A part of her wished it had been the dream—at least she knew how to deal with that. “I wasn’t upset,” she told him softly. “I was just talking to myself. Noah, you don’t have to worry about me, I’m okay. Now get going and get back to bed, you’ve got school in a few hours.”
Kendra waited until he’d closed the bathroom door before straightening with a sigh. He’d had to deal with more in his eight short years than most people did in a lifetime. She’d do whatever it took to protect him.
At the kitchen doorway, she met Colton’s gaze, not surprised to see new questions forming after what he’d just overheard. Not that she planned to give him a chance to ask those questions. She couldn’t handle another round with him just yet. “I’m going to get dressed.”
When she returned to fix her breakfast, she wore new jeans and regular cowboy boots, paired with a modest T-shirt that revealed not a wink of skin at her waist. Thankfully, the kitchen was empty. She wasn’t sure how she was supposed to face Colton. His intent had been clear. Her assent just as clear. If Noah hadn’t interrupted…
She grabbed a bowl, spoon, milk and a box of multi-grain cereal and decided she’d ignore the almost kiss. Pretend it didn’t happen and pray he did the same. About halfway through her breakfast, Colton strode purposefully into the kitchen. Her heart thumped as she took in the dark green T-shirt molded to his chest, tucked into a pair of faded, soft-looking jeans.
She shifted her gaze. It was caught by his hair, finger-raked to one side, with a few caramel-colored locks falling over his forehead. Man, if there were a law against looking so good, she’d consider calling the cops on him herself. In this case, the law might be less dangerous to her than the Lawe in front of her.
He didn’t speak as he sat opposite her with a bowl, a box of Chocolate Chip Cookie cereal, and the business section of The Wall Street Journal. Didn’t even look at her as he poured his cereal and snapped open his paper. Good. They were on the same page.
By his second bowl, annoyance crept in. Ignoring the situation was fine—but he didn’t have to be so rude about it. She shifted her glare from the cereal box he’d just set down to the newspaper between them. With his ridiculous choice of food, shouldn’t he be reading the comics instead of checking stock prices?
“How can you eat that?” she blurted as he turned the paper over to the side she’d been staring at and laid it on the table. Just watching him raise the spoonful of milk-soaked cookies made her teeth hurt.
He didn’t bother to look up from his paper. “I have a sweet tooth.”
“Are you sure it’s not rotted out by now?”
He flashed a smile, showing his white, healthy teeth as he lifted another heaping mouthful.
Kendra made a sound of disgust. She slapped an envelope with his thirty-five dollars on the table and headed for the back door. “I’m going to throw down hay. Don’t worry—I won’t start feeding until seven.”
She was rolling the last bale of hay to the hole in the hayloft floor when she heard Colton’s voice below.
“Joel, hey, you got a minute? I need to talk to you.”
“Yeah, sure,” Joel replied.
Kendra’s heart leapt into her throat. She rushed over to the hayloft opening in time to see Joel frown at Colton. “I didn’t hear your car this morning.”
Scared of what Colton might say, Kendra called down, “He stayed in the guesthouse.”
Joel’s expression darkened as he looked from Kendra to Colton. “I don’t know if I like that.”
“I, uh, insisted he take the third bedroom,” Kendra hurried to explain. She didn’t trust whatever reason Colton might cook up.
Joel swung back to her. “You did?”
She saw Colton shake his head in disgust behind Joel’s back, but Noah’s protection justified this fabrication. “He mentioned that apartment fell through and I figured it’s only fair since you promised him the house. We talked about it last night, didn’t we, Colton?”
“She was very insistent,” he agreed, deftly avoiding the lie.
Joel’s gaze shifted between them before resting back on Kendra. He ran a hand through his hair, a frown wrinkling his brow. “You really don’t mind?”
Oh, she minded, but what could she say? She forced a smile, hating yet another outright lie to the one brother who’d been wonderful to her and Noah. “Of course not, otherwise I wouldn’t have offered.”
