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

  Table of Contents

  Copyright

  Foreword

  Chapter One – Monica

  Chapter Two – Jon

  Chapter Three – Monica

  Chapter Four – Jon

  Chapter Five – Monica

  Chapter Six – Jon

  Chapter Seven – Monica

  Chapter Eight – Jon

  Chapter Nine – Monica

  Chapter Ten – Jon

  Chapter Eleven – Monica

  Chapter Twelve – Jon

  Chapter Thirteen – Monica

  Chapter Fourteen – Jon

  Chapter Fifteen – Monica

  Chapter Sixteen – Jon

  Chapter Seventeen – Monica

  Chapter Eighteen – Jon

  Epilogue

  Get In Touch

  Also By Harmony Raines

  Cowboy Bear’s Fate

  Cowboy Brother Bears

  (Book Three)

  ***

  All rights reserved. This book, or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner without the express written consent of the author or publisher.

  This is a work of fiction and is intended for mature audiences only. All characters within are eighteen years of age or older. Names, places, businesses, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, actual events or places is purely coincidental.

  © 2017 Harmony Raines

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  Cowboy Bear’s Fate

  Cowboy Brother Bears

  (Book Three)

  This hot, handsome, cowboy is going to make his mate stay, even if he has to put her over his saddle, and carry her off to the Williams Homestead!

  Monica William’s family are relocating to Black Bear Ford, due to a family crisis. She is torn between moving to the country with them, or pursuing her career at the museum. Things are complicated even further when she meets handsome cowboy Jon Williams, especially when it turns out they have more than a surname in common.

  He might be the youngest son, but Jon William’s is a force to be reckoned with, especially when he meets his mate. Will he convince her to stay in Black Bear Ford, and can he help make things right for his mate, when she finds out a family secret that threatens to tear Monica’s world apart?

  Chapter One – Monica

  “This is the last of the boxes. Shall I start unpacking?” Monica asked her mom. She lifted the box, heavy with crockery, and placed it on the counter in the kitchen, where her mom was trying to make order out of the chaotic mess created by their move.

  “Yes, please. Thanks, Monica.” Her mom tried to fix a smile on her strained face, but Monica saw right through it. The move had taken its toll on her mom and dad. Monica could only hope that when everything was unpacked and they had settled in, they could find peace and happiness here in Black Bear Ford.

  A move to the country was supposed to be done for good reasons, such as fulfilling a lifelong dream, a chance to enjoy a slower pace of life. This move had been made out of complete desperation.

  It had all happened so suddenly, and Monica was doing her best to be supportive of something she didn’t quite understand. There were changes going on inside her brother, and not the usual hormonal chaos of puberty. This was something more. Something else. Something otherworldly. The kind of thing you saw in a sci-fi movie, or read about in one of those magazines, along with the bearded lady or the sheep with two heads. Things that to anyone outside, looking in, would seem impossible.

  But Monica had seen the impossible firsthand.

  That same impossible had caused her parents to suddenly uproot themselves from perfectly happy lives and move to the wilds of Black Bear Ford. Yes, the scenery was exquisite, and the stream running along the bottom of the property was pretty. But this wasn’t the reason her parents had left their good, steady jobs to buy a house in the country and a hardware store in the local town.

  What did her parents even know about hardware? Her mom was a dental assistant, and her father worked as a realtor. The whole thing was crazy. All their friends had figured it was a midlife crisis, or that their marriage was in trouble. Luckily, none of them guessed the real truth.

  Her mom stopped unwrapping the coffee mugs and went to the back door, which looked out over the garden. Monica joined her, placing a hand on her mom’s shoulder. They stood in silence, watching her younger brother, Ethan, run around the lawn like a thing possessed.

  “It will be OK. He will be OK,” Monica assured her mom.

  “I hope so,” her mom replied. “I hope we’ve done the right thing.”

  “There’s plenty of space here for him to run. The trail leads from the back yard up into the mountains. Dad can take him for a good run up there. Teach him how to control himself. I’m sure this is natural.”

  She kept her expression neutral while her brain screamed, this is the most unnatural thing I’ve ever seen. But Ethan was still her brother.

  And her dad was still her dad. Monica looked sideways at her mom briefly, and wondered what other secrets her mom and dad had kept from her. A wave of shame passed over Monica. Her parents were wonderful, always there for her; even now, as a grown woman, she knew she could always pick up the phone if she had a problem, and one of them would be there.

  Not anymore, she reminded herself. Yes, they would still be at the end of the phone, but no more calling her dad if her car wouldn’t start, no more turning up on the doorstep for a cup of coffee and a chat with her mom whenever Monica was passing by. Even their regular family meal together on a Sunday evening was gone. Unless she wanted to make a six-hour round trip to visit Black Bear Ford.

  A sudden noise from the garden made Monica jump, and she looked worriedly at her mom. “I think Ethan needs you.”

