Her heart skipped a beat. She cast a furtive glance toward the underbrush before she realized he was just trying to ruin her enjoyment by telling her stories. She scowled at him. “Lions, tigers, and bears…oh, my!”
Of course he wouldn’t understand, how foolish to imagine that he would. She stalked past, punctuating each step she took with a silent admonishment. How ridiculous. How idiotic. How stupid.
She glared out across the valley as she stomped up the trail. He thought it was pretty? It wasn’t simply pretty, it was wondrous, glorious, magnificent, amazing and every other unexaggerated adjective she couldn’t think of at the moment. Colton Lawe seriously underappreciated what was right before his eyes.
When she reached the rest of the group, Noah rushed forward to throw his arms around her waist. “I’m so glad Colton found you!”
His momentum forced her back a step. “I wasn’t lost.” She looked over his head at the others. “I just got caught up in the scenery. I’m sorry.”
Noah pulled back. “I’m glad you’re okay.” His solemn declaration tightened her throat.
“We all need to be more aware and make sure no one gets separated,” Joel warned, his tone serious, yet gentle. “There are mountain lions up here, and a single hiker is ninety percent more likely to be attacked than a group.”
Kendra’s gaze swung to Colton in time to see the I told you so flash across his face. Suddenly, she wasn’t so starry eyed about her newfound love. As if worrying about Robert weren’t enough, now she had to watch for lions as well?
Her enjoyment deserted her as they resumed the hike. She imaged a huge, vicious mountain lion hiding behind every bush, ready to leap out at her at any moment. If it was so dangerous, why had they come? Finally, she voiced the question to Colton, who now marched behind her.
“Awareness and caution alleviate most of the danger,” he answered. “You, however, were neither aware nor cautious—that’s when people get in trouble.”
Unable to argue that fact, she cast another wary glance into the shadowed foliage alongside the trail. Colton chuckled and Kendra swung around. “What are you laughing at?”
“Aware is one thing, paranoid is another.”
“So?” She began walking again, annoyed by his laughter.
“So, with the amount of noise we’re making right now, it’s highly unlikely any lion would come near us.”
“Unlikely, but not impossible,” she retorted, increasing her speed to close the gap forming between them and the others.
He sighed behind her. “It’s most likely impossible—or unlikely to be possible—or however you want to word it.”
When she would’ve continued to argue, his hands landed on her shoulders and he moved up close. The warmth of him seeped into her back.
“Kendra, be the kid in the candy store again—enjoy the scenery. I’ll be your Scarecrow, Tin Man and Uncowardly Lion all rolled into one.” She heard the grin in his voice when he added, “I won’t let the Wicked Witch get you.”
What about my evil half-brother? she asked silently.
“I promise.” His breath against her ear gave her butterflies, but she believed him.
In the next instant she recognized the danger of accepting his security when he didn’t even trust her. She shook off the distressing thought and offered a reluctant smile over her shoulder. “Cute.”
“I do what I can.”
And Heaven help me.
After a picnic lunch along the shoreline of Black Lake, Kendra watched Colton reach for another brownie that she’d baked while everyone was at church. He’d been in a strange mood since earlier. Mellow, yet every so often when she snuck a glance, he wore a pensive look that made her wonder what was on his mind.
Not long after, Joel asked who wanted to go fishing, and the boys jumped up, along with Britt. Kendra watched Cody take a small container from Joel’s hand and then made a face when he handed a squirming worm to her younger brother. A disgusted shudder rippled across her shoulders. “Thanks, but no.”
Colton declined with a chuckle she suspected was directed at her. He lay stretched out on the picnic blanket in the sun.
She closed her eyes for a moment, enjoying the warmth and the sound of water rushing over rocks in the stream that flowed from Black Lake.
A rustling noise brought her immediately up on her elbows, eyes sweeping the area in alarm, sure she’d see a mountain lion ready to pounce.
