Cowboy Bear's Fate (Cowboy Brother Bears Book 3)

by Harmony Raines

  “Your mom certainly made sure you had great manners,” Monica said.

  “That was my dad. He always treated my mom with such respect, opening doors, bringing her flowers. Always being there for her…” He smiled at her. “They have a great relationship and I guess I’ve always dreamed that when I met my mate, we would be the same.”

  “My parents were the same. I see that now. I always thought it was just the way my dad was. But it’s a shifter thing too, isn’t it?” Monica asked.

  “It is.” He closed the door and went around to the driver’s side. “I hope you like alpacas.”

  “I don’t think I ever heard of an alpaca farm before,” Monica said, holding on tight as Jon maneuvered the big truck around so that they were pointing back down the mountain. “Wow, that is steep.”

  “You are in safe hands, Monica.” His expression said he didn’t just mean now. But forever. A knot formed in her stomach that had nothing to do with her fears over the steep descent, but had everything to do with her growing desire for the man who sat next to her.

  “I’m beginning to believe that,” she said.

  “Good.” He concentrated on getting them down off the mountain safely. There were moments when Monica didn’t think that was going to happen as the truck slipped and slid down over the loose rocks. Then she could see the road, and she loosened her grip on the door and relaxed back to enjoy the stunning views.

  The drive to Hawkins Ranch took them along the side of the bubbling stream, which they crossed via another ford, before they climbed again over rolling hills, and down into shallow valleys.

  “I love the rolling hills. With the mountains as the backdrop.”

  “It’s a unique place.” He turned right to follow a narrow road, and then indicated to turn left into a ranch which had a sign up outside, declaring it Hawkins Ranch.

  Monica opened the photo album and looked at the photo, before looking up at the ranch again. “It hasn’t changed at all.”

  “No, buildings were built to last in those days. And this one has lasted. Although the roof is going to need some work before the winter.” Jon was looking at the roof, assessing the work that needed doing, while Monica imagined her grandfather standing outside the ranch.

  “Why did he gamble it away?” Monica asked.

  “He didn’t want it. And he wasn’t allowed to sell it. So he gambled it away. Then he left the area. After an almighty argument with his brother.”

  “So sad. I can understand why you don’t want another family feud.”

  “Shall we go and meet Lynn? You’ll like her. And her baby, Joshua, is the cutest kid. And you might even meet Adam: he’s been spending more time here than at the Homestead since they had the baby.”

  “Must be hard to juggle a ranch and a baby,” Monica said, and got out of the truck, going around to where Jon stood, and then they walked across the courtyard to the ranch house.

  Each step she took, Monica imagined her grandfather taking. He would have stood here, in front of the door, and looked around, taking in the same barn, the same stones on the ground, the same trees in the distance. Why would he leave such a place?

  “Hi there, come on in.” A woman, who must be Lynn, appeared, looking frazzled. “Have you ever tried to get a crawling baby to sit still while you change a diaper?”

  “Can’t say I have,” Jon said. “But I have some rope in the truck if you want me to lasso him and tie him down.”

  Lynn giggled, and kissed Jon on the cheek. “I’m not quite that desperate, but give me time.” She smiled at Monica and said, “Hi, you must be Monica. I’m going to say you are a lucky lady to catch this one. But I may be biased.”

  “Hi, Lynn. I’ll take any inside information,” Monica said, warming to Lynn instantly.

  “Oh—baby,” Lynn turned around and ran along the hallway. Jon followed, taking Monica’s hand and pulling her along with him.

  They entered the sitting room to find Lynn wrestling with Joshua, who was a more of a toddler than a baby, with a mind of his own. With grim determination, Lynn pinned him down long enough to fit a diaper around him, and quickly secured it before he wriggled free. With a mischievous look in his eye, he scrambled up, giggling, and made for Jon.

  “Hey there, bud. Are you behaving for your mom?”

  “Yeah,” Joshua said, with a nod and a giggle.

