The Cowbear's Christmas Bride (Curvy Bear Ranch 4) Page 11

  “I don’t know where to start,” she confessed.

  “You know I’m here for you, no matter what. Right?”

  “I know.”

  “It’s more than that, though,” he said.

  “It is?” She propped up on her arms and looked into his eyes.

  “Honey, I know we’ve only known each other for a few days. Incredibly intense days, but still, only a few days.” He stopped. “I’m babbling.”

  “It’s okay,” she said, glad that he was starting the conversation.

  “I’m just going to come out with it. I’m falling in love with you. I know you don’t really believe what I was telling you about fated mates, but it’s true. My bear recognized your bear as his mate the second he saw you. I was just too dumb to believe him,” he said with a crooked smile.

  “I don’t know about fated mates,” she said. “But I’m falling in love with you too.”

  “You are?” His eyes went wide.

  “I am.”

  “Oh honey. We’ll figure everything out, I promise. But we’re going to have to move your stuff here and I’ll find a place at the ranch. I mean, Madison will probably have to give up a room for a while, but I’m sure we can—”

  She silenced him with a kiss and didn’t stop until he relaxed beneath her. He pulled her tightly against his naked flesh, making her instantly aroused. She wanted to forget everything but the feel of his skin against hers, but not until they talked about the future.

  “Do you think we can really make something work between us?” she asked.

  “Yes, of course.” He cocked his head to one side. “Don’t you?”

  “I do. I guess I’m just nervous. What if I move out here and you decide you don’t want me anymore? I’ll have my mom, sure, but I could just as easily move her into my apartment in New York.”

  “You can’t do that,” he said.

  “Why?”

  “Because I love you and I hate cities. Bozeman’s about as big a city as I can stand,” he said.

  “Okay.” She laughed.

  “You’ll move?” he asked.

  “I feel like we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Normally people take months, even years to get to know each other before they start thinking about getting marr—”

  She cut herself off. Oh crap. Why’d she bring up marriage? That would surely scare him away. When he didn’t immediately respond, her heart sank. Apparently he loved her, but not enough to get married? Figured.

  “My brother just got married,” he said. “They decided on the spot. We were having a cake-baking contest and the minister happened to be at the party. They had the wedding within an hour of deciding.”

  “That’s fast,” she said.

  “Three of my brothers have either gotten married or engaged in the last few weeks. I have half a mind to check the well water. It must be spiked with something.” He grinned.

  “When I was a little girl, I dreamed that I’d find a man to whisk me away to his castle and marry me. I guess a ranch is as good as a castle.” A hint of humor tinged her voice.

  “Let’s get your mom settled, then we’ll figure out the rest of the fairy tale,” he said.

  “That sounds good.” She laid her head back on his chest.

  “Hey, princess?”

  “You’re such a goof.” She slapped his shoulder. “What?”

  “I want you.”

  The husky tone in his voice was all it took to make her forget everything but him. As he rolled her onto her back, she shivered with need. He could make her go from zero to horny in two-point-five seconds.

  When his mouth found hers, she moaned and met his hungry kiss. His hands swept across her body, rousing every nerve ending. By the time he slid his tongue into her mouth, she was half-mad with need.

  “Don’t make me wait,” she whispered.

  “Always so impatient, you dirty girl.”

  A ripple of exquisite pleasure shimmied down her spine. She loved his dirty talk as much as she loved the way his fingers spread her soft pussy lips.

  As he slipped one finger into her moist folds, he caught her earlobe in his teeth. She writhed against his hand, urging him to slide deeper.

  “Tell me what you want,” he murmured.

  “I want…” What she wanted was too naughty to ask for.

  “Come on, I want to hear it.”

  “You know that time we were in the truck?” she asked tentatively.

  “The time I flipped you over and pushed my cock into your tight little pussy?”

  Molten heat rolled across his fingers. The way he talked to her in bed was so dirty, so sexy, that she was instantly wet for him.

