Page 9 of Guarding Colton’s Witness

The way he said her name was like silk sliding over her skin, and she suppressed a shudder. She shouldn’t have agreed to allow him to use her nickname because she didn’t need to be shuddering over this man.

“Anywhere you want.” She’d set the table so that one of them would have to sit next to Sam and the other one across from him. Ryan took the seat next to Sam.

“Sam’s right, that is a lot of waffles,” Ryan said as he put two on Sam’s plate.

“Didn’t know how many you two could eat.”

“And there’s bacon,” Sam exclaimed. “What’s that? It looks like dessert.”

“It’s a yogurt and fruit parfait. You’ll like it.”

“Can I eat it now?”

Ryan tapped Sam’s plate with his fork. “Eat your waffles first. Do you want syrup?”

“Yes! This is the best food I’ve ever had.”

“I agree,” Ryan said, smiling at her.

Sam’s table manners were lacking, but that was something she could work on later…rather, his foster parents could. He would only be here tonight.

“Thiftissogud,” Sam said.

Ryan put his hand over Sam’s to keep him from stuffing more food into his mouth. “Sam, we don’t talk with our mouths full of food. For one thing, we can’t understand what you’re saying. For another, it’s gross. And before you ask, we’re not going to punish you because you didn’t know better. Now you do, right?”

Sam nodded as he swallowed. “I don’t like doing things wrong.”

“No one does,” she said. “I think you’re smart, and as soon as you learn something isn’t right, you won’t do it again.”

He vigorously nodded. “I want to know the right way to do things.”

“Good,” Ryan said. “Finish your waffles so we can eat this delicious yogurt.”

“I’ve never had yogurt.”

Turned out Sam’s new favorite thing was yogurt and fruit parfaits. It was a good thing he wasn’t staying with her because she’d be spoiling this boy who’d had so little in his short life.

“Matti cooked, so us men will clean up,” Ryan said after Sam had scraped every bit of the parfait from the dish.

“You don’t have—”

“That’s the way it works. Go sit and relax. We got this.”

“You don’t know where everything goes.”

“Didn’t you say Sam was smart? He’ll help me figure it out.”

“I will help him, Matti,” Sam said, puffing his little chest out.

“Do you need to rest your leg?”

“No. I’m not a baby.”

Standing behind Sam, Ryan grinned. “We’re tough men, right, Sam?”

There went Sam’s chest puffing out again. “Right, Doc.”

All righty, then. Wasn’t so bad having useful men in the house, she decided as she settled on the couch. She’d barely relaxed when her phone chimed. She leaned forward and picked it up from the coffee table, seeing her brother’s name on the screen.