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Kendra crossed her arms over her chest, refusing to give in to the guilt after his wrongful accusations and nasty comment. “Thirty-five. And why do you think I took it in the first place?”
Now he raised his head, clearly not amused.
“Well, it wasn’t because it’s pretty,” she said. “Who leaves their wallet and keys in an unlocked car, anyway?”
“I thought I locked it,” he muttered around a clenched jaw before holding up a credit card. “How much did you get on these before I cancelled them?”
She extended her arms, drawing attention to her unkempt attire. “It wasn’t even six a.m.—how much does it look like?” As he slid the card back into his wallet, she toned down her sarcasm. “All I needed was enough to feed Noah and get us a ride here. I’ll pay you back.”
His green gaze met hers. “There’s no question about that.”
His look challenged her for two, three, four seconds, then he stepped back out and closed the door, quietly.
Kendra sank onto the couch, thoroughly shaken. After a moment though, she reached the sobering realization that her unease had more to do with her reaction to Colton than anything else. She hadn’t been remotely attracted to a man since the night she’d been date raped in college by Robert’s best friend. That fact should’ve warned her in the first place, but Jeremy was a respected cop, and she’d trusted the honor his badge represented.
Not anymore.
Sure, she’d dated since then, even made herself kiss a few men in forced attempts to move on. But never had she let it go further. The fact that she’d wanted Colton Lawe’s lips on hers was scary all by itself. Couple it with the tingling awareness stimulated by his closeness, and it was downright terrifying.
Closing her eyes, she recalled his accusations and open contempt. So why, then, did he not march right across the yard and tell Joel what she’d done? Why hadn’t he exposed her in the kitchen? What did he gain by keeping her thievery a secret? No answers were apparent and the more she thought about it, the worse her stomach knotted.
His unexpected and irrational behavior
proved she couldn’t let her guard down with him any more than she had with any other man since that night. And her insomnia-inducing nightmares would be sure to remind her of that frightening fact.
With determination, she rose to her feet and went in search of the laundry room he’d so callously suggested. The shower would have to wait until she had clean clothes.
The house had three bedrooms; a master with its own private bathroom, and two smaller rooms on the opposite side of the house. In between lay a second bathroom, the kitchen and dining room, and a large living room.
The laundry was situated behind the kitchen where the back door led to the barns. As the washer moved through its cycles, she gazed out the door window with mild curiosity until she spotted Colton leading a large horse from the barn. Despite the fact that he couldn’t see her, she stepped to the edge of the window and peered around the curtain.
Just outside the barn entrance, the animal gave a toss of its head and lunged forward. Colton was pulled forward a few paces before he managed to bring the animal back under control.
His strength impressed Kendra at first. Until she remembered she’d told Joel she could handle horses. A shiver of dread snaked down her spine. If it had been her on the end of that leash, the animal would’ve tossed her around like a feather.
Good God, what have I gotten myself into?
She watched Colton release the reddish-colored horse into a pen, then he rested one boot on the bottom of the fence, and braced his forearms on the top rail. He had broad shoulders, trim hips and his jeans stretched very nicely across his—
Kendra spun away with a muttered oath as the washing machine finished the spin cycle. After transferring her and Noah’s clothes to the dryer, she went to take a hot bath to soak away the dirt and grime from the past few days on the bus.
A half an hour later, she wiped a large circle of evaporating steam from the mirror with her damp towel. Her skin glowed rosy red from the steaming water and a thorough scrubbing. She’d foregone make-up to let her face breathe, and brushed her hair until it dried in soft, natural waves down her back and over her shoulders. She’d double washed and conditioned to ensure no nasty, lingering greasiness.
She leaned closer for a critical evaluation. How could she look so normal with her life in such turmoil? And every time one thing finally seemed to go her way, something else happened to turn her upside down again. Would anything ever be normal again?
The mirror gave her no answers, so she finished dressing in a burgundy cashmere sweater and one of her three pairs of designer jeans. Her favorite pair of boots added a boost of confidence—the extra three inches were just what she needed to face Colton again.
That brought her up short. To face Joel and Britt again. Forget Colton.
After laying Noah’s clean clothes across the bed in the room closest to the second bathroom, Kendra stepped outside. Her eyes strayed in the direction of the barn, and the first thing she noticed was the car she’d tried to steal that morning was no longer there.
Darn, she’d wanted him to see her when she looked…better. To show him she was more than just a greasy-haired thief off the street, that’s all, not so he’d look at her as a woman. The rush of disappointment over his departure dismayed her, until Noah’s voice from inside the barn reminded her there were more important things than Colton Lawe looking at her without disdain.
She sent Noah inside for a shower. He complied with minimum grumbling, leaving her with Cody Morgan.
“You’re my aunt, then, right?” the boy asked.
“Yes,” Kendra replied with a hesitant smile. Aunt Kendra. Even though she’d known her brother had kids, she hadn’t really thought about being an aunt.
