Posted by Mandy M. Roth on Oct 15, 2011 in
Saturday Snippet 
Excerpt from Executive Decision by Mandy M Roth
Pushing the glass doors of my office open, I looked around for Dale, one of my team members and close friend. In fact, I’d even go as far as calling him one of my best friends. His remarkable ability to drop off the radar at a moment’s notice always surprised me. He was a creative wonder who seldom remembered what time of the day it was—unless he had a date to get to. Even with his faults, Dale and I were close—very close, beyond best friend kind of close.
Dale close.
“Hey Liz, how’d the meeting go? Did we land the account?” Dale Corbin asked as he did a slight jab towards me. His floppy light brown hair with the slightest bits of blond running through it and emerald green eyes made the thirty-three-year-old look barely legal at times. Every other woman in the office seemed to think he looked like fresh meat and he ate it up. Often I’d find him cuffing his sleeves and doing semi-flex routines near the coffee pot. He denied it, of course. My goal was to capture one of the moments on film so I could show him the pictures later. That or run them in the paper with a witty caption for his next birthday. Either way, I’d accomplish my goal of proving the flexing incidents did occur.
Having just turned twenty-nine, you’d have thought I’d be a bit more attracted to Dale even if he looked young. I wasn’t. Well, not that much. Sure he was incredibly handsome, had one of the best smiles I’d ever seen and skin that looked permanently sun kissed but he was just too—Dale. I knew him too well. The guy had a way of making women believe in white knights and happily ever after endings. As a little girl, I would have loved that. As a cynical and at times, sarcastic woman pushing thirty, it was just annoying. Not to mention he practically lived with me, so I got a dose of him twenty-four hours a day.
Twice in the last three months alone, I’d had to hide him in the men’s restroom due to some woman basically stalking him. They had no qualms about showing up at the workplace, demanding to know why he hadn’t returned their calls. Two things had come of that. One, I was actually a bit jealous at how nice the men’s lavatory was in comparison to the women’s. And two, Dale had assumed I was now his relationship girl Friday. The last thing I liked hearing about was who he was screwing and when. Every time the topic came up, I’d do my best to change it. But it was hard to keep it away for long. Especially when we were so close and the women he chose to fuck were so determined.
I’d known Dale for eight years. He slept on my sofa bed or in my bed if I didn’t beat him to it, then he’d just wait until I was out cold and climb in with me anyway. Over half of his wardrobe was at my house. I did his laundry. He helped me with anything I needed. We shared a cab to and from work. Hell, we walked half naked around each other. We acted like a married couple that never had sex. And that was more than fine by me.
He seemed to be permanently attached to my hip. Luckily for him, he was at least a hot attachment. Sadly, Dale didn’t quite go with all my shoes.
“So, did we nail the Becker account?” he asked again.
“Oh, she nailed something but it wasn’t the Becker account.”
The sound of fingernails screeching down a chalkboard would have been better than the sound of Vincent Walters’ voice. It was one of those drab, monotone ones that made me think of old high school professors.
I didn’t bother to turn around and that must have annoyed him. He grabbed my shoulder and attempted to turn me towards him. Dale clenched his fist and looked at me for the okay to hit Vince. Knowing Dale actually would, I shook my head.
The tension in my neck and arms increased, only this time it wasn’t from stress–it was from the unexplainable urge to ram my fist through Vince’s overly tanned face. The man needed to, at the very least, roll over in the tanning bed. He had permanent white spots from where the light didn’t reach, edging his ear and jaw line. Gritting my teeth, I exhaled slowly, hoping it would calm me. It didn’t. “Kindly remove your hand from me, Vince.”
“I prefer Vincent.”
“And I prefer you not touching me. One of us may get her wish while the other may get to wear a cast on his wrist for several weeks. Guess which one you will be?”
“So temperamental, must come from your small town upbringing.” He lifted his hand off me and I turned slowly to face him. Vince was one of those men that appeared to have gotten their head stuck in a pencil sharpener at some point prior to birth. Couple that with his seriously outdated helmet style hair, short sleeve white polyester shirt and a tie that was a good three inches above his belt buckle and you had your garden variety loser with a good job.
His grey eyes raked over me. As he leered I couldn’t tear my eyes off his yellowed teeth. His pack a day habit had done quite a number on his pearly whites. A few months ago “someone” had left an article about teeth whitening on his desk. Too bad he didn’t take the advice. Maybe he’d have a girlfriend by now. Doubtful though.
