Capturing a Colton

by C. J. Miller

  “You came back to do that?” Jade asked.

  “Didn’t even make it to the car,” Declan said. He was slightly out of breath and it was a bump to her self-esteem that she had a hand in that.

  “Why did you hesitate?”

  Declan’s green eyes studied her face. “You have a lot going on. I have a lot going on. Together, that makes it complicated.”

  “It doesn’t need to be complicated. It can just be two people spending time together, having fun. And mucking out a horse stall now and then.”

  He tossed her a boyish grin. “You’re game for that?”

  For having fun? Sure. After a simple kiss, she couldn’t ask him for commitment and forever. “I like spending time with you.”

  “What about your family? What about River?”

  Her family would be fine with him. “I’m not worried about River or what he might think.” Her family had plenty of issues. Accepting that long ago, she tried to focus on her life as an individual and not her life as a Colton.

  “We’ll see where this leads,” Declan said. He brushed his thumb down her cheek.

  An unspoken connection had been formed. Crossing from friends into more-than-friends was a scary step, but Jade was confident that Declan would be good for her. In some way, he would be who she needed, at least for now.

  He helped her feed the horses and her barn animals and then walked her to her front door. Setting one hand on the doorjamb and the other at his side, he kissed her. This time was quicker, but as intense. It was on the tip of her tongue to invite him inside, but she thought better of it. Moving too fast would get her in trouble. Her heart was already running away with ideas and she had to protect herself.

  “Good night, Jade,” Declan said.

  “Night, Declan.”

  Chapter 5

  Big Jim’s had the best burgers in Shadow Creek. Though the floor seemed to be perpetually slick with grease and the desserts in the display case were too old to be appealing, no one came to Big Jim’s for the ambiance. The white-tiled walls were too sterile looking and Jade wouldn’t have been surprised to learn they hosed the place down with bleach every month to keep the grease and germs in check.

  Jade ordered her mushroom Swiss burger with extra mushrooms, extra ketchup and fries on the side. She sat across from Maggie, who had ordered a much healthier option, a hamburger on wheat and loaded with romaine lettuce, Roma tomatos, red onions and sweet peppers.

  “If I squint, this almost looks like a salad,” Maggie said.

  “You don’t need to worry about eating salad. You’re pregnant. That’s the green light for great food. You have to feed the baby’s cravings.”

  Maggie laughed. “Good point. I might regret this after I have him, but the baby is hungry. I’ve been waking up in the middle of the night starving. Thorne caught me the other night eating apple pie directly from the pie tin.”

  “I’ve done that and I’m not pregnant,” Jade said.

  “He didn’t say anything, but I felt judged. But then I soothed myself by eating a piece of chocolate cake.”

  Jade laughed.

  “Now that I’m this big, I spend more time eating and sleeping than I do with Thorne. I feel bad.”

  “I’m sure he understands,” Jade said.

  “He’s good about it. I’ve been moody too, but he doesn’t get riled up when I pick a fight.”

  “Thorne is a good man,” Jade said.

  “He is. The best. And what about you? I heard a family rumor from Knox and Allison that you and Declan had dinner the other night.”

  Jade was planning on telling Maggie about her “date” with Declan. “He’d come by earlier in the day to help me.”

  “Help you do what?” Maggie asked.

  “Do chores around the farm.”

  Maggie swiped a french fry from Jade’s plate. “He isn’t a farmer. Or a rancher. He’s a real estate mogul. What’s he doing poking around the farm?”

  Jade couldn’t explain that fully. “He offered to check in on me.”

  Maggie’s eyebrows lifted. “Because he has a crush on you?”

  Jade wanted to believe he did. “He’s been by a few times. I am not sure how he feels about me.”

  “Tell me about the date.”

  “I was wearing my work clothes. I think because I didn’t realize it was a date until we were at the restaurant. Even then I wasn’t really sure.”

  “Then he just suggested it casually,” Maggie said.

