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No sooner had the yellow caterpillar rumbled down the driveway, three shrieking boys ran around from the back of the house. Kendra noted each carried a bottle full of water. Good for you, Dustin. For being the youngest, he also proved to be the fastest. Cody couldn’t catch him before he squeezed between Joel and Britt.
“Don’t you dare,” Britt warned when Cody approached. Kendra went on alert, not wanting to get wet any more than Britt.
Cody doused Joel, who shot up from the table. “Hey! That’s cold!”
Kendra lifted her hand to wipe the chilled drops that’d splashed her face. Cody giggled and darted away when his father grabbed for him.
Dustin took advantage of the distraction to aim a stream of water at Noah. Kendra laughed at her brother’s shocked gasp as water dripped from his nose and chin. Dustin didn’t wait around for payback—he made his escape around the table and catapulted himself into Colton’s lap.
Jostled from the unexpected assault, Colton’s hand tipped his soda can on its side. Kendra grabbed a napkin to soak up the fizzing liquid before it reached the table’s edge, and her lap.
Noah came around to their side of the table, retaliation evident in his determined expression. Dustin squirmed to get free, but Colton lifted him as a human shield.
Not about to get caught between Dustin and Noah’s weapon, Kendra leaned back out of the line of fire. She saw Dustin’s knee connect with Colton’s groin a split second before Colton jerked with a low groan and dropped Dustin on the ground. Oblivious to Colton’s pain, Noah proceeded to empty his bottle in Colton’s face, down his chest, in his crotch, then back up again for a final squirt in his ear.
Colton sputtered, wiped his face, and glared at Noah.
“Sorry.” Noah grinned. “I was aiming for Dustin.”
Kendra covered her mouth to hide a smile. Noah’s satisfied smirk notwithstanding, anyone could see he’d soaked Colton on purpose. My little hero. He obviously hadn’t bought her hurt foot explanation at all.
Before Colton could respond, Joel carried Cody back to the table, upside down. When they caught sight of Colton’s dripping wet shirt and pants, Cody gave a fresh peel of laughter. Dustin giggled as he picked himself up off the ground while his father’s deep chuckle joined the rest of them.
The mood relaxed with all around laughter, and Kendra let her guard down. Until Colton made a quick grab and nabbed Dustin’s water bottle. An even faster move squirted Joel in the face. Joel set Cody upright at the same time he snatched his son’s bottle, and Colton leapt up from the table to even out the battle. The boys jumped and screamed around them.
Kendra preventatively raised her arms to protect from stray streams of water. Out of the corner of her eye she caught Britt’s frantic hand motions. “Let’s get inside. Besides being outnumbered, we have no ammo.”
She needed no further persuasion. Once inside the house, they shared a breathless laugh. When they settled down, Britt lifted the full coffee pot in her direction, and Kendra accepted the offer with a grateful smile. Britt poured two mugs of the robust smelling brew and they sat at the table.
Kendra stirred a teaspoon of sugar into her mug. “What’s the story with the teens?”
“They’re emancipated minors from the teen center in Boulder. Kristi is a former resident that we met about six or seven years ago. When she graduated college, she approached us about after school help, and now the kids come Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. It works out great both ways. We don’t have to hire full time employees, and they earn money for their living expenses. Saturdays they clean stalls and then get the rest of the day to ride. Not that all of them work when they come out here. Some just like to get away. They hang out, do their homework, or read.”
“I did notice how quiet it is around here compared to the city,” Kendra admitted. “No cars, horns or subways.”
Britt nodded, sitting back in her chair with her mug cradled in her palms. “I know what you mean, I grew up in downtown Chicago.”
“Really? And you don’t mind living here now?”
“God no. I love the mountains.” She sipped her coffee. “I spent a couple of summers working on a ranch about forty-five minutes from here and met Joel my last summer, when he was working a case.”
Kendra gingerly lifted her mug by its thick handle, careful to avoid the heated ceramic body with her blistered hands. “Working a case?”
“He was a criminal investigator for the National Parks System.”
Kendra’s heart thumped. Her hand shook. She quickly set her mug down before her lap looked like Colton’s. Her brother used to work in law enforcement? A tiny bud of hope blossomed, but just as quickly, the memory of the NYPD’s response to her allegations against Jeremy and Robert crushed it dead. She might not have a choice right now but to indirectly trust Joel with their lives, but she did not trust the law.
“Was?” she clarified hopefully. “He doesn’t do it anymore?” Bad enough he had the background, worse if he was still an active officer of the institution that had let her down more than once.
“No, he quit right after that summer we met and bought the ranch,” Britt confirmed. Kendra gave a silent sigh of relief while Britt smiled with obvious pride. “He was great at that job. Enjoyed it, too. But he loves the ranch more.”
She took another drink, and Kendra finally managed to get her mug to her lips.
“Speaking of the ranch, Colton said you did a good job today.”
Kendra gulped instead of sipped and almost choked. “He did?”
“You sound surprised.”
