The Cowbear's Curvy Valentine (Curvy Bear Ranch 5) (8 page)

“That’s the most insane bullshit I’ve ever heard,” she said.

“It’s true.”

“How?” she asked. “How is that possible? What I saw—”

“What you saw was another side of me,” he said.

“No shit.”

“I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“What
are
you?” she asked.

“I’m a bear shifter. I can transform from human to bear and back.”

“Like a werewolf?”

“Kind of like a werewolf. I don’t howl at the moon or anything like that,” he said.

“Then what do you do?” she asked.

“Everything a regular human does. Work, spend time with my family. Make love to beautiful lawyers.” He flashed a lopsided grin.

“Don’t try to flatter me right now. I’m not in the mood,” she snapped.

“Sorry. I was just trying to ease the tension.”

“Does anyone else know about you?” she asked.

“My family knows.”

“Are they bear shifters too?”

“Yes.”

Her jaw dropped. “Are you serious?”

“My whole family is shifters.”

“Madison too?”

“No, she’s human.”

“But she knows?” Abby asked.

“She knows. All of my brother’s wives and fiancées know about their bears,” he said.

For the first time since she’d seen him transform in the woods, she took more than a shallow breath.

“Were you always like that?” she asked.

“I was born a shifter.”

“I just can’t wrap my mind around this. I feel like I’m in some kind of
Twilight Zone
nightmare,” she said.

“I’m sorry. I never wanted to hurt you.”

“That’s good to know,” she said sarcastically.

“I’m still the same man you were getting to know,” he said.

“No, you’re not. You’re not even a man. I mean, you’re half man, but half something else.”

“I don’t know what I can say to convince you that I’m still the same man you took to bed last night.”

“You don’t have to convince me of anything. I’m leaving and never coming back. Now get out and close the door behind you,” she said.

He sighed and stood. She took a step back as he gave her a pained look. He turned and walked to the door.

“Please at least take a few minutes to think about staying. I was hoping we could continue to get to know each other,” he said.

“Why? I already told you I’m leaving at the end of the week.” She lowered her voice. “That was the whole point of having no-strings-attached sex.”

“I know. I guess I was just hoping for something more.” His shoulders slumped as he crossed the threshold and closed the door behind him.

Abby sagged against the broom. She didn’t need any more complicated, crazy problems in her life. Even if he was the same man she’d been getting to know, they could never be more than just passing acquaintances. Eventually she’d have to return to her life and figure out a way to move on.

Chapter 8

Cody stomped down the staircase. When he reached the foyer, Madison bustled out of the kitchen.

“What happened to you?” she asked.

“Nothing.”

“It doesn’t look like nothing,” she said.

“Abby saw me,” he said.

“So? I thought she’d already seen all of you,” Madison said in a joking tone.

“She saw me shift.”

“Oh.” Her eyes went wide. “I told you to be careful.”

“I don’t need a lecture right now.”

“What did she say?” Madison asked.

“She ran and hid in her room. I tried talking to her about it, but she wouldn’t listen. She’s packing her things and leaving.” His shoulders slumped. The thought of losing her crushed his bear.

“You should go back up there and talk to her. Explain that you’re still the same person, just furrier,” Madison said.

“It won’t work,” he said.

“What if I went up there?”

“You could try, but it’s about more than just my bear. She’s really upset because of a case she lost. She’s a lawyer—”

“The Edward Lee Drake case. Yeah, I know,” Madison said.

“You knew about the case?” he asked.

“I read about it in the paper. Didn’t you?” she asked.

“I don’t read the paper.”

“They’ve been doing a smear job on her since she lost the trial. It’s a wonder she’s able to hold her head up at all with the way they’ve been portraying her,” Madison said.

“It’s not her fault,” he said vehemently.

“I know. I didn’t say they were right. I’m just saying that she’s under a lot of stress right now.”

“More than you know. Her parents aren’t exactly helping things either,” he said.

“If you want me to go talk to her, I will.”

“I don’t want to push her right now,” he said.

“If she’s planning on leaving, what difference will it make? You have nothing to lose at this point,” Madison said.

“You’re right.” He sighed.

“Come back in an hour and I’ll have her all straightened out,” Madison said.

“Have I ever told you that you meddle too much?” he asked.

“No.” She grinned.

“Well you do.”

“You’ll thank me later,” she said with a wink.

“We’ll see.”

He waited until she’d disappeared upstairs before opening the front door. A rush of freezing wind blew snowflakes across the porch. He quickly stepped out and closed the door.

