Page 58 of Shielded Hearts

Willow was as tall as a model, but the big leather armchair swallowed her up. Aspen didn’t know much about her, other than she had been in the wedding party and was friendly to her at the reception.

Colt reached out and hooked a long finger through the handle of the coffee mug. He held it in front of Willow, and she snaked her hands out of the blanket to accept it from him.

Curling her palms around the heated mug brought her comfort. The semblance of normalcy. Even though her world had gone topsy-turvy, there was still coffee. And for Colt, there was family.

She’d been through much, much worse in her life, but she had to admit that shewasfrightened. Those hours she had been trapped with Gideon, she barely held it together. The only way she hadn’t lost her mind was by stuffing down her emotions, shoving them to the back burner.

Now the Malones were going to drag everything out of her that she could remember. They meant to help her, and for that she was grateful. But she didn’t know how well she’d be able to keep it together once she started sharing what happened.

She sipped her coffee, and Colt grabbed his own. He took a big gulp and set the mug back down on the tray without so much as jostling her.

He tipped his jaw toward Gray. “How’s the head?”

“As hard as ever,” Willow spoke up before Gray could answer.

Gray gave her a flat look Aspen imagined only siblings were capable of giving each other. “Thanks, Willow.” He directed his attention to Colt. “Doc says I’ll be fine.”

“But he has a mild concussion,” Willow put in.

Gray widened his eyes at her. “Which is no big deal.”

Willow seemed to be enjoying herself. She crossed her amazingly long, slender legs clad in dark brown riding pants and gave him a sassy look. “Probably as a result of the fractured nose.”

Gray groaned. “A hairline fracture.”

Aspen winced in sympathy. “I’m sorry that happened to you. And I really appreciate you fighting for me.”

He returned her look with a short nod, acknowledging her gratitude.

At that moment, a door slammed shut somewhere in the house.

“That’ll be Carson.” Willow turned to look at the door. Seconds later, a third Malone brother appeared in the doorway. As tall and broad as Colt.

He strode into the room, casting off his heavy canvas jacket as he did. He tossed it over the back of the sofa and plopped down next to Gray.

“Your head?”

“Fine.” Gray shot Willow a warning look.

She caught Aspen’s gaze and rolled her eyes as if to say, “Boys.”

Suddenly, Aspen was wide awake and the chill in her skin vanished, leaving her toasty warm in Colt’s arms.

Carson’s attention fell on them, taking in how Colt held her on his lap with absolutely no apology or self-consciousness.

“Let’s get straight to it. I know Colt and Gray’s part of the story. Aspen, maybe you can fill in some gaps for us.”

She hesitated a beat, gathering her thoughts.

Colt’s voice rumbled close to her ear. “My family owns the Black Heart Security agency. We’re trained to handle this.”

She realized he thought she’d paused because she didn’t trust their credentials. With a shake of her head, she said, “Oh,I trust you all. With my very life.” One by one, she met each of their gazes, lastly twisting to look at Colt. “I’ll tell you everything I know.”

Carson nodded. “Can you tell us what happened following the avalanche, after you were pulled out of the snow?”

“I saw a man hovering over me. I thought it was Colt coming to my rescue, but then I realized I knew this man. It took me a minute to place him. When I said his name, he yanked me out of the snow. I don’t remember much after that. He hit me over the head, and he’s strong from hard labor. He knocked me out.”

Her gaze shifted to Gray. Only a small tightening around his lips told her that he felt the same aftereffect of Gideon’s strength.

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