Jennifer Morey - Colton Family Bodyguard

“Why bother lying, though, about who he was and about his ex-wife?” Hazel still wanted to know, to this day. “He must have known the truth would come out eventually.” Hazel would have left him after learning about his deception.

“You’re a beautiful woman, Hazel. Any man would be a fool not to want you.”

Ed had lied in order to have her, even if for just a little while. He had never talked about marriage with her, a fact she’d only thought of after he was gone. Then she realized what Callum had just said. Did he want her?

“What about you?” she asked, flirting back.

“I’ve never been married,” he said, “and I’m not lying about that.” He grinned.

She laughed lightly and briefly, believing him. It was easy to talk with him. Feeling much more comfortable with him, she stopped herself from enjoying this too much. Hadn’t she just finished telling him about the biggest mistake she ever made with a man? She would never regret Evie, obviously, but Evie’s father was nothing to brag about. She’d rather not wind up having to say the same thing about Callum—or any man. And despite knowing she was biased, she didn’t trust anyone wealthy.

“You better get packing,” Callum said.

Yes. They’d better pack—rather than play on their attraction to one other.

Callum leaned against the door frame of Evie’s bedroom, watching Hazel pack a bag. She glanced up and saw him.

“Bored?” Her eyes glowed a green hint of her name. Long and dark, finger-tempting wavy hair fell over slender shoulders and framed a remarkably pretty face. Tendrils of that silky splendor curled around melon-shaped breasts. He felt his defenses rise. She had a daughter . A really cute one.

“No.” He would just rather stare at her. This sudden chemistry threw him off balance.

With a soft smile, she resumed packing.

In just the brief time he had been around Evie—rescuing her, watching her fascination with Kerry and then her bravery in going with the detective—the child had already touched his heart. Now he knew more than ever why he tried so hard to avoid protecting kids. The mothers were another issue completely.

Evie had punched her way through his usual, iron-walled barrier. She was about the same age his daughter would have been, had she and her mother survived. Callum shook off the thoughts. He was better shutting that off, contrary to what Charles said. Despite his cardinal rule never to protect mothers with kids, to leave that up to other bodyguards who didn’t share a history similar to his, he could not leave them at the mercy of a man who knew Evie had witnessed him dump a body in a trunk. Now here he was, in Hazel and Evie’s apartment, about to take them to the Dales Inn and live with them for however long it took to catch the bad guy.

Hazel finished packing for Evie and went into her bedroom to do the same for herself. Callum followed, she wasn’t sure whether out of boredom or because he just enjoyed watching her. The way he did made her acutely aware of him as a man.

“I bet my room is much smaller than the one you sleep in,” she said, still self-conscious of his wealth and her bad experience with a man with money.

Callum eyed her peculiarly. “It’s a nice apartment. And even though I’m a Colton, I don’t dwell on the wealth of my family.”

She believed that, but he also must have a sizable bank account, maybe a trust fund or something like that. Just like Ed. That put a sour taste in her mouth.

Taking the bags to the dining area next to the back entry, she saw Callum go to the mantel above the gas fireplace. She had an electronic photo album there. He gestured with his hand to it.

“These are great.”

There were lots of pictures of Evie doing all things Evie. Evie with a toothy smile and mouth smeared with ice cream. Evie holding a bunny rabbit. Evie riding a pony with Hazel. Evie and a friend dressed identically and striking a pose. Hazel and Evie cheek to cheek in a selfie. And so many more. Vacations Hazel had saved for, trips to Disney World and Yellowstone. Them at community events.

As he watched the pictures change, his expression changed. What about these photos put such a look of sadness on his face? She wanted to ask but didn’t.

“She’s the best thing that ever happened to me,” she said instead. “Ed taking off the way he did doesn’t even matter anymore. I mean, it did when I was pregnant. What kind of man can abandon their unborn baby?”

Callum didn’t say anything, just continued to look at the pictures.

“As soon as Evie was born, everything changed. I didn’t care about Ed anymore. She became my world. And she’s such a good kid. Even when she was a baby. She didn’t cry much, only when she needed something. She slept all night and still does. She rarely has tantrums and when she does, they’re over pretty quickly. I’m a lucky mom.”

Callum turned to look at her, some of the sadness leaving his eyes. “She’s an adorable girl.”

“Do you want kids some day?”

“I travel a lot. Usually I’m out of the country on assignments.”

He must be some bodyguard. “Do you protect a lot of affluent people?”

“Yes, and high targets for kidnapping in countries where that sort of thing happens.”

Dignitaries, politicians and executives for big companies, she supposed.

“I’m only here now to be near my father.”

His father had been shot. That must be so difficult, not knowing whether his dad would wake up or not. Callum must be close to his father if he’d changed his work schedule to be by the man’s side. She wondered if he regretted helping her, since she obviously was taking time away from his hospital visits.

“If you need to be with him...”

“I’ll visit him. I don’t have to be with him all the time. I do still have to work, after all. Just not out of state.”

Hazel smiled because this was the chattiest he had been since they met.

“You must be close to him,” Hazel said, thinking she had made an accurate observation.

“Actually, I’m not,” he said, and regret seemed to come over him.

With him out of the country so much, Hazel could see why, but what about when he had been younger? “Was it always that way?”

“Yes. When I was a kid he was always working, and I had my own ideas about what I wanted to do with my life. I knew early on that I never would be an executive like he was.” He paused. “Is.”

She felt terrible. “If not for me, you would be with him right now.”

“No. I was going to visit my brother, but I saw you and...”

And what? He saw her when? Before she had gone into her client’s house? And then he had seen that car. She’d changed his plans for the day.

“Which brother?”

“Ace.” He shook his head and scratched his forehead in angst. “He’s a suspect in my father’s shooting. We were never close, either, like with Dad. He followed my dad into the oil business. But I feel for him, you know? He just found out he’s not a Colton by blood and there’s this clause in the Colton Oil bylaws that says the CEO must be a Colton by blood, and then Dad got shot and everybody thinks he did it—geez, why am I telling you all of this?” He walked toward the back door and the luggage.

Hazel caught up to him and put her hand on his forearm, stopping him from bending to pick up one of the bags. “Hey, it’s okay. I like hearing this.”

“You like hearing about all my family drama?”

That’s all he worried about? She breathed a laugh. “Every family has drama. Why is your brother a suspect?”