Saddled Bearback (BBW Shifter Cowboy Romance) (Bear Ranchers Book 2)

by Becca Fanning

  This was my life. My poor little booger leaker and her tyrannical four year old brother. Diana was a good girl, but she could go from 0 to disaster in record time. I knew I just had a few seconds to intercede and prevent a full fledged scream snotty explosion.

  “Diana, it’s ok. See, you have your blanket. You can’t play with two things at the same time. Robbie can play with your goat, he won’t hurt it,” I said, patting her flat hair. I smiled down at her, confident I’d solved the problem.

  “But it’s no faaaaair!” she said, howling and thrashing around. She’d gone nuclear, her face turning fire engine red. She began doing this adorable little stomp thing with her feet, wanting to hurt the ground with her rage. She spun around and ran with maximum drama out of the kitchen.

  “That girl has problems,” I said to myself, shaking my head. Such is the terrible life of the two year old. Someone to feed you, clothe you, pay for everything. Even someone to wipe your ass. But none of that matters when someone touches a thing you don’t want them to touch.

  Babies. No thank you.

  I was happy to babysit them, though. It was simple stuff, and their father always overpaid. My friends at college sometimes gave me shit because they thought babysitting was for high school kids. But they worked longer hours for less pay in worse jobs. Why do I have such dumb friends?

  My phone buzzed. Speaking of dumb friends.

  Kerry: Hey Melanie, you want to go clubbing tonight?

  Me: Nah, working tonight.

  Kerry: Boo! Which rugrats are you watching tonight?

  Me: The Sedgwicks.

  Kerry: Oh shit! Is it true they’re separated?

  Me: Divorced, actually.

  Kerry: Forget the club, I’m coming over. Mr. Sedgwick is de-li-shus.

  Me: You’re horrible.

  Kerry: Oh come on, like you don’t undress him with your eyes every time you see him!

  Me: …

  Kerry: He does that Crossfit shit. Mr. Sedgwick is ripped, and he’s not going to be single long.

  Me: Stop it.

  Kerry: Where’s he at anyway? Maybe he’s seeing a hooker! Relieving his bluebells lolol!

  The oven began beeping and I put my phone away. I hit the timer on the oven and took out the tray of cubed sweet potatoes. Mr. Sedgwick liked to say that I had a special touch, getting the kids to eat things he just plain couldn’t. I didn’t know anything about that, but I did use copious amounts of honey, cinnamon and nutmeg on these sweet potatoes. These kids would eat them or I’d eat my hat.

  “Diana! Robbie!” I said. “Come into the kitchen, your snack is done.”

  “Ms. Kennet, can we eat in the living room? My show is on,” Robbie said. He ended that sentence with an inflection that promised whining if he didn’t get his way.

  Too bad.

  “Both of you come eat at the table,” I said. I wasn’t in the mood for games tonight. It had been a long day, and my boyfriend Tim texted me this afternoon. How did he put it? Oh yeah, he needed time to find himself. More like he needed time to find his dick inside some house party skank.

  Diana ran in, chubby cheeks smiling, not a care in the world for her goat or the tears and boogers all over her face. I grabbed a paper towel and cleaned her face and hands. She sputtered her protest but was soon happily seated in her highchair and reaching for the plate.

  “I want the sweet taters,” she said.

  “I know, Diana. Robbie, come in here or you’re getting a time out,” I said.

  “No!” he said from the living room.

  I put a few sweet potatoes on Diana’s plate and went into the living room. The TV was showing some cartoon about little animals solving mysteries. Robbie was planted on the couch, seriously focused on the show in front of him.

  “Milord, the banquet awaits thy royal presence,” I said, droning in monotone.

  “No!” he said, not appreciating my channeling of the classics.

  “Young man, I think you need a time out,” I said.

  “Please Ms. Kennet I just wanna watch this show,” he said, the tear factory beginning to warm up.

  “Robbie, how about you come in and have your snack, then you can watch your show?” I said. Normally, I’d have a more fire and brimstone approach, but I didn’t have the strength in me tonight. I was drained.

  “Did you make them special?” he said. He always asked this.

  “You know I did, Robbie. They’re special just for you,” I said, allaying his concerns. I always gave him the same response. It was part of our schtick.

  He didn’t get off the couch so much as melt off it, and finally a semblance of a little boy stumbled into the kitchen and sat at the table.

  Diana smiled at her older brother, happy to see him again after their long separation of twenty seconds. The strange simple things little kids can find joy in always amazed me.

  I scooped some sweet potatoes onto Robbie’s plate and pushed it over to him. Once I had both kids eating, I walked back into the living room to turn the TV off. We weren’t savages, after all.

  I flicked over to the local news, just to see if they had the Dodgers score. Instead I was watching live helicopter camera footage.

