Free Masked Cowboy (Men of the White Sandy) by Sarah M. Anderson Page A

biceps, refusing to let go even as Mary Beth practically dragged him into the middle of the aisle.
    “I’m still waiting on our dinner,” he drawled, dragging her back toward his chest. “It’s time for you and me to get…together.”
    “Mr. McGillis,” she replied, trying to keep the panic out of her voice as she wondered how she could pull her knife on him if he had that arm, “it’s against clinic policy to be involved with clients. I have to decline.”
    “I don’t take no for an answer, Dr. Pretty Little Thing.” His smile could be something friendly, except for the hard edge to his eyes that grew harder as she tried to pull away from his iron grip. With his other hand, he took her bag off her shoulder and dropped it in the aisle in a quick movement before he grabbed her other arm and pinned them to her sides.
    Don’t beg. He wants you to beg . That’s what Skeevy Greevy had wanted—to put the pain in his ass firmly in her place. Mary Beth had come too close to convincing Greevy’s meal ticket—her mother—to leave him. That she’d been a pretty teenager hadn’t hurt, but it’d never been about lust. Just power. No one said no to Skeevy Greevy.
    She felt the same fear that had nearly paralyzed her thirteen years ago as Buck’s grin turned mean. Not about lust. Just proving that he had the power here. Mary Beth’s hand scrabbled for the knife in the sheath, even though she knew she couldn’t get it drawn.
    “Knives? Please, Dr. Pretty Little Thing. Let’s try to keep this civil.”
    The condescension—that’s what pushed her past the fear. By God, she would not just stand here and let a man use her. That’s not who she was. He had her arms pinned? So what. That left her legs free and clear.
    At the exact moment she drove her knee up, Jacob yelled, “Watch out!” A horse burst between them, knocking Mary Beth free from McGillis’s terrifying grip and into a stall door. She bounced right onto her butt in the middle of the aisle, a small cloud of hay dust floating around her as Buck began cussing at the top of his lungs. She had no idea if she’d managed to crush his nuts or not, but the effect was the same. She was free of him.
    “Goddammit, No Nose, what the fuck is wrong with you?” he howled from the other side of the hall.
    Immediately, strong hands were under her arms, gently lifting her to her feet. “Are you okay?” Jacob asked, his eye darting between her and Buck.
    “That shit-for-nothing horse of yours nearly killed me!” Buck yelled, his voice echoing throughout the tall barn. The echoes that bounced back took on a distorted sound, making him sound like something from a horror movie.
    Be okay , Jacob’s eye said. Be okay .
    “I’m, uh, I’m fine,” Mary Beth stuttered, her head still spinning. She looked up to see Tommy Yellow Robe appear out of nowhere, grab the bucking horse’s lead and calmly circle him into an easy stop.
    “ Hé únt h unyan hwo? ” Tommy called out, sounding surprisingly aggressive.
    “ Únt h unye šni s’elél ,” Jacob yelled back.
    “Goddammit, you know how much I hate it when you assholes don’t speak English! This is America. Learn the fucking language,” Buck snarled. “And No Nose, if you can’t control my animals, I’ll just have to get myself a new manager, won’t I?”
    Jacob dropped his hands away from Mary Beth’s arms and took two steps in front of her. “I’m sorry, McGillis. It won’t happen again.”
    “It better fucking not,” he screamed as he stalked out of the barn.
    “ Ínš tanyán he? ” Tommy demanded.
    “ Ečháš thimá yín kte kin él étunwan yo, ” Jacob ordered. Tommy dropped the horse’s lead and lit out of the barn.
    “Okay, I hate to be forced to agree with the likes of that man…” Mary Beth said as she sat back down in the straw.
    “Tommy wanted to know if you were okay, and I told him to make sure Buck went into the house,” Jacob quickly explained as he sat down next to her. He