  “Are you sure?” Jon asked, and then produced the honey cake. “I’m going to have to ask your mom if you can have this. But if she says yes, will you promise me, you will sit still for your next diaper change?” Jon picked Joshua up and walked over to Lynn. “Can Joshua have some honey cake?”

  “Are you teaching my son about bribery?” Lynn asked.

  “You bet I am.” Jon handed the wriggling boy over to Lynn. “That is what uncles are for.”

  “I thought they were for babysitting and kicking a football around.” She shook her head at him. “You’re as bad as your brother.”

  Jon chuckled. “Why don’t I make you some tea? I have honey cake for you too.”

  “Is that your polite way of telling me I look like I need a pick-me-up?” Lynn asked, sitting Joshua down with his honey cake and saying. “Sit there and eat it. If you move, Uncle Jon will take it from you. Isn’t that right, Uncle Jon?”

  “Hey, you are trying to make me look like the bad guy,” Jon said. He winked at Monica. “Tea?”

  “Please. Want a hand?” Monica asked.

  “Oh, no, you can stay right here with me, and I can tell you all of Jon’s bad habits.” Lynn sat down on the sofa. “Here, sit. To be honest, it will be nice to talk to someone about anything other than farming and babies.”

  Monica warmed to Lynn. “I’m probably more boring than that. I work in a museum, and spend most of my time dusting off old relics.”

  “Sounds fun. No really, I mean it,” Lynn said. “It must be so interesting.”

  “I love it. I love piecing it together. Like this house.” Monica took out the photo and handed it to Lynn. “I think my grandpa lived here.”

  “Oh, Jon mentioned this. Williams, right? So your grandpa and Jon’s grandpa were brothers.”

  Monica frowned. “When you say it like that, it makes our relationship sound a little incestuous.”

  Lynn frowned, and looked closer at the photo. “Well, this is definitely Hawkins Ranch.”

  “Here we are,” Jon said, handing out mugs of tea. He set the plate with the honey cake down on a small table next to the sofa. “Help yourself.”

  Immediately Joshua was up on his feet. “Hey, little man. You need to finish that piece first,” Lynn said. “Remember, Uncle Jon will take it from you, if your bottom is not on the floor.” Joshua plonked himself down and went back to eating his cake.

  “So you two are related?” Lynn asked, and Jon shuffled uncomfortably, looking down at the mug of tea in his hands.

  “If Jerry Williams and Al Williams are the same person…” Jon looked over at Monica, his expression uncomfortable.

  “I thought they were,” Monica said. “I didn’t connect the dots though, about us being so closely related.” And Jon had never pointed it out. But why?

  “Maybe Jon thought it was impossible, since the family tradition is for all the Williams children to be boys. You broke the mold, Monica. There is hope that I might have a daughter after all.” Lynn smiled, but then caught a glance from Jon, and her face paled.

  “OK, will someone tell me what is going on?” Monica asked. She got a feeling she was not going to like it, but she wanted to know all the same.

  Chapter Eight – Jon

  “Is there anything going on?” Lynn asked. “It’s not against the law you to marry each other. Even if you share the same great-grandpa. Is it?”

  “No, it’s not,” Jon said, then he looked across to Monica, and was about to explain himself, but he closed his mouth. How did you tell someone that the man you thought was your dad, might not be? It wasn’t his business.

  Yes, it is, s
he is our mate, his bear insisted.

  “So what is eating you?” Lynn asked. “You can’t lie to your mate, remember?”

  “Nothing. Only that…”

  “Jon, will you please tell me.” The concern showed in Monica’s voice.

  He shook his head. “It’s probably nothing…”

  “This has to do with all the Williams children being boys too?” Monica asked. She closed her eyes, and then opened them again. “And I’m not a shifter.”

  “It could just be a genetic mutation. And the Williams tradition of boys was bound to end sometime.”

  “And how many times does the shifter gene not pass from one generation to another?” Monica asked quietly.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Any time in your family?”