  “…And we’re following it live right now. Can we, can we confirm that it’s a wolf?” a voice said off camera. “Yes, my producer is telling me that we can confirm that is a wolf. We’re watching live footage of a wolf going in and around the Claremont neighborhood.”

  Wait, what? That was this neighborhood! Where the fuck did a wolf come from? What was it doing here?

  I pulled out my phone.

  Me: Are you watching the news? There’s like a wild wolf running around the neighborhood!

  Kerry: What’s it gonna do, huff and puff and blow your house down? It’s just a dog, they’ll catch it.

  Me: They better. I’m not leaving this house until it’s caught.

  Kerry: Well, maybe Mr. Sedgwick can make a little room in his bed tonight. ;)

  I felt my cheeks burn up. Ok, Michael Sedgwick was gorgeous. He was tall, built and he had that salt and pepper thing going on. He always treated me really well and I felt horrible for him. His bitch ex-wife got knocked up by her yoga instructor and didn’t even feign interest in the kids. She just wants half Michael’s money and all her yogi’s dick.

  I turned the TV off and went back into the kitchen.

  “You kids ready for bed?” I said. I knew my magic sweet potatoes would knock them out.

  Robbie made a half hearted protest but his drooping eyelids told me a sugar coma was imminent. I cracked an evil grin as I towed the two sleepy kids up the stairs to their rooms.

  I sat down in the big comfy recliner and checked the time on my phone. Mr. Sedgwick was running late. This wasn’t unheard of, but it was the first time since the divorce.

  Maybe he was seeing a lady of the evening. I giggled and shook my head at the ridiculous thought. He would have no need. Some lucky lady friend then? As strange as it sounded, the thought made me a little sad. Not that I thought this forty year old guy who had a beautiful home and great kids would be interested in a college girl.

  But it’s always nice to have options.

  I sent him a text, letting him know the kids were down for the night. That was my indirect way of asking him to check in, to give me an idea of how long I was in for. That’s the worst part of babysitting. You agree to some set amount of time, then the parents walk in two hours late because they wanted to get freaky in a Wendy’s bathroom. I get it: once the kids arrive you’ve got very few opportunities for intimacy. Just give me a heads up if you’re going to be late.

  But no, I had to sit in a house that isn’t mine and wonder if I had enough time to poop before he came home. I’m pretty sure I would rather die than have him knock on the door while I was going number two. Not knowing, it’s the worst!

  I flicked the TV back on and hit the mute button. The camera was back in the studio, and the running alert at the bottom of the screen told the audien
ce that the wolf was at large and the police didn’t know where it was. All residents were told to stay indoors unless absolutely necessary.

  Fucking great.

  I realized that Mr. Sedgwick might not know about the wolf, so I sent him a text about that as well. Still no reply. I hoped he was ok. I hoped the wolf hadn’t…

  I had to laugh and shake my head. That’s what I do, I get myself worked into a tizzy and jump to the worst conclusions. He’s not immediately responding to my texts so of course a wolf has eaten him. What the shit, Melanie?

  I turned the TV off and leaned way back in the recliner. This was so much more comfortable than the futon back in my apartment. Or that stupid papasan Tim insist I buy. Unless you were a cat, it was impossible to get comfortable in that thing. I’d enjoy throwing that into the dumpster, along with whatever else of his he left at my place.

  Soon I found myself sinking into the soft cushion of the chair. It seemed to support me and hug me at the same time. My eyes became heavy, and I thought it wouldn’t hurt to take a quick disco nap. It had been a long day.

  I was back at my apartment, throwing Tim’s shit out. There was a huge dresser in my room, and I kept pulling drawer after drawer of broken promises and lies out and dumping them out the window. It felt proper. It felt therapeutic. It felt plain good!

  But then there were no more drawers, in fact no dresser. I was still in my room, but now Mr. Sedgwick was in the room too.

  He was wearing a bath robe. His salt and pepper hair was slicked back, and I could see his skin glistening fresh from a shower. His blue eyes looked at me, saw me like no other man ever had.

  My bed had become one of those round sex beds you see in movies set in Las Vegas or Beverly Hills. A bed not designed for sleeping, but for fucking. It was covered in shimmering red silk.

  “Get on the bed,” he said. His eyes never left mine. There was no question what we both wanted.

  “Oh, Mr. Sedgwick, we can’t…” I said, moving closer to the bed. “It just wouldn’t be proper,” I said, sitting down. My pussy was hot and aching, needing this man in front of me. I lay back on the bed, my hands reaching out to the sides, my fingers feeling the fine brush of silk. My legs fell open, the hem of my nightie barely covering my upper thighs.

  Mr. Sedgwick walked over to stand between my legs. The thin material of his robe clung to his damp body. I could make out each bump of his six pack, every bulging muscle. His robe began to separate, and the purple head of his cock hung down low. His balls were nestled behind it, pale and massive. His hand went down to his manhood, and he stroked his long pale shaft.

