The Cowbear's Curvy Valentine (Curvy Bear Ranch 5) (3 page)

Moonlight glinted off strands of her golden hair, giving it an ethereal glow. Bright splotches colored her cheeks. Her blue eyes flashed as he moved close enough that their knees touched.

“If you keep looking at me like that,” he said in a husky tone. “I’m going to have to come over there.”

“Then come over here,” she challenged.

He tilted his head to one side and studied the slight tremble in her lips. She was vulnerable right now, obviously upset about the case she’d lost. Did that give him the right to take advantage of her? No, not really.

Who cares?
His bear huffed.

Of course the feral little beast would want to plunge forward before considering anything other than his animalistic instincts.

“Abby?” her name came out breathier than he’d intended.

“Yes?” she asked.

“I think you’re upset…”

“I am.”

“And you might not be thinking logically…”

“That would be a first for me,” she said.

“So maybe we should call it a night.”

“Do you really want to do that?” she asked in a seductive tone.

He groaned and wet his lips with his tongue.

Go for it
, his bear hollered.

“Oh hell,” he cursed softly.

As he reached to cup her face, she turned and brushed her lips across the palm of his hand. A shock of pure lust arced from his fingertips to his cock. Every inch of his body went on high alert as she slid a knee between his thighs. His hands tangled in her silky hair. He searched her eyes for any sign that she wanted him to stop, but he only found unchecked desire.

He lowered his lips to hers in a gentle kiss that awakened every nerve ending in his body. She tasted like honey-covered strawberries. He wanted to devour her with rough, demanding kisses, but held back. He shouldn’t even be kissing her, let alone thinking about anything else. But the fleeting thought vanished like steam into the frigid air.

The moment she raked her nails across his chest, he lost it. The need to claim her reared up to overwhelm what little restraint he still possessed. Who was he kidding—he’d completely lost control. All he could think about was the angle of his mouth against hers, and the way her lips parted without any additional coaxing.

The shock of her tongue against his was enough to make him dizzy with passion. He deepened the kiss, capturing her devious tongue between his teeth before pulling back to nibble the edge of her mouth.

She moaned and pulled herself further onto his lap, pressing her panty-covered pussy against his thigh. Heat radiated across his skin. She ground against him as if asking for more, and he was ready to give it to her. When his mouth dropped from the edge of her chin to her throat, she groaned and laced her fingers in his hair.

“Touch me,” she whispered.

His hands smoothed across her back before sinking down to her butt. He pulled her roughly against him, reveling in the press of her breasts against his chest. After leaving a trail of kisses down her neck, he scraped his cheek against the tops of her breasts. She shivered and reached between them to wrap her hand around his cock. He throbbed against her, wanting more.

He released her tantalizing ass and ran his hands across her waist as he moved up her body. The bra had to go. His fingers trembled as he tried to unhook it from behind. The damn thing was stuck.

Fuck it.

He shoved his hands under the thick elastic band and pulled the bra up to her armpits. As her breasts spilled free, he captured one in his mouth. Wild with lust, he sucked and licked the perfectly shaped nipples while she writhed in his lap.

Excited to the point of total abandon, he couldn’t hear anything but the pounding of his heart. So when he looked up to find Hank and Carol climbing the stairs, he jolted.

“Shit,” he whispered while helping a now-frantic Abby pull her bra down.

“Oh my God, this is so embarrassing,” she muttered.

“Did we come at a bad time?” Hank asked in a saccharin-sweet voice.

“Nope, we were just enjoying the stars,” Cody said.

“More like seeing stars,” Hank said with a laugh.

“Good God, honey. Leave them alone,” Carol said.

Abby sunk down into the water until everything but her face was submerged. Her wide-eyed gaze snapped from him to Hank to Carol then back.

“I’m Hank and this is my wife Carol,” he said.

“Nice to meet you,” Abby said before flashing a clenched smile.

“Madison said you’re the only guest this week,” Carol said. “If you get bored and want company, let me know.”

“She’ll sic her mom on you,” Hank said with a chuckle.

“She gets lonely too,” Carol said.

“Thank you,” Abby said. “I should get going.”

She hurried out of the hot tub, splashing water across the deck. She quickly wrapped a robe around her body, jammed her feet into her boots, and then raced off toward the house.

“Sorry we ruined your party.” Hank grinned as he hopped over the edge into the spa. “I thought we’d be the first ones to break it in, but you beat us to it.”

