Page 28 of Colton Family Bodyguard (Coltons of Mustang Valley)

She jerked herself into her pajamas, muttering, “Imbecile,” before getting into bed. She turned on the television. It would be a long time before she settled down enough to sleep.

Emily must have given him an earful about her and Evie, in particular about how Ed had run off after discovering Hazel was pregnant. Emily herself had a blended family, having remarried after divorcing her first husband, whom she had met when she was a teenager. No one should ever marry at such a young age. People, at least in Hazel’s opinion, needed time to grow before they made such a huge commitment. Spending your entire life with someone was kind of an important decision. Emily strongly opposed a too-impulsive marriage, saying it was just a legality, when love was the thing that kept couples together, not a piece of paper and a few laws.

Whatever Emily had planted in his head, it had made him think. It had brought him closer to Evie, a child and Hazel’s daughter, two things he had for some reason sworn off.

Trying to get distracted by the nature program she had turned to a low volume on television, Hazel failed miserably. Her spirits sank when she considered how she’d celebrated the fantastic feeling of kissing Callum, while he apparently shunned such an emotion. The cops had better find that shooter soon. Hazel needed to get away from a man like Callum Colton. She’d be better off with someone more in her league.

Chapter 5

The next afternoon, Callum arranged for a car rental and went to visit a comatose Payne at the hospital. He brought with him Hazel and Evie, who skipped beside Hazel on their way toward the entrance. Callum had noticed a distinct change in Hazel this morning. He wondered if he had mistaken the way she’d said good night and shut the door before he could even respond. Was she upset that he had kissed her? He’d rather have this resolved before going in to see his father. Some of his family would be there and he didn’t need to have to explain Hazel’s mood.

He stopped her on the cement in front

of the doors. “Is something wrong?”

Evie’s head tipped up and she looked at him.

“No,” Hazel said.

“Last night...”

Evie turned to her mother.

“Don’t worry about it. We’ll wait for Kerry to find and catch the shooter and then we can both get back to our lives.”

Callum met Evie’s eyes as she glanced back at him and then she asked her mother, “Mommy, are you mad?”

“Not now, Evie.”

Callum could see Hazel was quite upset, her keen gaze firing arrows at him. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. It just—”

“Do we have to talk about this now?” Hazel interrupted.

It might not be appropriate to talk in front of Evie, but he doubted she’d really understand and he wasn’t going to say anything grossly offensive. “I’m sorry, that’s all.”

“Yes, I could tell you were.”

She thought he was sorry for kissing her? But was he? “Sorry” wasn’t the right word. Concerned would be a better choice but he couldn’t tell her that.

“Don’t worry,” she repeated, sounding more sincere now. “Whatever you’re going through, I get it. I don’t need to get involved with another rich guy, so let’s just make the best of this situation, okay?”

“Who is Rich?” Evie asked.

Callum almost smiled. Evie thought Rich was a man.

“You’re judging me because my family has money?”

“You have money. I don’t mean to judge. I don’t know you well enough. All I can do right now is go on what I do know.”

“My parents are rich.”

“They don’t share any of it with you?” Hazel asked, more of a challenge.

He didn’t like what she was implying. “We all have trust funds, but—”

“Well, there you go.” Hazel resumed walking toward the door, Evie in tow.

Evie looked back at him and then up at her mother. In the elevator, she asked, “Why are you mad, Mommy?”

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