  My left hand grabbed my breast through my nightie, the fabric dulling some of the sensation as I groped myself. My right hand crept down my belly and pulled the hem of my nightie up, exposing myself to the cool air of the room. A pleasant little line of coolness ran down the lips of my trimmed sex and down one thigh, my need for this stud obvious.

  His eyes watched me, and I could see the veins in his neck and face begin to bulge with ferocious intent. His arm flexed, the solid muscle of his forearm now pumping away. As he worked himself, I could see the creamy white snake come to life. It was now beginning to stiffen, to pull away from his body in defiance of gravity.

  I looked at the end of his cock, the wide purple head now leaking a single bead of pre-cum. I could see it, like a small liquid pearl. A musk filled my nostrils, the scent of this man on the brink of ravaging me. My hand found my clit, and I began furiously pulling the sensitive nub in tiny circles.

  “Oh Melanie…you’re such a good girl,” he said, his eyes transfixed on the show I was giving him. “You’ve always taken such good care of me. I need you,” he said. He bent down over me.

  I could smell the cologne he always wore, the stuff that drove me wild. I looked down my body, saw his massive cock descend towards my hungry wet slit.

  Something loud woke me up. As I was torn from my lovely dream, I heard the sound of breaking glass come from behind the house. I let go of my breast and took my other hand out of my crotch. The house seemed much darker, much more dangerous. But something got the better of me.

  I got up from the recliner, my legs wobbly and almost asleep from sitting there too long. I pulled out my phone to check the time, but it was dead. Having the whole world at your fingertips isn’t so great if it’s out of juice.

  I heard some more noise coming from the backyard. I got up the courage to creep into the kitchen so I could get a better look. I walked through the dark kitchen, streetlights from outside casting dim rays of light into the room. I got low, making sure no one from outside could see me.

  My left foot went out and stepped on something soft and slick. My feet went out from under me and I crashed down against the floor. I cursed silently but was thankful that I wasn’t hurt. A piece of sweet potato was stuck to the bottom of my shoe. I pulled it off and got back into my crouched position.

  I walked over to the edge of the counter and peeked over. The large window behind the counter looked over the backyard. The light from the street barely reached it, so most of it was encased in shadow.

  The large white two car garage took up much of the view, and a small stone walkway lead from the garage door to the stairs of the back porch. A tall wooden fence encased the yard, Mr. Sedgwick’s ex-wife had planted rose bushes around the yard, and I could see the flowers sway in the light breeze.

  Then I realized that one part of the fence had been damaged. Several long boards were knocked down, and the rosebush in front of it had been partially trampled as well.

  I heard a crash inside the garage and ducked back under the window. Something or someone was in there! I peaked out back over the bottom of the window and saw that one of the garage windows was shattered. It must’ve been eight feet up from the ground. Some poor bird must have crashed into it.

  My cautious side told me I should stay in the house. I didn’t know what was out there. But if there was an animal suffering in the garage, I wanted to help it. I could call a vet or something.

  I stepped out into the cool air of the backyard. The stars were out that night, added little shimmering specks next to the full moon. I hugged my sweater tight and crept towards the garage, flashlight in hand. The bright spotlight it made glinted off the broken glass of the window. I could see blood on the glass as well, and my heart went out to the poor creature inside.

  I pulled out the spare garage door key Mr. Sedgwick kept in the foyer and put it into the lock. I heard another crash from inside and froze. Was this a good idea? No, but it was better than doing nothing. I couldn’t stand by why some poor bird thrashed around, hurt.

  I turned the knob and pushed the door inwards. Mr. Sedgwick’s huge blue SUV took up the whole center of the garage. I could see a ladder laying askew against the far wall, knocked off it’s hooks.

  I stood still, listening for movement. Nothing. I listened for breathing. Nothing. The flashlight illuminated the broken window, and there was a pile of broken glass on the floor. A small splatter of blood covered the glass. I walked closed to the glass and knelt down. I could make out a trail of blood drops that lead back behind the SUV.

  “Hey…hey there. It’s ok little bird. Not gonna hurt ya’,” I said, doing my best to sound calming. I slowly walked around the SUV, hoping I wasn’t to late to help the little bird.

  As I crept around the SUV, my flashlight illuminated a huge furry shape, lying on its side panting. Something primal inside me activated a pure terror response, and I fell backwards, screaming. My flashlight hit the ground and went out. The garage was pitch black, save a sliver of light coming in through the ajar door.

  Two golden eyes glowed in the darkness. I could see them slowly open and close. A low guttural growl came from the wolf, and it was obvious that it was in pain. I began scrambling across the floor, getting my feet under me to bolt out the door.