  “What’s he doing?” her mom asked, and headed out of the house. “Ethan!” She went outside, practically running, before grabbing hold of the boy and talking to him quietly. Ethan nodded and then cast a look at Monica before going to sit by the stream, taking off his shoes and dangling his feet into the water.

  “Everything OK?” Monica asked as her mom came back into the kitchen.

  “Yes, he’s overexcited, wants to get out onto the mountains. He’s almost feral sometimes,” her mom said, a worried glance cast toward Ethan before she went back to unpacking.

  Monica looked out of the kitchen door to where Ethan was still seated beside the stream. Maybe if she had gone through the same thing, this shift, she would be able to understand the changes taking place in him. But she hadn’t. Her dad, when he had finally outed himself as a shifter too, had explained it away. He told Monica, that sometimes the shifter gene skipped a child, or even a whole generation.

  Monica wanted to believe that. And she did—kind of. Yet something didn’t sit right. Maybe it was the way her dad had kept this side of himself a secret, hidden from her all her life. Monica had a feeling that if Ethan’s shift had been easy, instead of making him the mixed-up teenager he had turned into, that they would have tried to keep that a secret from Monica and the rest of the world too.

  Why would she think that? Because keeping it from her was exactly what they had done.

  Her brother had been acting weird for a few months before they f
inally told her. Normally a laid back kid, he had gotten himself into fights at school, fallen out with many of his old friends, and generally become a stubborn pain in the ass. His energy levels and his temper were off the charts. It was why he was outside playing now, rather than helping unpack. He simply couldn’t be trusted around anything breakable, or precious.

  Monica had stumbled on the family secret by chance. She’d stopped over at her parents’ house for coffee. Arriving unexpectedly, she had walked around to the back door, only to find a bear in her parents’ back yard. A big, black, frickin’ bear. Her screams had alerted her mom, who had called her dad, and they had sat her down and had that talk.

  Not the birds and the bees: this was your brother is a bear.

  “Shall I make some coffee?” Monica’s mom asked, as she unearthed the coffee pot.

  “I’d love some,” Monica said, glancing at her mom. Everything had changed.

  The change in her mom was particularly hard to take. In among all the upheaval of the move, she had begun to look old and tired. As if she had spent night after night not sleeping. Her eyes were permanently bloodshot, and Monica was sure her mom cried every day, although she tried to hide it. “Are you OK, Mom?”

  Monica knew the answer. Her mom put her face on. It reminded Monica of a sports star’s game face. Everything was good. Everything would work out for the best. That did not stop her asking, or worrying.

  Her mom smiled, not enough to lift the sadness she carried, but it was an attempt to ease Monica’s worry. “Everything will be, once we get settled in.” She put the coffee on and then left the unpacking to come over to Monica, who was hanging up the saucepans. “We just have some things to iron out.”

  “Things you don’t need me around for?” Monica smiled sadly. So much sadness these days. It was almost as if there had been a death in the family, and yet everyone was still alive and breathing.

  “It’s not like that.”

  “Then what is it like?” Monica asked.

  “You have a life, a good job. We don’t want you to give that up. You love your work at the museum.”

  “I love you guys more.” Monica tilted her head to one side. “Say the word, and I’ll come work in your hardware store for room and board.”

  “We don’t want you giving up your career. We have moved to the perfect place for Ethan. And I feel guilty enough leaving you behind. But not as guilty as if we let you move here and give up everything you’ve worked for.”

  “Oh, Mom, you know you and Dad, and Ethan, are more important to me than anything. I’m going to miss you all so much.” Her mom looked like she was going to cry, and Monica had no choice but to fold her mom into her arms. She understood her mom’s words, and part of her said she was right. But a big part of her wanted to move here.

  As a little girl, she’d always dreamed of living in the country. And the fact that the family had a connection to the area made her want to move here and unearth it. That was what history was to Monica. Not some stuffy exhibit in a museum, but a living, breathing thing that had to be nurtured and uncovered.

  “We’re going to miss you too. But it might not be forever. Once Ethan has control, we could move back.” Both women knew that was not likely to happen, but Monica was willing to kid herself for a while. “I don’t want you to make a knee-jerk decision and move here, only to regret it in a couple of months.”

  “I know I have to give it a chance. And I’m a big girl, old enough to be on her own.”

  “You will always be my little girl,” her mom said.

  “OK, so let’s get this house organized.” She turned away from her mom, trying to blink away the tears welling in her eyes. “What else do you want me to do? I could start in the bedrooms.”

  “Sure…” Her mom poured the coffee and opened the cooler to get the milk. “Urgh. It’s gone sour. Could you do me a favor and head into town to get some milk? I don’t mind black coffee, but we’re going to need some for cereal in the morning.”

  “Sure. I’d like to take a look at the town while I’m here anyway.” Monica hadn’t come with her parents when they viewed the house or the hardware business, so the only part of the area she had seen was on the drive here. It would be fun to explore, and a little time away to get her emotions under control would be a good idea.