Her fear eased when she saw it was just Colton. He’d risen to his feet and walked over to some large rocks along the shore. She relaxed but kept her gaze on him.
As he climbed the first rock, he noticed her attention. “Come with me and I’ll show you something,” he called.
She gave a skeptical half-smile and silently denied any interest. “I’m fine here.”
“It’s easier than it looks. Come on. It’ll be fun.”
Kendra gave in to her curiosity. It looked challenging, and she enjoyed challenges more and more these days. Who’d have thought?
When she reached the base of the rock, Colton stood some twenty feet above her, but the climb wasn’t as perpendicular as it appeared from a distance. Exhilaration assailed her when she made the final step and stood alongside him.
“See, that wasn’t so bad, was it?”
She returned his grin, then looked for more to climb. Colton led the way and they scaled rocks and boulders until they were a couple hundred yards from their picnic area. A little out of breath, she wasn’t sure if it was from excitement or exertion; nor did she care. When they could go no further, they sat side by side on a ledge, surveying their accomplishment.
With one elbow resting on his drawn up knee, Colton tossed loose pebbles into the water some thirty feet below.
“Noah mentioned earlier that you aren’t real big on the outdoors. I find that hard to believe after the way you climbed up here.”
She grinned. “I hate it—or at least I used to. Bugs and dirt—no thanks. Two months ago, shopping on Fifth Avenue was the closest I got to the outdoors.” She laughed with a hint of wonder. New York seemed forever ago, and totally ridiculous when she considered her life now.
“Fifth Avenue?”
“Yeah, you know, Saks, Bergdorf’s, Tiffany’s? I suppose growing up here doesn’t really expose you to things like that.”
He snorted. “I’m not some poor, backwoods country hick.”
Kendra blinked at his offended tone. “I didn’t say that.”
“Of course you didn’t say it—you didn’t have to. Where I grew up has nothing to do with it. It’s the silver spoon you were born with that makes the difference.”
“I was not born with a silver spoon.”
“Did you not just hear yourself? Saks, Tiffany’s—I watch movies, I’ve seen Sex in the City. I’m not ignorant, Kendra. People who shop at those kinds of stores spend more money in a single year than I’ll see in a lifetime. It doesn’t mean they—or you—are any better than I am.”
“I never said that,” she protested indignantly. “And I certainly didn’t mean it that way.”
He didn’t believe her, she could tell by his face. She stared across the lake, wondering how things had gone from good to bad so fast. She’d enjoyed the afternoon, in part—a large part—due to his company. Imagine that.
“So, what are you doing here then?” he asked.
She glanced at him, then looked away again rather than meet his probing, suddenly tense, gaze. “Since we came to the ranch, it’s grown on me—the great outdoors, I mean.”
“I meant, what are you doing in Colorado? If you had that kind of money two months ago, why aren’t you shopping at Saks now?”
Tell him. It scared her how bad she wanted to. Scared her enough to prompt the words she seemed to say to him every time she turned around. “It’s none of your—”
“Business,” he finished, a razor sharp edge to his voice.
Kendra rose to her feet and glared down. “Well, why would it be? It’s my life—it
has nothing to do with you.”
“It sure as hell does.”
“How?” She tilted her chin when he stood beside her. “We’re not related. You’re my boss, that’s it—we’re not even friends.”
“Believe me, Kendra,” he said in a low voice. “The last thing I want to be with you is friends.”
That hurt—until she met his stare. In the space of a heartbeat the air crackled to life between them. She still wasn’t used to it—this instantaneous surge of awareness that flared at unexpected moments. She took a step backwards.
Colton grabbed her arms in a rough grip and jerked her toward him. “Dammit, Kendra, watch where the hell you’re going!”
His words made her glance back. Her stomach experienced the deadly fall he’d just saved her from. Blind instinct fisted her hands in his T-shirt as an uncontrollable trembling shook her body. The mere thought of what she’d almost done sparked a wave of dizziness. Her breath shortened and she leaned heavily against Colton’s strength.
