by C. J. Miller
“I feel a connection to you, as well. I didn’t expect that,” Declan said.
Jade set out two plates, wineglasses and utensils, and Declan popped the cork on the wine. He poured them each a glass.
Accepting the proffered drink, she drank deeply. The wine went to her head, warmth spreading through her body. Her shoulders relaxed and she stepped toward Declan.
“Then if you think something is going to happen, why aren’t you worried?” Jade asked.
“Why would I be worried?” he asked.
“I’m a Colton. That worries people.” The protesters in town, the sheriff, most of Livia’s victims and associates and most recently Phil Siefert’s wife.
“That doesn’t bother me. You’re a kind woman with a good heart. I’ve seen that time and again.”
She wanted to be those things. Jade wanted to throw off the hurtful legacy her mother had left and embrace the life she wanted. Her farm would be successful because of the love and attention and work she put into it. When she walked into town, it would not be with whispers chasing her and sideways looks tossed in her direction. She would wave to the people she knew and smile at friends. After a while, her mother’s crimes would be forgotten because of the good deeds Jade was doing. Wishful thinking, perhaps. “Thank you. I’m trying to change what the name Colton means in this town.”
“I can tell. There’s nothing about you that makes me think of the crimes Livia committed.”
If Jade were taller, she could kiss Declan. She could wrap her hand around his neck and pull his mouth to hers.
Declan took a sip of his drink. “This is good.”
She didn’t want to talk about wine. Going for it, she pulled his mouth to hers. He didn’t resist. She kissed him long and slow. His lips tasted sweet.
Declan had his hands on her shoulders. He deepened the kiss and his hands moved to her back. Jade arched into him, wishing they didn’t have clothes between them. Being skin to skin with him would be amazing. Underneath his business attire, she imagined he was built strong. Her hands verified the thought, her fingers digging into the tight muscles of his shoulders.
Her heart was pounding with excitement, urging her forward.
His hands slid to her hips and then to her rear. He lifted her and she wrapped her legs around his waist. Carrying her to the counter, he set her down, remaining between her thighs.
“Don’t you want to eat?” he asked.
She took his face in her hands. “No. I don’t care about that.”
Declan kissed her again. Tongues dueled. Hands explored. Hearts pounded. She forgot about dinner and focused only on Declan.
Chapter 6
When Declan broke away, he ran a hand through his ruffled hair. “Wow.” Every other time Jade had seen Declan, he’d looked put together. Now he looked disheveled and she liked that. “We should slow down. Have some dinner.”
Her pride took a beating. If he could break away that easily, was he not into her? He helped her off the counter and they sat at the table. Declan spread out the food, a wide range of dishes from a gourmet restaurant in Austin.
They ate and after a couple awkward moments, conversation flowed, along with the wine. He looked at her and touched her casually in a way that made her feel special and wanted. A brush of his hand, his foot resting beside hers underneath the table. Like slow and deliberate foreplay that did nothing to clear the daze of excitement from her thoughts.
Jade was out of her element. Declan was tough to read. His plate was clear, but he was sipping his wine. She made a move to clarify her intentions. She stood and pushed his chair away from the table. Sitting in his lap, she threaded her hands around the back of his neck. “Are you finished with dinner?”
“What’s the plan?” he asked, setting his wineglass on the table.
“To take it easy tonight.” She pressed a kiss to his lips.
With the right amount of firmness, their chemistry sizzling, he returned the kiss. His hands wrapped around her back and Jade let herself fall into the dizzying sensation of being in his arms.
* * *
Three hours after they finished their dinner, Declan left Jade’s place. If he didn’t leave, their relationship would escalate and move into her bedroom and he sensed neither of them was ready for that. Being on the same page physically wasn’t the same as being in the right place as a couple. Declan liked Jade enough to wait until it was right before moving forward with their relationship. Advancing too fast would torpedo an otherwise good thing.
Their attraction was off the charts, but she was still Livia Colton’s daughter and that presented challenges.
Edith knew the truth about his and River’s father, but it was a sad, twisted story and Declan hated talking about it. He hated admitting that Livia Colton had torn his family apart almost easily. Livia’s affair with his father, Matthew, had broken Declan’s mother’s heart. The result of that affair was River, and Declan wasn’t clear if his father had known he’d had another son.
Matthew had been obsessed with Livia. Obsessed to the point that nothing mattered except being with her. When that wasn’t possible, Matthew had lost it. He had committed suicide and Declan’s mother had abandoned him.
Declan’s clothes were rumpled but, miraculously, still on. They hadn’t left his body during the course of the evening. Though Jade had explored almost everything over his clothes, under them, his body was humming.
The dark sedan Declan had seen several times lingering around the Coltons was parked on the street. Special Agents Monroe and Fielder? Declan strode to the car and tapped on the window.
Not the FBI agents he had spoken to earlier that week and no one he recognized from the sheriff’s office. Surprise registered in the driver’s face. He must not have seen Declan approaching.
