The Cowbear's Christmas Bride (Curvy Bear Ranch 4) Page 9

  Chapter 9

  “Hello?” Carol said.

  “This is Sheriff Tanner.”

  “How’s my mom?” Her heart hammered in her chest. She held the phone so Hank could hear.

  “She wouldn’t talk, but I arrested Trevor anyway,” Tanner said.

  “On what grounds?” Hank asked.

  “Drunk and disorderly. On my way up to the cabin, I got a call from dispatch. An owner from one of the bars claimed Trevor was in there breaking glasses against the wall. Owner wanted to press charges. Worked for me,” the sheriff said.

  “How long can you hold him?” Hank asked.

  “Until he makes bail, so that’ll at least be twenty-four hours. Might take him a few more days than that. I’m not sure how many friends he’s got left. You might want to head up in the morning and try talking some sense into your mother,” Tanner said.

  “We will,” Carol responded.

  After they’d hung up, she fell back against the bed. At least her mom was safe for tonight. The strain of the day had turned her muscles to lead. Even the hot bath hadn’t been enough to make the aching stop. She turned to find Hank looking at her with concern.

  “She’ll be okay until tomorrow,” he said.

  “I know. I’m just… I wish I could have done something more. I wish I could have helped her.”

  “Some people don’t want to be helped. They don’t know any other way. It sounds like she was beaten on by her father and probably by all the other men in her life in one way or another.”

  “Why wouldn’t she just leave?” she asked.

  “This is going to sound really bad, but maybe she was so used to it that she thought it was normal. Guys like Trevor are master manipulators. They tear down their women until they’ve got nothing left. Maybe she just doesn’t believe that she deserves better,” he said.

  She considered his words. Although she didn’t want it to make sense, it did. Her mom had probably been taught from a young age that men were superior and that she would never be strong enough to live without one. She wished there was a way she could give her mom the courage she needed to walk away.

  “Do you want me to stay the night?” Hank asked.

  “Will you hold me?” she asked softly. When he hesitated, she frowned. “You don’t have to. If you’d rather sleep in your own bed, I just—”

  “Honey, I don’t want to leave you alone, but crawling into bed with you… I’m not a strong man.”

  The instant his meaning clicked, she smiled shyly.

  “Can you at least try?” she asked.

  He nodded and stripped down to his boxers. She slid to the other side of the bed to make room for him. The huge, king-size bed was big enough for both of them to sleep in it without touching, but she wanted to lie next to him.

  After he climbed into bed, he rolled onto his side to face her. She swallowed at the raw look of desire in his eyes. It seemed so wrong to want him right now, but she did.

  “If you keep looking at me like that,” he said in a husky voice, “I won’t be able to stay on my half of the bed.”

  “Hank…”

  He brushed the back of his fingertips across her cheek. When he cupped her face, she leaned forward. And when he lowered his lips to hers, she let out a choked cry. He closed the distance between them, drawing her into his arms and against his hard body. She slid her hands across his shoulders, pulling him down to cover her.

  “If you want me to stop...” he murmured after finally breaking the sensual kiss.

  “No… I need you.”

  She wound her arms around his shoulders, delving back into the sultry kiss that made her wet with desire. Half-expecting him to flip her over, she was surprised when he took his time, slowly exploring every inch of her face with gentle kisses.

  When his mouth moved to her throat, she moaned. His hand glided across her belly to rest on her upper thigh. She quivered in anticipation. As he stroked the insides of her thighs, she arched against him.

  “Faster,” she whispered.

  “No,” he murmured. “I want to know every inch of you. I want to find the places that make you tremble and moan. I want to explore the hollow at your throat, the backs of your knees, and the edge of your earlobe until you’re begging me for more.”

  She melted against him as his fingers grazed the soft thatch of hair over her pussy. What more could a woman possibly want other than a man to worship her body? With every kiss, with every touch, and with every caress, he made her his. He ruined her for any other man. She knew, deep in her soul, that she’d never find a better lover.

