her mom had kicked her out the other night without a word about needing money.

What happened to her boyfriend? Couldn’t that guy help pay the bills? According to the guy at the diner, she probably exchanged sexual favors for money. She shook her head to ward off the negative thoughts. That damned voice in her head could be mean as hell sometimes.

A few tense minutes later, they pulled up to her mom’s house. Every muscle in Carol’s body clenched. A huge red eviction notice was pinned to the doorframe. A large padlock had been used to secure the door.

Carol leapt out of the car and ran up to an open window which looked into the living room. Most of the furniture was gone. The little that remained had been smashed to pieces. She raced around to the back of the house and was yanking on the sliding glass door when Hank caught up to her.

“Wait,” he said. “You can’t go in there.”

“But I have to find her. I just found her and I can’t lose her.”

“Hang on.”

“I have to find her,” she screamed.

A frantic sensation of losing control bloomed in her chest. She couldn’t take in a deep breath or calm down enough to think rationally. The overwhelming instinct to find her family clawed at her ribcage. And in an instant, she felt the strange cracking sensation ripple down her spine.

Oh no! It’s happening again.

She roared as the sparse hair on her hands thickened and grew to cover her skin. The pads on her fingers stretched and hardened to form huge paws complete with razor-sharp claws.

As she dropped to all fours, she tried to find Hank. He stood several paces away with his mouth hanging open and an expression of total shock on his face. She wanted to scream at him to run. He wouldn’t be safe once she’d completely transformed into a bear. She had no idea what she’d do. Would she try to attack him? Tear him limb from limb?

Please, get away.

“Carol?” Instead of running, he took a step toward her.

Roar!

“Honey, you need to calm down.”

Calm down? What the hell did he know about morphing into a thousand-pound grizzly bear? And why wasn’t he scared? Was he a complete moron?

“I know you’re upset right now, but I need you to come back to me so we can talk this out.” He inched closer.

What in the hell was he doing?

“I had no idea you were one of us,” he said.

Us?

“I can’t imagine you’ve had a lot of practice shifting in the city. Do you know how to turn back?”

How could he know?

“Honey, I’m going to come over and pet you, okay? That might help you shift back.”

As he approached, she sat back on her haunches and chuffed. Confused, she cocked her head to one side and studied him. He didn’t seem scared at all.

“Sniff me.” He stopped several steps away and held out his hand.

She lowered her head and inhaled his woodsy aroma. As she brushed her nose across his hand, he reached out and scratched this side of her neck. A low rumble of pleasure tumbled up from her chest. When he moved to stroke the side of her, she turned to look at him. A soft smile spread across his face.

“I wish you’d told me. That would have explained a lot about… well, a lot.”

She huffed. How could she know that he was aware that some humans transformed into bears? She couldn’t ask him in her current state, so she told her bear to get back in her chest. It seemed to live there. For years, she’d felt that strange clawing sensation but had chalked it up to heartburn. Now she knew the truth, and apparently, so did he.

“Okay. If you won’t shift, then I will.” He sighed and backed up a few feet.

Her eyes went wide as his body twisted and snapped, morphing into a grizzly bear almost twice the size of her. She chuffed and transferred her weight from paw to paw as excitement coursed through her veins. Her bear roared in approval.

He’s our mate!

For the first time in her life, she listened to that strange little voice that always seemed to pop up when she was stressed out. Had it been the voice of her bear all this time? She’d been ignoring the poor creature for twenty-nine years; no wonder the animal was frustrated.

Unsure of what to do next, she walked over to Hank and brushed her cheek against his face. He returned her affection by nuzzling her neck. She looked into his dark brown eyes and smiled. Finally, she’d found someone who could explain all of this to her.

A sense of calm diffused the tension in her muscles. She recognized the retreat of her bear a second before her body started to change. Hank also shifted back to his human form. When he finished, she couldn’t stop staring at the ripples of hard muscle on his abs. His thick thighs showed off every pound of perfectly defined masculine power. She tried to avert her gaze from his rigid cock, but she couldn’t help taking a quick peek.

“It’s hell on the clothing budget.” He grinned.

“You’re a bear.”

“Yep. Apparently you are too. I had no idea.”

“I never knew I could transform until a few days ago,” she said.

“No one ever told you?”

“Who would have known? No one knew anything about my parents. That’s why I came to find my mom. I needed to understand what was happening to me.”

“Oh honey. I can’t imagine going through life feeling like something was off but not knowing why.” He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her.

She snuggled against his chest and truly relaxed for the first time in her life.

“We’ll find your mom,” he said. “But I can tell you anything you need to know about being a shifter.”

“A shifter? Is that what it’s called?” she asked.

“That’s what we all call it.”

“Who’s ‘we’?”

“My brothers and I are all shifters.”

“Wow. How many other people are shifters up here? Is it everyone? Does the whole town turn into bears?” She rattled off the questions faster and faster until he laughed.

“We can talk about all of that once we put some clothes on. Fortunately, I keep a couple of spares in my truck. The clothes are probably too big for you, but it’s better than nothing. Not that I’d mind having you walk around naked all day. I’m all for that. But I don’t want to have to share you with anyone else.”

