Page 4 of Cowboy Bear’s Hope (Motley Crewd Shifters #3)

“ G oddamnit, Jed! Will you get Dolly Lou Who outta here!” Kian screeched, grabbing his ass where the goat head butted him a second time.

My Bear snarled as the sound of the Bull Shifter’s wails reverberated in the closed dairy barn. We were repairing some leaks we’d found on the roof, using a special sealant on the ceiling inside to finish up the job.

“Sorry, Kian. Doll Lou is just a curious little thing, ain’t cha girl?” the old Prairie Dog Shifter replied, tossing a rope around the little goat’s neck, and tugging her outside.

This barn was for the dairy cows. The new one for the goats was located in the enclosed pasture next door. Cows and goats got along fine, but Jed spoiled his little girls, giving them free rein.

Personally, I was a fan of Dolly Lou, and any other goat who took issue with Kian. That obnoxious bovine was on my last nerve.

Ever since Emmet got hitched, the asshole couldn’t stop yapping about finding his mate. After which he always seemed to bring up Avery. Almost hinting the woman was his mate.

Fuck. No. Grrrr.

I knew for a fact he was just being a dick. But that didn’t stop my inner Grizzly from wanting to tear his head off.

“Dante, can I talk to you for a second?” Emmet, our foreman, asked, and I nodded, tossing the sealant covered rag I was holding at Kian’s stupid face.

“Finish this up, douche canoe,” I mumbled.

“What’s the magic word? You know, I would happily do it if you just admit your feelings for me!”

“Shut. Up.”

“You can’t keep denying our love!”

“Easy,” Emmet said, eyebrows raised.

He glanced down, Demon shining in his eyes, and I followed his glare to see my hands had shifted into claws.

Fuck.

I was seconds from shifting into my Bear right there inside the barn.

That wouldn’t be good, seeing as how I was too fucking big for this place to contain me.

The damage alone would cost a fortune. Not to mention what Max would say if I killed that asshole Bull.

“You alright, man?” Emmet asked.

“Yeah. Sorry. What’s up?” I growled, rolling my neck on my shoulders and forcing the monster back inside.

“Kian only fucks with you because you react. You do know that, right?”

“Yep. I know it. Was that all you wanted? To impart those words of wisdom or was there a fucking point to you interrupting me, Emmet?” I snapped.

“Not a fan of small talk then, huh? I can appreciate that,” the Wolf said and dipped his chin.

“Well? What do you want?”

“Oh! It’s not what I want. There are two things actually. I caught a scent when I was checking the woods this morning.”

“A scent?”

“Ursine. Not yours. And not wild.”

“Alright. I’ll check. What else?”

“Oh, Penny called my wife because she came home early from the bakery.”

“And?” I asked and shrugged.

I mean, sure I cared about the women, and all. But really, what the fuck did Max’s mate coming home early have to do with me?

“ And Jez says she’s not feeling too good,” Emmet continued, the duh was implied. “Of course, we think it might be the fact she’s carrying twins and doesn’t seem to know it. Boss hasn’t told her yet either.”

“Okay. And?” I asked, losing my fucking patience.

“Oh, the other and is she was supposed to pick up Avery and Rosie. They’re coming to work on decorations for the little one’s birthday party next week. We’re having it in the old barn.”

“Why isn’t Avery able to drive? Is she okay?” I asked.

I was curious, concerned, really. And yeah, I was already removing my tool belt.

Of course, I would fetch them. My heart thundered at every single prospect of seeing that woman and her cub.

Ever since my mother died, and I left my old Clan, I’d been searching for a connection. Something to ground my Bear.

When I first met the little firecracker of a human, she damn near brained me with a metal bat.

But I swear to the gods that had nothing on the lightning bolt that zapped me right in the chest the second I met her honey gold stare.

Avery was it for me. The woman was my fated mate.

I knew it.

My Grizzly knew it.

But she didn’t.

And that was the whole fucking problem.

Really, I should just stay away from her. A monster like me had no business with soft, sweet things like her.

But I couldn’t. She took up every inch of available space in my head and my heart, and I wanted her with a ferocity that rivaled my Bear’s hunger for all things honey flavored—which coincidentally happened to be her natural scent.

