Farmer Bear

by Anya Nowlan

  “Of course, but I think there might be another way,” she said, squeezing his hand.

  “I don’t want to let Eve win, but I also don’t want to do anything that could result in Olivia being taken away from me,” Max sighed.

  “Then we make sure neither of those things happen,” Riley resolved.

  Now that she knew exactly what was going on, nothing was going to stand in her way. Max and Olivia didn’t deserve to get their lives upended by Eve. That wasn’t fair, or just, and wasn’t helping people in that kind of situation why she had become a lawyer in the first place?

  Not to mention she was personally involved, making her even more determined. Max was a great father. He adored Olivia, and it was easy to see the little girl loved her dad. And now, more than ever, Riley could see herself as a part of that family. Her fate was intertwined with theirs. That realization had come to her as soon as Max had revealed she was his mate. She wasn’t sure what that meant for her future exactly, but she would have time to think about that once this whole thing with Eve was over and done with.

  A path to a possible solution was beginning to form in her head, and while she knew there would be some risk involved, the reward would be worth it. All she needed to do was convince Max she had a way out of this situation.

  “You look like you have some sort of plan cooking,” Max remarked, reading her like an open book.

  “I do,” she replied, a grin spreading over her face.

  “You want to let me in on it?” he chuckled.

  “You’re going to meet with Eve again,” she said. “But this time, I’ll be there.”

  And she won’t know what hit her.

  Eighteen

  Max

  Max had to admit, he was nervous. Parked in front of the Sunshine Motel again, he was acutely aware of what was on the line if this meeting went off the rails. But having Riley in the passenger seat, looking like she was ready for battle, was encouraging.

  They had filled Gage and Addison in on the basics, and their friends had been appropriately outraged. Gage had even offered him money, while Addison talked things through with Riley. The women seemed to be in agreement over Riley’s strategy, while he and Gage got into an argument over Max turning down his cash offer.

  In the end, Gage relented, wishing them luck in doing things their own way. Olivia was left in their care, and saying goodbye to the little girl had been harder than ever for Max.

  Riley was dressed much like that day she had gotten off the plane, looking stern and professional in her immaculate button-up and knee-length skirt, with a pair of heels to match. In her lap lay a folder, containing paperwork they had printed out in Addison’s office.

  She turned to him, holding his gaze.

  “Ready?” she asked.

  Pulling on the strength of his bear, Max squared his shoulders. If Riley said this plan was going to work, then it was going to work. He had to trust that. Since he already trusted her, it was made a little easier.

  “Ready,” he replied.

  Together, they walked into the motel, up the familiar stairs, and he led her to Eve’s room. He had texted her he was coming, so he knew she would be there. Knocking on the door, he could see Riley’s spine stiffen as she stood beside him.

  The door flew open a moment later, with Eve standing there, dressed in the same clothes as yesterday. She smiled at first, before she noticed Riley there.

  “And who the hell is this?” Eve asked, crossing her arms.

  “I’m Mr. Lewis’ attorney,” Riley announced. “We need to have a word.”

  Ice dripped from her words as she spoke, and Max could easily imagine her in a courtroom, confident and ready for a fight. He didn’t even wait for Eve to respond as he pushed his way into the room, with Riley right behind him.

  “What is this?” Eve demanded, slamming the door after them.

  “Mr. Lewis has told me everything, and I’m here to tell you you’ve made a mistake coming here,” Riley said evenly. “You will never get custody of Olivia, nor do I think you actually want to go through a costly legal process to obtain it.

  “Your past will get dragged out in detail in front of a judge, there will be drug tests and interviews with mental health professionals, and let me assure you, you cannot afford a lawyer better than me.”

  Studying Eve coldly, Riley laid it all out there, stunning even Max with her ruthlessness. He stayed quiet, letting Riley’s words sink in. Eve paled, her hands clenching into fists at her sides.

  “Who the hell do you think you are?” she snarled at Riley, before turning her attention to Max. “Where did you find this bitch?” she asked.

  Riley was undeterred by the insult.

  “I suggest you shut up and consider what I’ve just said,” she simply stated.

  “Oh, I’m considering it,” Eve shot back. “Just like Max should consider the fact Olivia might not even be his daughter.”

  “That is irrelevant,” Riley replied. “The point is, you won’t gain anything by fighting him for custody. The money he promised you is no longer on the table. I think it’s best for all parties that you just leave.”

  “No, no, we had a deal,” Eve jabbed her finger at Max. “You can’t back out.”

  “I can,” Max replied, trying to mirror Riley’s self-assured impassiveness. “I shouldn’t have agreed to it in the first place. Just listen to reason, Eve. You played your hand, and you lost.”

  “Oh no, you’re not getting rid of me that easily,” Eve replied. “I came here for a reason, and I’m not leaving…”

  Riley cut her off, her voice echoing off the walls of the small room.