  When his teasing kisses left her neck and traveled to the valley between her breasts, she reached for his cock. She wanted to give him the same pleasure he was giving her. Powerless to move more than a few inches, she stroked his hardened flesh with long, gentle motions.

  He groaned and captured a nipple between his teeth. With silky flicks of his tongue, he coaxed her to new heights of desperation. She needed him to claim her, to fill her with his cock, and to take her to the place of rapturous bliss only he knew how to find.

  The pad of his thumb scraped across her slick heat. Again, it passed over her pussy, circling closer to the tiny nub of flesh that could make her scream in ecstasy. She squeezed his cock, eliciting a gasp from his lips. He growled and slid out of her grip.

  For a second, she thought she’d been too rough, but as he knelt between her outstretched thighs, she spotted lust in his eyes and knew she had nothing to worry about.

  “I want to taste you,” he whispered.

  She squeaked in response, suddenly tense. No one had ever kissed her down there. Would he like the taste of her? Would he be repulsed?

  When she tried to push his head away, he clasped her hands in his and pinned them to her sides.

  “Relax, honey.”

  Her thighs trembled as his hair brushed the insides of her knees. As he blew a hot breath against her tender flesh, she whimpered.

  “You smell like the forest after it rains, so fresh and earthy,” he said.

  “Thanks.” It sounded so stupid, but she couldn’t think of any other way to respond.

  Without warning, his tongue swiped the length of her pussy from top to bottom and back up. She cried out, then instantly regretted it. What if the other guests heard her? What if his brother and his fiancée heard her? What would they think of her jumping into bed with someone she’d just met?

  She bit her lip and tried to stay silent, but it was no use. He was doing things with his mouth. Amazing, impossibly precise movements broken up by lavish licks designed to break her apart. She shattered against his mouth, completely caught off guard by the sudden rush of torrid pleasure blasting through her core.

  A cry escaped, piercing the relative silence of the night. He continued to lick and nibble and suck on her vibrating flesh until she was on the brink of losing complete control. And just when she thought she couldn’t take another breath, he climbed up between her thighs.

  Rather than enter her, he kissed her lips, bringing the briny sweetness of her juices to her mouth. He slid his tongue between her lips, teasing apart her teeth and claiming her mouth completely. She moaned and cried out with abandon, knowing that he’d capture her passionate roars.

  When he finally broke the kiss, she reached for his butt and pulled him down. He didn’t need any more encouragement. He sank into the still-throbbing warmth of her pussy and filled her so completely that she never wanted him to leave.

  Each stroke brought her closer to him. Each time his back muscles flexed, she melted deeper into him until she couldn’t imagine where she ended and he began.

  She clawed at his back, reveling in his feral growls. He thrust harder, faster, deeper. His fingers wrapped around her shoulders and dug in as if he were hanging on for dear life. And maybe he was. Maybe she’d awakened something in him that he’d kept hidden in the same way that she’d concealed her bear.

  The slight change in the angle of his hips st
oked the fire in her body. She moved with him, falling into a rhythm so primal that she didn’t have to think, she could just feel. And she felt everything.

  “Come for me,” he whispered urgently.

  She wrapped her legs around his waist and drew him in, taking everything he could give. As she rode waves of ecstasy toward a final, mind-shattering orgasm, she felt him explode. He clung to her until his breath evened out.

  ***

  “Carol… oh, honey…” Hank murmured.

  “Shh.” She stroked his sweat-drenched hair.

  “I’ve never… I don’t…”

  “Just lie here with me,” she whispered.

  He couldn’t move a muscle. He didn’t ever want to leave the softness of her body. Even as he slipped free, he wanted to return to her warmth. No woman had ever made him feel like this. He couldn’t stop shaking, even as the adrenaline of making love to her wore off.

  After burying his face in her hair, he inhaled her scent.

