Read Online Bear Pause (BBW / Bear Shifter Romance): A Billionaire Oil Bearons Romance (Bear Fursuits Book 6) by Isadora Montrose - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Isadora Montrose
Tags: General Fiction
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and she was standing up looking like she had nothing urgent planned. At two-thirty she had a perfect little foal wobbling at her teats.”
“Should have called me,” grumbled Carlos. “Colt?”
“Filly. I had Dr. Bascom come out to check them both. He said they were fine and we both went back to bed.”
“Did you clean her up?”
“Yes, sir,” Steve assured him. “We did. Winnie had mostly taken care of herself, and Doc didn’t want her moved, but I made sure there wasn’t anything for the foal to roll in. And we disinfected them both. Winnie was wanting her food when I looked in on her on the way here and I gave her another scoop of the mixture and her hay.”
Carlos grunted and went back to his bowl.
Rosa brought the coffeepot over and put a basket of her flour tortillas on the table. “You don’t need to be going out to the stable every night, mi viejito, ” she said. She winked at Steve. “At your age, a good night’s sleep is important.” She rubbed her husband’s shoulder tenderly.
Steve had long since realized that while Rosa was within a year or two of his mother’s age, she was twenty years younger than Carlos. He interpreted her wink to mean that she approved of his summoning Freddie Bascom instead of her husband. And as both Freddie and Laura had told him to call them before he woke Carlos, he figured everyone was trying to spare the foreman.
“Mr. Cal is coming for the weekend,” Rosa said seating herself. “Bringing some of his friends with him again.”
Carlos laughed. “Think she’ll cotton to one of those city boys?” he asked his wife.
“Not a chance. Not if they don’t ride any better than the last batch.” Rosa turned to Steve. “Did I tell you how Mr. Clive’s will says Miss Laura has to get herself married and have a baby if she’s to keep the ranch?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Several times. Steve didn’t comment. What could he say? From the moment he set eyes on her, he had been willing to step up in Laura’s time of need, but she kept her distance. Hard to court a female who acted like she had a force field around her. And his present situation made it more than ordinarily awkward.
“Laura will be thirty-four on her next birthday. She had better find herself a feller if she don’t want to see them Belingtons ruining this ranch,” Carlos said.
“She won’t see it,” Rosa said. “She’ll be dead, and so will we.”
“Still be a right shame. Those two city slickers will run the place into the ground in a week.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Laura picked up the handwritten form Steve had turned into Rhonda. She had been thinking about this step for too long already. Another weekend had gone past, wasted with yet another of Cal’s city friends.
The only good thing that come of that visit, was that Calvin had gone over the report made by the security experts she had hired to look at the ranch computers. The IT people had not found any sign that they had been either hacked or downloaded a virus. Which meant that she had to either find two thousand head of cattle, or explain what had happened to them to the executors of the estate.
This was exactly the sort of invidious position that she had hoped to avoid. Rustlers were not something any ranch could claim never to have. That the Double B had lost ten times as many animals as was usual. They certainly couldn’t blame the missing stock on predators. There weren’t enough black bears, cougars and wolves left in Colorado to account for so many missing cows.
What she needed to do was get married. It looked more and more as if Steve Holden was her best chance to solve her problem. It was past time to check his references. She picked up the phone and called Yakima Ridge.
“Jenna says her cousin Will met his wife on bearmate.com.” Even though he was in his own house, and his cell was encrypted, Zeke Bascom lowered his voice to a raspy growl.
Laura understood. They had both been raised never to discuss their bears in
“Should have called me,” grumbled Carlos. “Colt?”
“Filly. I had Dr. Bascom come out to check them both. He said they were fine and we both went back to bed.”
“Did you clean her up?”
“Yes, sir,” Steve assured him. “We did. Winnie had mostly taken care of herself, and Doc didn’t want her moved, but I made sure there wasn’t anything for the foal to roll in. And we disinfected them both. Winnie was wanting her food when I looked in on her on the way here and I gave her another scoop of the mixture and her hay.”
Carlos grunted and went back to his bowl.
Rosa brought the coffeepot over and put a basket of her flour tortillas on the table. “You don’t need to be going out to the stable every night, mi viejito, ” she said. She winked at Steve. “At your age, a good night’s sleep is important.” She rubbed her husband’s shoulder tenderly.
Steve had long since realized that while Rosa was within a year or two of his mother’s age, she was twenty years younger than Carlos. He interpreted her wink to mean that she approved of his summoning Freddie Bascom instead of her husband. And as both Freddie and Laura had told him to call them before he woke Carlos, he figured everyone was trying to spare the foreman.
“Mr. Cal is coming for the weekend,” Rosa said seating herself. “Bringing some of his friends with him again.”
Carlos laughed. “Think she’ll cotton to one of those city boys?” he asked his wife.
“Not a chance. Not if they don’t ride any better than the last batch.” Rosa turned to Steve. “Did I tell you how Mr. Clive’s will says Miss Laura has to get herself married and have a baby if she’s to keep the ranch?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Several times. Steve didn’t comment. What could he say? From the moment he set eyes on her, he had been willing to step up in Laura’s time of need, but she kept her distance. Hard to court a female who acted like she had a force field around her. And his present situation made it more than ordinarily awkward.
“Laura will be thirty-four on her next birthday. She had better find herself a feller if she don’t want to see them Belingtons ruining this ranch,” Carlos said.
“She won’t see it,” Rosa said. “She’ll be dead, and so will we.”
“Still be a right shame. Those two city slickers will run the place into the ground in a week.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Laura picked up the handwritten form Steve had turned into Rhonda. She had been thinking about this step for too long already. Another weekend had gone past, wasted with yet another of Cal’s city friends.
The only good thing that come of that visit, was that Calvin had gone over the report made by the security experts she had hired to look at the ranch computers. The IT people had not found any sign that they had been either hacked or downloaded a virus. Which meant that she had to either find two thousand head of cattle, or explain what had happened to them to the executors of the estate.
This was exactly the sort of invidious position that she had hoped to avoid. Rustlers were not something any ranch could claim never to have. That the Double B had lost ten times as many animals as was usual. They certainly couldn’t blame the missing stock on predators. There weren’t enough black bears, cougars and wolves left in Colorado to account for so many missing cows.
What she needed to do was get married. It looked more and more as if Steve Holden was her best chance to solve her problem. It was past time to check his references. She picked up the phone and called Yakima Ridge.
“Jenna says her cousin Will met his wife on bearmate.com.” Even though he was in his own house, and his cell was encrypted, Zeke Bascom lowered his voice to a raspy growl.
Laura understood. They had both been raised never to discuss their bears in
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