Dresden had spent a good chunk of his savings paying all the medical bills for the surrogate mother. He was stretching his income to have Markey. What savings he had left was gone when Roger tried to take Dresden to court over a painting he swore Dresden stole from him.

The attorney fees had killed Dresden. After the case was over-which Roger didn't win-his reputation was ruined. He had been labeled a fraud, which Dresden wasn't. Roger knew damn well that Dresden hadn't stolen a damn thing. The man was just out to kill Dresden's career.

"And that is exactly why I'm going to sink your new boyfriend," Roger said as a look of utter disdain crossed his face. "Really, Dresden, a cowboy? How ridiculous. You don't belong on a farm, milking cows."

"You're an idiot, Roger."

"That may be, but since you insist on defying me, I'm going to destroy everything you hold dear. I made sure the case against Harland Macy is airtight. No one is going to believe him over a prestigious prosecuting attorney. I'll have him rotting in prison for the rest of his life. And that's just for starters."

Roger was a delusional, obsessive whack job who was blinded by his desire for revenge. If the man truly thought about what he was doing, he might have thought things through a little more thoroughly. The sheriff was already suspicious of Downfire, and rightfully so. There was no way Sparrow was going to pin Stork's murder on Harland.

Roger had lost his grip on reality and Dresden was terrified that the man would do something to hurt him. The man was off-balanced.

Dresden tried to walk out, but Roger grabbed his arm in a brutal hold, stopping him in his tracks. "By the time I'm done with you, no one will want your sorry ass. You could have had it all with me."

Dresden yanked at his arm, but Roger's hold was too strong. He shoved at the guy, but that got him nowhere. "Let me go, Roger."

"Do you think you can win this war with me?" Roger asked as his grip tightened. "You made a fool out of me when you told the press that I was incompetent in the bedroom and that I was just trying to get even with you for my shortcomings."

Despite the gravity of the situation, Dresden smiled. "It was the least I could do after you ruined me."

"You bitch." Roger raised his hand and struck Dresden so hard that his head spun back. "No one besmirches a Downfire."

"How about I just beat you into a coma?"

Dresden nearly cried in relief when he heard Harland's dark and deadly voice. When he turned his head, not only was Harland standing in the doorway, but the sheriff as well.

"Glad to know you rigged this case," Sheriff Sparrow said. "I'll be having a talk with your boss about your ethical practices."

Roger growled as he grabbed Dresden by his hair and yanked his head back. He pulled a gun from inside his jacket and shoved it under Dresden's jaw. "You will not ruin me, you whore!"

Sparrow had his gun out and aimed in a matter of seconds. "I think you did a fine job of that yourself. It's over, Mr. Downfire. Put down your weapon before I ruin your day."

Dresden could see Harland's eyes changing. They went from their normal beautiful blue, to amber. His claws were sliding free as the man kept his eyes locked on Roger.

"I will not be taken down by a worthless whore and his dirty-ass cowboy!" Roger shoved the gun harder into Dresden's jaw. "Now get out of my damn way."

Dresden was not going to let this man take away what he had finally found. Roger had no clue what true love was, or how much a family could change a man's life. The guy was narcissistic and superficial. In a way, Dresden almost felt sorry for the guy. Roger would never know happiness.

Praying he wasn't sealing his fate, Dresden used all his strength as he shoved his elbow into Roger's gut. The distraction was all he needed. Dresden dropped to the ground as Harland rushed the man, knocking Roger off of his feet. But Dresden was not going to let his mate kill the man.

Roger wasn't worth it.

Dresden shoved to his feet and then grabbed Harland by his beefy neck, yanking hard. "Let him go."

But it seemed Harland wasn't listening as he drove his fists into Roger's face over and over again. Jed and Bryson entered the barn, pulling Harland from the prosecutor.

Sparrow moved in and cuffed the man before reading Roger his rights. It took Sparrow and Bryson to haul Roger away. He was screaming and fighting the entire way.

Harland turned and cupped Dresden's face, turning it from side to side as the man scowled. "I'm going to beat him again for leaving a mark on you."

"I'm fine," Dresden insisted. "I just don't understand men like him."

"Neither do I," Harland said. "I heard the entire conversation."

Dresden lowered his head. "So you know I used to date him."

"I can forgive you," Harland teased. "We all have our moments of insanity."

Dresden chuckled. "Yeah, we do. But at least now the charges against you will be dropped."

"That still doesn't tell us who killed your uncle."

Dresden laced his arm through Harland's as his mate walked them outside. "We may never know. As long as no one is pointing the finger at you, I can live with that."

It might have sounded callous, but there was no love lost when it came to Stork. He had been a true prick from the moment Dresden had gotten off of that bus. As long as he had his new family, Dresden could handle whatever life threw at him.

"I came out here because I have something to show you," Harland said as he guided Dresden inside the house and upstairs.

"If it's a way to make another baby, forget it, buster."

Harland's bottom lip slid out. "Oh, come on. Just one more?"

"Seriously?" Dresden asked, wondering if Harland was just messing with him or was honest to god wanting to try again. Not that Dresden would forgo sex, but using protection couldn't hurt until Austin was a bit older.

"No." Harland gave a deep chuckle. "But we can practice."

Dresden smacked his mate's arm. "What is it you want to show me?"

Harland took him to a small room at the end of the hallway. He stopped Dresden just outside the door. "It ain't much, mind you, but when Sparrow started investigating that rotten-ass prosecutor, he came across some interesting information that he passed on to me."

Dresden was too damn scared to ask what Harland had learned. His life as Roger's boy toy hadn't been his proudest moment. There was no telling what kind of rumors the sheriff had heard.

