Page 43 of Protected Hearts

“You’re Oaks’s younger brother?”

“One of them, yeah.”

“How far apart are you in age?”

“Three years.”

“I’m sure you have some good memories together.”

“Yup. Fought a lot too.”

“Were you competitive?”

“Oh yeah. The six of us boys were always trying to one-up each other when it came to sports. Football and baseball. A few years, we all competed in the rodeo in the same event.”

“What was it?” She smiled at the thought of all six Malone boys vying for the same title.

“Bucking broncs. In the end, none of us won. Though Denver came in first in his age group.”

She filed away this new bit of information. For being married to Oaks, she knew almost nothing about him.

Except how good he felt against her…moving inside her.

She quickly tried to stuff down the desire just thinking about Oaks raised in her. They rode for miles in companionable silence.

Finally, she asked, “Do you work with the veterans program?”

He went quiet for several hoofbeats. “A few times a week. Mostly I work with the security agency.”

“But you’re not in there talking to your brothers about me now.”

He gave a short huff. “I like the night shift.”

“Oh? You’re a night owl then?” She didn’t want to pry, but making small talk with a virtual stranger wasn’t very easy, especially while trying not to fall off a horse.

Their bodies rolled with each swaying step of their mounts. The trail curved ahead, and she was already starting to get anxious about guiding Dusty around the bend, but she focused on keeping the reins loose in her hands.

“I’ve always preferred staying up late. You grow up in a big family, you try to find spells of peace and quiet. For me, that was at night. But really, I took the redeye shift at Black Heart Security because…”

His low tone and the way he broke off midsentence made her look away from the trail and swing her head toward Colt. His lips were firmed into a straight line.

“You don’t have to tell me.”

He thumbed the brim of his cowboy hat in what she guessed was a nervous habit. “I served for fifteen years. When I came home, it wasn’t easy.”

She remained quiet, listening and reading between the lines. Like Oaks, he’d seen battle.

“I had a lot of support, and now it feels good to help other vets.”

“Are any of the men in the program friends of yours?”

He slanted a look her way. “Not mine. Oaks fought with one who is on the ranch. Decker Jansen, they call him Dutch. They’re close.”

Oaks hadn’t mentioned any friends of his, but then again, he’d been pretty distracted. She felt bad for taking up so much of his thoughts. Oaks hadn’t shared much with her about the program, but she sensed it was dear to his heart. A labor of love.

They rode along in silence for several more minutes. Wanting to steer the conversation away from anything that might put Colt on his guard and cause him distress, she attempted another topic that might put him at ease.

“You seem to have a lot of horses on the ranch. Do you raise them to sell or are they only for pleasure?”

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