  See, she’s our mate, his bear hollered.

  Yes, fine, bear. You were right.

  Told you.

  Ugh, his bear could be such a brat sometimes.

  She stirred beneath him. He carefully rolled onto his side next to her, never letting more than a breath of air get between them.

  “Roll over,” he said.

  “Again?” She raised a brow.

  “No, not again.” He laughed. “I want to cuddle with you.”

  “Most men don’t want to cuddle.”

  “Most men are morons,” he said. “Now, roll over so I can hold you.”

  After she’d turned her back to him, he scooted up against her. He stroked the curve of her hip.

  “You’re so sexy,” he whispered.

  “Flatterer.”

  “I mean it.” He paused, trying to find a way to ask her what he really wanted to ask her. Would she consider staying? Was his bear getting excited over nothing? Did they have any kind of future together?

  He rested his palm on her hip, unable to give voice to any of the questions bouncing around in his head.

  “It’s so strange,” she said. “I came here looking for my mother, and she completely rejected me. But you, a complete stranger, took me into your life without hesitation.”

  “Maybe I sensed the bear inside you and I was drawn to that,” he said.

  “Is that a thing? Can you sense it when other people are bears?”

  “No. If it was, I would have realized you were a shifter a lot sooner.” He chose his next words carefully. “Have you heard about fated mates?”

  “If it’s a bear thing, then no. I don’t know anything.”

  “Shifters believe that there is one special person out there for them, someone they belong with, someone who they want to commit themselves to for the rest of their lives,” he said.

  “Like soul mates?”

  “Yes.”

  “It’s a romantic idea, but what happens if your mate lives on the other side of the country? Or the other side of the world? How will you find each other?”

  “That’s where the fate part comes in,” he said.

  “I don’t know if I believe in all that. It sounds impossible.”

  “What if it wasn’t?” he asked.

  “Then it would be magical,” she said wistfully.

  His heart thumped in his chest. He wanted to tell her that he thought she was his mate, but what if he was wrong? Or what if she was too distracted by what was happening with her mom to think about love?

  Love? Oh crap.

  She’s our mate. His bear danced around his heart like a fool, but the more he tried to make him stop, the more he danced. Damn bear.

  She yawned and nestled against him. Within minutes, she fell asleep. So much for laying his heart bare for her. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep, but he couldn’t stop thinking about what everything meant. If they could just get her mother into a safe situation, maybe his mate would be more open to the idea of fate.

  He wasn’t going to give up until he’d convinced her that she belonged with him. Although he’d tried to protect his heart, he knew his bear wouldn’t lie to him. And if he was really being honest with himself, he’d acknowledge the one thing that scared him more than anything else in the world—he was falling in love with her.

  Chapter 10

  During the entire ride to Trevor’s cabin, Carol couldn’t stop thinking about fated mates. Could that actually be true? Over the last few days, she felt a stronger connection to her bear than ever before, maybe because she was finally acknowledging the poor creature. How terrible to go through life being ignored. Carol knew how much that hurt, so she vowed to find a way to make it up to her bear.

  She glanced at Hank. Lying in his arms last night, she couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to wake up to him every morning. Was there a way she could pack up her old life and move to Montana? Before she would even think about doing that, she’d have to know for sure that he wanted her to move.

  When he’d talked about fated mates, she loved how romantic it all sounded. But how would she know if it were true? It seemed like something that would hit her in the gut. Had Hank impacted her so much that they were fated to be together?

  As the cabin came into view, she pushed the thoughts aside. She’d still be in Montana for a few more days. She’d planned on leaving on Christmas Eve, but maybe they could extend her reservation.

  “Trevor shouldn’t be here,” Hank said. “But I want to check things out before you get out of the truck, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  By now, she knew better than to argue with him about matters of safety. He was super protective, which normally would have sent up a bunch of red flags, but his intent was clear—he wanted to keep her away from harm.

