Page 157 of The Cowbears of Curvy Bear Ranch

“You know it.” Kategrinned.

“You two are perfect for each other. So nasty.” Hank said while shakinghishead.

“Ready to tackle the last couple of sides?” Loganasked.

“Let’sdoit.”

Hours later, the sun dipped low on the horizon. Gray clouds rolled in from the north, bringing the threatofsnow.

Hank brushed his hands against his jeans. After a hard day’s work, he was ready for a hot shower and some of Madison’sbeefstew.

“We’ll wash up and meet you at the B & B,” Logan said as he reached forKate’shand.

“Sounds good,” Hankreplied.

During the short, five-minute walk to his home, he took in the majestic view. Sparks of light glittered across the lake, catching on tiny wind-generated waves. In the distance, snow-covered mountains rose up toward the sky. The cattle had been moved into the Curvy Bear Ranch’s barn, leaving the fields wide open. He couldn’t get over the beauty of the pristinewilderness.

Being out in nature made his bear itch to come out and play. Maybe he’d let the beast out to run around later, after dinner. His bear agreed that food came first and was content to wait. He loved being able to shift and explore the forest at night. The silence gave him time to reflect on his day. He’d been shifting after dinner as a matter of routine for years. Sure, he was frustrated by the monotony to a certain extent, but he had a family who loved him and plenty of work to do. What more could amanwant?

As he approached the entrance to the B & B, he noticed a woman in a long trench coat dragging a huge suitcase through the snow. She was headed toward the door, so he ran over tohelpher.

“Let me get that for you,”hesaid.

“Thank you. I didn’t think I packed that much, but I guessIdid.”

When she looked up, his heart skipped. She had the largest, greenest eyes he’d ever seen. A cascade of wavy red hair hung halfway down her back. Her heart-shaped face had a dusting of freckles across her nose. She was so beautiful that he almost couldn’t catch hisbreath.

“I’m Hank,” hemanaged.

“Carol,” she said. “I think I over-packed, but I wasn’t sure how long I would bestaying.”

“Don’t you have a reservation?” heasked.

“Yes, but… it’scomplicated.”

“Let’s go inside and then we can un-complicate it.”Un-complicate it? Really? Was that even a word? Get it together. Sure, she’s hot, but that doesn’t mean you should turn into a blubberingidiot.

He glanced at her curvaceous butt. His bear drooled and immediately demanded that he mate with her.Damnbear.

Okay, so maybe he hadn’t gotten laid in a couple of years, and yes, Carol was hotter than a hot spring, but he knew better than to get his hopes up when it came to guests. They were just passing through on vacation. They weren’t looking for a relationship and neitherwashe.

The last guest he’d pursued had turned into a drama queen. He’d dropped her as soon as he realized she was creating a million imagined problems just to get a rise out of him. He wanted a sweet woman with a gentle heart and good values, and he was prepared to wait for as long as it took tofindher.

Chapter2

Carol glancedat the scorching-hot cowboy’s tight butt as he climbed the stairs to the second floor. After establishing the location of her room, she followed Hank through the bed and breakfast. It had the quaint feel of a log cabin with all the amenities of civilization. Thank God. Christmas was a week away, and this had been the only place in town with anopening.

As they passed the living room, a huge Christmas tree twinkled with a thousand multi-colored lights. Ornaments of all shapes and sizes reflected a kaleidoscope of color. After the harrowing two-hour drive in from Bozeman, all she wanted to do was collapse in front of the tree and takeanap.

When they reached the second floor, Hank walked to the end of the hall and unlocked a set of double doors. As he pushed them open, she gasped. A huge four-poster bed sat in the center of the room. A gorgeous blanket depicting a bear family lay across the bed. It was a sign that she was on the right path, that she’d find her birthmother.

“This is the honeymoon suite. You got lucky because we had a last-minute cancellation, so Madison gave you the standard rate,”Hanksaid.

It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him that she could hardly afford the standard rate, let alone an upgrade. Instead, she simply thanked him as she followed him into the attachedbathroom.

“There’s a large bathtub built for two in here.” He looked away as a slight flush rose up on hischeeks.

What was that about? Was he having the same naughty thoughts about jumping into the bath together, naked as the day they were born? She shook her head to clear the ridiculous thought. She was here on a mission to find her mom, not on a mission to have a fling with a hotcowboy.