  “Yes. But this is the part that makes me think it was a date and I should have at least showered. At the end of the night, he kissed me.”

  Maggie leaned forward and set her hands on her belly. “Tell me that part. You should have started with that. That’s the really good part.”

  It was the most amazing part of the story. “It was the best kiss I’ve ever had.”

  “Then you’re interested in Declan? You want to be in a relationship with him? Is it serious?”

  Jade held up her hands. “Of course I’m interested in him. He’s a great guy. He’s sweet and smart and sexy.”

  “He is all those things, but he also bought your mother’s house and land and he hasn’t explained why. Allison has tried to bring it up in conversation, but he avoids answering her.”

  “He’s a real estate developer. He thinks the land is useful for something.”

  “Did he say that? Because Edith has been tight-lipped about La Bonne Vie too,” Maggie said.

  “He wants to tear down La Bonne Vie. He invited me to tour the house, which was a therapeutic experience. I needed to walk through and chase the demons from that house. There’s so much that went on. I have memories from living there and I’m not sure if they’re real, or if they were dreams or some type of mixed-up memory or an exaggeration of what actually happened.”

  Maggie inclined her head. “Like what?”

  “My mother did strange things. Leaving the house in the middle of the night and returning in the early morning hours. Whispered conversations on the porch. Meeting strangers at the house or in the barn. She must have been conducting her business and trying to keep me and my siblings from knowing anything.” But Jade had caught on to problems and stress. Even as the youngest, she had heard hushed whispers, phone calls in the middle of the night, large truck deliveries in the early morning. Jade was a big reason the authorities were able to nail Livia Colton with evidence of her crimes.

  Jade snapped back to reality. A woman in a pale pink T-shirt stood in front of their table. She set her hand on her hip; her stringy, blond hair with three-inch brunette roots was in need of a washing and a dye job. Her nose ring glinted in the lights overhead. Her square glasses had thick brown frames and she had a beauty mark on her cheek close to her mouth. “You’re Coltons.”

  Jade imagined she would describe rotting filth in the same tone of voice.

  “I’m Jade Colton.” Jade stood up and wedged herself between Maggie and the woman in the pink top. Maggie was Thorne’s wife and the mother of his child. If this woman wanted to confront someone, she would need to get through Jade first. Maggie didn’t need stress right now.

  Jade felt Maggie’s hand at her hip, nudging her to move, but Jade didn’t budge.

  “Can I help you with something?” She recalled the protesters outside her farm, but didn’t remember if this woman had been one of them.

  “Coltons aren’t wanted in Shadow Creek.”

  Jade stared at her, never breaking eye contact. “It’s not your business where I choose to live.”

  Pink Shirt folded her arms across her chest and leaned forward. “Everyone hates you.”

  The words stung more than Jade had expected. “Everyone” was an exaggeration, but the point hit on insecurities Jade had carried since Livia had been arreste
d. It seemed to have gotten worse since Livia was discovered hiding at La Bonne Vie. No one wanted her around; it added fear and anger into the community.

  “I’m not leaving Shadow Creek,” Jade said.

  The woman glared at Jade as she walked away.

  Jade was proud of herself that she hadn’t slapped her. She turned to Maggie. “Are you okay?”

  “Except that I was wedged between the wall and you and couldn’t get up to scream in her face, I’m fine.”

  “She was ignorant and rude,” Jade said. “There’s not much we can say to combat that.” Her attempts to blow off the woman’s words weren’t working. They had struck a chord.

  Jade noticed other patrons were looking in her direction. Were Pink Shirt’s words drawing attention or were people in the shop whispering and talking about her? It shouldn’t matter. She was a grown woman. Gossip and malice should roll off her. Except they hit her and stuck.

  “We should go,” Maggie said.

  “You didn’t finish eating,” Jade said.

  “I’ve lost my appetite. That’s saying a lot.”

