Free Owen (BBW Western Bear Shifter Romance) (Rodeo Bears Book 2) by Becca Fanning

ride to the hospital, because that’s where I’m going to put you.”

    He was speaking to Eddie.

    Their arrival caused a scene. Others in the campsite stopped what they were doing to watch, statues in the desert sun.

    “You know you don’t want to mess with the Tyrell Clan,” Colby said, stepping forward, speaking with the authority of a cop and the audacity of a cowboy. “Be on your way, Girey. We don’t want no trouble.”

    Girey sneered. “Trouble is what you’re gonna get. You don’t scare me. I know what you are, and I don’t care. Men rule over the wild. Bears like you should be locked up, especially after your little stunt yesterday. I had money riding on that competition. You cost me, and I expect you to pay up.”

    A pair of strong hands pulled her away. It was Brianna. “We gotta go, chickling,” she said. “It’s about to get ugly.”

    Dakota didn’t protest. There was nothing she could do to help Eddie. He had his clan for that. She would only be in the way, a liability.

    They hurried to Brianna’s truck. As they pulled away, Dakota opened the window and looked back, seeing Girey and his men, and four angry bears.

Chapter Four

    A full week had passed since the barbeque. Brianna was gone, out fulfilling the duties of her sponsorship, including numerous press calls, leaving Dakota alone in the apartment. When she had first arrived in West Texas, she would have been delighted to have the space to herself, but Dakota no longer wanted the shadows. She wanted the sun. She wanted Eddie.

    She hadn’t heard from him. It worried her. There were too many people in her life she cared about who fell off the radar. First her brother. Now Eddie.

    Dakota picked up her burner phone, hoping it would ring though no one knew her number. The one person who understood what she was going through was her brother. He was on the run too, a needle falling through a very large haystack. They’d parted at the bus station back home, deciding it better not to say where they were going, not even to each other.

    There was a knock on the door. Thinking of her brother, she stood frozen, afraid the police had found her.

    “It’s me, Dakota,” Eddie called, knocking once more. “Open up.”

    Sighing with relief, she let him in. “You’re okay.”

    “I’m okay,” he confirmed, flashing her his sexy smile. “We were arrested, locked away for days, but when witnesses came forward to say the Tyrell Clan was just defending itself, we were released.”

    “What about the bookie?”

    Eddie shrugged. “Don’t know. Colby is at the station seeing what he can learn. He has friends down there. They’re part of the reason we were allowed to go.”

    She wanted to kiss him, but before she got the chance, he swept her towards the door. “Come on, darling. I’ve had enough blues. I need some fun. I’m gonna teach you how to ride a bull.”

    “I’m not getting on a bull,” she asserted.

    “Relax. It’s a mechanical bull down at the bar. We’ll start there.”

    It still sounded horrifying, but she followed him to his black pick-up truck. Twilight masked the town, drawing out the night owls, those who drank and those danced. Dakota was glad she’d gone to a nearby outlet and picked up some new tank tops. She wore a navy blue one, the color dark against the light brown of her eyes.

    “Where are we going?” she asked when he took a road that led out of town.

    “We have to get you a proper hat. I’ve got a few good ones in my trailer.”

    “I don’t wear hats.”

    Eddie laughed as he turned towards the campsite. “That’s the problem. It’s not proper.”

    “If you think you can turn me into a cowgirl, you’re mistaken. In Nebraska, the only hats we wear are snow hats. Or baseball caps.”

    Her eyes went wide as she realized her mistake, but Eddie didn’t call her out on it. Afraid she would reveal too much, she stayed quiet, watching the scenery change as they entered the gorge.

    That