Free Desires of the Cowboy Bears (BBW MMF Menage Shapeshifter Romance) by Tabitha O'Dell Page B

mind we picked one for you.”
    “It’s okay,” I told them. “Animals tend to like me.”
    “I can believe that,” Hudson said. It was innocent
enough, but for some reason his words sent a chill down my spine. He was so hot
and just about anything he said would probably get me excited though.
    With our horses under us, I followed the two men out
into the open summer air and we brought our horses to a trot. There was a lot
of ground to cover and my job was to keep the cows in some semblance of a herd
while the two men took stock of what they’d purchased.
    We checked for lame animals, for any injuries, and
with my warning about the cougars, any sign that they might have been in the
area.
    “Over there,” I said as I pointed at an old tree near
the fence that divided our properties.
    Bringing our horses toward the tree, we got a better
look at the damage. Something had run its claws all over the stump and shredded
the side of it to ribbons.
    “Damn,” I mumbled. The claw marks looked bigger than I
thought a cougar’s could, but I’d seen the big cats out at night. It had to be
what did it.
    “Well then,” Flynn said as he looked to Hudson and
then back to the tree.
    “I’ll say,” was all Hudson offered and I looked at
both men to try to figure out what was going on. They didn’t say anything, not
specifically, but something about their reaction put me on edge.
    “I think we’ve had enough work for a bit,” Flynn said,
changing the subject as he turned the horse back toward home. “How about we
head back for a beer and some lunch?”
    “I’m down with that,” Hudson agreed, but all I could
manage was a nod. Something about their reactions caught me off guard and I
wasn’t sure what to say about it.
    By time we got back to the house, though, I was
starting to realize I was just over reacting. They men probably just didn’t
want to scare me by worrying about the big cats in the area and when we all sat
down for some sandwiches and beers, I let myself relax and enjoy their company.
    “You have any siblings?” Flynn asked me as he sipped
his beer.
    “Nah,” I told them. “It’s just me and my dad, along
with the hands, of course. My ma passed away when I was ten, and it’s just been
dad and me ever since.”
    “That’s too bad,” Hudson said. “About your mom, I
mean.”
    “I get’cha,” I assured him. “And it was tough at
first. The hardest part bout the whole thing is being so far from everyone
else. I love the ranch, but it’s really tough to meet new people when you’re
miles and miles from civilization.”
    “I guess it’s good you got new neighbors,” Flynn joked
and my stomach leapt into my throat. It was good I had new neighbors,
but I didn’t expect them to think that. I thought they were being polite, but
that comment was downright flirty and I didn’t know how to respond.
    “Yeah,” I agreed as I sipped more of my beer. And then
more. “Really good.”
    God, I hated that I was so nervous around the two
guys. I really hated it. They were so nice and I honestly thought they were
flirting with me, but I didn’t know how to respond. I was at a completely loss
and I chugged back my beer.
    “I should probably head back,” I told them. “Unless
you need more help.”
    The two men looked at me and then each other, but they
gave me a nod and Flynn said, “No, it’s cool. Thanks for all your help. Can we
call again in the future?”
    “Um, sure,” I said as I made for the truck. If only I’d
had more experience flirting, I might be able to handle myself, but I was so
inexperienced, so nervous, that I was almost running by time I got back to the
vehicle.
    In my rush to escape my own awkwardness, I spun the
tires in the dirt and raced down their lane toward the road. The whole way home
I cursed myself for being so nervous, but I had an excuse. A damn good one. I
never had two men show any interest in me like that, and now that I had, I had
no clue what to do with it.
    At