Dale moved in close to me. He was six-two and together we must have looked intimidating to the five-seven Mr. Walters because he took a nice big step backwards.
Ah, some days it’s good to be a giant.
“Did you have something for us, Vincent, or are you wasting valuable company time, again.”
“I do not waste company time, Ms. Rogers.”
Dale snorted. “Right. Here at Baum Marketing we often find searching for online purchase brides from Russian websites helpful in our day-to-day activities. Not only does it increase our profitability, it increases your chance at finally getting some.”
My eyes bulged. If anyone knew what someone did on their computer, it was Dale. His work place buddy, Wesley, was our company computer tech. The shocked look on Vince’s face was all the confirmation I needed. Patting Dale’s shoulder, I offered him a huge grin. I’d have said “that a boy” but that may have been overkill.
As if on cue, me and my shadow, Dale, spun around and headed into my office. Neither one of us looked back at Vince, though I’m thinking we both wanted to, if for no other reason than to see him run off to his computer to clear its history and cookies.
“Oh, that was good.”
Dale chuckled. “Not nearly as good as you threatening to break his wrist if he didn’t get his hand off you. You should have let me hit him. Baum seems to worship the ground you walk on. He’d have thanked me personally.”
If you only knew.
I went straight for my desk to check email before we headed out for the night. Dale went straight for the corner of my desk and planted his tight backside on it. Charles’ taste in office décor was far different from mine. That didn’t mean I was fine with Dale’s tight ass plopped upon it. Biting my lower lip, I glanced down at the brown stained veneer and back to Dale. He didn’t get the subtle hint. Pushing him off occurred to me but then I’d have to touch that firm backside of his and that could lead to nothing but trouble. As nice as he was, he was also still a man and at the moment I was a bit worked up from Charles.
“You’re killing me here, Liz. Did we get Becker or not?”
“Not.”
Dale twisted so fast that I grabbed my laptop for fear he’d send it tumbling to the floor. His wide green eyes locked on me.
Trying to break eye contact with him, I concentrated on straightening the day’s files. Dale caught my wrist and held it gently in his large hand.
“Elizabeth, talk to me. Why didn’t we get it? We’ve busted our asses all these months for something like this.”
I pointed at his shirt, hoping it would distract him. “You know that shade of dark green really brings out your eyes. Is that new? I don’t remember seeing it before. I really like it on you.”
“Elizabeth, you’re hiding. Weren’t you the one who lectured me on standing up, owning my actions?”
Don’t you just hate it when your own advice comes back to bite you in the ass?
“Yeah, I did tell you that, Dale. But you were the one who told me to tone down my harshness. That was my attempt for the day. If you want to know the truth, fine. I’m overworked, in need of a break and can’t concentrate worth a damn. At various points throughout the day I want to claw at the walls and run through the main room screaming my fool head off. I’m twenty-nine and feel a hell of a lot older than that. There, in all its ugly glory, is the truth.”
For a moment, Dale was silent. I took that as a sign he was upset. He had worked just as hard as I had all these months. My entire team did. And we all needed a break.
“So, what does this mean?”
“It means we don’t have the Becker account,” I said sardonically.
Dale laughed slightly. “That much I got. What I want to know is what happens with our team projection? Will we meet it?”
“I don’t see why not. We’ve done twice the work the other teams have and we’re ahead of the game because of it. Now, if Walters pulls a whammy out of his rump then we’ll have some catching up to do.”
“Liz, we’re so close to meeting it. If we do, you’ll be the next choice for the Vice President’s position that they still haven’t filled. Do you realize you’d be the youngest V.P. the company has ever had? Not to mention the only one who listens to eighties’ music still and dances along with it while she thinks no one is looking.” He winked and bit his lower lip, drawing my attention and holding it.
Shaking myself back from the brink of finding Dale sexy, I tried to focus on what we were talking about. “I do not dance to eighties’….”
He wagged his brows. “It’s okay, Ariel. I won’t tell your daddy. The Reverend doesn’t need to know anything about it.”
“Really, Ren,” I batted my eyes, “but Daddy says music is the gospel of easy sexuality.”
Dale raked his gaze over me slowly, causing my body to heat. “Ah, Liz, I love how on the spot you are with your movie references.”
