Read Colters' Woman for Free Online Page B

check out the horses and get the hay out. It’s supposed to snow again tonight.” Adam turned to Holly. “There’s a western store in town. It isn’t much but you’ll be able to get boots, jeans and some shirts. And a coat. You need a decent coat. Next week, we’ll drive into the city to do the heavy shopping for you.”
    “Thank you.” She couldn’t manage much more around the huge knot in her throat. She felt dangerously close to tears and fought to contain them.
    Adam leaned forward and brushed his mouth across hers. He was surprisingly gentle. For the first time, she reached a hand out to touch him, running her fingertips across his cheek, feeling the slight stubble along his jaw.
    When he drew away, his eyes were burning with passion, and she felt heady with the knowledge she had affected him.
    Ryan stood up from his seat at the bar. “Well if we’re going into town, we need to go now. We don’t want to be late getting back if it’s going to snow.”
    “Is it…is it safe for me to go into town?” she asked. The idea that someone might see her and report back to Mason struck fear into her heart, despite the brothers’ vow to protect her.
    “We’ll make sure you’re not seen,” Ethan said. “Riley’s Western Store is on the edge of town. We’ll park you in a corner of the store and do your shopping for you, let you try on stuff if you need to, and we’ll keep a sharp eye for anything unusual going on.”
    She expelled a long breath. “Okay. Let’s do it then.”
     
    ***
     
    The drive into town was long and quiet. Holly sat up front while Ethan drove and Ryan sat in the back of the Land Rover. During the course of the trip, Ethan entwined his fingers with hers, and she drew comfort from the gesture.
    By midmorning, they drove into the small town of Clyde. Adam had been right. There wasn’t much beyond a grocery store, a feed mill, a few cafes and the western store, but there was a quaint main street and the businesses were clean and well kept.
    Ethan pulled up at the western store, and he and Ryan surveyed the area before getting out. Ryan opened her door and held his hand out for her. Once she was out, Ethan and Ryan flanked her, and they headed into the store.
    They led her to the area beside the one small dressing room and had her sit.
    “Now tell us what sizes you need, and we’ll bring you some stuff to look at,” Ryan directed.
    She laughed. “There’s no one else in here. I think I can look myself.”
    Ethan glanced around once more. “Okay, I’ll go stand by the door. Ryan, you keep an eye on Holly while she shops.”
    Holly walked over to the racks in the center of the store and began thumbing through the shirts. She found a few long-sleeved flannel shirts in her size and removed them from the rack. She wasn’t sure how much she should spend so she only took a few and moved on to the jeans.
    As she was searching for her size in pants, Ryan walked up behind her with several more shirts over his arm. At her self-conscious glance, he shoved the shirts toward her, his expression brooking no argument.
    Then he reached for a heavy, sheepskin-lined coat on the rack next to her. “You’ll need a coat too.”
    She turned and let him help her into the sleeves. Once she was sure it would fit, she shrugged out of it and handed it back to Ryan. “Will you take it all up to the counter for me? I’ll be up in just a minute.”
    “Want me to pick you out a pair of boots while I’m up there?” he asked.
    She smiled. “I’d like that. Thanks.”
    She walked closer to the window overlooking the street and picked out a few pairs of jeans in dark blue and one each in black and khaki. As she turned to follow Ryan to the checkout, her gaze stopped on a familiar black vehicle pulling down the street.
    Frozen to the spot, she watched in horror as Mason Bardwell climbed out of the flashy BMW.
    Her stomach knotted, rolled, tightening until she knew she would vomit. She glanced around in panic,