  “Thank you, sweetheart.” Her mom grabbed her purse from the counter top, and rummaged around for some money.

  “It’s OK, I’ve got it,” Monica said, and grabbed her keys and her purse. “When I get back, we’re going to have coffee sitting outside. You need a rest. What doesn’t get unpacked today, can wait for tomorrow.”

  “We’ll see,” her mom said evasively.

  “Yes, we will. I am old enough to boss you around,” Monica said.

  “Who is old enough?” her dad asked, entering the kitchen. He’d been upstairs putting the beds together, and making sure they all had somewhere to sleep tonight after the long day.

  “I am old enough to tell Mom she needs a rest. I know you have a lot to do, but you’re going to make yourselves sick.” She frowned. “I should be here with you. Help you set up the store at least. The museum wouldn’t mind if I took an extended leave.”

  “Let us see if we can cope,” her dad answered.

  “And if you can’t, you will call me. Let me be the one who picks you up.” Monica pulled them both into her arms. “I love you guys.”

  “We love you too,” her dad said, hugging her tight. She inhaled the scent of his cologne, and the scent of the laundry detergent her mom used. Her dad, the man who made her feel safe, the man who always protected her. The man who was also a bear.

  “Did I ever tell you how proud I am of you?” her mom asked, kissing her cheek.

  “OK, I’m going to go before I start crying.” Monica pulled away from them, and wiped her eyes again. She’d done more crying over the last couple of days than she had for months. There was a hole in her heart that had started as a dull ache as the reality of her parents moving hit her. Now, the thought of leaving them in a couple of days made the pain sharper, more acute.

  Monica left her parents talking and went outside, inhaling the fresh mountain air. Yes, she could be at peace here, but maybe her mom was right, she had to give it time, let her emotions settle before making any major life-changing decisions about her future.

  Monica got in her car, backed it up, and turned around in front of the small garage, before driving away from the property and the family she was going to miss like crazy. What was it going to be like in two days’ time when she left them for good?

  She shook her head. She needed to let things calm down; her parents were doing what they thought was right. Perhaps it would be easier for them without her here.

  Unable to ignore the beautiful scenery around her, she let her worries go. She would do as they suggested, stay a couple of days to help them unpack and get settled, and then keep in touch. If they still wanted her to, she would come visit as often as they wanted. As for moving here?

  One day. Maybe. She would have to give it some thought, take her time in deciding what she wanted her future to look like, and maybe look for a job in the area.

  “It is beautiful.” As a girl she had always dreamed of living on a ranch and owning a pony. The outdoors always called to her. She was too big for a pony, but if she did move here, then she might be able to buy a horse and keep it on one of the neighboring ranches.

  She turned down the road that led into the small town of Black Bear Ford. There she found the ford after which the town was named. A stream ran over a dip in the road, and the water splashed the sides of her car. In the winter the ford would be a lot deeper, and the roads around the hills would be treacherous in the ice and snow too.

  She’d need to sell her car and get a truck. If she moved here. The idea was beginning to look more appealing as she drove through the quaint old town. Some of the stores looked as if they had been here forever. This was living history. Running an expert eye o
ver the buildings, she could tell when each new addition had been added to the main street. Then something else caught her eye. Something she was not quite such an expert on.

  “Oh my! Cowboys,” she said as she parked the car, and looked at a couple of guys walking down the street. “Cowboy hat. Check. Cowboy boots. Check. Cowboy drool. Check.” She grinned, pretended to wipe her mouth, and then got out the car, not knowing before today that she might just be nursing a cowboy fetish. “You can rope and tie me anytime,” she said quietly.

  One of the cowboys, tall, six foot three, with bleached blond hair and the bluest of eyes, turned and looked at her. No way he could have heard her words, but she blushed all the same. Giving a faint smile, realizing they might just stare at all strangers that way, she made her way to the small grocery store to buy the milk.

  His eyes watched her, and his friend nudged him and laughed, but he didn’t break his stare. Hot damn! She fought off the need to turn around and stare back. Pushing the door of the store open, she went inside, glad of the cool sanctuary. Monica planned to spend a while in here looking around, to give the cowboys enough time to move on.

  However, as she came around the aisle and headed to the front of the store, she saw they had moved along the street, and were waiting outside. For her? If so, what the hell did they want?

  Nothing with you, she told herself. They were probably just hanging around. Of course they were. But part of Monica, the part that dreamed of the kind of long-lasting love and romance her parents shared, wished that they were waiting for her.

  Chapter Two – Jon

  “Are you sure?” Samuel asked Jon for the fourth time.

  “Sweaty hands, weak at the knees, hollow feeling in my stomach. Oh, and the need to rush in there and put her over my shoulder and carry her off into the sunset.” Jon took a deep breath, and added, “Yeah. I’m sure.”

  “So what are you going to do?” Samuel asked.