Soft words soothed. Comforting hands stroked her hair and rubbed over her back as he sat down on the rock and she was cradled on a solid lap.
With the gradual retreat of her panic attack, the shaking subsided and she was able to relax her grip on his shirt. She flattened her palms against his chest and took a deep, cleansing breath.
Only then did she become aware of the hard muscles beneath her fingers.
And the equally hard muscles beneath her butt. Comforting became caressing with the onset of physical awareness.
She peered up through her lashes. Her gaze locked with Colton’s and his hands stilled.
When she swallowed and moistened her lips, he groaned softly.
Chapter Twelve
Colton’s groan vibrated against her fingers just seconds before his mouth captured hers. From a distance, she thought that this should scare her, too—the leashed tension she could feel in his arms. But it didn’t. Elated by his reaction, resisting was the furthest thing from her mind.
As he deepened the kiss, her hands crept to the back of his neck, delving into his soft hair. Her sideways position proved awkward, so she maneuvered until she could swing her right leg across to straddle his thighs.
The new position gave her the freedom to explore the contours of his chest while his lips held hers willingly captive. Muscles developed from years of physical work at the ranch were well defined, and she enjoyed her journey of discovery. So much so that when his hands skimmed over her ribs and traveled further north, her indrawn breath was one of expectancy, not alarm. Anticipation pooled when he cupped her breasts.
Kendra was aware of two things; she’d never willing gone this far with any man…and she wasn’t afraid. The brush of his palm across her pebbled nipple felt so right that all she could think was wanting more, wanting the barrier of cloth gone.
His mouth left hers to trail down her throat and she arched back, swamped with sensations too exciting to comprehend or deny. Moments later, the hem of her tank top was raised ever so slightly, and a cool rush of air hit her quivering stomach.
The sharp cry of a hawk overhead served as a stark reminder of their location. Kendra’s sanity returned slowly, and she pulled her hands down to stop the upward movement of his. Colton lowered the material back into place even though his lips lingered on the rapid pulse at the base of her neck.
“We should get back,” she murmured, her eyes still closed.
The heat of his mouth gave way to a draft of cool air, and she lifted her lashes to find him staring down at her. “In a minute,” he promised.
His husky voice made her insides melt. A deep, thorough kiss, all wet, hot tongue, spiraled her back into the dizzying pool of sensation. She was completely dazed when he released her bottom lip and lifted his head. “Okay, let’s go.”
Kendra blinked at his casual tone as she accepted help off his lap. Wow. How did he do that? She felt as if her entire world had shifted, whereas Colton appeared completely unaffected. Had it even meant half as much to him as it had her? Of course not, she realized. Because he had no idea the huge hurdle she’d silently negotiated.
Besides, he liked blondes. Tall ones. Bitterness rushed forward at how easily she’d fallen into being a convenience for him. When he didn’t speak to her on the climb down, she began to feel like even more of a fool.
At the bottom, he halted her with a light touch on her arm. “I hope you weren’t offended by what happened,” he said hesitantly.
She offered a slight smile, but avoided his gaze. “That’d be ridiculous given my participation, wouldn’t it?”
“Good.”
When he didn’t say more, she turned to go.
“Kendra.”
Heart tripping uneasily at his serious tone, she paused.
“I was in the house the other day when the phone rang…”
A sickening feeling churned in her stomach. Had Robert found them? She faced him slowly, afraid to know the answer.
“It was your lawyer,” Colton said.
“My lawyer?” Relief was swift.
“Yeah, the guy you met at the bar the other night.”
“Oh.” It took only a second for her to make the connection that he’d figured out who her ‘date’ had been. “Oohhhh,” she repeated, caught in the lie and a rush of guilt. But wait—what did Michael Kabara have to do with the kiss on the rock?