Joel’s eyes narrowed, but the phone rang in his office and thankfully he dropped the subject. She held her breath when Colton hesitated outside the office door, then breathed a sigh of relief as he moved away.
About an hour later, while she swept the barn, Britt came in carrying a sack of special grain mix for one of the pregnant mares. Kendra wondered if she’d ever be able to make it look that easy.
She stilled. A thought like that made it sound like she was planning to stick around for a while. Her birthday was in just over three weeks, and she and Noah would return to New York after that. A visit here and there wasn’t out of the question, but—
Joel hurried from his office and intercepted Britt. “You’re not supposed to be carrying that.”
“Stop it, I’m fine.” Britt cast a quick glance toward Kendra and Colton as Joel removed the bag from her grasp. The two continued their serious discussion in hushed tones, and Colton moved closer, halting near Kendra.
“Is everything okay?” he asked. The concern in his question mirrored Kendra’s.
Britt sighed, but Kendra noticed a hint of a smile lift the corners of her mouth. “Joel’s making a big deal out of something that won’t matter for a couple of months yet.”
Kendra’s tension eased and she grinned with sudden understanding. Colton looked from her to Joel and Britt. “Would someone clue me in, please?”
Her brother put an arm around his wife’s shoulders. “We’re pregnant.”
Colton’s stance relaxed. “Geez, you guys scared me. I thought something was wrong.” He strode forward to envelop Britt in a hug, then hugged Joel as well.
Kendra stood back. Seeing him embrace them only served to emphasize her distance—even though Joel was her brother. She offered quiet congratulations, until Joel pulled her close. A lump formed in her throat as she held tight. She willed the tears that hovered below the surface to remain there.
Joel held her at arm’s length. “I’m glad you’re here.”
Her eyes swam, and she had to blink. “Me, too.” Maybe they’d make it back for more than a visit here and there. Colorado wasn’t all that bad.
He squeezed her shoulders and after a moment, Colton asked when the baby was due. Seemed Kendra would become an aunt again in November.
It was so much to take in when a few weeks ago, the only family she had left was Noah and Robert. But this was her family now; Noah, Joel and Britt and their kids. Good fortune had finally deemed to nod in her direction.
****
Annoyed with the fact that she’d completely avoided his questions last night and this morning, Colton didn’t feel a lick of remorse for the stall cleaning duties he’d just assigned Kendra. She faced him in the aisle, hands balled on her slim hips. “You said the other day that the kids from the teen center usually clean the stalls.”
He kept working, sweeping the soft bristled brush in his hand over the chestnut-colored mare in the crossties. “The kids know horses, you don’t. I’ll put them to work where they can be most useful—same goes for you.”
Her indrawn breath confirmed his insult had struck home. As she stalked away, he rested a forearm across the mare’s back. Now, damn. Why did he have to go and do that? Because you know damn well that woman would run a whole mile and then some before you even gave the full inch.
Hell, she’d done it earlier without even trying! He’d been ready to talk to Joel, and then they’d shared that touching moment when Britt announced her pregnancy. Kendra’s tear-filled eyes were enough to make him wait a little longer to see how things played out. As long as he stayed alert.
But hi
s comment just now had been mean. He didn’t like the sour taste that hitting his mark left in his mouth. Popping a sugar cube onto his tongue, he called out, “I’ll be there in a minute to let the horses out.”
“Don’t bother.”
Colton frowned as she disappeared out the door. Don’t bother? What the hell did that mean? By the time he caught up, she was inside the first stall, clipping a lead rope onto the horse’s halter.
He braced one hand on the stall frame above his head. “What do you think you’re doing?”
Her chin rose. “What does it look like? I’m going to take him out myself with the lead rope and halter to the padlock.”
All of a sudden her defiance was cute. Lead rope. Halter. Padlock. With those words, he’d just figured out what she’d been reading this morning. His urge to laugh was restrained to a smile. “First of all, that’s a she—and a female horse is called a mare. Second, it’s called a pad-dock, not pad-lock. There’s more to this job than learning the correct words.”