What were the odds? A woman smelling like honey, with eyes just as gold, and a temper worse than Lucifer himself.

Fucking perfect.

“Car’s at that new place, Lance’s Auto Repair & Body Shop. It’s a chain,” Emmet explained before continuing, “Dion, the mechanic, is a Lion Shifter, he said it needs a new transmission. Gonna cost an arm and a leg.”

“That car would serve everyone better if it was crushed into a cube like a piece of modern art,” I grumbled, worrying about the safety of my future mate always put my Bear on edge.

“I agree. But Avery won’t let Max buy her a new one. He already offered.”

That Max had offered to buy Avery a new car was a kind gesture. At least, I was sure he meant it that way, likely to keep his own mate from worrying.

But it made my fur bristle and my Bear chuff angrily. No one should be taking care of my girls but me.

I shouldn’t think about Avery and Rosie as mine, but the sassy woman and her sweet cub felt important to me. The Bear had already claimed them in his mind.

Sure, we’d only kissed the one time, but I knew even before her lips touched mine, she was the one.

I didn’t know what the fuck I’d done wrong to make her hate me ever since then.

In all honesty, it wrecked my confidence having her growl the word no at me every time she saw me since. But not talking to her was making my beast unmanageable, and a pissed off Grizzly wasn’t good for anyone.

I had to talk to her. To come clean about my feelings.

But it wasn’t easy.

The fear of rejection was real and mighty.

Aside from all that, I still had to tell Avery what I suspected about Rosie Posie. That child was special. And not just because she was so sweet she gave me a toothache just looking at her.

Cute little cub. Precious baby.

See, ever since I met the pretty little girl, my Bear had started calling her cub . More than that. The possessive beast thought of her as my cub .

At first, I thought it was just my animal being proprietary, laying claim to the child of the woman the Fates destined to be our mate.

Then I scented fur beneath the little girl’s skin, and I realized there was another reason my Bear called her cub.

Another possibility that her own mother had absolutely no idea about.

How could she know? She’s human.

I knew through their friendship that Penelope had told Avery a little about her own situation.

How Penny was Max’s mate and through his claiming bite she was now a supernatural creature just like him.

It must have blown the tiny human’s mind, learning that monsters were real. I felt for her, I really did. But I didn’t know what Penelope told Avery about the rest of us, if anything.

What did she understand about the paranormal world and the secret she must now keep?

Did Avery know about fated mates and what she was to me?

And what would she say to me if I told her all that?

The supernatural world was a secret from the normal one. Keeping that secret was tantamount to our very survival.

Humans could be terrible creatures, and though it was true, there were many who knew of our existence, the world, as a whole, denied it.

Really, that was simply fine. It was probably better for us all that way.

But what about Avery?

Was she aware her daughter’s biological father was likely a Shifter?

I had no idea how she would react. No clue if she’d even believe me.

“So, will you go?” Emmet interrupted my spiraling thoughts.

“Will I go where?” I asked dumbly. “Oh! Yes. I’m leaving now,” I said without looking back.

My Bear rumbled inside my chest, the beast eager to see them both. I could bring them back, maybe pick up dinner for everyone to share once we got back here.

I wished I were taking her home to my cabin, but baby steps. Maybe Max wouldn’t mind if I joined them for dinner if I provided the pizza.

Avery worked so hard, and she did such a good job caring for Rosie after work. She might appreciate not having to cook.

I could do that for her.

Cook, laundry, whatever.

My mama didn’t raise me to be a slob, and I respected women. Christ, I missed my mother. And no, that didn’t make me a pussy, fuck you very much.

Men should respect and care for the woman who bore them, and I still loved my mother fiercely. Even though so many years had passed since she’d left this world.

She was a good Sow. She taught me well, and yes, I believed in equal distribution of chores and household duties.

Hell, taking care of a mate, of Avery and Rosie, as my cub, specifically, would be the honor of my life.

I just had to convince her to give me a shot. I had to make her see, to let me prove I was worthy.

My truck creaked as I got inside, even though it had been customized to bear my weight. I was a big fucker. I knew that.

Hulking. Uncommunicative, and mostly crude when I did talk. But I could do better. For them, I would do better.

I just had to make her listen.

Fat fucking chance.