Page 34 of Cowboy Wolf's Secret Baby

Taryn and Conner hugged Beth and they went toward the fairgrounds. Beth walked toward her car, well aware that she was being followed.

She had just gotten to her car when she whirled around and confronted Kelly. The blond looked startled. “Why are you following me?”

“I just wanted to talk to you,” Kelly said.

“Yeah? You could have come up to me earlier instead of being creepy and stalkerish.”

Beth had the idea that Kelly didn’t want Conner to see her talking to Beth. She was trying to be sneaky.

“I noticed that you and Conner seem to be cozy. You told me before that you two just met.”

“We’ve become friends,” Beth said.

“You need to stay away from him. He’s not available.”

“Funny. Conner didn’t mention that he was in a relationship with anyone else.”

Kelly wiggled her shoulders, stuck out her chest, and stretched her neck. “We are together. You know how it is in the professional world. It’s important that we keep our relationship on the down low. Part of the appeal of the rodeo queen is that she is single – for cowboys, too. All the single ladies come to watch them ride. But he belongs to me.”

“Yeah, okay. If you say so,” Beth said. “Please excuse me. I need to be going.”

“Stay away from him,” Kelly warned. “He’s mine.”

Beth just shook her head, got into her car, and drove away. She knew that Conner wasn’t with Kelly, because he wasn’t the type to cheat. If he was in a committed relationship, he would stay true to that woman. Beth knew about the kind of woman that Kelly was – desperate, lying, and conniving. The kind of woman who liked to play games with others to try to intimidate or impress them.

She frowned as a question popped into her mind. Has he been with Kelly? How many other women has he been with since we’ve been apart?

The thought of Conner kissing, touching, and loving another woman over the last eleven years cut Beth’s heart like a knife. She instinctively knew that there was no way that Conner had been without female companionship all this time.

“It’s not your business,” Beth reminded herself. “He didn’t know that you existed. He wasn’t cheating on you. Let it go.”

Beth knew that she had given herself good advice. She just didn’t know if she could follow it. However, she would never ask him.

Everything was fine at the shop. Anna, an older woman who had helped Beth run the shop since it opened, had her daughter helping her.

“We’ve been busy. How is Taryn doing?”

“Cleaning up the trophies and prize money. She’ll have enough to pay for college, dorms, books, food, and everything else she needs by the time she’s fifteen at this rate.”

“Good, I’m glad.” Anna, who was an intuitive, stared at Beth. “There will be bumps in the road, but everything will work out in the end.”

“Thanks, My Friend. You know I worry.”

“Too much about everything.” Anna laughed.

Beth tried to get some paperwork done, but her mind kept slipping to Conner and wondering what his next move was going to be. She knew that her whole life was going to change. Even if Conner didn’t want a relationship with Beth, he would want one with Taryn. They would want to spend holidays and summers together, as well as other times. It had always been the two of them, Beth and Taryn against the world. If Conner wanted to be a family, there would be three of them and it would be incredible. If he didn’t, she would be alone sometimes when Taryn was with her father. She wouldn’t deny them the time together, but she dreaded the thought of rattling around in an empty house.

Beth realized that she hadn’t accomplished a single thing when her phone alarm went off, letting her know that it was time to head back to the fairgrounds.

“Call me if you need me,” Beth told Anna, knowing that she would neither need anything and wouldn’t call if she did.

Beth took her place in the stands just as the events were starting. As usual, Taryn did exceedingly well. Annoyance took over elation when Beth saw Kelly walk over and start talking to Taryn. She started to get up to tell Kelly to stay away from her daughter when she spotted Conner walking over to them. She knew that look on his face. He would take care of business.

A cold finger of dread trailed down Beth’s back. She knew that there was going to be trouble. Kelly wasn’t about to give up easily.

12

Conner

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