“Well, when we’re talking about cutting footloose, it’s hard to jump back.”
He groaned. “That was a bad one.”
“I tried.”
“Yes, and I win.”
Did I win something involving you being naked?
A dreamy sigh escaped me and I jerked back to reality—one where I did not lust after Dale.
“You’ve got that lost look again, Liz. I was complimenting you on your amazing achievement. Hell, men twice your age are vying for the same position. That’s why Walters acts the way he does. He’s threatened by you. You’re not even thirty yet and you’ve accomplished an amazing amount. To be honest, it used to bother me that a woman three years younger than me was my boss.”
“You’ve been offered a position as a team leader at least six times since I’ve been here. If you wanted to be one, why do you keep turning it down?”
He pushed his chin forward and shrugged. “It used to appeal to me but after I saw how many hours you have to put in I decided to pass.”
“You work just as many hours as I do, Dale.”
His traced his finger absently over the top of my desk, pushing a pen and a paperclip as he went. It was a very Dale thing to do. Especially when he was avoiding talking about something he didn’t want to discuss. “Not true, you worked over three times last week.”
My stomach tightened. I hadn’t worked over. I’d stayed over, had sex with Charles and then gone out to dinner with him. I’d successfully managed to keep my arrangement with Charles a secret from Dale. It was hell juggling the two men. Charles knew I was close to Dale but didn’t know Dale sort of lived with me. And I’d gone out of my way inventing ridiculous reasons for being away from the house when I wanted to see Charles. I hated lying to Dale most of all. Why I cared what Dale thought, I’m not sure. But I did.
“So are you still upset that I’m technically your boss even though you do everything I do?”
“No. I’m fine with it now. Of course, getting to see you run around in your underwear when we’re at home does help. Setting the V.P. spot aside, the Becker account will mean exposure.”
He wasn’t telling me anything I didn’t already know. I hated guilt and Dale was an expert at making me feel it. “Do you want me to go back to Baum and tell him we want it? He offered it to us.”
“Charles offered you Becker and you didn’t take it?” Dale caught my chin and lifted my face to him. Any other person I’d have punched between the eyes, even at the risk I’d break a nail. Dale had a way of calming me down. In a way he was a walking situation diffuser for me.
Hmm, maybe having him actually strapped to my hip wouldn’t be so bad after all. He’d work wonders for my pms.
“Yep, I turned him down.”
“You must really need a break then.” He hopped off my desk and adjusted his olive tie. The tiniest of white lines ran diagonally on it. “Let’s go, we promised Paige we’d meet her for dinner and maybe some clubbing.”
“Tell me again why you know more about my social life than me.”
Dimples appeared on both sides of his handsome face. “Probably because I am your social life and when you’re not with me, you’re with my sister. That and once you check out of this place, you can’t remember anything. Lauren is still complaining about you forgetting her cell phone number all the time. Oh, she’s number two on there now. I added everyone for you. You only had one person programmed in the thing.”
I only had one person in my phone? No. That didn’t sound like me. “Who did I have programmed in?”
“Me.”
“Oh, right.” I tossed the last file into the stainless steel wire unit next to my desk and shut my computer down. “That’s rather funny since I know your number by heart anyways.”
He smiled. “Let’s go. Paige is waiting.”
“Have I thanked you lately for introducing me to her? I mean, it’s only been seven years. But look at it this way, at least I finally remembered.”
“Hey, all I did was help you find a new place to live which just so happens to be next door to hers. That little dump you were living in wasn’t fit for humans.”
I growled playfully at him. “Cut me some slack. I came to New York straight out of college and snatched up the first thing I could afford and get moved into right away.”
Dale shuddered. “I can’t even think about you there now without wanting a shower. You actually had to share a bathroom with the entire floor.”
“Now you’re just being dramatic. Besides, I share a shower with you.”
Dale grinned and wagged his eyebrows. “Not literally but I’m open to the idea.”
“I’m going to push you off the corner of my desk if you keep it up. Better yet, I’ll shove you out of the window. Falling twenty-six floors and smacking Madison Avenue head first might teach you a lesson or two.”
“You came out of the womb in a bad mood, didn’t you?”
“Perhaps, but it beats being born with a silver spoon, sweetie. Some of us had straw instead of a spoon.”