  “Of course, we could also discuss how you attempted to blackmail my client,” she said, immediately silencing Eve. “Thanks to your numerous, very candid texts, I don’t think we’ll have any trouble proving it.”

  Eve stilled, glaring at Riley with unrestrained fury. Max had to suppress a smile. They had Eve right where they wanted her, that much was clear. He could almost see the gears turning in the woman’s head. There was no way she would risk going to jail, where she would have to do without her booze and pills.

  “Cut your losses,” Riley suggested. “My client will even be as generous as to buy you a plane ticket back to Carson City, with a little extra for your troubles. And to convince us you won’t try this again, you would have to sign this.”

  With a smooth motion, Riley opened her folder, pulling out a neat pile of paperwork.

  “This is a consent agreement for the voluntary termination of parental rights,” she explained, handing the papers to Eve. “Let this all be over. Go home. You can’t win here.”

  Eve hesitated, eyeing the papers with suspicion. She flipped through a couple of pages before growing disinterested.

  “How much?” she asked.

  “For what?” Max asked.

  “For my troubles,” Eve replied.

  For a brief moment, Riley was unable to hide the disgust on her face.

  “A thousand dollars,” she quickly said.

  Eve thought about it for a long, tense moment. Max and Riley locked eyes as the air seemed to be sucked out of the room. This was it. What happened next would determine several futures. When Eve spoke again, she had their full attention.

  “Give me a damn pen,” she said, and Max almost let out a sigh of relief.

  After that, the whole thing was over in a matter of minutes. Eve signed the papers, Max got out an envelope from his back pocket and handed it over, promising to e-mail Eve her plane ticket.

  She just rolled her eyes, wanting to get both him and Riley out of her motel room as quickly as possible. They were more than happy to oblige. Even when Max was back in his truck, with Riley sitting next to him, he could hardly believe what had just happened.

  “Will that hold up in court?” he asked, pointing his chin at the folder in her lap.

  “All that matters is that Eve thinks it will,” she replied, a devious smile on her face.

 
Starting the truck, Max couldn’t help but laugh. As they pulled out of the parking lot, all he could think of was how lucky he was to have found Riley, and how he would do well to remember that.

  When they arrived back at the ranch, Gage and Addison were waiting, both dying to know what had happened. Max and Riley filled them in, and were both grabbed into hugs as soon as the good news was out.

  “God, you must be so relieved,” Addison said.

  “That’s an understatement,” Max chuckled. “And I owe it all to you three. Don’t think your part in all this has gone unnoticed,” he added, casting knowing glances at Gage and Addison.

  “What, us?” Addison replied with exaggerated shock. “We barely did anything.”

  “Just a little advice here, some mild meddling there,” Riley laughed.

  “I hope now that everything has worked out, you can give more thought to my job offer,” Addison said.

  “Job offer?” Max couldn’t help but blurt out.

  It sounded too good to be true. He didn’t want to pressure Riley into leaving her old life behind, but if she had a brand new one already waiting for her here…

  “I am very seriously considering it,” Riley replied, grinning up at him as she looped her arm in his.

  “That’s good,” Addison nodded, her hand suddenly going to her stomach. “Because I’m going to have to start slowing down soon.”

  Riley squealed, clamping her mouth in embarrassment as soon as the sound had escaped her lips. Max just grinned at Gage, and shook the man’s hand.

  “Congratulations, brother,” he said. “You’re going to be a great dad.”

  “Thanks,” Gage replied. “That means a lot.”

  They all hustled inside the house after that, where Olivia was taking a nap upstairs. Gage and Addison disappeared into the basement, hoping to rustle up a bottle of champagne to celebrate. That left Max and Riley alone in the kitchen.

  She was smiling up at him, but her eyes were shiny with tears.

  “What’s wrong?” he immediately asked.

  “Nothing at all,” Riley replied. “I didn’t get a chance to really tell you how I felt before, with the threat of Eve’s blackmail hanging over us and all, but I’m ready now. You said you had been falling in love with me since we met. And I want you to know I feel the same way.”

  It was all that Max had wanted to hear. The words were even sweeter now that he knew he didn’t have to choose between being a father and being a partner. He had no doubt he and Riley would make a great team when it came to raising Olivia, and he couldn’t suppress the contented growl reverberating in his throat.

  Grabbing Riley into a kiss, he could feel her smiling against his lips.

  “So does that mean you’re staying?” he asked when they pulled apart.

  “I’m staying,” she grinned.

  “You have no idea how happy you’ve just made me,” Max replied, holding her face in his hands.

  Smiling, Riley wrapped her arms around his waist.

  “Hey, what are mates for?”