“Logan built it,” Carol said. She descended the steps and joined her husband. “We should have waited for him to get here.”

“So what’s up with the new girl?” Hank asked.

“Nothing,” Cody said. “I invited her to take a dip with me and…”

“And things got a little out of control?” Hank asked.

“I think we know all about that,” Carol laughed.

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to marry her,” Cody said.

After the scene just now, he’d be surprised if she wanted to spend another second with him. Which was just as well. He wasn’t ready to get married. He liked the freedom of getting up every day and doing whatever he wanted, wherever he wanted, and with whomever he wanted.

Well, within reason. He still had to do his chores around the ranch, but other than mucking stalls, he had a nice, simple life. He’d seen the chaos new relationships had brought into his brothers’ lives. Sure, they were happy now, but getting there had been a rollercoaster in every case. He wasn’t going to commit to someone for a lifetime until he was damn good and ready to settle down.

Chapter 3

Abby yawned and rolled to the other side of her bed in an attempt to get away from the window. Bright rays of sunshine bounced off the glittering snow to blast her with too much light. Last night, she’d slept better than she had in months. She didn’t want to lose that feeling, so she pulled the covers over her head and snuggled against the soft bed.

Besides, the more she could prolong facing Cody, the better. She couldn’t stop thinking about his sultry kisses and sensual hands. Who knows what would have happened had Hank and Carol not shown up when they did? Clearly, Abby had lost her mind. In a moment of desperation, she’d fallen into his arms, completely ignoring proper behavior. Her mother would be mortified.

A grin spread across her face. Damn, he was a good kisser. Better than that boring contract lawyer her mom had set her up with. That man couldn’t kiss at all. It was like making out with a wet noodle. Not sexy.

Cody, on the other hand, had known exactly where to nibble to set her body on fire. On the way back from the spa, she’d half-expected the snow to melt in the wake of the heat rolling off her skin. Too bad she only planned on staying for a week. Hooking up with a hot cowboy right now would only lead to heartbreak. She couldn’t run from her life forever. At some point, she’d have to return home and face her parents’ disappointment. She was six months away from turning thirty, but they still treated her like a child in some respects.

Bells chimed from across the room. It was her mom’s ringtone. She jumped out of bed and searched through the pile of clothes on the floor. After locating the phone in her jacket pocket, she clicked the button to answer.

“Hello, Mom,” Abby said.

“Where are you?” her mom demanded. “Your father and I are worried sick. We received a call from someone in the DA’s office who wanted to let us know that you’d been fired. Why haven’t you called me?”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you, but I needed to get away.”

“Away? What are you talking about? Where are you?”

“West Yellowstone, Montana,” Abby replied.

“What? Where on earth is that?”

“Near the Wyoming-Montana border. The west entrance to Yellowstone National Park is just outside of town.”

“Yellowstone? That place with the geysers? What are you doing up there?”

“I couldn’t get past the reporters to get home,” Abby said, realizing how lame it sounded.

“So you drove to the other side of the US?” her mom’s voice jumped another notch on the hysteria scale.

“It’s not the other side. It only took a couple of days to get here.”

“You need to come home immediately and demand that you get your job back. Your father is looking into ways to get DA Browning removed from office. He can’t just fire you. You didn’t lose that case. You should be back there right now looking for a way to retry it,” her mom huffed.

“Even if I could get my job back, I can’t retry the case. Double jeopardy applies,” Abby said.

“So a murderer just gets to walk free? I don’t think so.”

“I need time to figure things out.” Abby sighed. Trying to reason with her mother was a lost cause.

“Figure what out? You’re a lawyer. It’s what you do. Your father and I didn’t pay good money to send you to Yale to have you give up after losing your first case. How many others have you won?” her mom asked.

“I don’t know, somewhere between fifty and a hundred,” Abby guessed.

“See, you’re good at your job,” her mom said, sounding somewhat calmer. “They’ll take you back. Now get on a flight and come home.”

“I drove my car,” Abby said.

“Whatever. Just get yourself home as soon as possible.”

“No,” Abby blurted.

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,
expected
her 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 mom snapped.

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

“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 your whole life.”

“Can you just give me some time?” Abby asked.

“Fine. You get one more day, then you need to come home.”

“A week,” Abby challenged.

“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 predator go free.”

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

“I have to go, Mom,” she whispered before hanging up.

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 that
she
wanted to do.

