The Cowbear's Christmas Bride (Curvy Bear Ranch 4) Read Online Free PDF Page B

and now she might only be a car ride away.” She bit the edge of her lip, waiting for his response.
    “Okay, I just don’t want to see you get hurt,” Hank said.
    “Whatever happens, I can handle it. I’ve been handling everything alone my entire life. This isn’t going to be any different,” she said.
    “You tell ‘em,” Gunther said between bites. “If she’s your momma, you got that same fire in your soul as she did.”
    “Let’s head out,” Hank said.
    After they both slid out of the booth, she turned to Gunther. “Thank you for recognizing the resemblance. If she is my mother, I wouldn’t have found her if you hadn’t walked in.”
    “God does some crazy things,” Gunther said.
    “Take care,” she responded.
    She turned and followed Hank to the truck. As she climbed into the vehicle, she noticed a bunch of grocery bags in the back seat. She’d completely forgotten about Madison’s supplies.
    “If we need to take those back to the ranch first, we should do that,” she said.
    “They’ll be fine. It’s mostly shampoo and laundry soap, so nothing to worry about.”
    The drive out of town seemed much faster than the drive in. Hank turned onto the highway and drove for several miles past the turnoff to the Curvy Bear Ranch. All signs of civilization disappeared except for the road markers. Metal stakes lined the right side of the lane to let drivers know where the edge lay.
    She wrapped her arms around her body and squeezed. When she’d been at the orphanage, she’d learned that no one was going to hug her, so she needed to give herself hugs. Over the years, she’d used the coping mechanism to combat everything from loneliness to fear. Right now, she was trying to stave off trepidation.
    “Are you cold?” Hank asked.
    “No, just nervous.”
    “Understandable. Have you figured out what you’re going to say to her if she is your mom?”
    “No. I guess I’ll have to figure it out as I go. She might not even be my mother. She might be a complete stranger and that guy in the diner might just be a crazy old man. I’ve learned not to get my hopes up,” she said.
    He leaned over to take her hand in his. After giving it a tender squeeze, he continued to hold it. She turned to look at his profile. He possessed the strong, stoic face of a cowboy. A thick layer of stubble covered his strong masculine jaw. He gripped the wheel with his free hand, forearm flexing as he made subtle movements to correct the truck’s direction.
    What would it be like to kiss such a rugged man? In New York, most men had pasty complexions since they hardly ever left their offices. From what little she could see, Hank’s skin had the rough, darkened tint of a man who spent his life outdoors. This trip to Montana was going to ruin her dating life when she returned home. After seeing what a real man looked like, she knew she’d never want to date another corporate vampire again.
    Lost in thought, she didn’t realize that they’d turned onto a small road until the tires crunched through a deep patch of snow.
    “They don’t plow the back roads as much as the highways,” Hank explained.
    “How will we know which house is hers?”
    “I figure we can just stop at the first one and ask. Around here, everyone knows everyone else’s business. It shouldn’t be too hard to find her.” He pulled up to a log cabin with a sagging porch. “Stay here while I jump out and ask.”
    “Okay.”
    She tried not to stare at his butt as he jogged up the steps, but how could she resist? At least he wouldn’t know she’d been leering at him like a schoolgirl in heat. She tried to suppress a smile but couldn’t. Even if she didn’t find her mom, this trip wouldn’t be a complete loss. She could console herself in the arms of a scorching-hot cowboy.
    Hank walked back to the truck and hopped in. “The owner said Victoria lives at the end of the road, last house on the right.”
    “Sounds good,” she said.
    The truck rumbled past