Page 102 of Rocky Mountain Devil

Were all ofthemthe same? Hiding parts of themselves?

Her ponderings were interrupted as a strong pair of arms wrapped around her from behind and lifted her off her feet.

“Rafe?”

No answer.

She twisted in an attempt to see which Coleman male had picked her up, because it had to be a guy since she was now floating effortlessly over a foot off the ground.

A masculine chuckle sounded in her ear.

She realized her mistake the instant she spotted Rafe running toward them, his gaze narrowing as he approached.

“Jesse, he’s going to murder you,” she warned.

“All’s fair during a family snowball fight,” Jesse insisted, tugging her to the right and backing up rapidly.

Laurel laughed. “You’re using me as a shield?”

“Yup. Great idea, right?” Jesse interrupted himself to shout at his cousin. “Put the snowball down, and nobody gets hurt.”

Rafe kept coming, arm raised high.

Laurel spotted it now, the solid circle of white held in his grasp. “Don’t shoot,” she begged even as laughter bubbled free.

“Don’t worry, Sitko. I’ve got good aim.”

“Not that good,” she protested, and he winked.

“I won’t go willingly,” Jesse warned.

Laurel twisted a leg behind her, wrapping a foot around Jesse’s knee as she threw her weight backward, tipping them both to the ground.

She landed on top of him. Jesse let out a grunt, but he didn’t let go.

A second later Rafe had her free, nudging her behind him so he could stare down at his target.

Jesse held up his hands in mock horror. “You wouldn’t hit a defenseless man, would you?”

Rafe sighed before lowering the snowball and shaking his head, “Nah, you’re right. I wouldn’t.” He glanced at Laurel and tossed the snowball to her. “But I bet she would.”

“She totally would,” Laurel agreed, stepping toward Jesse with an evil grin.

The free-for-all ended a long while later as a whole lot of the Colemans joined the scramble. Rafe’s toque sat askew, and Laurel had snow melting down her back, but she was warm inside as Rafe took her by the hand and guided her toward the nearest barn.

“That was fun.” She stepped into the warmth with a sigh of contentment. “But the ice running down my back is killing me.”

“I can do something about that,” Rafe said, his voice going deeper. “Come on.”

He led her past stalls filled with horses, the fresh scent of clean hay and contented animals adding to the warmth. “What beautiful animals,” she whispered.

“Karen and my Uncle George are geniuses when it comes to breeding,” he offered, marching them past too quickly to really admire the beasts.

“In a hurry, Coleman? You have a schedule to meet?” she teased.

“More like an agenda.” He brought her to the nearest ladder that led to the loft.

She twisted to face him, making sure she wore her most serious librarian expression. “Mr. Coleman, are you taking me somewhere for nefarious purposes?”