Harland leaned around Dresden and opened the bedroom door. Dresden stepped inside and gasped. It was a small studio. Dresden stepped into the room as he gazed at the blank canvases leaning against one wall. The room was brightly lit by a large window on one side and there was a huge box sitting in the center.

Dresden wandered over to see mounds of art supplies stocked inside the box.

"Now, I don't know a thing about painting. But if I didn't get what you need, you can always order it."

Dresden spun around, tears in his eyes as he hugged his mate. "Why on earth did you do all of this for me?"

"That's easy," Harland said as he wrapped his arms around Dresden. "Because I love you and figured you would want to get back a part of your life that was taken from you."

And that was why Dresden loved the man so much. He was the total opposite of Roger, and even Stork. Harland had a big heart, and Dresden loved his mate with every breath he took.

Harland patted Dresden's ass. "Since you did give me two sons and you are probably dying to get started in here, I'll put off the wedding plans."

"Not on your life." Dresden leaned up and kissed his mate, pouring all the love and passion he felt for the man into that one kiss. When he pulled back, Dresden felt breathless.

"Well, damn," Harland said in a husky tone. "I need to get you a studio more often."

"Nope," Dresden said. "All I need is the love of my cowboy."

Harland kissed Dresden on the tip of his nose. "You definitely have that in spades, my little honey-baked clerk."

"You just might get my phone number yet." Dresden laughed, feeling as if his life was now complete.

THE END.

COWBOY NAUGHTY.

Bear County.

Lynn Hagen.

Chapter One.

Sheriff Zackary Sparrow glanced over the report on his desk as he listened to Deputy Dunham out in the hallway.

"You keep talking about running for sheriff," Deputy Ranchard said. "Do you really think it's wise to boast about trying to take over Sparrow's job?"

Ranchard and Dunham were talking close enough for Sparrow to hear. He knew Dunham had done that on purpose. But Sparrow wasn't going to let the man rile him. When reelection rolled around, he would stand on his own merits.

Not resort to talking trash about the man who was running against him.

"Time for a change," Dunham replied with certainty in his voice.

Since the deputy had started here three years ago, Dunham had been a pain in the ass. Sparrow knew Dunham was gunning for his job. Let the man try. What everyone failed to realize was that the deputy was all talk and very little action.

In a place like Bear County, it was important to get to know the residents and their day-to-day lives. Dunham could care less about the residents and their needs.

He was in this for the title.

"Hey, Zack." Angelina stuck her head into his office and winked at him. Sparrow smiled at his baby sister. "Got some lunch out here for everyone."

"I'm good." He set the report aside. "Thanks, though."

She slipped into his office and closed the door. "Have you figured out what happened to those drug dealers that disappeared?"

Sparrow knew what happened to Devil and his cronies, but it wasn't anything he could write in his report. Who would believe him if he said that four bears had killed the bastards and then got rid of the bodies? "Not yet."

He'd been investigating Abraham Seville, better known as Devil, for the disappearance of Carl Penton. He knew Devil had killed Carl, and Sparrow had been working the case until Devil had been stupid enough to enter the home of four bear shifters. The drug dealer had gone after Noah-Jed's mate-and Jed had killed the man.

And now the case of Carl Penton was colder than February because Sparrow's number-one suspect was dead. "Go enjoy your lunch, Ang."

"You work too much and..." Ang's voice trailed off and then she tilted her head. "You need to learn to have a little fun."

Which only reminded Sparrow of Clayton Calabria. The man was a hot Italian, and Sparrow always felt like the temperature rose a few degrees when the guy was around. The problem was, Sparrow had been avoiding Clayton for over a year now.

He'd come to terms with the fact that Clayton and his friends were humans who could shift into bears, but what he couldn't wrap his head around was the fact that he was hot for a guy who was also an animal.

It just seemed too damn weird to him.

Sparrow's logical mind refused to believe what his own eyes had seen.

Besides, after witnessing a man giving birth, Sparrow wasn't afraid to admit that he was a little freaked out.

What if he and Clayton had sex and Sparrow got pregnant? The thought made his heart slam behind his sternum and sweat gather in his palms.

"And what makes you an expert on my personal life?" he asked her.

"Because I've known you since I was born and you always work too hard and play very little." She rested her hand on the door. Sparrow knew that look. Angelina was going to interfere and that was the last thing he wanted.

Sparrow narrowed his eyes. "Don't even think about it, Ang."

"What?" she asked innocently, but Sparrow wasn't falling for it. Not the innocent part-Angelina was as sweet as they came. She was young, twenty-two to be exact, and was still green around the edges. His baby sister still believed in fairy-tale romance and that all men were inherently good.

He liked that she viewed life that way, but Sparrow wasn't so nave. The part he wasn't falling for was her acting as if she didn't know what he meant.

"No matchmaking." He pointed a finger at her. "Stay out of my private life."

"Your protest is duly noted," she said.

Sparrow sighed. She was going to interfere anyway.

He shook his head as he stood, grabbing his hat before putting it on and walking toward his door. "Don't you have to get to work?"

She smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm heading that way. I'll walk you out."

Tossing his arm over her shoulder, Sparrow squeezed her close and then left the building with her. He kissed his sister on the temple and then let her go. "See you tonight for dinner."

"Be careful." She got into her car and drove away, leaving Sparrow standing there gazing over the town. It was growing, more businesses opening up, a new influx of people moving in. He just hoped that Bear County didn't lose its homey, quaint feel with so many new things popping up.

Letting go of a deep sigh, Sparrow got into his black-and-red patrol car and headed down Route 14. Not two minutes outside of town he spotted someone speeding down the road.

Sparrow hit the lights and siren.

The beat-up Camaro slowed and then pulled to the side of the road. Sparrow got out, hand on the butt of his gun as he approached the car. When he stopped at the driver's window, he rapped the glass with his knuckles. "Roll it down."