by Liv Brywood
He couldn’t knowingly let her stay without talking to his brothers about the situation. If her ex was still stalking her, he’d show up eventually. They’d have to constantly be on guard. He wasn’t sure he wanted to live that way.
A clawing in his ribcage signaled his bear’s disapproval.
Mine.
He sighed. His bear seemed so sure, but he wasn’t.
As the first stars began to twinkle, he rose and set his skewer down.
“Please don’t leave the ranch until I’ve had time to think,” he said.
“I won’t.”
She stood and walked up to him. With less than a foot separating them, magnetic attraction destroyed the wall between them. He reached for her in the same moment that she reached for him.
As he pulled her into an embrace, a lump formed in his throat. He leaned back slightly to look at her face. A tear trickled down her cheek. He wiped it away with the pad of his thumb.
“All I ask,” she murmured, “is that you listen to your heart.”
He nodded, unable to speak for fear of having his voice crack. If she knew how long it had been since he’d listened to his heart, she’d understand why it wasn’t as easy as it sounded.
***
Cindy strolled along the edge of the lake. Sunlight glittered across the frozen expanse, but it did little to warm her heart. She hadn’t spoken to Drew since the previous night. The fate of their relationship rested solely in his hands. She’d done everything she could to convince him to allow her to stay. She didn’t want to pressure him. It had to be his choice.
She turned and headed back toward the B&B. Maybe she’d get a chance to see him at lunch. She’d promised Madison that she’d help her prepare fresh rainbow trout from the lake. She’d run into Hank and Logan earlier. They’d been ice fishing and stopped to show off the large fish in their cooler.
As she crunched through the snow, she couldn’t stop thinking about Drew’s family. Sure, they squabbled and poked fun at each other, but they also clearly loved each other. Madison, Kate, Rachel, Carol and Abby were lucky women. They’d all nabbed a Grant brother. Would she land the last single brother?
She smiled. As stressful as her life had been the last few years, she’d found a bit of peace at the Curvy Bear Ranch. It was the kind of place she’d love to be able to raise her daughter. She could take her sledding in the winter and hiking in the summer. Brooke deserved to grow up around people who had good values. She didn’t deserve to grow up in L.A., a wasteland of troubled souls.
When she reached the porch, she stomped her boots. Madison took so much care with keeping the floors clean that she didn’t want to risk tracking in mud. She inhaled the crisp, mountain air one last time before pushing the door open.
“Madison, I’m back,” she called. “Let me just take off all this snow gear and I’ll be in to help you in a minute.”
As she unwound her scarf and pulled off her gloves, she waited for a response. Hum, maybe Madison was upstairs. She could check after she’d had a chance to take off her snow pants. The bulky fabric added weight to her already heavy thighs and she couldn’t wait to shed it. If only losing all of her extra weight were that easy.
She smiled. If Drew did ask her to stay, she’d spend half the year bundled up. Then she wouldn’t have to worry about whether or not her jeans were clinging to her butt. Although, Drew didn’t seem to mind the extra pounds. An unmistakable physical attraction pulled them together. That wasn’t a barrier in their relationship at all. It all came down to trust. Could he still trust her after all the times she’d lied to him?
When she reached the top of the stairs, she glanced toward Madison’s room. The door was open, so she knocked softly.
“Are you in here?” Cindy asked.
Again, no reply. Weird. Maybe she’d run over to the main house for a few minutes.
Cindy stripped off layers of insulation and pulled on a pair of her favorite jeans. After sliding into a pair of fuzzy slippers, she padded downstairs.
The moment she turned the corner into the kitchen, her heart stopped. Madison lay face-down, sprawled across the floor. A silver mixing bowl had overturned, casting a layer of flour across the tile.
Cindy rushed forward and dropped to her knees. She carefully supported Madison’s neck while rolling her onto her back.
“Madison?”
