Mort was, though, looking slightly smug with a secretive grin on his craggy face.
He rubbed his grizzled beard. “Here to help with the fence, huh?” He looked down at the yard. “I’d be mighty grateful. The weeds need help, too. And of course—”
“The step, too,” Rock said flatly. “Might take me a couple days, but I’ll get it all done.” Honestly, even if there hadn’t been a note about it, he’d already decided in his head that he couldn’t leave town while Mort and Ros’s place wasn’t in top condition.
His brothers would never let him hear the end of it, and besides, he cared for the Mortons.
They were the closest thing he had to family, besides Riker and Ryland.
“Okay, well, you can start wherever you want. You know where the tools are. Let me know if you need something.”
Rock bit his lip, trying to stop himself from asking where Ros was. The bar wasn’t open yet.
Mort looked over his shoulder before going inside, almost as if he were challenging Rock to do it. To say something, but Rock couldn’t.
Instead, he pulled on his gardening gloves and got to work on the weeds, and the screen door swung shut behind Rick Morton.
When the garden was looking better, Rock looked at the fence and realized he had a legit reason to ask where Ros went.
The fence was so broken it’d almost be better to just order in new parts and set it up than to try and patch it with replacements.
And that was something she would want to have input on, right?
So if he asked Mort where she was so he could go ask her, it wouldn’t even look weird or like he had ulterior motives, right?
He walked up the front steps, feeling like a nervous teenager about to ask to take someone’s daughter to prom. But he didn’t need to be like that, he told himself. He was rich, successful, a son of the town, and a friend to both Ros and Mort.
He knocked and heard Mort’s footsteps. Maybe he just should have gone in and saved Mort the trouble.
Mort’s eyes were twinkling as he opened the door. “Yes?”
Rock felt a rock forming in his stomach, tumbling around like someone was trying to polish it. “I had a question. For Ros.”
Mort’s grin widened. “She’s not here.”
“I know,” Rock said, frustrated. “But if I knew where she was—”
“Then you could go find her,” Mort said, scratching the back of his neck. “Well… I’m not supposed to say, but…”
“Come on, Mort,” Rock said. “You know you’re on my side.”
“I’m on my daughter’s side,” he said sharply. “And I don’t know what happened between you two last night, but this morning she was downright determined. Called up some guy and asked if he wanted to spend time with her and then headed right over.”
Rock’s chest froze up. “Who?”
“Joseph Norris,” Mort said. “Owns a ranch up—”
“I know who he is,” Rock said, anger rankling as he realized she was taking up one of his suggestions. Was she trying to mock him? Play with him? Tease him?
Make him worry?
He hadn’t even done the interview with Joe. He didn’t know if the man could be trusted. He whirled around and heard Mort let out a cough.
“Now you aren’t going to go causing trouble, are you? Joe seems like a good guy, and—”
“Me, cause trouble?” Rock asked, turning back to Mort. “When have I ever done anything but?”
Mort threw back his head in a laugh, and it was good to see some life return to the old man’s eyes. “All right. Don’t cause too much trouble.”
“I’m bringing her back,” Rock said, more to himself than to Mort. “I’m gonna keep her safe.”
And as far as he was concerned, when she was with any other male, she wasn’t.
Rock cracked his knuckles as he headed out and got in his truck, revving the engine.
Time to go show a cowboy that he might have been considered for the position of Ros’s lover, but Rock was still partially in charge of Bear Canyon, and no one was going to make a move on Ros without his say-so.
7
Ros put out a hand to pet the forelock of the chestnut mare gazing at her patiently as she chewed her morning breakfast of hay.
“She’s beautiful,” she said to Joe, who was pulling apart a bale of hay to feed the horse in the next stall.
“That’s Sally,” he said. “And this one is Rocky.”
She wrinkled her nose. Too close to Rock.
