The Cowbear's Mail Order Bride (Curvy Bear Ranch 6) (5 page)

“Yellowstone is like that for me. Whenever I need to really get away, I go hiking in the backcountry.”

“Aren’t you afraid of running into a bear?” she asked. “Didn’t a tourist get mauled by a bear last summer? I remember hearing something about it, but I can’t recall the details.”

“Some idiot went too close to a den last spring. If you respect a bear’s territory, he will leave you alone. Some people have no respect for nature.”

“Do you carry bear spray?” she asked.

“I don’t need it.”

“Why not? I’d carry a few bottles with me.”

“I’ve been hiking my whole life and never encountered a bear,” he said.

“You must be lucky.”

“Maybe,” he said. “Or maybe they know not to mess with me.”

She laughed. He turned to smile at her and a spark of energy leapt between them. Flickering light cast soft shadows across his face. He didn’t seem so bitter or angry now. Underneath his tough exterior, he had a gentle heart.

She swallowed and looked away. She shouldn’t be thinking about his heart at all. It wasn’t hers to claim, and he certainly wasn’t willing to give it away to a complete stranger. She needed to quash her childish notions of love. Hadn’t she already learned that fairy tale endings didn’t happen in real life? She wasn’t even sure love existed. And if it did, it wouldn’t be easy to find.

***

Drew leaned back on his hands. He’d never felt so comfortable talking to a woman in his life. She didn’t have sneaky layers of deceit in her the way most women did. Hell, look at Madison. Sure, she was a good person for the most part, but even she carried on behind Mack’s back for months. Sharon didn’t seem like that at all. The more he got to know her, the more he wanted to know.

“How long ago did you leave your ex?” he asked.

“It’s been over a year.”

“Hard breakup?”

“Brutal.”

“I don’t want to pry…”

“I’d rather not go into details,” she said.

“No worries. Do you miss being in a relationship?” he asked.

“Yeah, I do. I didn’t think I’d want to get into another one, but having someone to talk to and lean on is nice. In some ways, it makes life easier. Sharing the burden with another person helps smooth out the bumps.”

“Don’t tell my brothers, but every once in a while, I do think about what it would be like to find a mate.”

“But you don’t want it enough to make the effort?” she asked.

“It’s not that. I’m not a lazy person. I’m just not as aggressive as they are,” he said. “I can’t believe I’m telling you all of this.”

“Your secrets are safe with me,” she said.

When she turned to him and smiled, a rush of heat flooded his body. The urge to pull her into his arms surged through every muscle until tension coiled in his belly. Maybe it was the low light, or the way her voice flowed through him like honey, but she’d awakened a desire in him that had laid dormant for far too long. Other than the occasional fling, he hadn’t been with a woman—really been with one—in years.

Her lips parted to allow her pink tongue to dart out and swipe moisture across her bottom lip. His hands tingled with the need to touch her. As their gazes locked, he leaned toward her. He couldn’t stop himself as he dipped to brush a feathery kiss across her mouth. He pulled back, half-expecting her to slap him for being so bold. But instead, she leaned in and pressed her lips against his.

He scooted closer and gathered her into his arms. She didn’t hold anything back as he deepened the kiss. It was wild and reckless, but he didn’t care. He needed her. His brothers’ endless taunting was getting to him. Although he was perfectly happy alone, he did get lonely from time to time and it seemed to be getting worse now that he was surrounded by happy couples.

As she tangled her fingers in his hair, he slipped his tongue between her lips. She responded with a soft moan before molding her body to his. He pulled her into his lap and slipped his hand under the back of her sweater. Her skin warmed as he stroked light circles across her lower back.

When her hand slid down to caress his chest, he groaned. He went rigid with need. If he didn’t stop soon, he’d carry her upstairs and straight to bed. But that would only complicate things. He didn’t want to give her a false sense of hope. He’d already gone too far, but he couldn’t seem to stop.