  Jade and Maggie left money on the table. They walked to Claudia’s store, Honeysuckle Road. Claudia’s clothing targeted all types of women, including those who loved their curves. From the number of women in the store, business must be good. Leonor had been kind enough to invest in Claudia’s venture. Leonor had recognized Claudia’s fashion expertise gained from working in New York, which gave her a unique perspective that was fresh and fun for Shadow Creek, Texas. As an art museum curator, Leonor had an eye for beautiful things and she was right to spot Claudia’s design genius. Claudia had been responsible for a number of outfits the family had worn over the last several months.

  Claudia raised her hand in greeting from behind the checkout counter and indicated she would be with them in a minute. Jade admired the clothing. Claudia had moved some of her summer items to the back of the store and the front displays were in fall colors of red, orange, yellow and browns.

  Claudia finished with a customer and sauntered over. “Hey, Maggie. Hey, Jade. What a pleasant surprise.”

  “I’m glad it’s a pleasant surprise for you because we just had the most unpleasant lunch,” Jade said. She filled Claudia in on the details.

  “Those awful people have said things to me too,” Claudia said in a hushed tone. “The first time it happened, I was so shocked, I didn’t know what to say in response. The next time, Hawk was with me. They shouted garbage at me and he looked at them. Just looked. And they went silent.” She laughed. “They’re trolls. Don’t let them get to you.”

  Evelyn joined them, setting her hand on Maggie’s back and hugging her. “What am I missing? Are we having a gossip session?”

  She smiled at the women whom she treated like her children. Evelyn had been widowed and had two grown daughters and since the Coltons had known her, she had been warm and kind. “Jade and Maggie had a run-in with the local anti-Colton group,” Claudia said.

  Evelyn set her hand on her hip. A petite woman, she was fierce and few people messed with her. Though Mac towered over Evelyn at five-eleven, their mutual respect and admiration for each other kept their relationship balanced and even. “Those nasty harpies. They put a flyer on my car for their group, asking me to join them. I took that flyer over to the sheriff. Littering. That’s what those are. Bud acted as if I was the one overreacting, but that group is bad for the town.”

  “What is their group all about?” Jade asked, curious about this group causing problems in Shadow Creek. If the local law enforcement wouldn’t step up, she would need to do some investigation and see that she was protected from their antics. The Coltons had been through enough in the last six months. They didn’t need this too.

  “They’re a support group for victims of Livia Colton. But they don’t seem to be fixated on healing. They seem bent on harassing her children,” Claudia said.

  Jade was momentarily jealous of Claudia because she wasn’t Livia’s biological daughter. Though the town treated her the same as the others, Claudia was another of Livia’s victims. Jade felt like being unrelated to her gave Claudia more freedom from the responsibility of the crimes Livia had committed. Not everyone knew the story about Claudia being a Krupid and many considered her a Colton.

  “Excuse me,” Evelyn said, leaving their group to assist a customer who was checking out with an armful of clothing.

  The door to the shop opened again and Jade held her breath, expecting to see another angry protester.

  Hawk Huntley strode through the door. Claudia’s eyes lit and she ran to greet him. Hawk was protective of Claudia. His late wife had been killed by a murderer who hadn’t been brought to justice. Hawk had also dropped a big bomb on Claudia, whom many considered Livia’s most beautiful daughter: Claudia wasn’t Livia’s daughter at all. Hawk had reunited her with her biological family. Claudia had been shocked at first, but since reuniting with her biological family, seemed to take it in stride.

  “I’m heading out to meet a client in Austin, but I heard some ruckus about protesters and the Coltons. I wanted to be sure you were okay.” Hawk looked at Claudia, taking her hands in his.

  Jade glanced away, feeling like she was interrupting a private moment.

  Claudia leaned on Hawk’s shoulder. “I’m fine. It was Jade who had to face it today. Maggie was with her.”

  Hawk’s gaze swerved to Jade. “Are you okay? What did they say to you?”