  “Yeah,” she gasped.

  “You want that again?”

  “Mm-hmm.”

  His mouth left searing kisses across her chest as he moved down to suck her breasts. As she tangled her fingers in his hair, he slid a second finger into her pussy.

  “Oh God.”

  “You know why I liked taking you from behind so much?” he asked.

  “No.”

  “I like the way your little heart-shaped ass looks.”

  She arched her neck, letting her legs fall open as he worked his magical fingers in and out with ever-increasing pressure. When she tried to reach for his rigid cock, he grabbed both of her wrists in one large hand.

  “Not yet, sweetie. I’m about to explode already and I haven’t even started with you,” he said.

  “Oh yes,” she hissed as he brushed the pad of his thumb over her clit.

  “I want to watch you come.”

  “Oh God.”

  “I love the way your entire body shivers when you’re close,” he said as he dragged her hands over her head.

  He was right, so right. With her hands pinned, she was completely vulnerable and totally at his mercy. She couldn’t stop the momentum of his fingers, or the rumble of her impending orgasm. Her breath came in short bursts.

  “I can’t… oh God… I’m—” She shattered against him, racked with pulses of ecstasy so intense she thought she was going to die. Her eyes rolled back as she arched. Garbled cries spilled from her lips. All vestiges of humanity fell away as her pure, animalistic core clenched against his fingers.

  She was still spasming when he rolled her over so she was face-down. He climbed behind her and hooked an arm around her hips. There was nothing gentle about the way he hoisted her onto his cock, piercing her in a single, rough thrust. She screamed as shockwaves blasted out from her pussy.

  Completely lost and not even sure of where she was in space, she clawed at the bed. He was holding her up against him with one hand on her breast and the other wrapped around her belly. Her knees brushed against the sheets as he brought her down on his cock over and over. Everything was happening so fast that she couldn’t catch her breath.

  “Tell me that you love me,” he whispered.

  “I love you,” she gasped.

  He growled in response and leaned forward, pressing her against the bed. Face-down, she wasn’t prepared for the sudden clamp of his teeth on her shoulder. Somehow, it didn’t hurt. It only served to intensify the state of total bliss she’d dropped into.

  After a few minutes of rapid thrusts, he slowed, stroking into her with long, luxurious motions that seemed to convey how much he loved her. She moaned against the bed as he kissed the back of her neck. He intertwined his fingers with hers then pulled her hands up above her head. She’d never been so completely captivated by anyone before. She surrendered to every push of his hips, angling her ass up to allow him to go deeper.

  “I love the way you sound,” he whispered.

  “Ohh…” she moaned.

  He pulled out slowly then rolled her onto her back. After plunging back into her, he leaned down to kiss her lips until she cried out. He locked eyes with her, and with every thrust brought her closer to delirium. She loved him so much, she thought her heart might explode from the weight of it.

  The rhythmic slide of hi
s body created a steady buildup of tension in her core. As the first rolling wave crashed over her, she wrapped her legs around him. She rode him even as she dissolved into a hazy world of orgasmic bliss.

  He drove deep, then shuttered against her as he found his own release. They lay entangled until he finally lifted his head to look at her.

  “I got a little carried away,” he whispered.

  “A little, but I love that side of you.”

  “The feral side?” he asked with a smile.

  “Mm-hmm. I could get used to being taken by you.”

  “I could get used to taking you.”

  She smiled and kissed him before settling back against the sheets. With every ounce of energy drained from her body, she fought to stay awake.

  When she opened her eyes again, sunlight streamed in through the window. She propped up and looked for Hank. At first she thought the room was empty, but then she spotted a tray of breakfast food. Her stomach rumbled as she slipped out of bed and padded to the tray.

  A buffet of everything from eggs to pancakes to sausage greeted her. She eyed the food and salivated, but couldn’t eat until she found Hank.

  The door opened and she turned to find him walking in with a huge bouquet of red roses.

  “Sorry I was gone so long,” he said.