  She squirmed in the seat as she watched Hank walk up to the front door. Flashes of his hot, sweaty, ripped, naked body flickered across her mind like a silent film. He was so aggressive and yet sensual in bed, a combination she’d never experienced with the few boyfriends she’d had. She could definitely get used to his sexy, dirty talk.

  After climbing the steps, Hank pushed open the front door to the cabin. How odd. Why wasn’t it locked?

  She sat up straighter, waiting for his signal. A vise-like band of fear ensnared her belly. What if Trevor already made bail? What if he’d come back already? What if he’d done something to her mom?

  Hank reappeared and waved frantically. She leapt out of the truck and ran up the porch steps. As she entered the house, she gasped. The place looked like it had been hit by a hurricane. Tables lay on their sides. Chairs with shattered legs were heaped up in one corner of the room. And there was blood, lots of it.

  “Mom?” she screamed.

  She scurried after him into the bedroom at the rear of the house. When they burst into the room, Hank cursed. Her mom was draped across the bed. Sticky, coagulated blood seeped out from a huge gash on the back of her head.

  “Oh God, is she?” Carol placed her hand over her heart in an attempt to calm it. The pounding beat of it against her ribcage was too much to bear.

  Hank hurried over to her mom and placed two fingers on her neck.

  “She’s still alive. We need to get her to a hospital right now. She needs medevac,” he said.

  “But there’s no phone and our cell phones don’t work here.”

  “We need to carry her to the truck and drive her to West Yellowstone. Wait here, I’m going to see if I can find something to help stabilize her neck.” He rushed out of the room.

  Her knees knocked together as she approached her mom. At first, she couldn’t even see her breathing, but as she drew closer, Carol spotted a faint rise and fall in her chest. She was alive… but for how long?

  Hank rushed back into the room carrying a piece of plywood and some curtain ties.

  “This is far from ideal, but it’s all we have,” he said. “Help me get her on the board.”

  After carefully positioning her mom,
they wrapped ties around her torso to keep her somewhat secure.

  “Normally I would never, ever move someone this injured, but if we don’t move her now…” His voice faded.

  “I know.”

  “I’ll carry her, you get the door,” he said.

  Once they’d secured her inside the truck, Carol held her mom’s hand. She tried to convey all the love in her heart and for the first time in a long time, she prayed.

  As soon as they reached West Yellowstone, he turned toward the sheriff’s department. He tore into the parking lot and parked sideways in front of the entrance.

  “Don’t move. I’ll be right back,” he said.

  He dashed into the sheriff’s office. A minute later, he returned with Sheriff Tanner and the young woman from the front desk.

  “Jesus,” Sheriff Tanner said. “Trudy, get a medevac chopper up here.”

  Trudy raced back into the office.

  “What happened?” Tanner asked.

  “We don’t know. I thought you said Trevor would be locked up for the night,” Hank said.

  “He’s been in lockup since I picked him up. He’s still there.”

  “What about last night? Did you check on my mom when you were there?” Carol asked, unable to keep the accusation out of her tone.

  “She wasn’t at the house last night. I went up there, searched, and didn’t find her,” Tanner said.

  “How could she possibly hide in a tiny cabin?” Carol asked.

  “I don’t know, but I swear I looked everywhere.”

  “What about the shed out back?” Hank asked.

  “What shed?” Tanner asked.

  “Jesus Christ, Tanner. She was probably hiding in the damn shed,” Hank said.

  “It was snowing and dark. I didn’t see a shed. I’m sorry.”

  Carol’s stomach dropped. How long had her mom been like this? Would she even be able to recover? If she had a concussion, she might have brain damage.

  The whip of helicopter blades through the air drew their attention. Carol placed a hand up to block the sun as she stared at the incoming chopper. At least they’d arrived quickly.

  Two medics jumped out even before it fully landed. Heads down, they ran toward the truck.