Owen (BBW Western Bear Shifter Romance) (Rodeo Bears Book 2) Read Free Page A

seconds.

    Meeting and greeting the elite at the rodeo was easier than she had anticipated, but Mary Beth couldn’t wait to return to Beverly Hills. Walking in the dirt in her stilettos killed her feet, and the dust around the place made her sneeze, but she had a much bigger worry on her mind. She didn’t want to leave her papa alone for too long. As soon as she was certain the rodeo wouldn’t burn down, she’d jump back onto the private jet she’d flown out in and go to him.

    Standing at the entrance to the press tent where she had just done an interview, the crowd around her suddenly parted with murmurs of adoration.

    Oh god no , she thought, tempted to run back into the press tent, anything to avoid the rodeo god. I don’t think I can handle Owen Hutch today. Mr. Sainthood. Mr. He’s So Gorgeous and Kind. Mr. Hardworking.

    As she predicted, Owen broke through the crowd, but his casual manner was gone, replaced by an anger she rarely saw in him, an anger that caused his golden eyes to burn with the fury of a bear.  

    “Why the hell didn’t you tell me!” he roared when he reached her.

    “Hush,” she commanded, grabbing his arm, though her hand could barely grip its mass. “Not here. He doesn’t want everyone to know.”

    Understanding, he allowed her to lead him to a private alley between the beer tents, far from the press. “You should have told me,” he asserted when they were alone, pressed between kegs of ale.

    “How do you know what happened?”

    “I called him as soon as you showed up. I didn’t buy your baloney story that he was busy with the new clothing line at Ray Chaudett . He would never miss the rodeo for something so trivial to him. This is where he’s happiest.”

    “ Ray Chaudett isn’t trivial,” she protested. “He started the company to be closer to me.”

    “It doesn’t matter,” Owen hissed. “You should have told me. You knew I was in town. I shouldn’t have had to hear it from the maid over the phone.”

    “I didn’t have your number,” she explained, though she doubted she would have called him anyway.  

    He shook his head. “Maybe I should leave and go visit him.”

    “Don’t,” she said, putting a hand to his chest. She cared very little about where Owen went, but she knew her papa would be upset if Owen didn’t compete. “It’s the last thing he’d want,” she added, softening her tone.

    “But what if he…”

    “He won’t,” she insisted, hoping it was true.

    Standing so close to Owen, she began to feel her heart beat faster. She was suddenly very aware of how strong a man Owen Hutch was, of how powerful he was. His body was thick and hard. His arms bulged through the T-shirt he wore. She felt her own body respond to his, pulsing in places other than her heart. Starving, she very much wanted Owen to pin her to the stack of kegs and run his hand up her skirt and past her lace panties, where his fingers could explore deep within her.

    It’s the grief , she determined, trying to keep her breath steady. It plays tricks on the soul .  

    Owen must have felt the same. Tenderly, he took her hand and held it in his. Surprisingly, she liked the way it felt. It steadied her, helped ease her fears. But then he pulled a pen from his back pocket and scratched his phone number onto her palm, his anger returning.

    “Call me if you hear anything,” he demanded. Then tipping his hat her way, he left.

    It was a good thing. It gave Mary Beth a chance to catch her breath and to make a vow never to be so close to Owen Hutch again.

Chapter Three

    Her mind full of worries, as Mary Beth walked out of the woman’s bathroom, she barely noticed the woman playing horseshoes nearby, not until she ran right into her, causing the woman to tumble to the ground, a horseshoe in hand.

    “Watch it next time!” the woman, a brunette with wavy hair and light brown eyes, griped.

    “I’m so sorry,” Mary Beth said, offering her hand to help the woman up.