She checked her pulse. A faint beat thumped against her fingers. She placed her hand in front of Madison’s mouth. A small, but steady puff of air brushed across her hand. She was still breathing.
“Madison, if you can hear me, I’m here to help you.”
She ran to the phone in the kitchen and called 911. The second the operator picked up, she started talking. “I’m at the Curvy Bear Ranch. I have an unconscious pregnant woman. I need immediate assistance.”
“We’ll send someone right away. They’re fifteen minutes out,” the dispatcher said.
“Thank you,” she said before hanging up.
Cindy dropped back to the ground. For a split-second, she contemplated trying to call the main house, but she wasn’t sure where they kept the number posted. There was no time to run over there.
Her medical training kicked in. After double checking Madison’s airway, she retook her pulse. It was weak. She raced into the living room to grab a large pillow off the sofa. After placing it under Madison’s legs, she verified that they were higher than her heart. She ran back into the living room to grab a blanket. She returned to a horrifying sight.
A wet patch of red spread out across Madison’s jeans. Cindy dropped the blanket across Madison’s chest. She moved the pillow out of the way and unzipped Madison’s jeans. As she pulled them off, her heart pounded.
She carefully parted Madison’s thighs. Holy. Fucking. Shit. The baby was crowning already. She jumped up and filled a pot with water and set it to boil. This was the most unsterile environment she’d ever worked in.
After tearing up the stairs to get clean towels from the hall closet, she returned to find Madison moaning.
“It hurts,” Madison wailed.
“I know, sweetie. I’m a doctor. I’ve delivered hundreds of babies and we’re going to deliver your baby right now.”
“It’s too early,” Madison said.
“I need you to listen to me. Okay?”
“Okay,” she whimpered.
“I’m going to need you to push in a minute, but I have to scrub my hands first. Okay?”
“But it hurts.” Madison tried to sit up. “I need to go to the hospital.”
Cindy gently laid her back down. “No. We’re doing this right now.”
She stood and checked the water in the pot. It was only lukewarm. Dammit. She needed it to boil now, but the higher altitude would add to the amount of time it would take.
After checking the baby’s head again, she jumped up to wash her hands. She didn’t have delivery room scrubs or soap or any extra time, but she’d have to make due.
Madison puffed a few times before crying.
“Are you having contractions?” Cindy asked.
“Yes.”
“How far apart?”
“I don’t know,” Madison half-screamed. “Fast.”
“Once a minute?”
“More.”
Cindy glanced at the clock on the wall. She’d called 911 five minutes ago. There was no way they’d get here in time. She had to deliver the baby.
“I know you’re scared,” Cindy said. “But I’m going to help you through this.”
“I want Mack,” Madison snapped.
“I know. I can’t get him right now, but he’ll be here soon.”
“Ohhh,” Madison shrieked.
“Okay. As soon as you feel the next contraction start, I want you to give me four big pushes. Okay?”
Madison nodded. The stark fear in her eyes tore at Cindy’s heart. Many women were afraid of giving birth for the first time, and to have to do it on the kitchen floor had to be a nightmare come true.
“Ahhh,” Madison screeched.
“Push. Give me four big pushes,” Cindy commanded.
Sweat rolled down Madison’s face. Her muscles contorted as she strained. With her fists and forearms, she pushed herself up from the ground.
The baby’s head pushed out. One shoulder quickly followed, then the other. The rest of its body slid out quickly. Cindy caught the baby in her arms—he wasn’t breathing.
She quickly carried him to the island and laid him on a towel. After clearing his mouth and nose, she gently rubbed his back. His mouth opened and a small cry escaped. He clenched his fists and began to wail in earnest.
Cindy quickly cleaned him and wrapped a blanket around his back. She turned to the floor and laid him on Madison’s chest.
Madison cried as she held her baby for the first time.
Minutes later, Mack burst into the kitchen.
“An ambulance is here. They said you—”
His eyes went wide and the blood rushed out of his face.
“Sit down, Mack,” Cindy commanded.