He smiled and shrugged. “I would love to see you on a farm. I can’t picture it. The only thing about you that makes me believe you ever even lived on one is when you are extremely excited or pissed you get the slightest of accents.”
I huffed. “I do not.”
Dale flashed me his boyish “get out of anything” smile. “Liz, it’s kind of cute. Don’t get upset when I point it out.”
Glancing towards the wall, I focused on one of the many pieces of non-art Charles had hanging around the place. In my opinion the artist had wasted a perfectly good canvas, having only put a red triangle in the bottom right corner with a slash of grey brushed through it.
Dale lifted my chin towards him. “Aww, did I upset poor Elizabeth?”
I let my gaze harden and tried not to laugh as I grabbed my pen and jabbed him in the backside. He yelped and lifted off the desk a bit. “Aww, did I accidentally hurt poor Dale?”
“You’re kissing that if it’s still sore later,” he said, rubbing his bottom.
“You deserved it for bringing my non-existent accent into this.”
His bottom lip quivered and I knew he was trying not to laugh at me. “Right then, no accent. Got it. What about your affinity for baseball caps, sneakers and eating? How do you explain those? They’re very ‘not from around here’ if you know what I mean.”
I readied my pen and he grabbed hold of my wrist. “I happen to like to pull my hair up into a cap when I clean, do your laundry and … well, I just like to wear one. As for wearing sneakers, why would I want to run around in three-inch heels all the time? My legs are long enough already. If a man is turned off by the sight of tennis shoes then he isn’t the man for me. And if you’re planning on poking fun at me for actually eating then I’ll make sure this pen goes all the way through next time.”
Dale twisted my wrist slightly and de-penned me. Grinning, he leaned over me and patted my head gently. “Such a cute lil’ defensive thing.”
I didn’t laugh.
“Fine. Sorry. I love that you eat. I don’t think I’d ever really seen a woman eat before I met you. Not sure where you put it though.”
It was sweet that he was trying to backtalk his way out of a pickle with me. But it wasn’t working. “Dale, you have a mother and a sister. Do you mean to tell me they didn’t eat the entire time you were growing up?”
“Rosy, my nanny raised me, not my mother. I was sent to boarding school at age six and Paige is six years younger than me. I didn’t even see my baby sister until she was almost one and then it was only briefly.”
Running my hand over the side of my desk nervously, I tried to think of something to say to him. No part of me could imagine growing up that way. Whenever he let something slide about his childhood, it seemed very cold and very sterile. I have two brothers. We all lived at home until we went away to college. We fought like cats and dogs but wouldn’t dare let another person between us. I couldn’t fathom not seeing them. And I certainly couldn’t see my mother handing us over to someone else to raise us while she lived in the same house and was perfectly capable of doing it herself. She did have a babysitter come two times a week but that was because she worked those two days.
Hearing Dale tell me that he didn’t grow up with Paige did explain why they didn’t ever share childhood stories with me or have any of those special jokes that I shared with my siblings.
Dale leaned back on my desk and propped himself on his elbow. If it had still been during business hours I would have pushed him off but no one but Charles was still around. It wasn’t like he’d dare say a word to me about it.
“Don’t you go growing a conscience and getting all sentimental on me, Liz, or I’ll be forced to go get my rubber band gun and handle it.”
My mouth dropped. “You told me you threw that away!”
He grinned from ear to ear. “I lied.”
“I had a welt on my butt for a week after you got me with that!”
He twisted a bit and laughed. The deep sound wrapped around me and I instinctively wanted to bat it away right after I let it circle me once more. “I know. It was cute and it must have hurt. Sorry about that. But in my own defense–I thought your pants were thicker and I also had no idea you didn’t have underwear on.”
I pushed him hard but it barely budged him. “I did too have on underwear.”
“Sweetie, a thong doesn’t cover much cheek now does it?”
“Go file something, Mr. Silver Spoon Man, and let me sulk.”
“Sulk?”
“I found out today that my date for my reunion isn’t going to be able to make it. In one respect it’s good because I had no idea what in the hell I was going to do with him during Daddy’s sixtieth birthday party. Daddy hates all men that have anything to with me, except you.”
He shook his head a bit. “Kind of late in the game to bail on you considering you’re flying out this weekend.”
“Tell me about it. Next time I’ll be sure to pick a more reliable guy.”
