Page 24 of Cowboy Bear’s Hope (Motley Crewd Shifters #3)

I didn’t know how much time had passed since I had Rosie back in my arms.

Minutes?

Hours?

It felt like a blur, the kind of haze that comes after the adrenaline fades and reality starts to sink in.

The sky outside the big picture window in her bedroom was a moody dark gray, heavy with clouds that seemed ready to burst at any moment.

I stared at them, absently wondering if snow would fall again tonight. Winter had a way of sneaking up on you out here, blanketing the world in quiet and cold.

Rosie shifted slightly in her bed, her tiny body curled against my side like she used to do when she was a toddler.

My sweet baby girl.

She was so worn out, her breaths soft and even, her lashes fluttering against her flushed cheeks as she dreamed.

I couldn’t blame her. She’d been through so much today.

My fingers moved gently through her soft hair, untangling the little knots she always seemed to collect during her wild adventures.

She’d been such a whirlwind lately, my Rosie, full of energy and curiosity that couldn’t be contained. But now, it all made sense.

The outbursts and her behavior at school.

My Rosie was special. She was other .

I was just so happy to have her back home, safe and sound. And I just couldn’t stop staring at her.

Penny and Jezebel had stayed with us for a while, but they left about twenty minutes or so ago. And I assumed the others followed them.

Dante was home. I could hear him ambling about the house downstairs, but I wasn’t ready to face him yet.

Not until I was satisfied Rosie was okay.

The fierce, protective love I felt for her swelled in my chest, so big it was hard to breathe around it.

The memories of the day flickered through my mind—her frightened eyes, her small hands gripping mine, the way her little body had changed right in front of me.

It was too much, too fast for any child, and yet here she was.

Safe. She’s home and she is whole.

For now, that was enough. I closed my eyes and said a prayer of thanks to whatever god might be listening. Rosie was my world, my heart, and I’d move mountains to keep her safe.

Outside, the wind picked up, rattling the bare branches of the trees, and sending a soft whistle through the cabin. A storm was definitely brewing.

And it wasn’t just outside.

It was inside me, too.

Fear, relief, love, all tangled together in a mess I couldn’t quite sort out yet.

But all that would keep.

I focused on Rosie, on her soft breaths and the way her small fingers clutched at my shirt even in sleep.

I made a vow right then. Whatever happened next, whatever challenges came our way, I’d be ready.

The brief conversation we’d had before she fell asleep played in my mind.

“Are you mad at me, Mama?” she’d asked.

“No, Baby, I am so proud of you my sweet cub.”

“Danny said I make a good Bear.”

“You do, Angel. The best Bear.”

Emotion filled me as I kissed her temple and helped her to bed, but her skin had been streaked with dirt and mud.

Rosie had been too sleepy for a bath though and the best I could do was wash her off with a warm, wet cloth and dry her and tuck her in.

I turned on the small shadow lamp Dante had given her a few nights ago as an early birthday present, not wanting to leave her in the dark.

The bulb was low wattage, and the soft yellow glow it gave off seemed like magic in the otherwise dark room.

But it wasn’t the light as much as the shadows it cast that made it so lovely.

Of course, the lamp itself was a pretty little thing, carved wood and bent metal. Dante made it himself, which made it even better if you asked me.

He was so full of surprises. So caring and sweet.

A spin of the shade sent shadow animals dancing across the walls. And I gasped when I realized what the animals were.

Two bears, one big and one small, a hulking wolf, a giant bull, a winged dragon, and a tall figure with a long face, tucked back wings, horns, and a tail perched in a tree. And if I wasn’t mistaken, there was a herd of goats being chased by a prairie dog in the background.

It was them, all the people who made the Motley Crewd Ranch the perfect place for my baby to grow up.

I knew Dante was scared right now. I could feel his nervousness and anxiety through our matebond. Of course, at first, I hadn’t recognized what that was. It took Jezebel and Penny to explain it to me.

But I knew now, and yeah, I had some talking to do with that man of mine.

But first this. First, I would let myself enjoy the complete happiness of having Rosie back home, securely tucked inside her bed.

A giggle escaped my lips, along with a single, happy tear that rolled down my cheek, but I quieted myself and brushed Rosie’s soft curls away from her face.

That child had my heart, and every day I loved her more. Learning how to be a Shifter was going to take some time.

We had a long road ahead, but for some reason, I wasn’t scared of it— of the future.

I stood up and walked to the door, casting my gaze over my daughter one more time. Dante had been building this bedroom for her for months before we’d moved in, even though he’d tried to play it off like it was merely a coincidence.

All those pale colors and pink sheets were for Rosie. And for me.

Enough time had passed, and as I closed her door gently, I squared my shoulders and readied myself to face him.

Mine.