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 want to do?

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 and ready.

Now, where in the heck was she going to find a paint set?

***

Cody swept the 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 housework for her.

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 scenario again.

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 a bad idea.

“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 last night?”

“Who told you?” he demanded.

“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 fun at you.”

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

“You don’t mean that.”

“You’re right, I don’t,” he said.

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

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

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

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

“That was different,” she smirked.

“How is that?”

“He wasn’t a guest.”

“No, he was your boss.”

“And now I’m his.” She grinned and batted her eyelashes.

Cody laughed as he placed the broom and dustpan back in the kitchen closet. He’d seen the way she’d wrapped Mack around her finger. His brother was a lucky guy. Not many women could stand up to him, but Madison hadn’t flinched. They were perfect for each other.

The soft patter of feet coming from the foyer drew his attention. Abby walked into the kitchen but stopped when she saw him.

“I didn’t realize anyone but Madison was here,” Abby said.

“He’s my worker bee today,” Madison said.

“How are you feeling?” she asked.

“Better than yesterday, but the boys are still being paranoid ninnies about my health. I’m fine. Strong as a buffalo. And shaped like one too,” Madison added with a grimace.

“You do not look like a buffalo,” Cody said as he rolled his eyes. “Women, I swear. You girls care more about what you look like than guys.”

“I look like a whale,” Madison said dryly.

“You do not,” he said. “You look great. I’d compliment you more but then your head might not fit in the room.”

“Thanks, Cody.” Madison laughed before turning back to Abby. “Are you ready for some breakfast? I can whip something up in a flash.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t normally sleep in so late. What time is it anyway?” Abby asked.

“Just shy of eleven,” he said.

“Maybe I’ll just grab something in town. I don’t want you to go to any trouble for me,” Abby said.

“It’s no trouble,” Madison said.

“Thank you, but I’ll just grab a cup of coffee. I want to get to town while all the stores are still open,” Abby said. “Do you happen to know which store might carry painting supplies?”

“What are you planning on painting?” he asked.

“A picture.”

“Oh, so you need art supplies, not hardware store supplies,” he said.

“Yeah.”

“Hmm, the general store might have something. We don’t have very many shops in town, but I’d be happy to go with you and show you around,” he said.

“I’m sure I’ll be able to figure it out alone.” Abby looked down, avoiding his eyes.

“Actually, I was about to ask him if he’d run into town and get me some paper towels,” Madison said. “They have those at the general store.”

Cody shot a questioning look at Madison. One minute she’s warning him away from Abby, the next she’s scheming to send them to town together. Good thing Mack knew how to read his fiancée, because Cody sure as hell didn’t.

“I guess we could go together,” Abby said. “But I need to stop somewhere and get clothes too.”

“What happened to your clothes?” Madison said.

“I lost my suitcase.”

Cody knew that wasn’t true, but he wasn’t going to call her out on it. From the way she’d described the court case, it sounded like she’d fled town with just the clothes on her back.

“I can take her over to Franklin’s,” he said.

“Great,” Madison replied. “I’m going to grab a quick nap while you’re out.”

“If you need anything else, let me know,” Cody said before turning to Abby. “Ready?”

“I can’t wait to get out of this suit,” she said.

He bit back a dirty comment. He’d seen enough last night to want to get her out of anything she put on.

As they drove into town, he watched her out of the corner of his eye. The delicate slope of her nose gave her a beautiful profile. Everything about her called to him. He couldn’t decide who wanted her more—him or his bear.

The creature hadn’t stopped leaping around in his chest all morning. He’d crunched on a couple of antacids, but it hadn’t been enough. What he really needed to do was let his bear run it off. Sometimes that was the only way to calm him down.

“I’m excited to see the town during the day,” Abby said, speaking for the first time since they’d left the B & B.

“You should have seen it during Christmas. The decorations committee really went all out this year.”

“I bet it was beautiful,” she said. “There’s still so much snow. We don’t get much in Dallas, and what we do get usually melts the next day.”

“It won’t melt here until closer to May. You get used to it after a while,” he said, intentionally keeping the conversation as neutral as possible.

He’d considered apologizing for putting her in such a compromising position the previous night, but had decided to let it go. Since he didn’t intend to invite her to the hot tub again, it would be pointless to bring it up. In a week she’d be gone. Only a fool would try to start a relationship under these circumstances.

“Do you want to shop for clothes first or paint?” he asked.