Free Brody's Vow (Colebrook Siblings Trilogy Book 1) by Kaylea Cross Page B

I think they’re giving us some privacy.”
    She frowned. “Why?”
    He gave her a heated look that clearly said he was aware of the chemistry between them, maybe even open to exploring it, and it shocked her how much the idea appealed to her. “Savor the peace and quiet while you can. I’m way better company than those two grumpy-assed recluses anyhow.”
    Seemed to her they had their reasons for being grumpy recluses, but she kept that to herself and glanced around the great room that connected the kitchen and family room. A group of framed pictures on the mantel above the fireplace in the family room caught her eye.
    She headed over to them, curious about Brody and his family, again struck by how odd this situation was. Here she was, in his inner sanctum, surrounded by his family’s keepsakes and memories when he knew next to nothing about her. Kind of unfair.
    It didn’t stop her from studying the pictures, however.
    She recognized Brody immediately, and there was a shot of Wyatt in his combat utilities before his injury. One recent family portrait showed all four siblings—the three boys and their sister, Charlie—together with their dad. All were brown-haired. Brody, the younger brother and Charlie all had brown eyes, and Wyatt and Colebrook senior had hazel. Every one of them was fit, the men muscular, and one look told her they’d all served in the military. Maybe even Charlie.
    From out of nowhere an unexpected, sharp pang hit her at seeing the picture of their happy family unit. A little envy maybe, but more than that, a longing for something she’d always secretly wanted and never had. Would probably never be able to have, after the life she’d led.
    “Your other brother,” she called out to him. “Is he still in the Marine Corps?”
    “Easton,” Brody answered without turning around. “And no, he’s got a government job now.”
    His ambiguous answer wasn’t a surprise. Brody didn’t know her, didn’t owe her any answers, but whatever job Easton had, she’d bet it wasn’t a desk job.
    Trinity perused the other pictures, lingering on another one of the four siblings, this time the others gathered around Wyatt in his hospital bed soon after he’d been wounded, him grinning through the bandages covering his head and right side of his face.
    That image told her everything she needed to know about the Colebrooks. They looked after their own and stood by each other, through good times and bad, no matter what. And it seemed they’d been there to support Wyatt through what must have been the hardest time in his life. Her respect for them just kept growing. Not everyone was lucky enough to have that sort of support network.
    The only picture of the mother was a family portrait taken maybe twenty years ago or so if Trinity judged the hairstyles and clothing correctly, when Brody and his siblings were young. Maybe elementary school age or slightly older.
    She wasn’t going to ask what had happened to her, since it was pretty clear that she was now out of the picture, for whatever reason. Given what she already knew of the family, it seemed reasonable to surmise that she’d probably passed away.
    It made her heart ache for Brody and his siblings. They were obviously a tight-knit, loving family. Losing a parent was never easy, but when it happened to young children, it changed everything, forever. She knew that better than anyone.
    A pang of wistfulness hit her as she remembered something she didn’t want to dwell on right now. Or ever.
    Feeling like she knew the Colebrooks a little better already, Trinity wandered back into the kitchen while Brody finished up the bacon. She fought the urge to fidget, the cynical part of her disliking that he was doing this for her. In her experience when someone did something for her, they almost always wanted something in return. Especially a man.
    Nothing was ever given for free. And it drove her nuts to be hiding here in this beautiful family’s home when there