  “No, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened, or happened to some other family.”

  “It makes sense now, why my dad never told me.” Monica got up and went to the window, looking out over the garden. “Do you think I’m adopted?”

  “Monica,” Jon said, putting his tea down and going to her. Behind them, Lynn picked Joshua up and left the room. He half turned and smiled at Lynn, mouthing a thank you. She nodded and cradled Joshua to her. Goodness knows Lynn knew all about issues with parents before she moved to the ranch. “This is not something you want to speculate over. I’ll take you home, talk to your mom.”

  “It makes sense. It really does. They kept this a secret for so long. I’d left home by the time Ethan began going through this change. If it had gone smoothly, it would still be a secret.” She sobbed, her body shuddering. “Maybe they adopted me because they couldn’t have kids of their own. And then Ethan came along…”

  “Let me take you home.” He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him, holding her close.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked, her voice so quiet he could have ignored it, but he had to tell her the truth.

  “I don’t want you to get hurt. If I said something, and you didn’t want to hear it… I’m sorry, I guess I was afraid. Afraid of hurting you, afraid of losing you. I know I feel the mating bond, but that doesn’t mean this isn’t as new to me as it is to you.” He shrugged. “Samuel said none of us have it easy. But I promise I’ll stand by your side, no matter what. But I’m asking you to go and talk to your parents. Let them have a chance to explain. Please.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t want to know. Part of me just wants to get in the car and go back to my old life and pretend none of this ever happened.” She looked up into his eyes. “I feel as if coming here, I’ve gained a man, and lost a family.”

  “You haven’t lost them. They are still the people who raised you.” He tilted her chin up and said, “You need to know the truth. Not the half-truth, not the truth as you imagine it. Ask them, and let them tell you.”

  Monica nodded. “You are right.”

  He took her hand and led her back to the sofa, as her sobs subsided. “First, sit. Calm down, and get things straight in your head.”

  “What if that’s why they don’t want me to move here?” Monica asked. “They keep saying they don’t want me to give up my career, but what if that is just an excuse?”

  “No, Monica, don’t do that to yourself. Your family loves you, I could see it on your dad’s face. He was so protective of you when we came to the ranch yesterday.”

  “Or was he protecting the truth?” she asked sadly.

  Jon shook his head. “No. That’s not it. I promise you.” He drank the rest of his tea, and Monica did the same. “Ready?”

  “Yeah. Shall we go and say goodbye to Lynn and Joshua first?” Monica asked.

  “Yes, if that’s OK with you.”

  “Sure.” She wiped her eyes and then took his hand, her breath shuddering through her body. “Thanks.”

  “What for? Ruining your life?” He frowned. “Not that it’s ruined. But I feel bad about what us meeting has opened up for you.”

  “I’m not.” She took another big breath. “I want to know. But like you said, I need to give them a chance. My mom and dad have always been there for me. Every sports game, every play. Even after I left home I always knew I could count on them. I love them. But if they aren’t my parents, I think I’m going to need to find out who my real parents are.”

  “They are your real parents. Hell, they might be your real parents. Make the decisions after you have spoken to them.”

  “I will.” She pushed into him, her sadness slipping away. “You know I always thought cowboys kept their brains in their boots. But you are one smart cowboy.”

  He burst out laughing. “Brains in my boots. I’ll remember that one.”

  They headed outside to where Lynn and Joshua were putting hay out for the alpacas. Joshua was being followed around by a white animal, that was very interested in the little man. Joshua kept stopping and turning around to point his finger at the alpaca and tell it off in his babyish babbling way. The alpaca proceeded to look totally uninterested until Joshua took a few paces forward. Then she began to stalk him again.

  “Who needs an uncle to babysit when you have alpacas?” Jon called out.

  “She is very protective of him. He thinks it’s a huge joke. I’m not sure how she will feel when he turns into a bear one day.” Lynn went and caught her son and walked over to Jon and Monica. “Want the grand tour?”