  Jade explained and Hawk crossed his arms over his chest, listening intently. He had a way of getting people to talk more than they should. When she finished, she waited. Maggie had wandered off and was looking at fall sweaters.

  Hawk rubbed his jaw in thought. “I’m looking into the possibility of getting a lawyer to handle this. Their harassment has to stop. It can’t be legal to confront people this way. Shadow Creek is a good place to live. There are decent, hardworking people here.”

  Except Shadow Creek hadn’t always been a good place to live. Livia’s crimes had been hidden beneath a guise of warmth and affection for the community, and she had done horrible things.

  It boggled Jade’s mind that Livia had been able to fool so many people for so long about the true nature of her business.

  “Good, hardworking people who want the Coltons gone,” Jade said. Her horses needed her. They didn’t judge. She liked that about them.

  Hawk folded his arms. “Claudia has the shop. Thorne has the ranch. You have the farm. You aren’t going anywhere and I’ll stand up to anyone who says otherwise.”

  * * *

  Declan didn’t know what to say to River. He wanted to say something to his half brother. Words that would undo some of the awkwardness, that would make it easier on Edith to be married to River while working for Declan. Their paths would cross and it would be less stressful if they could dissipate some of the tension between them.

  If she had to choose, Edith would choose River, and Declan didn’t want her to feel like she had to make that decision. Declan had only met a few people who he couldn’t get along with. He had to make it work with his brother.

  Declan reread the email he had been composing and then hit Send. The sun was higher in the sky now and it was too hot to work outside. When he had started at five in the morning, it had been cool, but humid. He liked to sit at the wrought iron table beneath one of the balconies. The shade kept him cooler and the view was spectacular. The bed-and-breakfast had put considerable time into landscaping their outdoor property into a thick garden with a walking trail lined with redbrick paving stones. Birdhouses hung from an oak tree.

  Two men in suits rounded the corner of the bed-and-breakfast’s entrance. Declan stood. There had been enough going on around Shadow Creek that strangers were a cause for concern. Declan didn’t recognize the men as being from the sheriff’s office, although they walked like
they were cops. Their tan-colored suits were unusual and the pastel shirts a different choice. They looked like twin toddlers getting ready for church.

  “Declan Sinclair?” the one in the pale yellow shirt asked.

  “How can I help you?” Declan closed his laptop.

  The men flashed badges at him.

  “FBI Special Agents Monroe and Fielder. We have a few questions for you.” Yellow Shirt, Special Agent Monroe, spoke again. Green Shirt was silent, standing a few steps back, hands at his sides, one resting on his gun.

  Declan had thought the authorities were watching the Colton children for signs that Livia would show. Perhaps it was a private investigator whom Declan had seen. Livia had made plenty of enemies who might want to know her whereabouts. Declan also wondered if Livia had someone working for her, possibly gathering information around town.

  Declan didn’t volunteer information. He had his reasons for being in Shadow Creek and wasn’t interested in talking about them with the FBI.

  “Have you seen Livia Colton in Shadow Creek in the last two weeks?” Monroe asked.

  Declan shook his head. “Haven’t heard from her since she tried to kidnap my assistant, Edith. I’m sure you have my statement about that incident.”

  The agents exchanged glances. Declan didn’t know what that meant.

  “You’ve been spending time with Jade Colton,” Special Agent Monroe said.

  It wasn’t a secret, but it wasn’t something he was announcing around town. The FBI must be watching Jade.

  Declan didn’t want them poking into his relationship with Jade. He wanted that part of his life as separate from Livia as possible. “Hard to throw a rock and not hit a Colton around Shadow Creek.”

  Special Agent Monroe removed his suit jacket. The yellow shirt was short-sleeved and his white tank top showed through the fabric.

  “You’ve been following the Colton children,” Declan said. It wasn’t a question.

  “We’re looking for Livia Colton and following every lead possible,” Special Agent Fielder said.