He smiled wide. “Want me to come? You were already planning on someone being there and I can finally meet your family. I feel like I know them, yet I’ve never really met them. Plus, I think I found the perfect gift for your father.”
“Pierce Dale Corbin, you do not need to buy my father a birthday present.”
“Liz, every time I answer the phone at your house and it’s him, he grills me on when we’re going to begin dating so he can get planning on grandchildren. Never in a million years did I expect a girl’s father to beg me to hurry up and start doing his daughter.”
Nodding my head, I did my best to block the knowledge out. I failed. “I’m sorry he does that to you. Has my mother cornered you yet? She thinks we’re lying to them and ‘living in sin’ but she promises not to tell my father. I think she’s itching to get to plan a wedding and has put all her hopes in you being the man on the cake topper.”
Dale laughed so hard he shook the desk. “Want me to videotape a message to her telling her how much I’m not getting from you?”
I jabbed him with my pen, lighter this time and in the arm. “No.”
“I’ll tell her in person then. When I meet her in person. This will be great. I’ll get to see where you grew up, meet your family and some of your old friends.”
“Are you sure you don’t mind going? I thought you were going out with Ashley.” I asked, still surprised that Dale seemed genuinely excited about going.
“Liz, I haven’t gone out with Ashley in two years. And, no. I don’t have a date planned. I’d love to go. I’ve got as much vacation as you built up and since we aren’t taking on the Becker account I’m not busy here. We’ve got two weeks. We could spend as much time as you want with your family and maybe do something together.”
I thought about it a minute. Dale was right. He could get the time off, and he wouldn’t think twice about coming with me. “I’m flying. I hate to fly and you fly everywhere you go. You’re going to have to sit by me while I clutch the seat and sweat.”
Dale chuckled. “I think I’m up for that. Though, if you leave claw marks on my arms, I’m telling your mom she was right about us and I’ll use that as proof. She’ll know you’re a wild one then.”
I snorted. That was something Dale would do. “Are you sure you don’t mind? Ohio isn’t anything like New York.”
“I just told you that I’d love to see you on a farm. I’m game.”
I tried to hide my excitement. Dale had just single-handedly saved me from being the one woman who wouldn’t be showing up with a man on her arm. The best part of it all was that I could take him to my father’s birthday party. Charles was not going to go to that. I don’t think my father would be pleased to learn I’d been seeing an older man. I beamed. “Thank you, Dale.”
“It’ll be fun.”
“Yeah, fun to watch the boy born with a silver spoon in his mouth on a farm. I will be taking a camera.”
“I may have been born with it in my mouth, but I don’t carry it around with me as an adult. Now, Paige on the other….”
Tossing my hand in the air, I snickered. “Say no more. It’ll only get you in knee deep with her.”
“I often fear my five foot five baby sister.”
“You’re trouble you know.” I stood, grabbed my Isabelle Fiore handbag and took a deep breath in.
Charles appeared outside my office door and I waved him in. He glanced at Dale, still half lying on my desk and then back at me. His eyebrow went up in question. I shook my head and Charles relaxed. This time when he looked at me, it was filled with lust rather than suspicion.
“Elizabeth, do you have a few minutes? I’d like to talk with you in my office.”
He had to be kidding me. I’d already told him I was going out with my friends tonight, yet he still wanted a quickie.
“Mr. Baum, I’m actually getting ready to head out. Can this wait?”
Or, translated—no sex now.
Charles glanced at Dale and smiled. “Dale, I’m surprised you’re still here. I hear the ladies talking when they don’t think I’m listening. They all seem to be fighting for a chance to take you out.”
Dale chuckled. “I don’t think it’s quite like that, but thank you. I’m waiting for Liz to finish up.”
Instantly, Charles had his light blue eyes locked on me. His face tightened and I could only imagine the things running through his head. “My apologies on my comment, Elizabeth. I wasn’t aware you were one of the women as well.”
That made Dale sit up. He tapped his fingers on my desk. “As nice as that would be, Mr. Baum, Liz is not one of those women. I actually feel bad for any man who dates her. She’s always working. He’d have to apply for a job here if he ever wanted to spend any time with her.” He sent a large paperclip spinning in my direction upon his last comment and cast Charles a questioning look.
“Yes, our Ms. Rogers is quite dedicated to her job. Since you’re on your way out I will meet with you Monday … ahh … no I won’t. You’re on vacation starting next week, aren’t you?”