After whipping the collar on his jacket up, he ducked his head and stalked toward the main house. Every step brought with it an avalanche of regret. Why hadn’t he checked to make sure he was alone before he’d shifted?

What had possessed her to follow him into the woods? If he could have turned back time, he would have taken a moment to check his surroundings before shifting. Now Abby was leaving and he couldn’t do a dammed thing about it.

He stomped his boots before entering the house. Instead of going directly to his room, he entered the kitchen. Mack stood in front of the island. He slathered a spoonful of mayo onto a piece of bread before looking up.

“Want a sandwich?” Mack asked.

“Sure. What are you making?”

“Tuna on wheat.”

“Sounds good.” Cody slid onto a stool and watched his brother assemble a second sandwich.

“I saw that you didn’t come home last night,” Mack said. “How’s everything going?”

“Not good.”

“What’s going on?” Mack asked. “Are you having problems with the guest?”

“I know, I’m not supposed to start anything with guests,” Cody said with a sigh.

“That’s Madison’s rule, not mine. As long as the guests want to come back, I don’t care if you take them naked hot tubbing. Hell, maybe we can offer it as an incentive to book.” Mack held up his hand and waved it across the sky as if reading a marquee. “Hot cowboys for shady ladies weekend.”

“Ugh.” Cody rubbed his hand over his face.

“We might need to tweak it a bit to make it work,” Mack said with a grin.

“Abby saw me shift.”

“Into a bear?” Mack asked before taking a huge bite of the sandwich.

“No, into an otter,” Cody said sarcastically. “Of course into a bear.”

“Did she panic?”

“Yep. Ran like hell to get away,” Cody said.

“Can you blame her?” Mack asked.

“Not really… I shouldn’t even be thinking about her right now. She was planning on leaving at the end of the week anyway. We were just having a no-strings-attached fling,” Cody said.

“Did she know that?”

“Yes. She’s the one who propositioned me last night.”

“Nice,” Mack said. “Don’t worry. Madison panicked when she saw me shift but she got over it. Maybe Abby will too. Have you tried talking to her?”

“Yes. She wasn’t interested.”

“If it was just a fling, why do you care so much that she won’t talk to you?” Mack asked.

Cody paused. He had a point, but after spending time with Abby, he was really getting to like her far more than he should.

“I should have been more careful. Then she wouldn’t have caught me,” Cody said.

“What’s done is done. Go back to the B & B and talk to her. Make her understand that your bear isn’t something to be afraid of,” Mack said.

“I can’t,” Cody said.

“Why not?”

“The last time I chased after a woman, she ripped out my heart. You remember Natalie? It was a total disaster. Letting her go is the right thing to do. She’ll go back to her life and move on,” Cody said.

“What does your bear think about her?” Mack asked.

“He’s pissed. He thinks she’s our mate.”

“And you don’t think so?”

“I don’t know. I’ll admit, there’s a strong attraction between us. But if she is my mate, wouldn’t I feel a punch in the gut or something?” Cody asked.

“The best way I can describe it is that when you find your mate, you will do anything to protect her. You’ll think about her all the time and feel like you’re going to die without her. Do you feel like that?” Mack asked.

“I would protect her with my life and I do think about her all the time. But I don’t think I’m going to die without her,” Cody said.

His bear snarled with disapproval and clawed at his chest. He made a fist and slapped it against his breastbone.
Knock it off, bear.

“I take it your bear disagrees with your assessment?” Mack arched a brow.

“He’s pissed, but I don’t know how I’ll be able to make it work between us. She’s in a really bad place in her life right now. I don’t even know if she’s capable of having a relationship,” Cody said.

“You never know until you try,” Mack said. “I didn’t think I’d be able to make things work with Madison, and now look at us.”

“She really makes you happy, doesn’t she?” Cody asked.

“More than I could ever explain,” Mack said. “I thought my life was complete before I met her, but I was wrong. She’s my fated mate. I can’t imagine life without her.”

“You’re a lucky man.”

“You could be too. But you’ll never know if you don’t head back over there and try,” Mack said.

“Madison said she’d talk to her,” Cody said.

“In that case, give her a few minutes to work her magic. If anyone can explain what it feels like to find out that your lover’s also a huge bear, it’s Madison.”

“I suppose,” Cody said.

“Trust me on this. That woman has a way of running circles around me if I try to argue with her. Abby will come around,” Mack said.

