Read Online The Cowbear's Curvy Valentine (Curvy Bear Ranch 5) by Liv Brywood - Free Book Online

it didn’t seem like a big deal to her, but to him it had been the end of the world. Disappointing his parents had been one of the worst things he’d ever done in his life. Sure, it may not have compared in scale to her supposed failure, which he still didn’t consider her fault, but she didn’t have to be so callous about it.
    “I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean for it to come out like that. I’m not discounting the level of what you did, but no one died.” A tremor entered her voice. “In my case, Edward Lee Drake could go out and kill again.”
    “You have to stop accepting blame for the outcome of that case. Unless you did something completely negligent, it wasn’t your fault. If you let this case haunt you, it’s going to ruin your life,” he said.
    “I don’t know how to get past it,” she said.
    “Paint.”
    “What?”
    “How did you feel when you were painting the mountains?” he asked.
    “Free.”
    “Then you should paint another landscape.”
    She bit the edge of her lip as if considering his suggestion. He couldn’t look away from the vulnerability in her eyes. For a moment, he could almost believe he was looking at the child inside her who was too afraid to come out. She needed to recapture the spark that she’d lost. Although he wanted to help her, he wasn’t sure how to do it.
    After a few seconds passed, her eyes brightened. “I know what I want to paint next.”
    “Really? What?” he asked. Her sudden flash of enthusiasm warmed his heart. Finally, he was getting somewhere with her.
    “Wildlife,” she said. “Something exotic, like a herd of buffalo or a bear.”
    “A bear?” His bear perked up.
    “Don’t bears live in Yellowstone?” she asked.
    “Yes. We have grizzly bears and black bears, but they don’t just live in the park,” he said.
    His bear clawed at his chest, trying to break free to give her the bear sighting she wanted. Calm down bear; we can’t exactly shift in front of her. The beast didn’t see a problem with it, of course. But Cody knew better than to shift in front of an unknowing human. He’d probably give her a heart attack.
    “Where can I go to see bears?” she asked.
    He briefly considered mentioning the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone, but decided that he’d rather show off his bear. Maybe she’d even let him keep the painting. He’d pay her double what she earned at the gallery.
    “You might be able to see a bear by the lake. They usually come down in the afternoon,” he said.
    “Aren’t they hibernating right now?” she asked.
    Damn, she was sharp. How was he going to talk his way around that?
    “Well, normally the males don’t come out of their dens until March, but every once in a while, a bear will venture out early.” He held his breath, waiting to see if she’d believe his idiotic story.
    “That’s weird,” she said.
    “We saw one the other day.” Way to compound the lies , he chided. He hated being deceitful, but he couldn’t exactly come out and tell her, “By the way, I turn into a thousand-pound bear and I’d be happy to pose for you.”
    “I’ll stake out the picnic table. Maybe I’ll spot one later today,” she said.
    “Sounds like a plan,” he said.
    Relieved that she’d bought his story, he made up an excuse to leave and hurried through the house. He wanted to circle around the front through the woods so she wouldn’t see him shift. He would be taking a huge risk and would have to be careful not to get caught, but he needed to see that stunning smile of hers again. If shifting and prancing around the lake would do the trick, then he was happy to oblige.
    When he reached the woods, he wound a path through the trees until he was far enough from the house that he couldn’t see it. He called to his bear, and in a cracking, snapping display of power, he began to shift.
    Long, sharp claws sprouted from his fingertips. Hair thickened on his arms to form a coat of light brown fur.