She’d seen that look before in plenty of father’s faces. It didn’t matter how big and strong a man was, the second he ended up in his wife’s delivery room, he could fall apart in an instant.
Mack staggered over to his fiancée and plunked down on the floor next to her.
“Are you okay, honey?” he asked.
“Yes. Thank God Cindy found me,” she said. “I tried to get to the phone, but I fell.”
Cody and Brady ran into the room. Two paramedics followed closely behind.
“Everyone step back,” the first paramedic commanded.
Cindy backed up until her lower back hit the edge of the counter. She held her blood-covered hands at chest height. The shock of the situation finally washed over her. She’d just delivered her first baby outside of a hospital.
Logan and Hank stood in the doorway between the kitchen and the dining room. Their faces were almost as pale as Mack’s. Kate, Carol, and Abby filtered in behind them. Rachel wasn’t there, which was good because this wasn’t something Jimmy needed to see.
The paramedics placed Madison on a stretcher. They let her hold the baby as they wheeled her out. Madison smiled weakly and mouthed, “Thank you.”
Cindy smiled in response.
Drew stumbled past the stretcher and into the kitchen.
“What the hell happened?” he asked.
“Cindy just delivered Madison’s baby,” Brady said.
“She did?” Drew asked.
“Yep,” Cody said. “She’s a badass.”
“I’m a bloody badass,” she said.
Drew frowned at her crimson hands. “Let’s get you upstairs for a bath.”
“Thanks for delivering my nephew,” Logan said. “I’d hug you but…”
Kate stepped in. “We’ll clean the kitchen. Don’t worry about anything right now, just go upstairs and relax.”
As Drew led her out of the room, the other brothers and their mates began grabbing mops and towels. It wasn’t until they were upstairs in her bedroom that the avalanche of emotions she’d been holding back were unleashed.
Chapter 10
Drew pulled her into his arms.
“My hands. The blood,” she stammered.
“Shh. I got you,” he whispered.
He stroked her back as she sobbed against his chest. His bear wanted to come out and wrap her in a huge hug, but that would only scare her. Fortunately, the creature understood why he couldn’t be released.
“Let’s get you into a bath,” he said.
“Oh, no. I ruined your shirt.” She pulled back to study the dark splotches on his chest.
“Don’t worry about it,” he said. “During cattle birthing season, my shirts go through much worse.”
When she wrinkled her nose, he smiled. He released her and walked into the bathroom. As he leaned over to run the bath, she began to unbutton her shirt. He tested the stream of water and adjusted it until it was hot, but not scalding. He opened the cabinet under the sink and took out a bottle of bubble bath. After pouring a few drops into the water, he capped the bottle and returned it to the sink.
“If you need me to adjust the—” His jaw dropped.
Cindy stood in the center of the bathroom, completely naked. Other than the splotches of blood on her hands, she was stunning. Black hair cascaded across her shoulders. Pale peach skin glistened in the light. The rosy tips of her breasts formed enticing peaks.
“You’re staring,” she whispered.
“I…Um.” Heat rushed into his cheeks. It took a lot to strike him speechless, but apparently her naked perfection had been enough.
“The tub looks big enough for two,” she said after scrubbing her hands in the sink.
She didn’t have to ask him twice. He stripped off his shirt and pants and set them on the counter along with her clothes. As he walked toward the bath, she stepped into it. She sat forward, giving him room to slide in behind her.
He didn’t bother trying to hide his growing erection as he pulled her back against him. She had to know how much he wanted her already. But if she hadn't, she knew now.
After wrapping his arms around her waist, he kissed the back of her shoulder. She sighed and leaned against him.
“Thank you for helping Madison,” he said.
“I’m just glad I was here. She had to be terrified. I didn’t think she was that far along. I thought she met Mack in December.”
“It’s complicated,” he said.
