Page 5 of PenPal Hero

Holt climbed behind the wheel and joined the two women in the cab. His right knee lightly bumped Bonnie’s left one as he got settled in. Instead of moving over to give her more room, he allowed his knee to continue resting against hers.

Then again, he was a tall, broad-shouldered guy. Maybe he didn’t have any room to move over. Bonnie glanced to her right, but Alice had already placed her briefcase in the few inches of space between the two of them.

She intercepted Bonnie’s distressed look and returned it with one of supreme innocence.

Oh, my goodness! You totally know what’s going on here! The discovery made Bonnie want to sink through the floorboard.

Holt started the motor, flipped on a country music station, and rolled down his window a couple of inches.

Knowing why he’d done it, she experienced a sudden longing to reach for his hand. Ever since his abduction, he’d been having trouble breathing in small, enclosed spaces —places like his own stinking truck. That was tough.

While Bonnie debated whether to follow through with the urge to reach for his hand, he stretched his arm behind her on the seat as he swiveled around to back out of the parking spot. The pads of his fingers momentarily curled around her shoulder, pressing warmly against her bare skin.

She felt the caress all the way to her soul. She sucked in a breath, unable to remember when a simple touch had ever affected her so strongly. Since she was on her way to a business retreat with her boss, it was probably best not to dwell on just how much trouble her heart was in.

CHAPTER 2: UNEXPECTED OFFER

To Holt’s amusement, Bonnie pulled out her cell phone and pretended to scroll through her messages. The phone in his back pocket vibrated with an incoming text only seconds later, confirming his suspicions. She’d written him back while he was driving and couldn’t do anything about it, the little tease.

Man, but she was fun to be with! He could only hope her message to him consisted of one word — yes! He wasn’t holding his breath, though. She’d gotten really jumpy when he’d asked her out a few minutes ago. On the upside, she hadn’t given him a flat-out no.

They reached Anderson Ranch long before he was ready to say goodbye to her for the rest of the week. He carried her suitcases inside the big red barn that had been converted into a B&B and steak restaurant. Instead of hurrying back to his truck, he lingered in the entry foyer while she and his sister got checked in, hoping she’d let him carry her suitcases up to her room — the perfect excuse to spend a few more minutes with her.

When one of the B&B employees rolled a silver luggage cart their way, he waved them toward his sister. “I’ve got the pink ones.” He picked them up, grinning expectantly at Bonnie when she turned around.

“Oh, my goodness, Holt!” Her cheeks glowed bright pink as she led the way to the elevator. “I can only imagine what your sister is thinking right now.”

He swallowed a chuckle. “Maybe that I’m a helpful guy?”

The elevator doors were already open.

“You’re unbelievable,” she muttered as they stepped inside the elevator together.

“Thank you. I try.” He immediately set down her suitcases and mashed the Close Door button.

His sister, who’d been following a few strides behind them with the bellboy and silver cart, burst out laughing.

Bonnie gaped at him. “You did not just slam the door in my boss’s face!”

He shrugged, smirking. “She’ll get over it.” He faced her, and she took a step back to lean against the elevator wall. He followed, propping his hands on either side of her head.

“Holt,” she whispered, looking dizzy. “I’m not sure I’m ready for?—”

“I know.” His gaze dropped to her mouth. “But you will be. Soon.” He longed to understand what was making her so jumpy around him. Had some other guy treated her badly? The thought made his blood boil. It would certainly explain how protective her brothers were of her, and rightly so.

“Whoever hurt you, babe, it’s not me,” he informed her huskily. If she needed someone to talk to, he would listen all day long.

“I know you’re not.” Her breathing grew shallow, and emotions he couldn’t even begin to name wafted across her fine-boned features. She adopted a haunted expression, looking like she wanted to say more. But she didn’t.

Her words made his gut tighten. It wasn’t something he’d wanted to be right about. “I’ll never hurt you, Bonnie,” he promised huskily as the elevator came to a halt.

Her eyelashes fluttered nervously against her cheeks. “I believe you.” Though her brown eyes were all melty and vulnerable, she bravely lifted her chin to meet his gaze more fully.

His heart leaped at the realization that she wasn’t afraid of him — a little overwhelmed maybe by what was happening between them, but definitely not afraid. He took a step back from her as the elevator doors rolled open. It felt like they’d made progress.

Holding a hand against the doors to keep them open, he angled his head to usher her out ahead of him. She smiled faintly and hung a right down the hallway, stopping in front of the door right smack in the middle of the hallway. Not being right next to the elevator or stairs usually amounted to more peace and quiet. He hoped for her sake that turned out to be the case.

She propped the door to her suite open and waited for him to bring her suitcases inside.

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