Page 48 of Cowboy Wolf's Secret Baby

Taking the hint from her, they returned to their games and pizza. They purposely forgot Matilda and had fun.

After Taryn went to bed, Conner hugged Beth. “I had a great time today.”

“Me, too.”

He knew that Beth watched him carefully inspect his truck before he got into it. His paranoia would have been almost comical if the danger hadn’t been so real. Conner was certain that Matilda wouldn’t plant a pipe bomb under the driver’s seat. She would go for something a lot more spectacular. However, he wasn’t about to take any chances. He breathed a sigh of relief when he got back to his hotel. Conner texted Beth to let her know he was back safe.

Micah was still awake when Conner called.

After their usual greeting, Micah teased, “Life must be really interesting for you to call me again so soon. Sometimes, I go two weeks without hearing from you.”

“I know. I’m bad about calling,” Conner said. “I haven’t talked to Mom and Dad in a while. I guess I should call and let them know that they are grandparents.”

“They’ll be thrilled and want to drive up immediately to meet her.”

“Which is why I haven’t told them yet. I’m trying to wrap my head around it first. The last couple of days have been crazy. When I’m not at the rodeo, I’m with Beth and Taryn.”

“How does that feel?”

“I like it,” Conner confessed. “I probably won’t move on with the rodeo when this huge event is over. I want to spend more time with Taryn. She’s easy to love. Taryn started calling me Dad right away, which I thought was weird, just because I figured that she wouldn’t be comfortable doing that so soon.”

“You’re a good guy and she can sense that. Plus, she knows that you didn’t walk out on them willingly.”

“That’s what Beth said,” Conner replied.

“Speaking of Beth, how are you two doing?”

“Great. She’s a wonderful woman. I definitely have strong feelings for her. I’m just trying to figure out whether they are from the past or if I’m really falling in love with her.”

“My guess is that they are a combination of the two.”

“That’s my thought. There is a lot about her to love,” Conner said. “I don’t want to leave until I can sort everything out.”

“Sounds like a smart plan,” Micah said.

“Our Kelly problem will move on when the rodeo goes. Regardless of how much she thinks she loves me and wants to be with me, she won’t stick around. She is way too much into her role as queen of the rodeo and her time in the spotlight. Matilda, however, is going to be a whole other story.”

“And the problem is, you can’t fight a witch. They can turn you inside out with a snap of their finger.”

“Yep. All I can do is wear a protection medicine bag to ward away any dark magic, but even then, if the witch is powerful enough, she can work around that. Instead of casting a spell on me, she can cast one on the bull.”

“Sounds like a hornet’s nest,” Micah said.

“I know, but short of leaving, there’s not much I can do about it.”

“Take care of yourself,” Micah said.

“I’ll do my best,” Conner promised and hung up.

The next morning, after they took care of their horses, Conner took Taryn to the mountain to shift. They raced and Taryn showed him all her favorite spots in the woods. They were exhilarated but tired when they got back to the truck.

“You are going to be too exhausted to race tonight,” Conner said.

“Nope. I’ll be good, but you’re the old man. How are you going to stay on the bull and horses? I strongly suggest a nap.”

“You might be on to something. A nap sounds good.”

They got back to the fairgrounds in time to listen to the afternoon announcements, line up, and whatever else the rodeo manager had to say. Conner was only half listening because it was usually the same - play nice, have good sportsmanship, junior events go first, and so on.

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