Free Rebellious Bride by Donna Fletcher Page B

fools. She continued right past her father and Holly, needing to be off by herself. She had allowed Lord Sherborn to ruffle her feathers, and that had disturbed her.
    Not to mention her strange reaction when he had held her so possessively in his arms.
    Rolfe tried to ignore the way Lil faded into the shadows of the night. Her father should be more careful about allowing his daughter such freedom, especially when a daughter was as beautiful as Lil.
    He had always thought her attractive, but tonight she went beyond attractiveness. Bloody hell, she was stunning, eye-catching, and stole the breath right out of a man. He had watched the way the men, young and old, salivated over her. The amazing part of it was that Lil seemed unaware of their interest. The young man she had spent so much time with this evening, Hank, wore his heart on his sleeve, yet she hadn’t noticed it.
    Her innocence of her beauty made her all the more appealing. It brought out a protective male instinct that was hard to control. He should know; he was having a devil of a time controlling it.
    He scanned the area with a quick glance but caught no sign of her. It had been impolite of him to leave her standing on the dance floor. He should have escorted her back to her father, but his abrupt departure was best for them both. At least now he could breathe without drawing in the rich scent of her. Her flowery lavender fragrance intoxicated his senses, and her skin was as soft as the petals of a newly opened blossom.
    He searched the area for her once again. A shake of his head betrayed his concern. He casually walked in the direction of her disappearance.
    Lil strolled over by the livery. The light from the torches cast a gentle glow, leaving part of the building in the shadows. She often sought solitude when troubled. Since she had spent much time alone as a child, she still cherished her solitude. It had brought her an inner peace that followed her through to maturity. It was this peace she sought to soothe her troubled thoughts.
    Lil hugged her arms, not from a chill but to feel the tingling warmth Rolfe’s touch had left upon her. She had not expected to react so femininely, so like a woman—a woman attracted to a man.
    She kicked at a pebble and sent it skidding across the dry dirt. Rolfe was not the type of man she thought would strike her fancy. She had always assumed a rugged man would be more to her liking, a man who was familiar with the West and could hold his own in this untamed land. Certainly not a fancy-pants lord who carried a cane, couldn’t ride a horse, and expected others to protect him. Rolfe was not for her.
    Definitely not.
    “Lil, you out here all by yourself?”
    Lil jumped and turned all in one motion at the unexpected voice of Doug Tanner. “I needed to get off for some peace and quiet. All that music and chatter can turn a person’s head.”
    “I know what you mean. Could use a little quiet myself. Mind if I join you?”
    The last thing Lil wanted was for Doug to join her, but politeness made it hard for her to refuse. “Please do.”
    They strolled over nearer to the livery and more into the shadows. Lil stopped and leaned against the building, uncomfortable with the darkness that surrounded them.
    Doug stopped next to her, closer than she preferred. She inched away from him, but found the deeper shadows even more consuming in their darkness.
    “Enjoying yourself?” he asked, sliding his shoulder over until his arm rubbed against hers.
    “Very much,” she said, realizing his boldness would grow if she lingered.
    “I haven’t had a chance to dance with you all evening, and I was hoping for more than one dance.”
    She silently thanked him for her chance to escape. “Then what are we doing here wasting time? Let’s go back and dance.” She moved to step forward.
    His arm swung out like an impregnable barrier and stopped her. “Hold on a minute. Don’t be in such an all-fired hurry. It isn’t often I get to talk to