As her tongue caressed his, she shifted her hips. The exquisite pain of the pressure against his cock was too much. His bear clawed at his chest and growled with feral intent. The creature wanted to possess every inch of her, but Drew couldn’t do it. He couldn’t take what she was offering, knowing that she’d come to the ranch intent on marrying him. They hardly knew each other. Taking her to bed would light the fuse to a bomb he couldn’t contain.

He pulled away.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me,” he muttered.

“I shouldn’t have let you.” She brushed her fingers across her lips and looked away.

“No. I started it. I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to take advantage of you.”

“I know,” she whispered. She averted her gaze and pulled her sweater down around her waist. “I should go upstairs.”

“I… okay,” he said.

“Goodnight.” She stood and hurried up the stairs.

He dropped his face into his hands. Great. He’d acted like a complete fool. Hopefully she wouldn’t tell anyone about their kiss. He’d never hear the end of it from his brothers.

After closing the glass doors on the fireplace, he walked to the bottom of the stairs. He looked up into the darkness. A strange sensation sliced through his heart. It wasn’t his infernal bear, for once. But he didn’t like it. He shouldn’t be thinking about her at all, let alone contemplating going up those stairs to her room. He needed to stay away from her, but something kept drawing him back.

Although she’d told him bits and pieces about her life, he really didn’t know much about her. She was an intriguing puzzle, one he wanted to solve. Maybe Madison wasn’t completely off base when she’d chosen Sharon from the gaggle of women online.

He sighed. He didn’t like where this line of thought was headed. But he couldn’t help but wonder... if there was even the slightest possibility that she’d ended up on his door via fate, didn’t he owe it to himself to get to know her?

Chapter 5

As Cindy swung the door to her bedroom open, she gasped. Drew stood outside with his fist up as if he’d been about to knock.

“Oh,” he said. “I didn’t know you were headed out.”

“I was going to take a walk through the woods,” she said.

Her gaze rested on his full lips for a moment before she looked away. Her mouth tingled with the memory of his kiss. God, he was a good kisser, so much better than her ex.

“Oh.” He stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

“Did you need something?” she asked.

“I came up to see if you wanted to go on a snowmobile ride with me today. I didn’t want to leave you cooped up here alone.”

“That sounds fun,” she said.

“Have you ever been on one before?” he asked.

“Nope. We don’t have much snow in Florida.” The mountains near LA could get a lot of snow, but she’d never spent much time out of the city.

“You’d mentioned that you wanted to see the Minerva Terraces in Yellowstone,” he said.

“Yes.” She stood taller. “I’ve always wanted to see them in person. I can’t imagine that the webcam does them any justice.”

“Webcam?” he asked.

“Yellowstone Park has a bunch of live webcams set up throughout the park. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched Old Faithful erupt.”

“If you want to go, we need to leave soon,” he said. “The drive is long, and it will probably be pretty cold, but I thought it might be a fun trip… if you want to go with me.”

“I do,” she said eagerly.

“Great.” He flashed a smile warm enough to turn her bones to mush.

Why did he have to be so dammed sexy? He wore jeans and a flannel shirt better than most men wore suits. Every inch of him—
every inch
—was on display. When she’d been draped across his lap the previous night, she’d felt enough to know that the man was packing. He had to be at least nine inches. Not that she’d been up thinking about it all night or anything.

Part of her plan to go hiking in the woods involved giving her enough time to cool off. If he wasn’t so panty-melting hot, she wouldn’t even consider going into the frozen wilderness. But she had to do something to chill the molten heat in her core. If she didn’t, she would probably melt into a puddle of simmering desire.

“Did you eat breakfast?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“Madison packed enough snacks for an army,” he said. “So we’ll eat lunch after we get to the terraces. Sound good?”

“I can’t wait.”

She followed him downstairs and out across the back porch.

“The hot tub’s over there,” Drew said as he pointed at the woods. “You can’t see if from here. Logan thought it would be better if it wasn’t in plain view.”

“I hope you use a lot of chlorine,” she joked.

“You have no idea.” He chuckled. “Of all of my brothers, I never thought Logan would ever slow down long enough to get hitched. He broke a whole county full of hearts when he married Kate.”

