Free Colby (BBW Western Bear Shifter Romance) (Rodeo Bears Book 3) by Becca Fanning Page B

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 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