Read Online Rock (BBW Secret Baby Bear Shifter Romance) (Secret Baby Bears Book 2) by Becca Fanning - Free Book Online Page B

time. Now I can travel more, really get my name out there.” She patted Dakota’s knee. “Let’s go celebrate. There’s a bucket of beers waiting with our name on it.”

    “Why does that sound literal?”

    “Because it is. There’s a barbeque down at the gorge where a lot of the rodeo folk are camping out. No fans, just the crew.”

    Dakota thought of how she’d left things with Eddie, and she curled into a ball on the couch. “Do I have to go?”

    “No,” Brianna said. “But I know you want to.”

    She smoothed down the corners of the blanket, unable to refuse. “Yeah. I do.”

    ***

    The gorge was an area near the stadium not far from where the bonfire had been the night before. Rocky inclines stood in the distance, past a river that ran through the valley. There was a good distance between the campsite and the river, land covered in tumbleweed and sand, where cacti sprouted in jagged intervals.  

    Full of trailers, the campsite could be mistaken for a Western movie set, the actors sprawled around with cans of beer in their hand while smoke rose from a number of barbeques. While Brianna went to sign the papers for her sponsorship, Dakota walked around, hoping Eddie hadn’t left yet for the next stop on his rodeo tour.

    He hadn’t. Near their trailers, the Tyrell Clan played a game of horseshoes. Eddie sat on a log, talking with Jacob as Owen took a shot. A fourth man stood beside them. He resembled Holden, with his dark hair and noble stature.

    Colby , she thought. That must be Eddie’s cousin .

    Eddie spotted her and called her over. “Come play, darling. We don’t bite, not unless you want us to.”

    “I’ve never played before,” she said, joining them.

    “Better late than never. I’ll show you.” Jumping up from the log, he grabbed the horseshoes out of Owen’s hand.  

    “I wasn’t finished,” Owen objected, but he winked at Dakota, not a bother on him. “Ladies first,” he said as he moved aside.

    Eddie handed her a horseshoe, and he stood behind her, brushing her back as he guided her body how to move. “It’s like a Frisbee,” he instructed. “Just aim for the pole. The pole goes through the hole.”

    “It’s nothing like a Frisbee,” Owen uttered nearby. “Eddie is the worst player in the clan. And the worst teacher. Don’t listen to anything he says. Just do what instinct tells you to do.”

    With Eddie’s hands on her waist and his musk filling her senses, her instincts told her to turn around and lure him into his trailer for their own game of horseshoe.

    “Thank you for the blanket,” she said as she aimed. “And for fixing things with Brianna. I figure you had something to do with the sponsorship.”

    “I had nothing to do with it. Brianna earned it on her own. I just made sure it went ahead despite the pigs running amuck.”

    “See, you can be gallant. Your brother was right to leave you in charge. You’ve got this.”

    “Actually, I’ve got you,” he said, tightening his hold on her waist.

    She threw three horseshoes and missed each time, but it was fun. When the last horseshoe flew out of her hand and nearly hit Jacob in the head, a giddiness took hold of her, and she laughed so hard her stomach hurt.

    “Arrest her, Colby,” Jacob joked. “She ain’t playing fair.”

    She instantly lost her humor. “Arrest me?”

    “Colby’s a cop,” Eddie explained.  

    She swallowed, suddenly finding it hard to breathe. “A real one?” she asked, causing the group to burst out laughing.

    “I’m a part-time officer, only on duty when we’re back at the ranch in New Mexico,” Colby said. “Don’t worry, I have no jurisdiction here. Jacob will have to take it up with the local police.”

    Dakota forced a smile, her heart pounding, realizing just how dangerous a game she was playing. To take the focus off of her, she quickly changed the subject. “Where did Holden go?” she asked.

    The group looked around uncomfortably. Running a