Page 83 of Unwilling Wolf

He wished he could disagree. “Where are you going?” he asked Burke’s retreating back.

“I’m gettin’ in line!” he yelled back at Garret.

Eliza was standing on the other side of Lenny now, loading a rifle like she knew what she was doing. Interesting woman, for sure. “Oh hell, why not?” he muttered, and followed Burke.

Never would he forget the sight of Lenny and Eliza—easily the most beautiful women at the barn-raising—standing side by side in their dresses, hefting rifles. Each held their breath, waiting to steady the sights on their target before they pulled the trigger. Lenny out-shot Eliza, who shot wide of the bullseye, but she wasn’t doing half-bad. Hell, she could probably outshoot some of the men around these parts.

He snaked his way through the crowd behind Burke, and when he reached Eliza, he told her, “You are a hellion.” He couldn’t help his grin right now if he tried, and her dancing eyes darted to the curve of his lips.

Pretty Eliza. He’d known she could light up a room, but out here, she was lighting up the whole damn clearing, and on a sunny day.

She’d rolled the sleeves of her dress up, and he could see the angry irritation those cactus needles had caused to her skin, but did she act like it hurt? Nope. Not even a little. If he hadn’t seen her fall into that cactus with his own eyes, he wouldn’t even assume she was hurt.

Impressive. Tough woman.

Jimmy Yule was standing too close to Eliza’s back. He moved forward and brushed his hand on Eliza’s back to say something close to her ear.

The crack of anger that burst through Garret was like a lightning strike.

“Hands off,” he warned low.

Jimmy’s eyes narrowed on Garret, and he parted his lips to say something that was probably going to get him hit square across the jaw.

“Jimmy, you’ve met my husband, Garret, before, haven’t you?” Eliza said easily.

“Even if I hadn’t, I would feel like I know you, sir,” Jimmy gritted out. “She won’t quit talkin’ about you.”

The anger was creating a roaring sound in his ears, and he thought of how easy it would be to snap Jimmy’s fragile little neck.

Eliza did something that shocked him so deeply, he pulled his gaze from Jimmy’s challenging glare to check that he hadn’t just imagined it.

Had she…had Eliza just kissed him on the shoulder? “What was that for?” he asked in a voice that was much too snarly.

“Because I couldn’t reach your lips,” she said with a confidence he found downright appealing on a female. She hiked her dress up and exposed her fair legs to the entire crowd, showing him a pair of low-rise shoes he’d never seen before.

“What in damnation are you wearing?” he blurted.

“Lenny made them for me.”

“To wear around the cabin,” Lenny said, aiming her rifle at the target. Boom!

Cheering sounded around them.

“Do you like them?” Eliza asked.

“I would like them even better if Jimmy Fuckin’ Yule wasn’t starin’ at your bare legs right now,” he gritted out.

“Oh! Terribly sorry, Jimmy. My husband has a temper on him, and from the way he’s lookin’ at you, you’ll probably survive longer if you stand a little farther away. Like over there,” she said, pointing toward the food tables.

“Or the Montana territory would be an even better idea,” Garret deadpanned.

Jimmy Yule held his hands up in surrender and backed away. “You’re a lucky man, Shaw.”

Garret glared at his back, and then locked eyes with every man who was standing too close to Eliza. His hackles were up. “This is mine,” he announced.

Eliza wouldn’t like that, but to hell with it all. It would be better for these fellas to know where he stood with Eliza—right fuckin’ behind her.

An overwhelming urge filled him to take her into the woods, lift her skirts, and buck into her from behind, so she could walk around here for the rest of the day with his scent clinging to her.

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