“You do realize that the past half-hour more than proves you have no right to sue me.”
What? She tightened up her slack jaw to ask, “What are you talking about?”
“You threatened to sue me for sexual harassment that day in the barn, and since you’re talking to a lawyer—”
The real reason for his kisses slapped her in the face. Anger exploded as if he’d actually struck her. “You smug son of a bitch.”
She spun to leave, but he caught hold of her arm. Jerking free, she spoke before he could. “For your information, the lawyer is for an entirely different matter.” Questions sprang into his eyes, and her fury leapt another notch. “It’s none of your damn business. And as for what happened up there”—she pointed toward the ledge without looking—“I sure hope you enjoyed yourself because the only place that’ll ever happen again is in your dreams!”
Kendra stomped away, so mad she could spit fire. God, she was so stupid! He’d been so nice up on the ledge, worried enough about her safety that he’d comforted her fears. Now she saw his consideration for what it was, a calculated scheme to prove something that didn’t need proving in the first place.
Damn him. She’d just begun to like him, too.
****
Colton brought up the rear again, though he noticed Kendra kept to the front of the line, as far away from him as possible. Okay, so maybe he’d been wrong about the sexual harassment thing, but something still didn’t add up with the lawyer and the mysterious brother, Robert. And, heaven help him, if she told him it was none of his business again—
“Saw you and Kendra on the rocks earlier.”
Joel’s tight voice jerked Colton’s gaze from the small, dark-haired figure up front, to the tall, dark-haired figure who’d dropped back alongside him. None of your business seemed like a good phrase right about now.
“Enjoy yourselves?” Joel inquired.
If it were anyone other than her brother asking, Colton would swear he was jealous. It struck him as funny all of a sudden, and he was unable to contain a smile. “Yeah.”
That earned him a cold glare. To ease the tension, Colton explained, “She stepped too close to the edge, and I caught her.”
“With your lips?”
Colton sighed and looked straight ahead. “Look, it’s no big deal—it was nothing.”
“To you, maybe,” Joel accused.
His gaze swung back to Joel. “Did she say something?” Damn, did he have to sound hopeful?
“She didn’t have to,” Joel said. “It was obvious she was upset when you guys came back. I don’t want you toying with her—”
“It wasn’t like that,” Colton contended. “We argued about something entirely different.” Sort of. “And since you’re so worried about it—don’t be. She made it pretty clear it meant nothing to her either.” Increasing his stride to leave Joel behind, he told him exactly what Kendra had assured him. “It won’t happen again.”
****
The next day, Kendra was straightening up the kitchen before bed when the phone rang. She picked up on the second ring, expecting it to be Britt confirming a day of shopping in Denver next week. Instead, she was greeted by Michael Kabara’s deep voice. “Kendra?”
“Michael, oh…you’re working late.”
“Sorry, is it a bad time?”
She cast a furtive glance around, then remembered Colton was still in the barn. “No, it’s fine.” She sat at the table as he explained the reason for his call.
“Your new Will is ready, all you need to do is sign the documents.”
“I’ll come by in the morning.” Though she was pretty sure she was alone in the house, she snuck another look over her shoulder and lowered her voice. “Are you sure he won’t be able to fight this?”
“Anyone can contest a Will, but I can’t see where there’d be any grounds for it in this case. Everything is set up exactly as you instructed. Joel Morgan will be executor should anything happen to you, controlling your trust for Noah until he’s of age. If anything happens to Noah between now and said age, the funds in their entirety will be dispersed equally to your nephews and the charities specified.”
“Can you do anything about Noah’s trust yet?”
“No. He’s not of legal age, and Robert is still his legal guardian.”
“Any chance you can get Noah’s custody transferred to me before I turn twenty-five?”
“Not without revealing your whereabouts. And I have to warn you, Kendra, the fact that you took your brother across state lines before you had legal custody can be grounds for Robert to contest your guardianship.”
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