Way to point out that you won’t be getting any from me for two whole weeks.
Dale stood and I heard his keys jingling, or rather my keys. He carried my house keys for me. I didn’t bother. “That reminds me, Mr. Baum. Liz, told me we didn’t take the Becker account and that she could use some rest and relaxation. Our team will be dead in the water for a few weeks since we finished the last of our month’s projects already, I’d like to take a couple of weeks off myself.”
Charles looked as though he’d tip over from shock. “Really? I’m almost upset the rest of the office is gone. No one will believe me when I tell them you actually took some time off. You are just as bad as Elizabeth. At the rate the two of you are going, you’ll have enough vacation time built up to take four years off before you retire.”
I laughed softly because he was right.
“Is that a yes?” Dale asked.
“Of course, Dale. Enjoy your time. Any idea what you’ll use the time for?”
I sucked a sharp breath in and crossed my fingers for there to be no fireworks.
“I think I’ll take some time, see the countryside and just relax with friends,” Dale said, looking directly at me as if he knew better than to tell Charles he was coming with me. How he knew was beyond me but the look in his eyes said he did.
“Wonderful, enjoy yourself.” Charles caught my gaze and just held it for the longest time. My neck and upper chest warmed rapidly as if his stare did have the ability to scorch me. “Dale. Elizabeth.”
I watched as Charles walked down the hall. A tiny piece of me thought about running after him. I didn’t.
“Yoohoo, Liz.” Dale waved his hand before my face and I jerked. “You okay there? You were here then gone.”
Did horny qualify as fine?
“I’m good.”
“Hey, do you mind if we stop by my house quick?”
“Nope, you want to grab a cab?”
“Sounds good to me.”
BUY LINKS
Selena Robins
Anne Rainey
Jody Wallace
Eliza Gayle
Mari Carr
McKenna Jeffries
Myla Jackson
Selena Blake
Taige Crenshaw
Vivian Arend
Beth-Ann Mason
HelenKay Dimon
Lacey Savage
Shelli Stevens
Shiloh Walker
TJ Michaels
Lauren Dane
Alison Kent
00
Posted by Mandy M. Roth on Oct 1, 2011 in
Saturday Snippet
Excerpt from Blaze of Glory by Mandy M Roth & Rory Michaels
Chapter One
New West Frontier, Prospect Springs, New Earth, 2807
“Jon, what the hell do you think you’re doing? You can’t go riding into town, kicking up a row and laying claim to another man’s property.”
Jonathan MacSweeny glared at his best friend and cousin, Eli MacSweeny. Jonathan’s temperament had been bad to start with. It only worsened since he’d gotten up and this wasn’t helping it along any. At the current rate of progression, he’d be likely to shoot fire from his eyes and tear a man limb from limb before the night was out. The first was out of reach even for someone like Jonathan, but the second was a distinct possibility.
“Just because the man had a hand in fatherin’ her doesn’t mean he owns her,” Jonathan stressed. “And if I feel like making a scene, I will.” He fisted the reins of his horse—the need to be on their way was great for Jonathan. Every second they delayed was a second he could have had with the woman who turned him inside out with nothing more than a glance.
“According to the law, her daddy does own her. Least ‘til she’s married off, then her husband does.” Eli tipped his head slightly, sending dark strands of hair over his shoulders. The jet-black hair was a MacSweeny trait, one the ladies seemed to adore and the church-going elderly women seemed to take as a sign of the devil. Probably didn’t help much that the boys had inhuman eyes. They weren’t exactly human so it sort of went hand-in-hand.
Thankfully, over the years, the religious people in Prospect Springs had come to understand that although by all outward appearances the MacSweeny family was touched by the devil, they meant no harm and were honest boys. Who and what they were wasn’t a total secret because the rumors floated. The boys did nothing to stop the scuttlebutt.
Almost all of them had remained in the area. None had started families yet. It was probably a good thing since there were so many of them. Hell, there were four in his immediate family alone. Eli had two brothers. That had them up to seven already and Jonathan hadn’t even begun to think about his other two uncles and their boys.
All boys.
All rowdy.
All different.
All special.