“They seem so happy together.”

“They are. All of my brothers really love their mates. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy for them. I guess I wouldn’t be totally against fate dropping a woman into my lap.”

“Do you believe in fate?” she asked.

“To a certain degree. I don’t expect my future wife to slide down a rainbow from the sky. I know I won’t find someone until I put myself out there, but I just don’t want to go through all the effort. I guess I’m lazy.”

“Maybe you’re just afraid of getting hurt,” she said.

“Maybe.” He stopped next to a snowmobile. “So we have two options. We can each ride our own, or you could ride behind me. Either way works for me.”

“Are they difficult to drive?”

“No. But you might get cold because you won’t have a built-in wind breaker… and you wouldn’t get to wrap your arms around me all day.” The dimple popped up on his cheek.

“Well, when you put it that way…” She smiled.

“I am a pretty good salesman.” He laughed as he handed her a helmet.

“The best. I don’t think any of the men in your family lack charm,” she said.

“We have it in spades.” He reached for the chinstrap and adjusted it. “You want to make sure it’s on tight. It’s nearly impossible to tip one of these over, but you never know.”

They were standing so close together that she could see the specs of green in his gorgeous bedroom eyes. When he met her gaze, the urge to kiss him reared up. She held her breath. Did he want to kiss her again? Or was last night just a lapse in judgment?

“All done,” he murmured.

“Thank you.”

When he turned and swung his leg over the snowmobile, her chest heaved. She sucked in a breath. Good God, how was she going to wrap her thighs around that butt without creaming her panties?

“Make sure you hold on tight,” he said as she slid in behind him.

“I will,” she said.

As she wrapped her arms around his waist, his stomach clenched. Her fingers closed over a solid wall of muscle.
Let the torture begin.

The ride through the small town of West Yellowstone lasted less than two minutes. She would have missed it had she blinked. The main street consisted of rows of shops, including a couple of bookstores. She made a mental note to stop into them if she had a chance.

At the edge of town, Drew turned left and headed toward a huge, ranger-guarded gate. He stopped next to the guardhouse and flipped open his visor. A ranger stepped out.

“Hey, Anderson,” he said.

“Hey. You two heading into the park for the day?” the ranger asked.

“Yep. We’re headed up to Minerva Terraces, as long as the roads aren’t closed.”

“They’re open. Watch out for buffalo when you hit the first junction. They’ve been standing in the middle of the road all day.”

“Good thing there’s no car traffic. Can you imagine?” Drew asked.

“Why do you think we limit access in the winter? Every idiot with an SUV would be up here mowing them down. It’s bad enough that we have to deal with speeders in the summer. And you know what gets me? They have the nerve to bitch about their insurance rates going up when they hit one of the animals. People,” he huffed.

“I hear ya,” Drew said.

“Anyway, enough of my ranting. You folks have a nice trip. You’re not planning on staying past dark, right?”

“We should be back by mid-afternoon.”

“Sounds good.” The ranger stepped back into the guardhouse and closed the door.

“We’ll stop at the warming hut when we get to the first junction,” Drew said. “Normally I’d stop a few times, but we have a fairly long trip and I definitely want to be back well before sundown.”

“Lead the way,” she said.

“Face mask,” he said.

“Oh right.”

She closed her visor and then latched onto his waist. When he took off, she shrieked and clung to him. In town, they hadn’t gone very fast, but now he was driving like a crazy person. It took a few minutes to get used to it, but when she did, she actually liked the rumble of the rugged machine between her legs. What woman wouldn’t?

Off to the left, something shimmered. She turned her head and watched sunlight sparkle across a river. Rippling water reflected and bent the light until it glittered like a rush of tiny diamonds.

To her right, snow clung to every pine tree along the side of the road. Clumps fell off as they rode past. Everywhere she looked, pristine wilderness spread out as far as she could see. Thank God Congress had set aside the land to preserve it. She couldn’t imagine the destruction it would have undergone had people been allowed to build housing developments in it.