  “I’m taking Monica home. She needs to speak to her parents.”

  “Understood.” Lynn put her hand on Monica’s arm to comfort her. “As a person who had a very rocky relationship with her parents, I want you to know that whatever happens, whether they are your birth parents or not, if they gave you a happy childhood filled with good memories, and looking at you they did… that is what is important.”

  “I know.” Monica looked on the verge of tears again, but took a deep breath and let it go. “I need the truth. I can understand why they kept it from me. But now that I know, I just need answers.”

  Lynn kissed her on the cheek. “Good luck, and you are welcome to come back here and ask any questions you want about the ranch.”

  Monica looked it over, her face saddened. “It no longer is a part of me. Not if I’m adopted.”

  “Still part of your family’s history,” Jon reminded her. She wasn’t taking this well, despite not knowing the real truth yet. He could understand why. He only hoped that when she discovered the answers she needed, she wouldn’t hightail it out of town.

  If she did, he would be hot on her heels. He still had that rope in his truck.

  Chapter Nine – Monica

  Monica had never been more nervous as Jon stopped the truck in front of her parents’ ranch. This was it. Or was it? Did she have the courage to go inside and ask her parents if she were adopted?

  “How do I even begin this kind of conversation?” she asked Jon.

  “One word at a time.” He got out of the truck and went around to her side, opening the door and offering her his hand. “And one step at a time.”

  “I don’t know. It all seems too far-fetched,” she said, staying put in the passenger seat.

  “Want me to go and ask for you?”

  “No,” she said, horrified. “No, I don’t.” She slid out of the truck, her legs weak, but Jon put his hand out to stop her falling over, as her feet hit the ground.

  “And I thought I would be the one to make you go weak at the knees,” he said.

  She shook her head. “Not yet. I hardly know you.”

  “I want to change that, Monica.” Then he closed his mouth, before adding, “Sorry, I don’t want to put pressure on you.”

  “You aren’t. Honestly. I know how you feel about me. But let me figure this part of my life out first. Then we can think about what comes after.”

  He stood there. And so did she. It was easier than what would happen once she began to move.

  “Sure you don’t want me to ask them for you?”

  “No.” She took a deep breath, blew it out
and then marched up to the door of the ranch, but before she entered, she heard Ethan’s voice, it was coming from the garden. Then she heard her dad’s voice. “I don’t want this conversation in front of my brother. I don’t know if they want him to know. He’s having a tough enough time right now.”

  “Why don’t I take him for a run? I could offer to take him over the mountain. Or I could take him back to the Williams Homestead.”

  “Would you mind? Don’t you have work to do?” Monica asked.

  “I have some chores, but they can wait. Or Ethan can come help me. I could introduce him to the family.” Jon smiled apologetically.

  “Because even if I am not related to your family, Ethan is,” she finished for him.

  “I guess you could say that,” Jon said, and took her hand, pulling her closer to him. “And one day you will be too. When we get married, you will be part of it.”

  She put her head on his chest, listening to the sound of his heartbeat, letting it anchor her to the real world, which was starting to float away. She felt sick, and wanted nothing more than to go inside and lie down on her bed, with the pillow over her head, just like she would have when she was a little girl.

  But she wasn’t a little girl. She was a grown woman, and it was time to act.

  Pulling away from Jon, she took his hand and led him around the house and into the garden. Her mom looked up and smiled. “You caught us slacking off. We didn’t expect you back so soon.” Her mom’s face fell when she saw Monica’s reddened eyes. “Honey, is everything OK?”

  “Yeah.” She nodded, but a sob got stuck in her throat, preventing her from saying any more.

  “Jon?” her dad asked, standing up, his fists clenched. “Want to explain what’s happened?”

  “No. I think it’s between you and Monica.” He looked awkward, and then said, “I thought perhaps I could take Ethan over to my family ranch, and he could help me with my chores.”

  “Can I wear my hat?” Ethan asked, getting up off the ground. “Mom bought it for me before we moved here.”