Trust in the Lawe (Colorado Trust 3)

Relief flooded through her just as Cody bounded through the back door with Noah on his heels. They skidded to a halt in front of Joel, and Noah’s blue eyes bounced from his sister, to the man Cody had just called Dad, and back to Kendra. She held out her hand, and Noah came to stand beside her.

Cody talked a mile a minute. “Noah said you’re his brother, Dad, but that can’t be true. Grandpa doesn’t have any other kids—does he?”

After a quick look at Britt, Joel explained the situation to Cody, who gave a gleeful laugh. Looking at Noah, he said, “That means you’re my uncle.”

His enthusiasm garnered smiles from everyone, though Noah’s was hesitant. Especially when Joel trained his gaze on him and held out a hand. “Nice to meet you, Noah.”

Noah hesitated, having retreated back into his shell in the presence of the adults. Kendra leaned forward to whisper, “He won’t bite.”

“Shut-up, Ken,” he mumbled, his ears turning red. She hid a grin as he accepted Joel’s hand. “Nice to meet you, sir.”

Joel chuckled. “We’re brothers, Noah, call me Joel.”

Noah gave a shy grin. “Okay.”

“The horses are fed, can we go play now?” Cody asked.

Joel looked askance at Kendra, and she nodded. She smiled when Cody called her brother Uncle Noah on their way back outside—though it was barely discernable through their giggles. She couldn’t believe how well this was turning out. They’d met their brother, and he was nice, Noah and Cody had formed an instant bond—which would be great for Noah, and there was no way Robert would find them here before she turned twenty-five in a month.

Maybe the last few weeks were a blessing in disguise.

Just before the door slammed behind the boys, Cody called, “Dad, Colton’s here!”

Chapter Two

Kendra knew Britt was saying something, but all she heard was a loud buzzing noise in her head as she watched Joel head out the back door. Then individual voices.

“Sorry I couldn’t talk earlier,” he was saying. “What the heck happened?”

A deep chuckle set her stomach churning. Oh, God. Oh, God, no. Frozen in the chair, she listened to the abbreviated version of her theft fro

m the victim’s point of view.

Colton Lawe. Fate was that cruel.

He finished his story as the back door creaked open. “So there I am, running down the sidewalk, and my damn towel falls off—”

“You chased her in your towel?” Joel asked with a laugh as he re-entered the kitchen.

Another laugh from Colton. “Yeah, I know. Anyway, I’m standing there stark naked, when she turns around—”

Sudden silence told her not to count on the laugh meaning bygones would be bygones. She fought the urge to get up and run. Where could she go? One thing for sure; once Joel found out she’d stolen this man’s wallet, he’d never let her stay. She’d read his mistrust earlier and couldn’t blame him. There’d be no way to explain what she’d done, either.

Well, she could explain, but it wouldn’t help. If she told him her other half-brother was trying to kill her and Noah, he’d either think she was crazy—like the cops in New York—or he’d contact the local police and news of their whereabouts would get back to Robert through his best friend, Jeremy, at the NYPD. Their lives depended on Robert not finding them.

All she could do was face the music and hope for the best. Maybe, at the least, Joel would let Noah stay. She’d be okay with that.

Drawing in a deep breath, she forced herself to face the men. A jolt rocked through her when she first met Colton Lawe’s gaze. From where she sat, his large size dwarfed the room—he was an inch or so taller than Joel even. Then again, at her height, everyone was tall.

A panicked urge to giggle at the ridiculousness of her thoughts was caught at a twitch of her lips, and she cast her gaze down from Colton’s. Wrong direction, considering she instantly pictured him standing on the sidewalk without his towel. Her gaze bounced straight back up to find his face as red as she imagined hers burned.

“It was cold this morning, too, wasn’t it?” Joel’s joke broke the silence.

Not cold enough. Oh, God, what was she thinking! Kendra spun around in her chair to avoid Colton’s scrutiny, certain her face was flaming now.

“Joel, knock it off,” Britt admonished, though there was a smile in her voice.

“What?” Joel asked. “He told the story.”