“The law is wrong, Eli,” Jonathan said. “Plain and simple, the man has no right to force his daughter to wed a lecherous bastard just because it’ll get his parish bigger donations. Gerald Wilson is a snake who has raped more women than not and I’m not about to let him get his hands on Molly.”
Again.
He didn’t voice his last concern but it was evident from the tension that filled the area. Jonathan would rot in the pits of hell before he ever allowed Gerald Wilson near Molly again. He’d spent a decade regretting having been foolish enough to leave her accessible to Gerald to begin with. He should have claimed her as his mate the minute he’d realized that’s what she was to him.
It was an absurd thought and he knew it. They’d been too young for him to go with his gut. Gerald hadn’t cared a bit about Molly’s innocence. For that alone Jonathan had watched the bastard from a distance, waiting for him to step out of line so he’d be justified in killing him.
“Yap, yap, yap,” Parker, Jonathan’s older brother, said, as he rode up next to him. He steadied his horse and nodded out toward the night. “I hear ya talkin’, little brother, but I don’t hear you saying what it is you’re going to do to rectify the situation.”
“Rectify?” Eli grinned. It didn’t take much to figure out he was in the mood for mischief. “Trust the doctor to swoop in and start up with fancy words. We might need to stop by a Frontier Stall and look that there one up.”
Parker put his middle finger in the air and offered a cocky smile. “Doctor that, asshole. And seems to me the lawyer in the family would have some pull in regards to changing the laws but it’d appear you are as worthless as your last girlfriend claimed you to be.” He let his middle finger droop slowly as his gaze slid to Eli’s groin.
Eli shrugged. “Seein’ as how I had her screaming my name out in ecstasy behind the General Store I can’t see how I’d be labeled worthless. A bit randy maybe, but worthless? No.” He rubbed his chin, doing his best to conceal a wicked grin. They got entirely too much joy out of poking fun at one another. “As far as laws go, I don’t get to change ‘em. I only get to twist the already existing ones to my advantage.”
Jonathan’s ears perked as he fingered his sidearm and then his badge. The silver burned slightly as he touched it but still, his hand remained. It was a reminder of not only who he was but what he was. He was the sheriff but was also more than a man. The beast, who suffered a sensitivity to silver, swore an oath to protect Molly and the man supported the decision wholeheartedly. The two had come to a conclusion long ago—she was not to be harmed and, one day, she would be his. “Got any law-twisting planned, cousin?”
“A whole lot of begging, Jon. That’s ‘bout it.” Eli chuckled. “Well, that and I told Parker to bring along some aspirin. You might need it after you go and get yourself hung over a woman. Be thankful a hangin’ won’t kill ya. Just make your head and neck hurt for a few days. Now, if they decide to run silver spikes through your heart or chop your head off, well, that’s another matter.”
“Wonderful.” He didn’t bother to hide his sarcasm. “And thanks for the show of support. It warms me to know my kin are positive I’ll get my neck snapped before the day’s out.”
The tiny snort that came from Eli wasn’t lost on him, neither was the piercing gaze the man gave him. Those lavender eyes always seemed to know the truth.
Eli stated the obvious anyway. “Jon, this is an awful lot of trouble to go through for a girl you ain’t even seen since she was but knee-high. What’s it been? Ten years now?”
It was the truth. Jonathan hadn’t seen Molly Cogan since she was sixteen but that didn’t matter any. When word of her father’s plans reached him, he’d been blinded by rage. Molly had been a free spirit, a female renegade. So much so, her father had sent her away, shamed by her even though there was nothing to be ashamed about. Molly was a rare treasure, or at least she had been.
And damn well always will be, MacSweeny.
He smiled as his inner voice chastised him as quickly and as sharply as Molly would. He held tighter to the reins of his horse. It would’ve been faster to take his steel steed. They were built to look like real horses except for the legs. Steel steeds had none. They hovered just off the ground, six to eight inches. Jonathan had mounted handlebars on the neck of his. They helped to steer better and allowed him to lean forward more, cutting wind resistance. All the MacSweeny boys had steel steeds but the damn mechanical beasts tended to be unpredictable and since they ran on both fuel and solar power, one needed to be sure one had plenty of both. Fuel wasn’t an issue, it was sunlight. There wasn’t a whole heck of a lot of it left for the day and there was no way in hell Jonathan was gonna chance anything ruining him getting to Molly. No, he’d take what was tried and true, his mare.
“Let’s ride.”
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