  “I just got up. Where did you go?”

  “I ran around to a couple of stores. These are for you.” He handed her the vase filled with roses.

  “Thanks, honey.”

  “And this is for you too.” He dropped to one knee and pulled a small black box out of his back pocket.

  Chapter 12

  “Hank!” She pressed her hand over her heart.

  “I love you, Carol. I know you’re still a bit hesitant about packing up your life and moving all the way to Montana, but I need you here. I need you by my side and I want to make you—no—I swear I’ll make you the happiest woman alive. And I’ll do whatever it takes to help you with your mom.” He looked up at her with shimmering eyes. “Will you marry me?”

  She stared as he cracked open the box to reveal a huge diamond solitaire. Her eyes rounded.

  “That has to be at least two carats,” she blurted.

  “Does that mean you’ll marry me?” he asked from his position on the floor.

  “Yes, but not because of the ridiculously huge ring. I want to marry you because I love you. Maybe this fated mates thing is real.”

  “My bear sure thinks so.” He slipped the ring onto her finger.

  Something warm and fuzzy bounced around in her chest. Maybe it was the way her bear celebrated their engagement.

  “I can’t wait to marry you.” She flung her arms around his neck.

  “I can’t wait to marry you either.” He stood, bringing her with him. She wrapped her legs around his waist, loving the fact that he made her feel as light as a snowflake.

  “Let’s eat some breakfast then we’ll head over to the hospital,” he said.

  “I can’t wait to tell my mom. I hope she’s okay with it.”

  “Why wouldn’t she be?” he asked.

  “I don’t know. I just don’t want anything to ruin today. It’s the best day of my life. I know that sounds really weird considering my meth-addicted mom is waiting for us in a hospital right now, but it’s true.”

  “Life isn’t like it is in the movies. People fall in love during the strangest times,” he said.

  She was so excited she could hardly eat. While she sat on his lap, he fed her bite-sized pieces of pancakes. She laughed and snuggled against him, enjoying every second of being with him.

  ***

  Carol stood by her mom’s bed while the doctor explained the prescription for methadone. While she held her mom’s hand, Hank stood behind her, rubbing her shoulders. A new brightness had entered her mom’s eyes in the last few days. Each time they’d visited, she’d seemed a little clearer. The ugly black bruises turned dark purple, but they would fade in time. The bruises on her heart would take longer to heal, but Carol intended to do whatever it took to help her.

  “I’ll get your discharge papers ready,” the doctor said. “I want to see you back here in a week for a checkup. But you should be feeling much better by New Year’s Day. Enjoy Christmas with your daughter and future son-in-law. Take care of yourself.”

  “I will,” her mom said. “Thank you for everything.”

  The nurse walked into the room with a wheelchair. “Let’s get you dressed. It’s cold outside, but at least it stopped snowing.”

  “We’ll wait in the hall,” Carol said.

  She gave her mom a kiss on the cheek before taking Hank’s hand and leaving the room. After the door closed, she lowered her voice. “Is everything ready at the B & B?”

  “Madison made up a spare room. We don’t normally use it for guests because it’s really small, but it’s all we have right now,” Hank said.

  “As long as she has a warm bed and a roof over her head, she’ll be okay.”

  “Christmas Eve is tomorrow night. I hope it’s not too much for her. We usually throw a cookies-and-milk party for the guests’ kids,” he said.

  “Don’t change anything on our account,” she said. “She’s been so isolated the last few years that I think she might enjoy the company.”

  “Okay.” He brushed a kiss across her lips before nibbling a trail up to her earlobe. When he caught the sensitive flesh between his teeth, her insides turned to jelly.

  “Not right now,” she whispered.

  “Later?” He pulled back to look at her with smoldering eyes.

  “We just did it this morning.”

  “Only once.” He grinned.

  “You’re insatiable.”

  “My bear has certain needs.”

  She giggled as she ran a hand down his chest. The door to the hospital room opened. She jumped back, but not before the nurse rolled her mom through the opening.

