Page 62 of Shielded Hearts

Aspen considered herself to be a confident woman. After all, she had to be when dealing with billionaires and their families. But Willow was so sensationally beautiful and at the same time nonchalant about her appearance that Aspen felt a little shy around her.

“Here I was rushing around to get the horses fed so I could start the coffee early. I planned to bring Gray a mug in bed, where you should still be, I might add.” She threw him a dirty look as she poured a giant mug full of coffee.

She set the coffee on the table and took the seat across from Aspen.

“I wanted to check on Gray too. Make sure he didn’t need anything. You know, since it’s my fault he’s hurt.”

Gray stopped short of groaning. “Both of you can quit fussin’. I’m fine.”

Willow’s stare roamed over his bruised face. “Looks really fine.”

“Looks worse than it feels. You should know—you’ve been kicked by your horses enough.”

She let out a soft moan of appreciation as she sipped from her mug. “Mm. Who made the coffee? Aspen?”

“No, Gray beat me to it. It seems like I can’t get ahead of any of you Malones.”

“What do you mean?” Curiosity sparked in Willow’s eyes.

“Um…” She probably shouldn’t have spoken so hastily. Now there was no way of getting out of saying it outright. “You decorated Colt’s place at Lake Tahoe.”

As soon as the words were out, she bit down on her lip hard. “I mean… That sounded…”

“Like you wish you could have been the woman who decorated Colt’s cabin?” Willow didn’t bother hiding her smile. “I gotta say I’m surprised he took you to Tahoe. That’s his fortress. The place he went to get his life together after getting out of the military.”

“Willow’s the only family member to ever set foot in that cabin. You should feel special,” Gray added. He pushed his chair away from the table and stood, mug in hand. “I’d love to stick around, but you know me and sappy conversations.”

Willow laughed at him as he walked out of the kitchen. Now that she was alone with Colt’s sister, Aspen felt she should at leastattemptto conceal what she’d laid awake half the night thinking about.

She was feeling things for Colt.

She was falling for him.

Lying in bed beside him, wreathed in his strong arms and inhaling his spicy, masculine scent had been the best way to fall asleep. When she woke to him slipping out of the room in the wee hours of morning, she missed him with a physical ache even though she knew he wasn’t far away.

In mere days, they’d been through so much. Lived an entire lifetime together, between the wedding and the road trips, jet-setting across the country and then Colt finding her tied up in that cabin.

She shook her head and took a sip of coffee to settle the events scattered across her mind like wadded-up notes tossed at a wastebasket. None of the events had hit the mark of whatAspen set out to do on this trip to Wyoming. But something else happened…to her heart.

Willow was staring at her. Judging from that expression on her face, she shared a trait with Colt—the ability to read people’s shifts in mood.

“I’m really glad that Colt found you.” Willow tucked a thick lock of hair behind her ear.

She almost choked on her coffee trying to swallow it too fast. “What do you mean?”

“We never thought he would come back to us. We’d have to hold a gun to his head to get him to sleep in the house. But you did it, Aspen.”

Her heart squeezed in her chest. She hadn’t realized how worried Colt’s family was about him and his choices. Or what her being here might look like to his family. What it might mean.

She set her mug down and eyed Willow. “I’m glad that Colt felt comfortable last night.” She didn’t know what to say even if she finally understood what she felt for Colt.

What she needed right now was a nice change of topic.

“You did all the decorating in the ranch house as well as at Colt’s cabin?”

Willow nodded. “I didn’t wait for an invite from Colt—I go where I’m needed. Right now, they’re all going to need a big rancher’s breakfast. Do you want to help me?”

She smiled. “Sure. But I know very little about fixing food for a crowd. I live alone and I eat a lot of takeout.”

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