She took a step back and b.u.mped into the nightstand. As she turned to steady the lamp, Jordan grabbed her hand and tugged her until she was right next to his bed.
"Your fingers are freezing," he murmured.
"I know. I"m terrified."
"Picture them in their underwear if it helps."
She glanced at the stranger who was still petting Mistletoe. Her cat was vibrating in ecstasy, rubbing her head against the man"s chest and demanding more attention.
Jordan"s fingers tightened on hers. "Forget about picturing anyone in his underwear. It was a bad idea."
She looked down at Jordan. He shrugged as if to say it didn"t matter, then he gave her a wink. She tried to relax.
"You going to introduce me?" the man holding her cat asked.
Jordan grinned. "Maybe I don"t want to."
"I can see why."
The man glanced at her, and Holly had to fight embarra.s.sment.
"I might as well get it over with," Jordan said. "Holly, this is my younger brother, Kyle. He"s married to Sandy, who is too smart to have connected up with someone like him, but there"s no accounting for taste."
"Hey, wait a minute," Kyle said, and moved farther into the room. He put Mistletoe on the bed. Instantly the cat began spitting. Kyle grinned. "I see the lady doesn"t care for you, Jordan. Can"t say that I blame her. What with you being the homely brother and all."
Holly was stunned. Kyle had called Jordan homely? Was he crazy?
Jordan ignored the insult. "The cat knows you"re the baby, so she"s practicing with you until she has her own."
Kyle picked up the cat again, and Mistletoe snuggled in his arms. Holly sank into the chair next to the bed.
"I told you she was friendly," she said, pointing at the purring feline. Mistletoe seemed like the safest topic of conversation.
"Yeah, right," Jordan muttered as the bedroom door pushed open more.
Two women and one more man entered the converted study. They stared from Jordan to Holly and back. The man glanced at Kyle. "Where"d you get the cat?"
"She"s mine," Holly said as she stared at him. He looked just like Jordan. Oh, not exactly. The shape of the mouth was different. They weren"t twins, but they were obviously brothers, as was Kyle. Tall, dark and handsome. Apparently it was a Haynes cliche. She could have picked any of the three out of a crowd.
Then she realized everyone"s attention had focused on her. She swallowed and wondered if they would think her rude if she ran out of the room screaming.
"This is Holly Garrett," Jordan said, giving her fingers a slight squeeze. "She"s been in town about six months. She owns that antique store, A Victorian Parlor. She"s an expert at restoration and is going to help me with the house."
Everyone started talking at once.
"I hate the wallpaper in the upstairs hall," the woman with long brown hair said. "It"s too modern. Do you have sample books at your store?"
"The exterior of our house needs painting," the second woman said. "I just can"t decide on the color. I want it to be authentic. Do you have any suggestions?"
The man who had come in last glanced at his brother holding the cat. "You know this is going to mean more work for us."
"I know."
Holly shrank in her chair, glancing from face to face, not sure which question to answer first. She leaned toward Jordan. "Who are these people, and what do they want from me?"
"It"s perfectly safe," he told her. "I know we"re a little overwhelming at first, but you"ll grow to like us."
Holly wasn"t so sure.
Jordan held up his free hand. "Let"s not scare Holly off in the first few minutes."
There was a moment of silence.
"You"re right, Jordan." The woman with long hair stepped forward. She held out her hand to Holly. "I"m Elizabeth. I know this family is terrifying at the beginning. I had it easy. I was the first of the brides. Not counting the failed marriages." She grinned. "The Haynes brothers are starting to get this relationship thing right."
"Oh?" Holly licked her lips and searched the other woman"s face, trying to memorize her features. She hadn"t expected to get involved with Jordan"s family, but if she was going to be living here, she might have contact with them. Especially at this time of year. "You"re Elizabeth."
Elizabeth flicked her long brown hair over her shoulders. "I"m married to Travis." She linked her arm through the crook of her husband"s elbow. "He"s the second of the four brothers. This is Sandy."
Sandy waved. "I"m married to Kyle, who has obviously made a friend for life." She motioned to Mistletoe still purring in Kyle"s arms.
"The wives are easy to separate," Elizabeth said. "I have brown eyes, Sandy has green. Jill is a tiny redhead."
"And Rebecca is tall with long dark hair. She"s also really skinny," Sandy said, then sighed. "If she wasn"t so nice, I could hate her."
"But I thought there were only four brothers," Holly said, confused. She was just starting to keep everyone straight, but obviously she had it wrong.
Elizabeth plopped on the edge of the bed and patted Jordan"s knee. "There are. Travis, Kyle, Craig, whom you haven"t met yet, and Jordan."
"Then who is Rebecca married to?"
"Austin," they all said at once.
Jordan brought her hand to his mouth and kissed the back. "You"ll figure it out," he promised.
She wasn"t so sure. Especially not now, with her arm trembling uncontrollably and her heart pounding with the realization that everyone in the room had seen his kind gesture.
Elizabeth tugged at the sleeve of her sweater. Everyone was dressed casually in jeans topped by sweatshirts for the men and sweaters for the women. It was cozy in the house, but the evening temperature would dip to forty degrees.
"Austin is a friend of the family," Elizabeth said. "Not a brother by birth, but he"s been unofficially adopted."
Sandy settled on Jordan"s other side and grinned. "Interestingly Austin and Jordan are the most alike. They brood."
"You don"t brood," Holly said without thinking.
Jordan smiled. "I like this girl."
Elizabeth eyed him speculatively. "It"s been a long time since you"ve brought anyone home."