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“But how?”
He smiled at her. “You’re over thinking this, baby. It’s quite simple. You’ll marry one of us in a legal ceremony. ”
Her mouth rounded to an O. How stupid of her. That idea had never occurred to her and yet it made perfect sense.
“Hell, I like the idea that she’s finally talking about us in a permanent sense,” Ethan said.
She glanced back at him to see his eyes twinkling. Truth be known, she’d surprised herself. Was she a masochist to jump into another relationship on the heels of extricating herself from her first big disaster?
This wasn’t a mistake. Couldn’t be a mistake. She wouldn’t allow herself to think it.
Adam pulled out of the parking lot and drove off down the street. A few minutes later, he pulled into the lot of a sleek-looking hair salon.
Holly looked over at him in surprise.
He smiled back. “I asked for recommendations. This place came up several times. ”
She leaned over and kissed him full on the lips then quickly piled out of the Land Rover.
“Hey, it was my idea to ask,” Ethan grumbled as he slammed the back door.
Holly grinned and gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek. She walked ahead of them into the salon and was greeted by a cheerful lady who looked to be in her forties.
“I don’t have an appointment,” Holly began.
“What’s your name, honey?” the woman asked.
“Holly Bar…just Holly,” she said.
The woman jotted down something on a pad of paper then beamed up at Holly. “Well, you’re in luck, Holly. I can take you right now. My name’s Jolene. Come on around and let me get you settled in. Then we’ll talk about what you need done, though I can tell you definitely need some color. ”
Holly blinked as the woman herded her around the counter, chattering brightly the entire way. She glanced back at the men who had taken seats in the small waiting area. Adam smiled back at her then winked.
Jolene whipped a cape out and secured it around Holly’s neck then ran her fingers through Holly’s shoulder length hair. “Honey, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but you need to fire your stylist. This is one of the worst dye jobs I’ve ever laid eyes on. ”
Holly smiled. “I’m afraid I did it. I was in a hurry. Messed it up. Can you fix it?”
“Do you want to go blonde?”
“No, I’d like my natural color back. ”
Jolene studied the strands of hair in her hands for a minute. “Sure, I can fix it, honey. Don’t you worry about a thing. Come over to the sink and let me wash it for you. ”
Several minutes later, Holly sat back in the chair, her hair damp from the washing. Jolene began combing her hair out and Holly relaxed.
Jolene leaned forward and in a loud whisper said, “Now, honey, I’m not one to pry, but you have to tell me which one of those gorgeous hunks is yours. ”
Holly froze, a smile hovering on her lips. For a brief moment, she considered just pointing out one of them, but why should she care what this woman thought of her?
“They all are,” Holly said softly.
Jolene’s brows shot up. “All? Oh honey, tell me you’re joking. Surely no woman is that lucky!” She shot Holly an exaggerated wink in the mirror.
Holly chuckled then blushed.
“You’re serious, aren’t you?”
Holly nodded.
Jolene shook her head. “Lordy. You have to tell me how you do it. I’d give my eyeteeth for two, much less three men who looked like that. ”
Holly stared at her in amazement. There was no shock or outrage in the woman’s voice.
“Well, never mind, honey, you’re obviously telling the truth. Would you look at the way they’re looking at you? Like they could eat you up for lunch. ” Jolene sighed wistfully. “There was once a time when a man looked at me like that. ”
“What happened?” Holly asked, curious at the longing in the other woman’s voice.
“Oh, we wanted different things. Or at least I thought I did. I just couldn’t accept what was staring me in the face. Lean back, honey, let me get this cotton around your forehead. ”
Holly dutifully leaned back and waited for her to continue.
“He finally got tired of waiting, I guess. Took off on his Harley and I never saw him again. ”
“Oh, that’s too bad,” Holly said. “You don’t know how to find him?”
Jolene looked startled. “Well, I never considered trying to find him. Of course, that was years ago. He’s probably married with a passel of kids by now. ”
“Maybe,” Holly murmured.
Two hours later, Jolene whirled Holly around in her chair to face the mirror.
“There you go, honey. What do you think?”
Holly stared back at her reflection. “It’s me,” she whispered. No streaks of blonde shone in her light brown hair. The ends had been trimmed and the tresses gleamed in the soft light.
Jolene beamed back at her. “I thought you’d like it. ”
Holly stood and impulsively hugged the older woman. “Thank you. ”
Jolene steered her toward the waiting room. “Go see how your young men like it. ”
Holly walked over to where the brothers sat. Adam stood and reached for his wallet.
“You look beautiful, baby. ”
She smiled and ducked her head. She glanced over at Ethan and Ryan who also nodded their approval.
“Want to hit the shops and buy you some clothes?” Ethan asked. “There’s several down this street. ”
“I’d like that,” she replied.
She’d also noticed a boutique specializing in lingerie. A small smile curved her lips and she bit the inside of her cheek so as not to betray her thoughts. She’d love to buy a sexy new outfit and surprise them.
Ryan held out her coat for her and she slipped it on. As they walked out, Holly caught Jolene’s eyes, and the hairdresser threw her a saucy wink and a thumbs up.
At first, Holly hurried through the shops, sure that the men would be bored silly watching her clothes shop, but she soon realized they enjoyed seeing her try on new things.
Her last stop was the lingerie store, and she made the excuse that she needed bras. Inside, she picked out two sexy outfits and grinned in delight at the idea of surprising them when they returned home.
When she stepped back out, Ryan and Ethan reached for her bags.
“Adam’s gone over to warm up the Rover,” Ethan explained as they stepped out to cross the street.
They hurried forward. Out of the corner of Holly’s eye, she saw a sedan pull out from where it had been parallel-parked. She blinked in surprise when it barreled out into the street. Straight for them.
Ryan and Ethan were a step in front of her, and she threw all of her weight into their backs, desperate to shove them out of the way. In the distance, she heard Adam shout.
Ryan and Ethan stumbled forward just as the car careened by. Pain exploded in her hip as she felt the hard bumper glance off her leg. She went sprawling, her hands out to brace her fall.