“I hope so, because if she doesn’t, I think my bear’s going to gut me from the inside out.”

***

Abby stuffed the last sweater into her luggage. The debate raging in her mind was giving her a headache. The rational side of her knew that packing up and getting the hell out of there made the most sense. But the side of her that loved sleeping in Cody’s arms nagged at her. What if she stayed? She didn’t understand the bear thing at all, but in her heart, she knew he’d never intentionally hurt her.

A knock sounded on the door. Her spine went rigid. Was he back? She didn’t want to see him again. Even if by some miracle she could get past the fact that he’d lied to her about who he was—no—
what
he was, she’d never be able to see herself with a werebear.

“Who is it?” she called.

“It’s Madison. Can I come in?”

Abby walked to the door. She opened it a crack to confirm that only Madison stood out in the hallway. She opened the door to let her in.

“I heard you had quite the day,” Madison said as she shut the door behind her.

“That’s one way of putting it,” Abby said.

“Mind if I sit?” Madison asked.

“No.”

Abby sat on the end of the bed while Madison settled into the chair.

“Cody said you’re upset,” Madison said.

“Did he send you up to talk to me?” Abby asked.

“Yes. He begged me to tell you that he’s not a monster.”

“You sure as hell could have fooled me.”

“I know what you’re going through,” Madison said. “When I found out Mack was a shifter, I almost had a heart attack. I ran and hid in his closet. It took him an hour to talk me out of it.”

“I couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” Abby said. “I thought shapeshifters were Native American myths.”

“No. They’re very real. But being able to transform into a bear is only a small part of who Cody is,” Madison said. “Of all the brothers, I think he’s the sweetest, most level-headed.”

“He does seem like a good guy,” Abby admitted.

“He is.”

“Cody said his entire family is made up of shifters.”

“Almost everyone,” Madison said. “I’m not a shifter and neither is Rachel.”

“What about Kate, Carol and Vicki?” Abby asked.

“Kate and Carol are shifters, Vicki is not.”

“How can Carol be a shifter, but her mom isn’t?”

“Carol’s father was a shifter,” Madison explained.

“And everyone’s okay with this?” Abby asked.

“After I got over the shock, I realized that it just made Mack even more special. The Grant brothers are incredible men. Their parents raised them to be good, honorable people. If there’s something going on between you and Cody, then it’s worth exploring.”

“Aren’t you afraid he’s going to turn into a bear in the middle of the night and maul you?” Abby asked.

“He might try to lick me to death,” Madison grinned. “But he’d never hurt me. He can control whether or not he’s going to shift. Well, for the most part.”

“What do you mean?” Abby asked.

“When he gets really mad, he might not be able to stop his bear from coming out. That’s how I discovered his secret. My jackass ex-fiancé showed up at the ranch, trying to get me back. Mack’s bear is very protective, so when he thought I was in danger, he came out to defend me,” Madison said. “But that only happened because he was afraid for my life.”

“What happened to your ex?” Abby asked, fearing the worst. Did the bear tear him to pieces?

“The sheriff came and took him away. He’s still locked up in a mental institution. We didn’t want him telling everyone about shifters, so we made sure he won’t ever get out.”

“That seems extreme,” Abby said with a frown.

“Trust me, Ben’s a huge jerk. He deserves to be locked up,” Madison said.

“Why didn’t Cody just tell me the truth?” Abby asked.

“It’s not exactly something you can be open about,” Madison said.
“Hey, baby. I want to fuck your brains out, but I might turn into a thousand-pound furball.”

Abby couldn’t help but smile when she put it that way.

“You should go talk to him,” Madison said. “He was very upset.”

“I can’t.” Abby shook her head. “I was only planning on staying here for the week so that I could get my head together.”

“I heard about the trial. It wasn’t your fault,” Madison said.

Abby’s head snapped up. “He told you?”

“A little bit.”

“He shouldn’t have said anything,” Abby said.

“It’s been in the newspaper. I already knew the basics, he just filled me in on the details.”

“It wasn’t his story to tell,” Abby said. Anger churned in her gut. She’d revealed a lot of personal information to Cody. How much had he told Madison? “I need to talk to him. Where is he?”

“He’s probably up in his room at the main house,” Madison said.

Abby eyed her suitcase. She should pick it up, get in the car, and leave. That would be the prudent thing to do. But a thread of connection tugged at her heart. She couldn’t leave without giving him a piece of her mind. And… she couldn’t leave without seeing him one more time.