Page 96 of Buck Wild Orc Cowboy
The woman in yellow gave me a good-natured wink. “Go get your orc, cowgirl.”
I laughed and tried to hand my last nugget to Gracie.
“Nope,” she said, pushing my hand back. “That one’s for you.”
Well, I was going to give it to Max, then. He could go shopping at the general store for more cowboy gear, something I’d bet anything he was eager to buy.
People whistled and clapped as I hugged Gracie again. My cheeks ached from smiling.
Across the barn, Sel was watching me.
Grinning.
So was I.
My grin dropped to nothing when a commotion at the barn entrance caught my eye. Melvin stomped inside the barn, the strange man I’d seen the other day in the bakery following.
“Holly. Max,” Melvin snarled. “I’ve got a lawyer. You're coming with me.”
My hands forming fists, I lifted my chin. “We’re not going anywhere with you, Melvin.”
“If you don’t, someone’s going to get hurt.” He pulled a gun and leveled it at Max.
Chapter 34
Sel
Holly was still grinning when she looked at me, and I loved how pink her cheeks were. And that she’d been determined to win my basket.
Max whooped from where he sat next to Hail like he’d watched his favorite team win a championship. Gracie pumped Holly’s arm and bounced in place. The barn was alive with clapping, cheers. I couldn’t take my eyes off my mate.
She looked happy. She looked like she felt she belonged. And for one perfect moment, I believed it would stay that way.
Then the doors at the back of the barn slammed open, hitting the walls hard enough to make conversation come to a halt.
A gust of dust and dry air followed the two males in, but no one noticed that. Not with the first man stomping down the center aisle like he had the right to be here, the other—the man from the bakery—slinking behind him.
The first man’s voice cracked through the noise, harsh, hoarse, and full of hate. “Holly. Max. You’re coming with me.”
I’d bet anything this was her ex, Melvin. Time to kill him.
Holly lifted her chin. “We’re not going anywhere with you, Melvin.”
“If you don’t, someone’s going to get hurt.” He pulled a gun and leveled it at Max.
“Hold on,” the other male said. “We didn’t discuss you doing this. I’m afraid I can no longer take your custody case.” Pivoting, the man from the bakery scurried from the barn.
Custody?
Holly’s body went still like she’d been hit. The crowd’s silence was followed by an eruption of hisses and cries about the gun. Gracie tried to nudge Holly behind her. Max blinked in dismay. I expected him to lean into Hail, maybe even drop to the floor and hide. Instead, he stiffened and glared at his father.
I was already moving.
“You and Max are coming with me,” Melvin bellowed again, rushing toward Holly.
“Fuck you, Melvin,” she cried.
He raised the gun, swiveling it toward Max.
