Page 223 of The Cowbears of Curvy Bear Ranch

Stunned by her outburst, she froze. She never said no to her parents. She’d always done everything they’d wanted, from cramming her five-year-old feet into tight ballet slippers to taking the bar exam. She’d spent her entire life doing what everyone else wanted her to do—no,expectedher to do—well, not anymore. For once, she was going to stand up to her mom, even if it made her stomach do flip-flops.

“Abigail Ann Holt, do not smart mouth me,” her momsnapped.

“What about whatIwant?” Abby yelled. “Maybe I don’t want to be a lawyer anymore. Maybe I never wanted tobeone.”

“Don’t you want to carry on the family tradition?” her mom asked in a genuinely hurt voice. “We could have thrown a debutant ball and married you off to a rich man. You could have been a socialite, but you were too smart for that. It would have been a waste. Don’t let one court case ruin yourwholelife.”

“Can you just give me some time?” Abbyasked.

“Fine. You get one more day, then you need tocomehome.”

“A week,” Abbychallenged.

“No. That’s too long. What will the press say? CNN has already staked out your father’s office. They’ve assaulted him with questions every morning for the last few days. He’s hardly able to get through the crowd of reporters. They all want to know how his daughter could let a child predatorgofree.”

Being punched in the gut couldn’t have hurt more than her mom’s last comment. As her knees buckled, she slumped back ontothebed.

“I have to go, Mom,” she whispered beforehangingup.

She dropped her head into her hands and sobbed. Did her own mother think she was responsible for Drake’s acquittal? Maybe everyone thought she’d failed. She cried until anger bloomed in her chest. She’d never wanted to be a lawyer to begin with, but her parents had pushed her to graduate at the top of her class in every grade from first through law school. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d done something thatshewantedtodo.

The sudden impulse to go out and do something for herself for the first time in her life brought her to her feet. But what? What did she really wanttodo?

Paint.

As a child, she’d loved painting animals. She was on a ranch full of animals just waiting to be painted. So what if it was a childish act of rebellion? She wasn’t going back to Texas until she was damn well good andready.

Now, where in the heck was she going to find apaintset?

* * *

Cody sweptthe kitchen floor and then dumped the contents of the dustpan into the trash. He’d spent all morning helping Madison around the B & B. Although she claimed she was feeling better, Mack had made her promise that she’d stay off her feet for the rest of the day. She’d grumbled for a second, then had given in after Cody had volunteered to do the houseworkforher.

He would have helped her regardless, but this gave him the opportunity to bump into Abby. Provided she ever emerged from her bedroom. The last time he’d snuck up the stairs to check, the door had still been closed. Maybe she was too embarrassed to come out after the situation in the spa. She didn’t have anything to worry about. He didn’t intend to repeat that scenarioagain.

Although the memory of her soft lips flooded him with a rush of desire so intense that his body instantly tightened in response. Who was he kidding? He wanted her in his arms again. His bear wanted to finish what he’d started the night before, even though Cody knew it was abadidea.

“You’re staring off into space again,” Madison said with a grin. “Does it have anything to do with your little rendezvous in the spa lastnight?”

“Who told you?” hedemanded.

“Carol. She said she wanted to turn around the second she realized you were lip-locked with Abby, but Hank couldn’t resist poking some funatyou.”

“Ugh, sometimes I wish I were an only child,”hesaid.

“You don’tmeanthat.”

“You’re right, I don’t,”hesaid.

“You guys mess around with each other so much, it’s a given,”Madisonsaid.

“Yeah, but I wasn’t the only one out in the spa. He embarrassed the heck outofAbby.”

“She shouldn’t have been out there to begin with,” Madison scolded. “How many times have I told you guys to stay away from theguests?”

“Oh, really?” he asked with an arched brow. “Should we be staying away from them the way you stayed awayfromMack?”

“That was different,” shesmirked.