  Epilogue

  Riley

  “Oh, that must be Addison and Gage with the cake,” Riley said, rushing to answer the door, leaving Max and Olivia to play on the living room floor.

  Her steps echoed as she ran to the hallway, the space around her still mostly empty. They had barely had time to move in, with most of the stuff still in unopened boxes upstairs. Olivia’s nursery was the only room even close to being finished, while her and Max’s bedroom only sported a bed and nothing else.

  Still, it already felt like home.

  She opened the door to find Gage and Addison standing there, with Gage holding a huge white box. Addison was glowing, despite not even showing any sign of a baby bump yet, but that might have just been thanks to the megawatt smile she tended to have on her face all the time.

  Who am I to judge? My cheeks hurt from smiling and it’s barely past noon.

  “Here we are,” Addison announced, before pulling her in for a hug.

  “Thanks for getting the cake, I got carried away with decorating and guests will be arriving soon,” Riley replied.

  “Well, I don’t think anyone will go hungry,” Gage remarked, glancing down at the box he was holding.

  “I might have gone a tad overboard, but it is Olivia’s first birthday,” Riley replied.

  “Hey, there’s no such thing as too much cake, and I’m eating for two now so…” Addison trailed off, waggling her brows at her.

  Laughing, Riley showed them both inside, leading them to the living room as she dipped into the kitchen and slid the cake into the fridge. She could hear familiar voices chatting in the living room, interspersed with Olivia’s giggles, and she stood there in the kitchen for a while, just appreciating the moment.

  A little under a month had passed since the day she had told Max she was going to stay in Black Oak, and everything had gone unbelievably smoothly from there. Together, they had managed to find the perfect house for a growing family, pooling their savings together to make sure it was a home they could see themselves spending the rest of their lives in.

  Riley was still closing the deal on selling her condo back in Chicago, and she was due for a trip back to pack up her stuff and bring it here. But it was something she had been putting off. She hated the thought of being away from Max and Olivia, even for a little while.

  Surprisingly, when she had called Shannon to announce she would not be returning to Latham & Ellis, the woman had actually seemed upset. Riley had thought Shannon would be happy to see her go, but her old boss actually tried to convince her to stay.

  Obviously, that hadn’t worked.

  Now, she was busy settling into Addison’s law office, getting her own desk and catching up on pending cases. Addison was still very much involved despite her morning sickness, and was helping her transition into a time when she herself would take a backseat.

  And with Addison singing her praises, clients seemed to be comfortable with Riley taking on most of the caseload sooner rather than later. The people of Black Oak were in general very welcoming, especially when they put two and two together and figured out Riley was Max’s mate.

  Somehow, that immediately made her a part of the community. She wasn’t complaining.

  Max had already introduced her to most of his childhood friends, a bunch of burly bears that insisted on hugging the air out of her every time they met. There were two couples she had gotten especially close with – Tory and Pierce and Will and Joanna.

  They were all invited to Olivia’s birthday party, and should be arriving soon.

  Walking back into the living room, where a long table had been set up with snacks and drinks, Riley still couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. Streamers and balloons were hung everywhere, along with little elephant-shaped decorations, chosen because of Olivia’s attachment to her favorite stuffed toy.

  The birthday girl herself was busy wobbling from one balloon to the next, throwing them in the air and watching them fall. Max sat on the floor, keeping an eye on her, looking handsome as ever in a navy button-up and worn jeans.

  “I can’t believe she’s a year old already,” Max sighed, craning his neck to look up at Riley.

  “Hey, now, it’s not like she’s going off to college next year,” Riley joked. “She’s still daddy’s little girl.”

  “Future boyfriends beware,” Addison chimed in. “Something tells me Max is going to be one of those dads that starts cleaning his gun when his daughter’s boyfriend comes over.”

  “I don’t need guns to be scary,” Max simply shrugged, earning a laugh from Riley.

  That drew Olivia’s attention, who now abandoned her balloon hunt and scurried over to Riley, reaching out her hands and saying something that sounded like ‘up’. Crouching down, Riley smiled at the little girl.

  “All right, come on,” she said, opening her arms.

  Picking up Olivia, Riley stood back up, kissing Olivia on the cheek. Max joined them, wrapping h
is arm around Riley’s shoulders and pulling her close.

  “Now isn’t that a picture-perfect family,” Addison commented, leaning on Gage.

  Riley had to agree. She had never been happier, and while she could have never predicted coming to Black Oak would mean finding a whole new family for herself, it was a welcome surprise.

  And to think, she had teased Addison for leaving everything behind to live in a small town in the middle of nowhere.

  Well, she certainly showed me.

  “I love you,” Max whispered into her ear, as Olivia was busy playing with her hair.

  “I love you, too,” she replied quietly, just as the doorbell rang again.

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  Rancher Bear, Book 2

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  Tate, Book 1

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