Free Rock (BBW Secret Baby Bear Shifter Romance) (Secret Baby Bears Book 2) by Becca Fanning Page A

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 silence was interrupted when the radio on the dashboard crackled to life. “Eddie, you on the road?” Colby inquired. “I need to talk to you.”

    Eddie picked the radio up and pressed a button on the side. “I’m pulling into the campsite now. You there?”

    “No. I’m at the police station. I’ll call you later on your phone.”

    “Spill the beans,” Eddie urged. “I’m hitting the road again soon. Have some bull riding to do.” He winked at her.

    “It’s about Dakota.”

    Her throat went dry, and she started to tremble. She wanted to jump out of the truck, but there was nowhere she could go.

    Glancing at her with concern, Eddie pulled up to the trailers, and he parked the truck, but he didn’t move. “Go on.”

    “I’ve just seen a bulletin with her name and photo on it. She’s a fugitive. She’s wanted for her part in an armed robbery up north.”

    “I see,” Eddie said stiffly. “I’ve gotta go. We’ll talk later.” He set the radio back down.

    “I can explain,” Dakota said desperately, but Eddie didn’t want to hear it. He jumped out of the truck and slammed the door shut, leaving the keys inside. Dakota followed him. “Please, let me explain.”

    “I thought you were one of the good ones!” he shouted.

    His words cut her deep, but she spoke through the pain they caused. “Listen to me. A while ago, I saw that my brother was mixing himself up with the wrong people, so one day I followed him. He went into a store with a group of guys, but then he ran out scared. I didn’t know what was going on, so I told him to get in my car, and I drove away. I had nothing to do with the robbery. I didn’t even know that was what he was running from.”

    “You didn’t see the bags of money in his hands?” Eddie asked, sarcastic.

    “There were no bags. The robbery was a bust. Everyone was caught except my brother.”

    “And you.”

    She shook her head. “I told you. I had nothing to do with it, but the police think I was his getaway car.”

    Eddie wasn’t listening. “You lectured me on responsibility, teaching me there were consequences to my actions, but you’re no better. You’re a fraud.”

    His accusations turned her to ice. Unable to stand it, she hopped into the truck and drove away, on the run once more.

    ***

    Dakota was lost. Speeding down the road in the truck, she knew how to get back to her apartment, but she didn’t know if she should go back. Eddie knew her secret. He knew why she had fled Nebraska. Worse, Colby knew too. Soon, the cops would be on to her. She had been wrong about Eddie. He wasn’t her protector. He was the one who would destroy her. Disappointed and angry, she pressed harder on the pedal, accelerating, but then she hit the brake, causing the truck to swerve off the side of the road before it stopped.

    This is Eddie’s truck , she remembered. I’m not a thief. I have to take it back.

    It wasn’t negotiable. Dakota wouldn’t become the criminal the cops in Nebraska made her out to be. She wouldn’t justify their warrant. She turned the truck around. If she saw flashing lights, she’d leave it outside the campsite, close enough for it to be found but not so close that she would get caught.

    Thankfully,