  “Don’t stop on my account,” her mom chuckled. “If I had a man like Hank, I’d be crawling all over him too.”

  Carol wanted to die of embarrassment, but Hank didn’t seem to mind. He hooked an arm around her waist.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll make her an honorable woman soon enough,” he said.

  “How soon?” her mom asked.

  “As soon as she’ll let me,” he said.

  “If you can manage to throw a wedding together in record time, I’d marry you tomorrow,” Carol said.

  “Really?” he arched a brow.

  “Mm-hmm. All I need is a dress—”

  “There are plenty of shops in Bozeman,” he said.

  “A wedding band—”

  “I already bought the set.”

  “Flowers?” she challenged.

  “Mack can seem to pull them out of his a—”

  “Whoa,” Carol held up her hand. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

  “You’ve never seen the Grant brothers in action. Together we can accomplish pretty much anything,” he said with pride.

  “Well, let’s get my mom home and then we’ll figure out a real wedding date,” she said.

  “Date’s tomorrow.” He winked.

  “Okay, honey.” She rolled her eyes, but secretly she loved how eager he was to marry her.

  Their last few days together had solidified her decision to completely uproot her life and move to Montana. Hank had assured her that he’d take care of her. She never wanted to be the little woman at home, but when she’d declared that she still wanted to work, he’d said he’d support anything she wanted to do.

  As they left the hospital, sun streamed through the clouds. She couldn’t wait to get back to the ranch and introduce her mom to Hank’s other brothers. In addition to finally having a relationship with the daughter she’d given up, she was being welcomed into Hank’s family with open arms. Carol’s heart warmed as she helped her mom climb into the car. She never expected to find her mom, a husband, and a whole family in one trip.

  ***

/>   Carol hopped out of the truck and helped her mom climb down. As they walked toward the front of the B & B, Hank pulled a suitcase out of the back seat. They’d stopped at the mall in Bozeman to get her mom some clothes. She’d left with nothing and said she never wanted to go back to Trevor’s, not even to get her clothes.

  The front door opened and Madison walked out. “I saw you guys from the window. You made it just in time for lunch. I hope you like pulled pork sandwiches, potato salad, and coleslaw. But if not, I can whip up something else.”

  “That sounds good,” Carol said before realizing she had no idea what her mom liked to eat. She could be a vegetarian for all she knew. “Uh, Mom, you eat meat, right?”

  “Are you kidding? I’m a meat and potatoes kinda girl. What you fixed up sounds damn good after all that hospital food. If I never see another cup of applesauce, it will be too soon,” her mom said.

  “No applesauce today,” Madison said.

  “I hope you don’t mind me lookin’ so beat up. I can eat up in the room if you want,” her mom said.

  “Are you kidding?” Madison asked with a smile. “You’re family now. I heard your daughter stole my brother-in-law’s heart this week.”

  “Snatched it up like a fat kid in a candy store,” her mom said.

  “That’s about how it happened.” Hank laughed. “By the way, Carol said she’d marry me if I could throw together a wedding by tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow’s Christmas Eve,” Madison said.

  “I told him it’s impossible,” Carol said.

  “Impossible, hmm?” Madison’s eyes twinkled with mischief. “When I first arrived on the ranch, Mack thought teaching me to cook would be impossible, but look at me now.”

  “She can cook a mean pot roast,” Hank said.

  “Yep, and I only caught the kitchen on fire once,” Madison said with a grin.

  “You caught the kitchen on fire?” Carol asked.

  “Just ask Mack, he’ll tell you all about it,” Madison said.

  “Did I just hear my name?” Mack asked as he poked his head out of the door. “What are you guys doing out there? It’s freezing. Come inside before you turn into ice cubes.”

  As they filed into the house, Hank split off to take her mom’s luggage to the bedroom. Madison rushed back into the kitchen as a timer beeped, and Carol and her mom strolled into the dining room.