Taming Molly: Heroes of Henderson ~ Book 2.5 A DuVal Cousins Quickie Read Online Free Page A

than you could have ever dreamed up, so…whatever…it’s all relative—literally.”
    The two sisters laughed at that, holding on to the sides of the cart as they were transported up a steep hill to the beautiful football-field-sized tent glistening in the sunlight.
    “Wow,” Molly said.
    “It’s air-conditioned,” Lucy responded. “I swear Aunt Gen has fallen into a pot of gold with Mr. Evans. He’s better looking than Vance and sure knows how to throw a party.”
    “I haven’t seen Vance since he helped me break my engagement.”
    “Is that how we’re remembering it now? Vance helped you break off your engagement? Not that you ran off for one last fling with Mr. Great in the Sack?”
    “You say tomato….”
    “I’ll say anything you want as long as you move back to town and share an apartment with me. I am too old to be living at home.”
    “Just run interference with Vance, okay? I’m not interested in picking up where we left off.”
    “Yeah, well as I understand it, he’s now Lolly’s best friend and there is some chick from out of town he’s working hard to impress, so you're safe there.”
    “Good.”
    Lucy hopped off the cart as soon as it stopped, but Molly waited for their driver to give her a hand down onto the grass. Luckily, there’d been little rain, so her heels didn’t dig into the ground. The two of them met up with their cousins and wandered down the rose-strewn aisle where Tinley and Linley held a whole row of seats for them. Right behind all of their parents.
    It was the sort of spectacle Molly had hoped to avoid. Her mom and dad and her aunts and uncles fawned over her return to Henderson—right in the middle of everyone. There wasn’t one eye turned in another direction as Molly was embraced, kissed, and welcomed back with literal open arms.
    So sue her. It felt good.

Chapter Five

    It wasn’t long into the reception before Vance performed as promised, stealing two minutes from his wedding duties in order to point out Molly DuVal to Josh. As if Josh hadn’t been aware of the woman the moment she’d stepped out of her girly little truck. He’d been at the right place at the right time to see what she was really wearing underneath that frothy skirt she was floating around the party in, looking like a damn fairy princess.
    “Be bold,” Vance suggested. “She might look like refined sugar at the moment, but mention skinny-dipping and I guarantee she’ll have your butt naked and in the pool before all of these guests go home.”
    “Really?” The thought completely intrigued Josh. “Is that something people actually do?”
    Vance turned his entire body toward Josh. “What the—?” He shook his head and mumbled, “This will not do,” as he pushed Josh by the scruff of his neck ahead of him. Straight toward Molly.
    “Molly,” Vance said without preamble. Then he leaned in and kissed her cheek. “Welcome home. Here’s a little present from me to you. His name is Josh, and he just fell off the turnip truck. Now, I’ve got to go keep this party running smoothly, so I expect you two at the after-party around the pool. We’ll catch up then.”
    He slapped Josh on the side of his arm and left the two of them at the bar.
    “Molly, I’m Josh—”
    “I know who you are, Josh McCourt,” the fairy princess said right before she ordered her white wine. “We met back in high school. On the breezeway at Henderson. I showed you to the auditorium so you could give us some sort of scholarly beat down.”
    “I remember.” Josh grinned.
    “Really?” She cocked her head in an inquisitive gesture, her green eyes flashing. “I find that hard to believe.”
    “I’ll have a beer please,” Josh said to the bartender. Then to Molly, “Why would you find that hard to believe?”
    She shrugged one shoulder as she picked up her drink and turned to go. “Because I did just about everything I could think of to get you to ask me out. And you didn’t.”
    It took a moment for