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“It’s okay, it was—”
“Mom!”
The back door slammed and a small boy ran into the kitchen, his hair the same golden color as Britt’s. Britt rose from her chair, pointing in the direction he’d come. “Cody Morgan, get those barn boots back in the mudroom.”
Cody appeared chastised until he spotted Noah and the cookies. Boots forgotten, he reached forward and snitched a cookie from the plate. “Hi, I’m Cody.”
Noah looked at the boy as if he had two heads. “I’m Noah.”
Half the cookie disappeared into Cody’s mouth by the time Britt admonished, “What do you say, young man?”
“Please, Mom?” Crumbs flew from his mouth. Melted chocolate smeared the corner of his precocious grin.
She rolled her eyes, then relented with a strained smile and suggested, “Why don’t you show Noah the barns and share the cookies with Colton?”
Kendra’s hand bumped her coffee cup. Dark liquid sloshed onto the smooth walnut wood of the table. Reaching for a napkin to wipe the spill, she forced herself to relax. Surely, it was a coincidence; Colton was probably a common name out here in the country. Fate wouldn’t be that cruel.
Cody made short work of emptying the cookie plate. “He called earlier and talked to Dad. He’s coming late so I’ve been feeding the horses.” He turned to Noah and, around the half cookie he’d stuffed in his mouth, asked, “You wanna help?”
Kendra opened her mouth to say no, but Noah answered first. “Okay.”
She blinked in surprise. Noah was a true bookworm; loved learning new things, but shy of his own shadow.
Clearly Cody Morgan was not. Clutching the cookies against his chest with one hand, Cody used the other to drag Noah toward the door by his sleeve. Her mother’s letter had said Joel had two sons, and Kendra wondered about the other one. Was he older or younger? Just like his out-going brother or more like Noah?
“Cody, be careful,” Britt called. “Feed over the stall doors.”
“Aww, Mom—I’m old enough—”
“Cody.” It was warning enough to elicit grumbled compliance as the door banged shut behind them. Britt turned back to Kendra. “They’ll be fine.”
She nodded, taking a sip of coffee to calm her tattered nerves. “I’m sorry to just spring this on you.”
Britt smiled briefly. “I don’t think there’s any way to not spring this on someone. When did your mother pass?”
“Two years ago.”
Britt’s brows rose. “And you’re just coming now?”
The slight accusation in her tone put Kendra back on the defense. “There’s a lot you don’t know. He never came looking for us, either.”
Britt sat up straighter. “Your mother left Joel and his dad when he was eight-years-old. He never heard from her again. No phone calls, no birthday cards, no Christmas presents—nothing. Why would he look for her, let alone you or your brother?”
Kendra lowered her gaze to her cup. A latent feeling of guilt for not contacting Joel prior to today mushroomed with his wife’s righteous indignation. But before she could reply, t
hey heard the back door open again.
“Boots off at the door,” Britt called firmly.
Kendra heard a smothered chuckle. Britt’s gaze flew to Kendra’s as she shot to her feet. “That’s Joel.”
Kendra set her coffee down before her trembling hand dumped it all over her lap. She twisted toward the door and waited for her first look at the half-brother she’d come to meet. To beg for help, if need be.
He walked into the kitchen—tall, dark and handsome—boots and all. Britt had moved to stand in the center of the kitchen, and his gaze focused on her. “What exactly did you have in mind for my punishment?” he asked in a deep, suggestive tone. “If it’s really bad, maybe I’ll go get them dir—”
His words died when he caught sight of Kendra sitting at the table. The corners of her mouth lifted slightly as a result of his words—until she met his golden gaze. Then her nervous humor faded as quickly as the color disappeared from his face. Britt stood next to her husband, a supportive hand resting on his arm.
He stared at Kendra as if he’d seen a ghost. Her heart pounded against her ribs as the silence stretched.