“I know what you’re thinking,” he said. “But it’s nothing to do with Rock Brolin.” He put the hay in Rocky’s feeder, and Rocky lowered his head to start munching. He was a pinto with brown and white patches all over and a white blaze down his nose. He had dark, patient brown eyes and an older, skinny body with a slightly sagging back.
“Why Rocky, then?”
“Because he was such an underdog when I found him. He was actually going to be sent off for meat, after getting too old and skinny for the trail riding program he was in.”
“So you got him for free?”
Joe smiled. “No horse is free. You have to pay their board, their feed. But Rocky here is worth it,” he said, reaching up to pat Rocky on the neck. Rocky paid no mind as he continued to eat. “He’ll be a perfect therapy horse even if no one rides him ever again. Although he could probably handle little kids.”
“So you bought him out of pity,” she said.
Joe grinned. “I mean, look at that face. Could you let it go to the meat factory?”
“No,” she said, turning back to Sally. “And what’s Sally’s story?”
“Sally and me go way back,” he said. “Well, at least a few years ago. She was foaled by the horse I learned to ride on, and I had to have her. She has the same sweet temperament as her mother.”
“What happened to the mother?”
“She passed,” he said, looking slightly sad as he remembered it. He adjusted his hat slightly and then removed it. “Sorry, I’m in the presence of a lady. Totally forgot.”
“No,” she said, fighting off a blush. “It’s nothing. I mean, thanks for letting me come up here. I needed a break, and I’ve been meaning to come say hi, see what you’re doing.”
“I know,” he said. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you at the bar, but it’s always busy, and I hate to bother you.”
“I didn’t want to bother you either,” she said with a laugh. “So let me get this straight. You left Bear Canyon, moved to the city, and then took riding lessons there and decided this would be the perfect place to set up a little ranch?”
“More like a place where people can come for horse therapy or trail riding.” He took a deep breath. “I mean, just the air here is healing, I feel. It’s so open and clean.”
“Not everyone feels that way,” she muttered.
“That’s right,” he said. “The Brolins have a mixed opinion of this place, don’t they? Even with the influence they have over it.”
“Well, I don’t blame them,” she said.
“Yeah,” he said. “I hear their dad was a real piece of work. Do the apples fall far from the tree?”
“They do,” she said. Joe was a few years older than her, more Riker’s age. But he’d moved young enough that none of them had gotten to know him in school.
Perhaps that was why he seemed to idolize small town life and not really see any of the cons.
She’d grown up here, and even though she understood the pros and cons, she still never wanted to leave. But it wasn’t perfect here. She wasn’t deluded enough to think that.
“Speaking of Rock,” Joe said. “I don’t really know how to say this, but he was—”
“Holding interviews about me,” she said. “I know. He’s a childhood friend. He and his brothers feel… responsible for me.”
Joe raised a thick, slightly bushy blond eyebrow. His hair was badly in need of a cut, and his stubble was a little too long, but beneath all that, he was tall and lean and handso
me.
She was sure he’d give any woman a tingle, if they weren’t already in love with Rock Brolin.
But that was why she was here. To fall in love with someone else. Or at least give it a chance.
“Responsible?” Joe asked, a slightly teasing note in his voice. “Is that all he feels for you?”
She flushed and turned her attention back to Sally, who was staring at her expectantly.
“She’s waiting for carrots,” Joe said, reaching in his pocket and handing her cut-up stubs of thick carrot.
“And these are okay for her?” she asked, tentatively holding them out. Sally’s tongue swiped carefully over her hand, sweeping the carrot into her mouth.
“Yeah, they can have as many as they want,” Joe replied.
Sally crunched loudly, dropping little pieces all over the floor, and Ros stepped back. There was something really calming about being with horses. The way they could look like they had nothing more important at that moment than to focus wholly on chewing a carrot.
She realized Joe was looking at her. “What?”
He swiped his hat against his leg and bit his lower lip, which she realized was quite full. “You’re good with horses.”