“Can I help you with something?” Declan asked.
The man rolled the window down a few inches. “Mind your business.”
Declan didn’t care for that comment. “Jade Colton is my business.”
The man sighed. “I’m a reporter. I’m tracking Livia Colton.”
Declan’s intuition pinged that something was wrong, though he couldn’t put his finger on what. “Jade is not harboring a fugitive. If she saw Livia, she would call the sheriff.”
The reporter narrowed his eyes. “I’m not looking for trouble. I want to find Livia, get the story of her escape and collect the reward money for helping to bring her to justice.”
Livia wouldn’t share her story without something in return. “Why don’t you believe me and move on? Livia Colton is not here.”
The reporter shrugged and started the engine of the car. “We’ll see about that.” He drove away from the farm, tires squealing as he turned out of the driveway.
Declan watched him leave. His bullcrap meter was squawking. The man was not a reporter. No recording equipment and no paper. An odd sense of unease passed over Declan.
He had left Jade in her house and had waited for the bolt to lock before he had left. But she was out here alone. Like most of the farms and ranches in Shadow Creek, the wide spreads of land meant most were isolated. It took the sheriff time to respond to calls, and given Bud’s history with the Coltons, he might take his sweet time responding, if at all.
Turning around, Declan walked to Jade’s front door and knocked.
Jade peeked through the curtain before opening it. “Forget something?” The yellow dress she had worn tonight had the most enticing straps. Pushing them over her shoulders would be easy and he had been tempted several times.
“Besides you?” Declan asked.
She smiled up at him.
He hated to break her smile. “There was a man in the driveway. He said he was a reporter.”
Jade looked around Declan and folded her arms. “Was it a reporter for Ev
erything’s Blogger in Texas?”
Declan knew the Coltons had had some trouble with that particular website in the past. He had read it, but had lost interest in it. “He didn’t say which media outlet he was with, but I think he was lying.”
Worry crossed her face and Jade waved him into the house. He stepped over the threshold. She closed and locked the door behind them.
“Who do you think he was?” Jade asked, a tremble in her voice.
He hadn’t meant to upset her, but she needed to be informed. More than that, Declan wanted a plan that would help her feel safe. “I don’t know. I should have snapped his picture and asked River or Hawk to look into it.”
“River? You’d hire River for the job?” Jade asked.
Though he hadn’t progressed much with his relationship with the man, when it came to Jade, they had her best interests at heart. “He’s working for Joshua at the security company, isn’t he?”
“He is, but I’m surprised you mentioned him.”
It wasn’t the point of the story he wanted her to think about. “I’m staying here tonight. On the couch. I don’t like the idea of people watching the house. Between the guy in the sedan and the protesters, it’s better if I stick around.”
“You don’t have to do that. I’m not alone here. I have my animals,” Jade said.
“The animals won’t protect you if someone comes after you,” Declan said.
“You don’t have to sleep on the couch. I have a guest bedroom. From time to time, I have help stay with me when I have a big job that requires an early start.”
The tension in the air was thick. Declan couldn’t interpret if the reason was the sedan and the unsettling feeling it had left or because they were spending the night together in her home. Being in close proximity accented several emotions, like his desire for her and the slow progression of their relationship that, at least on a physical level, they both wanted to kick up a notch. But Declan had control and he would wait. His return to her house had everything to do with keeping her safe.
The spare bedroom was at the rear of the house, and a door led onto the back porch. Together, they made the bed in the guest bedroom with fresh sheets the color of the inside of an avocado. The room was simple, with two single beds and a small table between them, a white lamp and a black-and-red alarm clock positioned in the middle. The walls were painted tan and the hardwood floor was polished and clean. The curtains over the window were frilly and reached from the ceiling to the floor.
“I should say good-night now,” Jade said. “My day starts in a few hours.”
“We’ve already said good-night once,” Declan said. He needed his self-control to part ways with her again in the same evening. Her bedroom was across the hallway, a fact that would play on his mind all night.
Jade rose on her toes and kissed his cheek. “Night, Declan.”
Jade retreated to her bedroom and he heard the door shut. Thank God she had set the boundary. Having that clear made him sure he wouldn’t cross it.
Declan cleaned up in the bathroom and then laid on the cool sheets in his boxers. He should talk to Jade about his father and Livia. She might have heard it from River’s point of view, but it was the most painful piece of his past and sharing it with her felt important.
Realistically, and from a business perspective, after Declan was finished with La Bonne Vie, he was finished with Shadow Creek. He had no reason to return unless it was to see Edith. This place was filled with signs of Livia Colton and with that brought fresh waves of grief. To tell Jade about his mother abandoning him after his father’s death wouldn’t make her feel better.
On a personal level, there was a very important person who would make him stay in Shadow Creek: Jade. If someone had told him a year ago a Colton would change his plans, he would have laughed in their face.
Declan turned off the light and closed his eyes.
