Colters' Woman (Colters' Legacy #1)(53)

One day after a fresh snowfall, Holly went riding with all three brothers. They took her further up into the high-country where they hunted elk every fall.

There on top of a plateau, Holly understood what it was that had drawn the brothers to the mountains here. She remembered Ryan’s statement that there wasn’t another place as pretty as the Rockies. He was right. If there was, she hadn’t seen it.

Her life had taken such a drastic turn. Never would she have imagined that her spoiled existence would take her to a rustic cabin high in the Rockies. It was only now she realized how fake her entire life had been. Devoid of reality.

She’d floated through her young adult life with no goal, no direction, no aim. Here, in the arms of three men, instead of feeling like she’d traded one dependency for another, she felt alive and free. Capable of making her own decisions. Encouraged to be strong and stand on her own.

She sat on her horse, high above the valley and stared out over the horizon. Behind her, she knew Adam, Ethan and Ryan waited, but they didn’t rush her, and she wasn’t in any hurry to leave the magnificent view she beheld.

There was no explanation for the change she felt blossoming within her. It surged and swelled until it was all-encompassing. It demanded release. Wanted acceptance. Wanted her to acknowledge it.

For the first time in longer than she could remember, she felt completely at peace with the direction of her life.

Adam exchanged looks with his brothers. They all wore expressions of satisfaction. Holly had greatly changed from the scared, wary woman he’d rescued from the ditch. In her place stood a strong, confidant woman.

He was exceedingly proud of her. They all were. He couldn’t imagine a better mate for them.

She turned around in her saddle, her brown eyes all soft and warm.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything more beautiful,” she said.

Her breath came out in a visible cloud in the cold air. He disagreed with her. He’d seen something more beautiful. He was looking at her.

“I can’t wait to see it in the fall when all the aspens are in color,” she added.

He smiled back at her. He got a ridiculous thrill every time she mentioned the future. He felt like an adolescent with a first crush. He knew his brothers weren’t any more immune than he was.

She nudged her horse away from the ledge and drew abreast of him and his brothers.

“I could stay here forever.”

He smiled again at her use of forever. He was turning into a goddamn pu**y. And liking it at that. God help him.

“You are staying here, forever,” he pointed out. “We can come up here as often as you like.”

She smiled sweetly at him, delight shining in her eyes.

“What do you say we head back?” Ethan spoke up. “I’ll make us some hot chocolate, and we can play Monopoly. I want revenge for the last time Holly cleaned me out.”

Holly’s laughter rang out over the mountainside. White flurries began drifting downward, and Holly’s eyes lit up in delight.

“More snow!”

They all smiled indulgently at her and turned their horses back toward home. As they continued, the snow began to fall harder. They’d get several inches before it was over with. Added to the six they’d already received, they’d get quite the dump before the night was over.

Chapter Twenty-Two

It had the makings of a perfect evening. The snow had finally stopped falling, leaving the landscape covered in a fresh blanket of white. A fire blazed in the hearth, and Holly sat on the floor playing Monopoly with Ethan and Ryan. Adam shut down the computer and ambled over to sit behind Holly.

He stroked her hair, enjoying her interaction with his brothers. Yes, it was a perfect night. So it shouldn’t have surprised him when the phone rang.

He sighed in disgust and dropped his hand from Holly’s hair.

“Don’t answer,” she said huskily, turning to smile at him sweetly.

For a moment, he almost heeded her request. But it could be Cal calling with news, or it could be Mom and Dad. “I’ll be right back,” he said, dropping a kiss on her upturned lips.

He shoved himself from the floor just as the phone quit ringing. Before he could settle back down, his cell phone started buzzing.

Fuck. Whatever it was, it must be important.

He walked over to the computer desk and flipped open his cell phone.

“Adam here,” he said shortly.

“Adam? It’s Lacey. Look, I need your help. All of you if you can swing it. I’ve got a missing kid. Fresh snowfall’s made it impossible to pick up any tracks. I could use you.”

Adam sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Damn. The last thing he wanted to do was trek out into the cold, but he couldn’t very well leave a child out to freeze to death.

“Where do we need to come?” he asked in resignation.

“Meet me in town. We’re organizing our search here at headquarters. And listen, Adam. Bring your rifles. We have reason to believe this is an abduction.”

Adam shut the phone and looked up to see three pair of eyes watching him.

Holly uncurled her legs and stood up. She walked over to him, worry creasing her brow. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

Behind her, Ethan and Ryan also stood, their attention focused solely on Adam.

“That was Lacey,” he said. He glanced down at Holly to gauge her reaction.