Wordlessly, she shoved the lead rope into his hand and stalked away. Colton recognized the stubborn pride that kept her from asking for his help, but he reminded himself that she’d brought this all on herself with her continued lies. He reiterated that fact throughout the afternoon as she moved from one barn to the next.
On his schedule today was a riding session with Spirit, a gray gelding that’d been shipped in from Wyoming last month. Britt and Joel did ninety-five percent of the training, but Colton was thankful for the appointment that’d prompted Joel to ask him to put the gelding through his paces. Halfway through the workout, he was amazed to realize the tension of the past few days had subsided—for the most part. Man, it felt good to be in the saddle again. It was just what he’d needed to psyche himself up for the visit with his dad.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to go, but it always saddened him that his father had lost so much. And his mother. The guilt that assailed him with each visit was almost unbearable, but to not go was unthinkable. It didn’t matter that a careless kid whose parents bought him out of all the trouble he’d ever gotten into had caused the accident. In fact that made it worse. Because on top of his personal guilt, Colton had learned his first bitter lesson: money talks.
Not only was the kid not brought up on charges, but the family’s multiple Armani suits creamed his mother’s JC Penney suit in the civil case, ensuring the Lawes received not a single penny for medical or legal expenses. Even after their insurance paid, there was still a mountain of debt to cover.
****
Kendra finished cleaning stalls about the same time as she had the other day, only this time she did all three barns. If all she was good for was shoveling shit, then by God, she’d be damn good at it.
She yanked off the butter-soft gloves that kept her fingers from blistering worse, flexing her fingers that were merely sore today. Luckily Britt suggested she double her socks for the first week or so with her new footwear, because even with that, her feet were sore, too. With the breaking in she’d given the boots, blisters would not have been welcome.
Though she longed for a hot bubble bath, she went in search of Mr. You’re-Not-Done-Until-I-Say-You’re-Done. The man contradicted himself left and right. Left her groceries, then told her to go home. Bought her beautiful gloves, then basically said she couldn’t do anything right. To say he frustrated and confused her was a major understatement.
He wasn’t in any of the barns, so she stood outside, shielding her eyes with one hand as she scanned the area around the barns. The school bus turned into the driveway just as a lone rider on a gray horse in the distance caught her eye.
Colton. He rode without a hat, the afternoon sun glinting off his burnished hair. Kendra climbed the fence to sit on the top rail, hooking her boot heels on the middle one for balance.
The horse completed figure eights, spun on its heels one direction, then the other, and backed up as fast as it went forward. She didn’t understand what they were doing, but it was impressive, nonetheless. Even more amazing, Colton sat in the saddle with one hand holding the reins and the other resting on his thigh as if relaxed in a rocking chair. She would’ve been hanging on for dear life.
Correction, she wouldn’t be riding the horse in the first place.
Kendra watched as he finished the exercises and ran the horse around the pasture at a leisurely lope. Now, that looked like fun to her.
“Hi, Ken, how was your day?” Noah asked from behind.
She smiled down at him and Cody. “Not too bad, how about yours?”
“Great,” Cody said. “It’s Friday!”
Noah jumped onto the fence with excitement brimming in his eyes. “Cody said he’d teach me to ride a horse. Can I?”
“You want to learn to ride?”
“Yes, please. So, can I? Britt already said it was okay—she’ll supervise.”
That was reassuring, and Noah’s enthusiasm was impossible to deny. “I’ll double check with her later, but it sounds like you two already have it covered.”
They took off for the barn with whoops of joy. She watched, wishing Cody could teach her as well. She smiled at the thought of taking lessons from a seven-year-old. The sound of hoof beats brought her around. Colton approached, his horse at a full run.
She was ready to scramble off the fence when suddenly the animal sat back, sliding as it came to a halt amidst a spray of dirt and a cloud of dust. When her eyes met Colton’s, her heart thumped in her chest, though she was unsure if it was the horse…or him.