The creaking of floorboards had him bolting upright. He flipped on the light. Jade stood in the doorway of the room, wearing a pale blue tank top and printed shorts.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
Jade walked to him on the balls of her feet. Nudging him over with her knee, she lay beside him on the bed. “Nothing will happen tonight, but I need you. I need someone. I just don’t want to be alone.”
He shifted to give her more room and then closed his eyes again. Her even breathing was calm and his arm over her hip rose and fell with her chest.
* * *
When Jade woke, she realized first that she wasn’t in her bed and second that she was in bed with Declan.
She had spent the night with Declan. Except her clothes were on. There was intimacy and trust in that act, sleeping beside him.
Not wanting to wake him, she slipped from the bed and to her shower. Her animals needed to eat. Though lying in bed late would be great, her work schedule didn’t allow it. After brushing her teeth and taking a quick shower, she put on a T-shirt and shorts. Opening her bathroom door, she smelled coffee.
Declan was awake. Deep breath. They had spent the night together. She could speak to him now. It wouldn’t be awkward unless she let it.
“I made you coffee,” he said, pointing to the cup on the counter. He was wearing a white T-shirt and his dress pants. Hung over the back of her kitchen chair were his dress shirt and tie.
“Thank you,” she said. She took a sip. The right strength and heat. Perfect. She added that attribute to the list of things she liked about him: he made good coffee.
“Are you eating breakfast?” he asked.
She shook her head. “I’ll feed my animals first and then get breakfast.”
“I can cook breakfast for you,” Declan said.
Jade pointed to her refrigerator. “You won’t find much to work with.”
Declan laughed. “Understood. I’ve got a few calls to make. I’ll come back with a late breakfast in a couple of hours.”
He was being kind and attentive, but she was taking advantage of his generosity. “That’s okay. I don’t know if I’ll have time to take a break today.” None of her part-time help was coming.
Declan set his mug in the sink. He kissed the top of her head. “Everyone needs to eat. Be back soon.”
After grabbing his shirt and tie off the back of the chair, he strode out of the house. Jade watched him leave, a mix of curious and nervous. She hadn’t been looking for a relationship, but it seemed like one had found her.
* * *
Declan showered and shaved at the bed-and-breakfast and almost missed a call from SinCo’s lawyer.
“Glad I caught you this morning,” Ricardo said. Ricardo had been with Declan from the beginning. An expert in property law, he’d reached out to some colleagues to consult on the criminal issues with the embezzlement.
“What’s the word?” Declan asked. SinCo’s former employee’s misappropriation of company funds bothered him, but since coming to Shadow Creek, it had become less important. It wasn’t on his mind all the time and when it was, it was easy enough to find a distraction. He wouldn’t see that money again and he had ensured that his other employees hadn’t been impacted, using his personal funds to cover any amount missing.
But it had shaken his trust. Tim DeVega must have seen a giant dollar sign stamped on his forehead. Declan had been a boy when Livia was in her prime as a general in a crime organization, but he imagined the town had viewed her the same way, as a source of money. They had turned a blind eye to her illegal activities. The hospital she had built and the 4-H club events she had sponsored, the elaborate holiday barbecues and allowing the ranchers in the area to use her water: these were the actions of a woman who cared about her community and the other stuff was ignored.
Every picture Declan had seen of the Colton family showed Livia surrounded by her children, her face in an expression of a
dmiration and joy, as if being with her family was fulfilling and wonderful. Lies. Acting. Livia’s soul was black. She had fooled people, the town, the men who had married her, the men who she’d had affairs with; they were all pawns in her game.
Declan had contemplated her reasons for marrying so many men and having children with some of them. He wouldn’t believe for a minute that the intention was love or respect or commitment. Whatever had happened to her in her life, she must have enjoyed the attention she received from men who dated her and from people when she was pregnant. The children were traps for wealthy men to ensure Livia received payments, either during a divorce or in child support.
Some of those behaviors had to have trickled down to her sons and daughters. While Jade’s siblings seemed to be in stable relationships, Declan wondered what went on with the Colton children behind closed doors.
As he got to know Jade, he kept waiting to catch her doing something deceitful or cruel. But every experience with her was refreshingly enjoyable. Declan didn’t know how much longer that could last. Jade seemed so different from her mother. Her work was selfless, except for the satisfaction she derived from doing it. Though she didn’t seem especially close with her siblings, she was kind to them.
If she was going to behave like her mother, Declan would have expected it when the protesters had showed up at her house. But though Jade had been rattled, he hadn’t detected rage in her response.
Jade was different from her mother. Could he and Jade create enough distance from their parents that their issues didn’t pass to the next generation?
* * *
When Leonor had called earlier in the day to ask Jade to attend the opening of a new exhibit in the art museum where she worked, Jade had wanted to say no. By the end of the day, she was exhausted and driving an hour to Austin to look at artwork she didn’t understand sounded boring and a waste of her time.
