A Husband for Holly (Novella) by Jodi Thomas

Author:Jodi Thomas
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Penguin Group US
Published: 2012-03-06T00:00:00+00:00

7

Holly slipped back into the room and noticed several people watching her closely. She’d only been on the porch with Zach a few moments, but they looked at her as though she’d just committed a crime.

“So you’re too good to dance with your neighbors.” Bret Travis stepped in front of her. He hadn’t more than glanced at her all evening, and now he was talking like they were engaged. Another glance around the room told Holly that Bret’s brother, along with several other young men, were missing.

“None of my neighbors have asked me to dance,” Holly pointed out. She needed to grab her gun and see if Zach was in trouble, but she had to get past this pile of rudeness first.

“Well, I’m asking!” Bret shouted loud enough for everyone in the room to hear.

Without waiting for an answer, he swept her into his arms and started stomping across the floor. His steps were uneven and unpolished, and his hold was too tight. Holly tried to pull away, but he held to her without noticing her discomfort. Dancing with him was nothing like dancing with Zach.

Finally the music ended, and he released her hand. “So you do dance, Holly McCarter. Most of the men were starting to wonder if you did anything but ranch.” His arm still held her to him. “Shall we see if that Yankee taught you to kiss as well?”

He pulled her beneath the mistletoe and leaned over her. Before Holly could protest, his lips were on hers. The kiss was wet and sloppy with the taste of whiskey on his mouth. She heard several shouts for Bret to let her go, but no one came to her rescue as he continued to grind his mouth against hers, bruising her lips with the force of his kiss.

Holly reacted as violently as a volcano. She jammed her knee up between his legs as her fist slammed into his ribs. When he didn’t let her go at once, her nails clawed into his face, taking layers of skin while her teeth bit down hard on his bottom lip.

Bret Travis jerked away from her, grabbing his bleeding face with one hand while he raised his other hand to slap her.

Before he could lower the blow, the sound of a rifle being cocked stopped all action. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Bret.” Sam’s voice was calm, almost friendly. “If Holly doesn’t want to kiss you, I’d suggest you find someone willing. ’Cause if you ever touch her again, I’ll shoot you myself after she finishes murdering you.”

“Don’t worry,” Bret tried to gain back a little of his composure. “I wouldn’t touch her again if she was the last woman west of the Mississippi. It’ll take more than this ranch to talk a man into marrying her.”

Sam didn’t lower the rifle from Bret’s gut. “I think we best be calling it a night, boys.”

He glanced around to get Holly’s approval, but she was gone. She’d vanished along with her gun belt that had been hanging on the peg by the back door.

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