He didn’t mind the shenanigans—enjoyed giving as good as he got, in fact—but this had caught him completely off guard. Not only because of the color, but the permanence of it that didn’t register until he’d stepped from the shower to find his hair still purple.
Eyeing Kendra, knowing he’d have seen the damn bucket if he hadn’t been thinking about her, his frustration redirected itself.
“Shave it?” he asked with quiet fury. “Sure, let’s do that. While we’re at it, let’s shave their bratty little heads, too.”
“Come on, it’s not that big a deal.”
He growled his disagreement and stalked away. Kendra dogged his heels while he searched each barn in furious silence. He was about to tell her not to worry about refereeing when he saw the boys sneak into the riding arena. An abrupt switch in direction accidentally tripped Kendra.
He caught her arm, set her straight on her feet with a mumbled apology, then shoved open the arena door. The boys had been stopped by Joel, but the bang of the door against the wall made them all jump. At the sight of Colton’s purple hair, Joel burst into laughter.
“What did you two use?” Colton demanded of the boys.
Cody took a step back behind Joel, reminding Colton to tone down his anger. Noah, however, stood his ground, and Colton acknowledged a brief flash of admiration for the kid’s courage.
“We mixed some stuff,” Noah admitted.
“What stuff?” Colton took a step closer.
Kendra stepped between him and her brother, and Colton scowled. As if he’d actually hurt him, what did she take him for? Noah looked to Cody, who lifted a shoulder.
Noah squared his shoulders. “Some Easter egg tablets we found in a drawer and hair dye.”
Colton frowned. The tablets explained the color, but the dye didn’t explain the permanence of it. He turned to Kendra. “Doesn’t it take awhile for that stuff to set?”
“How would I know?”
“Well, I just figured…”
“I’ve never colored my hair,” she stated.
“It does,” Joel confirmed. “Take awhile to set, that is.”
Colton and Kendra looked at him in surprise.
He shrugged and grinned. “I rebelled a little in high school.”
“If it takes awhile to set, why didn’t it wash out?” Colton asked. “I showered right away—and it came off my face.”
“Mostly,” Joel said with a chuckle. He quickly choked it back and turned to Cody. “What else was in it?”
“Paint.”
The reply was so soft, Colton wasn’t sure he heard right. “Did you say paint?” Both boys nodded, and his anger flared again. “What the hell were you two thinking?”
Kendra laid a hand on his arm. “Calm down—”
“This is calm!” he roared. He shook off her hand as his words echoed in the vast expanse of the open arena.
“Oh, grow up,” she exclaimed. “It was a joke—a bad one I admit, but still a joke. It’ll wash out or grow out—be a man and deal with it.”
Indignation welled up and he opened his mouth to argue. She fixed him with a hard glare. ‘Be a man,’ echoed in his head. From the corner of his eye, he caught Joel’s smirk and clamped his mouth shut.
Kendra turned to Noah. “As for you, not only will you apologize, but this stops now. Pranks are one thing, but you went too far this time. No more, do you hear me?”
Her brother shot Cody a glance before nodding.
“I can’t speak for Cody,” Kendra continued, “but you are grounded for a week—”