Colters' Woman (Colters' Legacy #1)(21)

Adam frowned but didn’t move. Ryan looked up from the couch and waggled one finger at her from around his beer bottle.

Ethan rose and crossed the room, holding out his hand to her.

“Come on over. We’ve got a lot to discuss,” he said as he pulled her further into the living room.

She eased down onto the couch, inches from Ryan’s outstretched feet. She sensed this was the point of no return. They wanted her to stay, and she would have to decide whether to listen to her heart or do everything in her power to keep them from harm.

The weight of the decision pressed down on her like a sandbag.

“It’s time to talk,” Adam said. He shoved his hands into his pockets and propped the heel of one boot on the hearth behind him.

She glanced at Ethan and Ryan, gauging their reaction. Ethan looked attentive. Ryan’s eyes were guarded. No emotion shone on his face.

“We’ve talked to Cal Davis, a lawyer friend of ours in Denver. He can file the necessary papers for your divorce,” Adam said.

Her heart sped up, thumping painfully in her chest. She opened her mouth to speak, but her mouth went dry.

To her surprise, Ryan swung around, planting his feet on the floor. He reached over and tucked her hand in his. The gesture comforted her.

She glanced at him, trying to get a read on his thoughts. Did he still think she didn’t want to be free of her husband? After everything that had happened last night?

He stared back at her, not budging in the least. He was stubborn. Well, so was she. She glared defiantly at him, daring him to voice his doubts.

A reluctant smile tugged at his lips.

“Well, Holly,” he said lazily. “What’s it going to be? Asshole husband or take a chance on three men who’ll do everything they can to take care of you?”

“It’s not that simple,” she said angrily.

Ryan tipped a finger under her chin and stared directly into her eyes. “Yes. It is.”

She stood up, wrapping her arms around her waist. “I—I care a lot about you. All of you,” she said, sweeping an arm out to encompass all three men. “Don’t you see? I couldn’t bear it if something happened to any of you because of me.”

“Baby, listen to me,” Adam said, turning her to face him. “If you believe nothing else of us, believe this. We will not let that bastard get to you.”

“It’s not me I’m worried about!”

She wanted to scream in frustration. Why couldn’t they understand?

“We told you we’d take care of you,” Ryan said calmly. “If something happened to us, we couldn’t take care of you. Therefore, by making you the promise that we’ll protect you, you can be damned sure no pencil-necked bastard is going to touch us.”

“You do have a way with words,” Ethan said.

The absolute conviction in Ryan’s voice made her pause.

“The question is, do you have that kind of faith in us?” Ryan said, raising his brow questioningly at her.

He’d turned it back on her. If she persisted with her protests, she would be demonstrating a lack of faith in them. Damn it. What was she supposed to do?

Adam caught her waist and pulled her against his chest. “Answer one question. If there was no Mason. If you weren’t married. Would you stay?”

She nodded before she thought better of her response.

“Then it’s settled,” Adam said, satisfaction glimmering in his eyes. “We’ll tell Cal to proceed with the divorce action, and we’ll come up with a plan to make sure the bastard doesn’t come within a square mile of you.”

She opened her mouth to protest but he shushed her with his finger.

“Trust us, baby.”

She sighed. The thing was, she did trust them. It was insane. She’d only known them a few days, and yet she trusted them more than she’d ever trusted another living soul.

“Okay,” she said quietly.

Adam bent his head and kissed her hungrily. His hand shoved into her hair and kneaded the back of her neck as his tongue delved into her mouth.

When he pulled away, she was breathless.

“Well, I must say, this is a surprise,” a feminine voice drawled.

Holly whirled around to see a tall redhead in a cowboy hat and wearing a badge.

Adam swore. “Damn it, Lacey, don’t you know how to knock?

Chapter Eight

Ryan grasped Holly’s wrist and shoved her behind him. His face darkened into a thundercloud, and Adam stepped forward in an effort to defuse a potentially explosive situation. He knew Ryan didn’t like Lacey at all, and if she posed a threat to Holly, Adam wasn’t sure what Ryan would do.

“What the hell are you doing here, and what do you want?” Adam demanded.

Lacey raised a brow in surprise at his vehemence.

“The question is what is she doing here?” Lacey said with a nod in Holly’s direction. “Unless I’m mistaken, she bears an uncanny resemblance to the woman on a missing person’s report lying on my desk.”

Fuck, f**k, f**k. Why did Lacey have to show up now of all times?

“Her husband claims she was abducted,” Lacey continued. “What does the lady have to say about that?”

“I wasn’t kidnapped,” Holly said hotly.

Ryan shoved her back behind him and glared harder at Lacey.