“I doubt you’ll have to beat back a line of eager suitors,” she said in a self-deprecating tone.

“Don’t you know how beautiful you are?” he asked. “Or are you just fishing for compliments?”

“I’m too big. I don’t work out. You can’t bounce a quarter off my ass.”

“I beg to differ, and maybe we should try that sometime.” He flashed a wicked grin.

Every inch of her body sparked with heat as she followed him to the car. The animalistic side of her wanted to immediately pounce on him and ride him to the heights of ecstasy, but the human side of her knew that wasn’t practical. Maybe later. She tried to suppress a grin, but failed miserably.

“Trust me. I’d love nothing more than to fling you over my shoulder and carry you back to my bed, but I know you want to find your mom. I have an idea of where we might be able to get more information.” He handed her a sweater and a pair of pants with a belt.

“Where?” she asked as she dressed.

“My brother’s fiancée’s mom owns a pie shop in town. If I’m remembering correctly, June hosts the Red Hat Society meetings at the shop on Wednesdays. If we hurry, we might be able to catch Gertrude.”

“Who’s Gertrude?” she asked.

He chuckled. “Only the nosiest woman on the planet. No one can sneeze without her knowing about it. When Logan and Kate decided to have a shotgun wedding, she’d called everyone in West Yellowstone before they’d even made it down the aisle.”

“Hopefully she’ll know something,” Carol said.

“She will.” He helped her into the truck then ran around and climbed in. “I still want to talk about you being a bear, but let’s wait until after we find your mom.”

“All right.”

She scooted closer to him and laid her hand on his thigh. He’d slipped into a pair of jeans and a flannel shirt which did nothing to lower his sex appeal. If anything, knowing what was under those clothes was an even bigger tease than when he’d stood naked in front of her.

After they found her mom, she definitely wanted to revisit the whole bear thing. But even though Hank could tell her everything she needed to know about being a bear, she still needed to find her mom. She hadn’t realized how much she’d longed to have a family until now. She couldn’t let her mom slip away.

***

During the whole drive back to West Yellowstone, Hank couldn’t get the image of Carol in her bear form out of his mind. His bear danced around in his chest telling him that he’d found his mate. He’d waited his whole life to find the right woman. Could it really be this unbelievably sexy city girl from New York? If that was true, then he needed to make sure she found her mom. Maybe through her, she’d be able to convince Carol to stay with him. He couldn’t lose his mate now, not when he’d spent a lifetime waiting for her.

As he pulled into the parking lot behind the pie shop, June walked out of the back door. She hauled a huge black trash bag behind her. He jumped out and ran over to help.

“Hank, what a nice surprise. I was just asking Brady how everyone was doing the other day,” June said.

At fifty years old, tendrils of gray streaked through her jet-black hair. She wore it with stunning grace. In great shape for her age, she could have tossed the trash out without any assistance, but Hank wasn’t the type to watch someone struggle.

Carol joined them as they walked back toward the pie shop.

“June, this is Carol. She’s in town for a few days.” He wasn’t sure how much information Carol wanted to share, so he only supplied a minimal amount.

“I’m actually looking for my mom,” Carol said.

“What’s her name?” June asked.

“Victoria Fuller.”

“I didn’t know she had a daughter,” June said.

“It’s a long story,” Hank said. “You don’t happen to know where she’s currently living, do you?”

“No, sorry.”

“Is Gertrude here by any chance?” he asked.

“You can’t hear her cackling all the way out here?” June said with an arched brow.

“No.” He laughed.

“She’s still in there. I swear I’m going to slip her the sugar-free pie from now on.” June led them through the back door and into the kitchen.

A small boy doused in flour with a smear of bright green frosting on his mouth ran to wrap his arms around June’s leg. “Namma, I colored the cupcakes. Can I eat one now?”

“Sure, honey.” After he ran back to the other side of the kitchen, June said. “That’s my grandson, Jimmy.”

“He’s so cute,” Carol said.

“We had a pretty big health scare with him, but he’s back to normal. Keeping up with him is hell on the knees, but it’s worth it,” June said. “Just follow the cackling and you’ll find Gertrude.”

Hank pushed through the saloon-style double doors into the dining area. Set up soda-shop style, a long counter ran the length of one wall, while tables and chairs filled in the remaining space. In the center of the room, a gaggle of women sat behind empty pie plates. Their loud chattering stopped when Hank walked over.

“Ladies,” he said.

“To what do we owe the pleasure?” Gertrude smiled up from under a huge, floppy red hat. Spikes of white hair shot out from beneath the rim.

“I just wanted to see your gorgeous faces.” He winked.

“Well I know that’s a lie,” another grandmotherly woman said.

“Actually, we’re looking for Victoria Fuller,” Carol said as she stepped forward.

“Why?” Gertrude asked.

“We just wanted to visit her,” Hank said. If he told her even a hint of the full story, she’d run her mouth all over town.

“Last I heard, the bank kicked her out of that shack. I don’t know what the bank wants with that dump anyway,” Gertrude said.