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Despite the warmth of the water, chill bumps raced over her body, her nipples tightening against her arms. The man was positively sinful. His dark hair was cut short, and he had shoulders that would barely fit through a doorway. He was built bigger than a linebacker.
He stood, giving her a good look at his long legs encased in tight jeans. She nearly groaned aloud when s
he saw scuffed cowboy boots sticking out from under his pant legs. She’d always been a sucker for a man in cowboy boots.
She gasped as he bent over and plucked her from the water. Before she could protest, he wrapped a huge towel around her and strode from the bathroom. She stifled her reprimand as he deposited her on a king-size bed. She gathered the ends of the towel and held them tightly around her.
He turned his back to her momentarily and disappeared into the closet. Seconds later, he returned with a flannel shirt and a pair of sweats.
“They’re much too big for you, but they’ll do until your clothes are dry. ”
He held them out to her, his gaze caressing her face. She should be afraid. She was in a strange man’s house. Naked as the day she was born. And yet she didn’t feel threatened by him.
She almost laughed at the absurdity. Most men terrified her. And with good reason. So why wasn’t she screaming the house down? Why was she laying there staring at him like she’d love nothing more than to strip him down to those cowboy boots? She should be making a mad dash out the door.
Instead, she curled her fingers around the shirt he offered, flushing madly when his hand touched hers briefly. Fire lit his eyes and burned a trail down her flesh as his gaze raked up and down her body.
“I’ll leave you to dress,” he said. “When you’re done, come on out to the living room and warm up by the fire. ”
“T-thank you,” she stammered.
As soon as he left the room, she scrambled up, shedding the towel and yanking on the shirt. It hung to her knees, the sleeves dwarfing her arms. She rolled up each one so her hands were free.
She sat on the edge of the bed and pulled on the sweats. When she stood, they fell to her ankles. Hiking them back up, she pulled at the drawstring, trying to make the monstrous pants stay up. They promptly fell back down, and she growled in irritation.
Well, he’d seen her in a lot less. At least the shirt covered most of her. Hopefully her clothing would be dry soon.
She snuck a glance in the mirror over the dresser and winced at her appearance. Her hair was a mess, and the dye job was awful. It certainly hadn’t achieved the desired effect of altering her appearance.
Straightening her shirt, she pulled it as far down her legs as she could and hesitantly walked out of the bedroom door. She moved down the hallway, looking left and right. At the end, she stopped and stared in embarrassment into the living room.
Three men, not just one, stared at back at her. Three gorgeous, hulking men. And here she stood in nothing more than a shirt. She started to retreat, but the man who had bathed her crossed the room and caught her elbow.
“Don’t be afraid. I’m Adam, by the way. ” He led her further into the living room despite her reluctance. “These two are my brothers, Ryan and Ethan. ”
She eyed them nervously and hung back, hoping Adam’s body would shield her from view. “You didn’t say anything about brothers. ”
“I told you the name of the ranch,” he said in amusement.
He reached behind him and squeezed her hand in his. “Don’t worry, baby. No one’s going to hurt you. ”
She shivered. Not from fear, but from the sex appeal in his voice. How could a complete stranger make her feel so safe? She licked her lips. “I’m Holly,” she said in just above a whisper.
One of the two brothers rose from the couch and walked over to her, reaching behind Adam and gently pulling her forward. “Come over by the fire and get warm. ” His husky voice filtered over her like fine chocolate.
Oh Lord, she must be dreaming. “Which one are you?” she asked, hesitating for a moment.
“I’m Ethan. ” He smiled broadly at her. He tugged slightly on her hand, and she allowed him to lead her closer to the fire.
Ethan was as large as Adam. The only difference between them was their eyes. Both had dark hair. Almost black. But Adam had green eyes and Ethan’s were a warm brown, while Ryan sported dark blue eyes. Ryan was slightly smaller in build than his brothers and his hair was a lighter brown, but where his brothers’ hair was short, Ryan’s hung below his ears, just brushing the tops of his shoulders. He had a wild, haunted look, the kind of man a woman instinctively wanted to try to tame. He looked to be the youngest, but Holly wasn’t certain. They were all pretty close in age, though Adam had to be the oldest.
Ethan coaxed her into an armchair next to the fire, and she drew her legs underneath her. She stretched her hands to the fire, letting the warmth seep into her body.
She was nervous as a cat in a dog kennel. All of them were staring at her. She could feel them. Had they all seen her naked? Was that why they were looking at her with such intensity?
Adam walked over to stand by the fire. “What happened to you, Holly? Why were you lying in the ditch? You weren’t even dressed for the weather. ”
She tensed, unsure of how to answer. Her mind raced to come up with a plausible excuse. “My car broke down further down the mountain. I got out to find help. I must have fallen. I don’t really remember. ”
Most of it was the truth. Actually, all of it was, but she wasn’t going to go into any more detail than she had to.
“Are you sure you’re all right?” Ryan spoke up for the first time. He looked closely at her as if trying to peel her secrets right out of her head. He was quieter than the other two and more serious looking by far.