“Thanks,” she said.
He took a step forward, brushed hair off her face. “That says a lot about someone.”
“Thanks,” she said, forcing herself to look up into his face. He smelled clean and fresh, like mountain air and aftershave and something else. Maybe farm, but not in a bad way.
He was full bear shifter; she could sense it. He was kind and hard working.
“That’s close enough, cowboy,” a rough voice boomed as a shadow loomed at the entrance to the barn, blocking some of the sunshine.
Joe looked up, shading his eyes with a hand, and Ros turned around to see who it was.
Rock was striding toward them, still looking different to her with his short hair. His scar was plain as he approached, a muscle in his cheek ticking, his hands balled into fists. Everything about him looked coiled up tight.
She stepped forward, placing herself in front of Joe in case this got ugly, but Joe stepped out and in front of her.
Before she could stop him, he was extending a jovial hand to Rock, making the grumpy-looking man skid to a halt, surprised. Rock had no choice but to take the other man’s hand, and he glared in shock as Joe pleasantly shook it and introduced himself, telling him it was really nice for him to visit the ranch.
Rock gave her a confused look over Joe’s shoulder, and Ros stifled a grin.
She should have known Joe could charm the pants off anyone.
Joe threw an arm around Rock’s shoulders and pulled him forward. “Nice of you to join us,” he said. “I was just telling Ros about my plans for the place. I’d sure love the Brolins’ approval on it. Seeing as your family founded the town and all.”
Rock’s face was tight. He’d come in expecting a fight, not a friend, and he was clearly still adjusting to this new situation as Joe pushed him over to face Rocky the horse.
Rock stared at the animal in front of him with a glare. “That’s not why I’m here—”
Joe pretended not to hear him as he reached into his pocket and retrieved carrots to shove into Rock’s palm. “Here, feed Rocky some carrots while I show Ros the rest of the barn.”
Rock let out a growl of protest but then was distracted when Rocky nipped at him, trying to get the carrots. He had no choice then but to wait as the horse got all his treats, chewing in a smug, satisfied way.
Ros chuckled as Joe put an arm through hers and walked her down to the end of the stalls.
Seconds later, Rock was after them again, and Joe gave her a pleasant, knowing smile as he turned to Rock. But he didn’t release her arm, even as Rock glared pointedly at it and then back at his face.
“Right,” Joe said. “You want to see this part of the barn, too,” he said. “This is where I repair saddles and tack. I—”
“I’m not here to see the damn barn. I—”
“Language,” Joe drawled, putting a hand over Ros’s, tucking her hand farther in against him.
Rock’s entire body went rigid. The black leather jacket, white shirt, and dark skinny jeans looked out of place in the rustic barn, with dust floating everywhere and hay all over the floor. “You know darn well why I’m here, you—”
“Right,” Joe said. “You wanted to donate to my charity program.”
Rock’s jaw dropped and his eyes widened. “Your what?”
Ros stifled a giggle. She’d never see someone catch Rock off guard like this, and Joe dragged her with him as he waved for Rock to follow.
Rock did, looking like a dog whose steak was being dragged away by another animal. There was dark anger in his eyes, but she couldn’t help being amused at how Joe was handling him.
No one said no to Rock Brolin. Then again, Joe wasn’t exactly saying no; he just was refusing to listen at all, while being totally polite about it.
They reached the small cabin Joe had leased to act as his office when he was at the ranch. He also had a small house that was closer to the main part of town. He went to the large desk in the middle, rustic with a roughhewn chair behind it, and began to rummage in papers.
He pointed to a couple other mismatched chairs in the room, for them to take a seat. “One second,” he said, pulling out files.
When he found the one he wanted, he came over to Rock, who was sitting on a hard, metal folding chair so Ros could have the cushioned one on the other side of the room.
Rock’s arms were folded, his gray eyes hard and metallic, but he took the folder from Joe all the same.