“Hi.” Her greeting came out breathless, and she wanted to groan.
He squinted through the dust while the horse pranced with excess energy underneath him. “All done with the stalls?”
“All three barns.” The surprised lift of his eyebrows pleased her. “What’s next?”
He looked down at his watch. “Tell you what. I have plans tonight that I wouldn’t mind leaving early for. You can take off the rest of the afternoon. I’ll bring in the horses now, and if you feed at seven, then I can get out of here.”
Where was he all fired-up to go? Then she remembered it was a Friday night. He probably had some tall blonde just waiting for him to arrive. A twinge of unwelcome emotion made her want to say no just for spite. Don’t be stupid, Kendra. Especially since it wasn’t like she had anything better to do.
“Sure, I can do that.”
“Great, thanks. I’ll be in shortly.”
She watched him ride away before heading into the barn to ask Cody which horse was the easiest to handle. It was time she showed Colton she could do more than feed and scoop manure.
Cody pointed out a bay mare named Ginger and Kendra was pretty proud of herself when she managed to hook the lead rope, lead the horse from the paddock and shut the gate, all without incident.
Colton watched her every move with a frown. She lifted her chin and held firmly to the mare’s lead. Let him yell; she could do this. Surprisingly though, he said nothing. He followed them inside with his gray trailing behind.
In the barn, the bay mare pulled against the lead rope, and Kendra struggled to get her into the stall. After a few hair-raising moments, she was finally able to slide the wooden door closed.
Colton was shaking his head in disapproval when she faced him.
“Cody told me which one to start with,” she defended. “He said Ginger was the gentlest.”
“And look at the trouble you had with her,” he shot back. “Don’t handle the horses until you’re supervised.”
“So supervise me,” she exclaimed with exasperation. “That’s your job—isn’t it?”
Her response seemed to catch him off guard. But only for a moment. “A greenhorn like you has no business with the horses in an unsecured area. If one got loose, you, or the horse, or one of the kids could be injured.”
When she opened her mouth to argue, he held up a hand. “You want to learn, it’ll be in an enclosed arena with me until I determine you’ve got enough horse sense to
be trusted.” His brows knit together and he waved his raised hand in a shooing motion. “Go. Go and study up. I don’t have time now.”
Study up. So he’d figured out her book was all about horses and their care. Still, a thrill of satisfaction could not be denied. She grinned at her small victory as he walked away
Chapter Eight
Kendra entered the guest house shortly before eight p.m. and stopped in the kitchen to wash her hands. She’d check in on Noah quick, and then anticipated a long, relaxing soak in the tub. Might as well enjoy the evening without Colton hovering about.
“Ken? Is that you?”
She glanced over her shoulder in the direction Noah’s voice had come. “I’m in the kitchen.” He walked in as she shook her hands and reached for a towel. “Did you have fun with Cody and Dustin tonight?”
“Yeah.”
“Good.” She ruffled his dark, shaggy hair on her way past. He needed a haircut. “Wasn’t sure if you remembered which house we were staying in. Haven’t seen you since you got off the bus.”
He followed her into the living room. “We were playing video games.”
Kendra paused, her brows raised. “What were they rated?”
Noah rolled his eyes. “E for everyone. Geez!”
“Well, you know how I feel about those violent games with all the killing.”
“The same as Cody’s mom,” he grumbled.
She smiled at his token resentment and started toward her room. God, it was so nice to talk about normal things with her baby brother again instead of cautioning him to not talk to anyone, or telling him to hide in the bushes while she attempted to steal a car. Her smile slipped with that thought. Why’d Colton have to bother her when he wasn’t even here?
“I’m going to take a bath, okay? You can watch TV or read a book.”
Just before she reached her door, Noah asked, “How come there’s another toothbrush in the bathroom? And bags in the third bedroom?”
Kendra halted at the door. Shoot. She’d forgotten she still needed to talk to him about that; she and Colton had left the house before he’d woken up for school.
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