She listened to the house wake up by degrees. The simple hum of the furnace turned into the faint murmur of socked feet on the wood floor. Before any of her siblings shattered her moment of peace, she hurried to her room, coffee in hand, to get ready for the day.
Every day she rolled out of bed and performed her chores in the glimmer of light between full dark and dawn, then tooka hot shower, then made her coffee. Her usual routine involved throwing on whatever was clean and functional—jeans and boots with her hair scraped back in a practical braid that kept it out of her way while she worked.
But this morning, she found herself standing in front of her closet a little longer. Her fingers lingered over a soft sweater instead of her usual flannel, and she chose jeans that actually fit well rather than her older, looser pairs. Nothing dramatic but…nicer. Put-together.
She caught herself in the mirror applying a hint of berry lip stain—something she rarely bothered with for ranch work—followed by just a touch of gloss.
When had she started caring about looking polished at six a.m.?
The answer, of course, was yesterday. Ever since Decker had cupped her face in his hands and kissed her like he’d been holding back too long.
Instead of her usual braid, she left her hair loose, the strands air-drying into soft waves that fell almost to her waist. She told herself it was just a change of pace, but the truth was harder to ignore.
She was hoping to run into him. Hoping he’d notice. Hoping for another one of those heated looks that made her stomach flip. She was being ridiculous, primping like a teenager with her first crush.
More worrisome was the fact that her brothers noticed every change in her attire. But as she headed toward the security office to get started on her morning’s work, she couldn’t bring herself to care.
A new note was left on her keyboard about ordering gear. She skimmed the list that included a bulletproof vest, holster, tactical belt, earpiece with throat mic, emergency medical kit,zip ties, flashlight, backup weapon holster and tactical boots in size eleven.
She stared at the list. Which brother had damaged or lost his gear this time? Then added at the bottom:Rush order.
Pushing aside the flutter of curiosity, Willow opened their supplier’s website and began adding items to the cart, her mind already calculating delivery times and costs. Whoever this was for, they’d be properly equipped within forty-eight hours if she had anything to say about it.
When Carson walked through the door, she looked up.
“Did you get my note?”
“Yep—just completed the order. Rush delivery like you asked. Is there a reason we need all this stuff? Tell me Gray didn’t leave his in Memphis.”
Carson’s lips twitched but he rarely smiled until he had his third cup of coffee. Dropping to his desk chair, he eyed her.
How many mornings did they start together, the oldest Malone sibling and the youngest? They were both early risers, but most of all, they were determined to jam-pack as many tasks into a single day as possible. The workaholics of the bunch.
They worked through the morning together then dispersed to the different parts of the ranch that required their attention. So when he continued to study her, Willow’s senses prickled.
Carson had caught her and Decker in the middle of their kiss.
“Your hair’s different.”
She blinked at his observation.
“Didn’t get a chance to braid it yet.” She had to shift his focus from her. “So who’s the gear for?”
He settled back in his chair, gaze never lifting from her. “We have a new member on the team. Probably.”
“What does probably mean? And don’t you need me to write up a contract?”
“We’ll get to the contract later. First, he needs field clearance.”
“Who is it? Do we have another brother I don’t know about?”
He huffed in amusement. “Would not surprise me at all. Our father was a bastard.”
“If there’s not a long-lost brother, who is this mystery team member—probably?”
“Decker.”
His response almost wiped her off her seat. If he’d told her that his horse was joining Black Heart Security, she would be less surprised.