He couldn’t exactly explain the unpredictable gestation period of werebears, not yet at least. That would be a hell of a conversation, one that they would need to have if she really was his mate. But that could wait. She shivered in his arms. The adrenaline of the situation hadn’t fully dissipated yet.
He picked up a fluffy tan sponge and dipped it in the water. As he brushed it across her shoulders, he sighed. She hadn’t been the only one keeping secrets. He had his own that he’d have to reveal if they decided to move forward together. Was he really any better than her? He’d lied about his fundamental makeup. But he couldn’t even think about broaching that subject with someone who wasn’t his fated mate. The Yellowstone werebears had spent decades hiding their true natures. They’d managed to stay safe by keeping their bear selves secret. He couldn’t tell her. Not yet.
Cindy’s shoulders trembled. She sniffed a few times before reaching up to wipe tears from her face.
“Hey,” he murmured. “What’s going on?”
“I’m just so lost. I came here thinking that I was going to meet the man of my dreams only to find out it’s all a lie. And then I met you. And I…I’m not ready to leave. I just wish I knew where I stood with you,” she said.
“I want to trust you, I do. But I’ve been burned before,” he said. “I don’t know what it will take for me to make that leap.”
“I don’t know how to make you trust me.”
“I know.” He pressed his face into her hair. “I know.”
She turned half-way toward him. A thin layer of bubbles covered the swell of her breasts. He groaned. Why did she have to be so damn sexy?
“What will it take?” she asked. “What can I do to show you how much I need you?”
His cock swelled against the curve of her butt. Getting into the bath with her had been a huge mistake. How could he possibly think straight with her naked, soft body pressed against him?
“I know you want me.” She placed her hand on the top of his thigh. “So what are you waiting for?”
“It can’t just be sex,” he choked as he struggled to retain the last thread of self-control. “I want a partnership with someone. I want someone who loves me for who I am. Someone who can see my faults and not judge me for having them.”
“I want that too,” she said.
She slid one leg around his waist, then the other. As she eased forward into his lap, he clamped his jaw shut. God, she was going to kill him. How could he resist her when
she was wrapped around him like that?
“Cindy,” he whispered. He reached up to brush a lock of damp hair out of her eyes. “You’ve been through a lot today. I don’t want you to come to me because you’re hurting, or scared. I want you to come to me because you want me. A flawed, reclusive cowboy who would rather spend all day in a paddock than in a house surrounded by people.”
“But I do want you.” She slid her hands around his neck and drew him closer. “I’ve wanted you from the moment I met you. And I don’t mean, the fake, online version of you. I mean the real you.”
“I don’t want to hurt you,” he said.
“Then don’t make me wait.”
As she brushed her mouth across his, a jolt of yearning shot straight to his core. He didn’t just want to possess her body. He wanted to possess her heart and soul. And he couldn’t do that until he confessed his own secret. But as her lips urged him into a deeper kiss, his resolve melted faster than a patch of snow in spring. He could worry about telling her everything later. Right now, he didn’t want to focus on anything except the feel of her in his arms.
When she reached between them to wrap her fist around his cock, his hips jerked involuntarily. He’d never wanted anyone the way he wanted her. No other woman could unleash such overwhelming passion. He couldn’t get enough of her lips, of the smoothness of her skin, or of her scent—pure and floral, like a summer meadow.
He tangled his hands in her hair, pulling her tightly against him. She rode up higher on his lap, shifting her knees until they rested on either side of his thighs. As she straddled him, he devoured the damp skin along the side of her neck. He cupped her full breasts and brought them to his lips. After lavishing them with kisses, he sucked one plump nipple, then the other.
She used her hand to guide him into her slick heat. As she wrapped around him, he gasped. He held her hips, gently guiding her into a slow rhythm that sent water sloshing over the edge of the tub. He’d clean the mess up later. It wouldn’t be the only mess he’d have to clean up later and he knew it. But he didn’t care. Nothing mattered except her. They fit together as if they’d been made for each other.