As they rushed passed the sign for a campground, she let out a wistful sigh. She’d always wanted to go camping, but her ex hated the outdoors. He’d told her countless times that only poor people went camping. He couldn’t have been more wrong.

Plenty of other doctors and nurses at the hospital went on camping trips, sometimes together. She envied their stories of all-day hikes and eating s’mores by the campfire. Her mouth watered. Oh, to smoosh a gooey marshmallow between two graham crackers and a layer of chocolate. It was a fairly simple fantasy, but one she’d never lived. If she ever cleaned up the mess she’d made of her life, she’d take her daughter on a camping trip.

The engine’s roar downshifted to a purr as they reached Madison Junction. He turned right and then made another right and pulled into a near-empty parking lot. After he’d turned off the snowmobile, she stood and stretched. He unstrapped his helmet and set it on the snowmobile.

“This is the only chance we have for a bathroom break and a warm drink for a while,” he said. “Even if you don’t think you have to go, try. You don’t want to have to squat in the woods in ten-degree weather.”

“I’d have to agree with that,” she said.

“I’ll meet you over there.” He pointed to a trailer.

“Okay.”

She followed him into the building that housed the bathrooms. It was much warmer than she’d expected.

After she’d finished, she found Drew. He stood inside the trailer in front of the counter. She arched a brow when she spotted the menu. They had quite a variety of options considering they were running such a small operation.

Drew ordered coffee while she ordered orange pekoe tea. As they waited, she studied the maps and photos on the walls.

“We’re here,” Drew said as he pointed at a large map. “We need to go up here.”

“That looks like a long trip.”

“It’s not bad, but there is a pretty big elevation change. So it’s going to get colder. How are you doing so far? Are you warm enough?” he asked.

“I’m sure I’ll be fine after I drink the tea.”

“Order number twenty-three,” called the cashier.

“That’s us.” Drew retrieved the steaming cups and handed her one. “Be careful. It looks pretty hot. You don’t want to burn those lips.”

He froze. With the cup halfway to her mouth, she paused. He looked like he wanted to melt into the floor. When she cracked a smile, he mirrored it.

“Totally not awkward,” he said in a self-deprecating tone.

“I liked it,” she whispered.

“What?”

“Kissing you.”

He swallowed hard enough to make his Adam’s apple bob. As he bent to sip his coffee, he looked at her over the rim of the cup. His sudden shyness only added to his attractiveness.

They finished their drinks in silence. She noted his sidelong glances but didn’t comment on them. He was so skittish that she didn’t want to scare him away. Even though she wanted to fling herself into his arms, it was out of the question.

When they returned to the snowmobile, he turned and looked at her with such hunger in his eyes that her knees trembled. He stepped closer until less than a foot separated them. She tilted her head up to meet his smoldering gaze.

As he cupped her cheeks with his gloved hands, she shivered. The intensity of his movements underscored the sensual longing that brought them together. When his lips found hers, she moaned. He spread fiery kisses across her mouth until she couldn’t catch her breath. Every brush of his lips only served to deepen the kiss, to claim her, to draw her into an abyss of sensual desire so endless that she thought she might die if he ever let her go.

The relentless kiss didn’t stop until he’d pushed past her lips and explored every inch of her mouth with his tongue. Heat pooled in the space between her thighs. She wanted to drag him into the building and peel off all the layers of clothing that kept them apart.

He eased out of the kiss with finesse, leaving her weak and trembling. He stepped back and smiled softly.

“Ready to go?” he asked.

God, yes! Take me to bed
, she wanted to scream.

“Sure,” she responded.

“If you need me to stop for any reason, just tap my shoulder three times,” he said.

For a second, she wasn’t sure if he was still talking about the snowmobile trip, or if he was giving her a safeword signal. She
really
needed to stop reading so many naughty books.

“Got it,” she said.

As she climbed up behind him, her heart pounded against her ribcage. She had no idea what was happening between them, but she didn’t want to question it too hard. He still knew nothing about her—not even her real name of Cindy—and once he discovered her secret, he’d run the other way.