“I know when you’re in town, you Brolins like to help out with things. I thought, given your childhood, you might be particularly interested in this.”
Rock almost stood, immediately offended, and she couldn’t believe Joe’s audacity in mentioning his childhood.
It wasn’t really a secret to anyone in the town, but no one spoke of it.
“Just read it,” Joe said, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Please.”
Rock sat with a sigh and opened the folder, and went quiet as he began to read it.
Joe gave her a wink and went to sit behind the desk again. Then he put his feet up on the desk and relaxed back into it.
Rock had gone totally still, his eyes moving rapidly as he turned pages, looking through the file. He sat forward, opening the file flat, and began to sort through the papers, pulling some to the front, setting others aside.
Whatever he was reading had gotten him really interested.
“Who else knows about this?” he asked Joe. All anger was gone from his face, but there was a different kind of intensity there.
“No one, really,” Joe said. “It’s kind of a pipe dream without investors. But I thought you might be interested. You or your brothers.”
“They don’t need to know about this,” Rock said roughly. “I can be your investor.”
“I’m guessing an angel investor,” Joe said.
“Obviously,” Rock retorted, closing the file. “Can I take this with me?”
“Sure,” Joe said. “Can I make a copy?”
“You have a copy machine?” Rock said with a laugh.
“I can go into town,” Joe said.
“I can do it,” Rock said.
“I’m assuming you won’t want to come check on the place though, even as an investor?” Joe asked.
Rock folded his arms, tucking the file under one of them. “I can have Francis check on it, make sure everything is going well.”
“What is it?” she asked, standing. “Why do you want Rock to invest in it?”
Both men looked at her, Joe looking to Rock for guidance on how to proceed. Rock shook his head. “It’s private. It’s private or I don’t invest.”
“Okay,” Joe said.
“And no one can know I funded it,” he said.
“You know, I was sort of hoping for a partner,” Joe said. “S
omeone to help run the program.”
Rock shook his head. “Sorry, not me. But you’ll have all the money you need.”
“I’ll think about it,” Joe said.
“What do you mean you’ll think about it?” Rock asked.
“I mean what I said. I may have multiple investors interested, and I may want someone who can be more involved.”
“Can I please know what the heck is going on?” she asked.
“If you tell her, I’m out of the running.”
Joe frowned. “Okay.” For once, it seemed Rock had the upper hand on something. “But maybe you should tell her.”
“Yes,” Ros said. “You should tell me.”
“I’m going to go make a copy of this, and you should come with me,” Rock said, grabbing Ros by the hand. “I have some questions for you about your fence.”
She jerked away from him. “And that’s why you’re here? I came up to be with Joe.”
“It’s okay,” Joe said. “If Rock needs to talk to you, I get it. You can come back anytime.”
Rock and Ros glared at one another, and Joe seemed mildly amused.
“Fine,” she said, not wanting to do this in front of an audience. Joe had smoothed the situation over, but that didn’t change the fact that Rock had come stalking her up here, spoiling for a fight. “Let’s go.”
Rock followed her out of the cabin and onto the narrow dirt path that led back to town.
“You just can’t let me do anything on my own, can you?” she asked.
“I don’t like it, no,” he said.
She whirled on him and shoved a finger into his chest. “Rock, you don’t own me.”
“I had questions about the fence,” he said. “I was helping out at your place.”
She sighed. “Well, that was nice of you, but it doesn’t give you the right to come interrupt me on a date.”
“So that was a date,” Rock said. “Interesting. He sure seemed more interesting in talking to me once I showed up.”
“Well, who wouldn’t be?” she asked sarcastically. “The great Rock Brolin, hero to men everywhere.”
Rock shrugged. “Or he just wants my money.”
She sighed. “So be it, but you can’t keep stalking me. Look, we decided this last night. We can’t work, and we need to see other people.”
Craved by the Bear (Trapped in Bear Canyon Book 2) Page 6