Rummaging in his pocket, he pulled out a wallet and extracted a creased photograph. “This was her, holding who we thought was Ace in the hospital. She had no idea any of this ever happened.”
Accepting the snapshot, Jake’s breath caught in his chest. His mother had been beautiful, with long, dirty-blond hair and a kind, expressive face. Tessa. The woman who’d carried him, birthed him and lost him, had never known her baby had been switched. And now she never would. Jake couldn’t believe she was dead. Ace must have forgotten to mention that. Jake nodded, struggling to find the right words. To his surprise, tears stung the backs of his eyes, too. “She’s lovely,” he managed, passing the photograph back. “I would have loved to meet her.”
“I would have liked that as well,” the old rancher said. Turning slowly, he eyed Ace and beckoned him over. “You’re both my sons, no matter what. Please understand that.”
Ace smiled. “Thanks, Dad.” He raised his head and sniffed the air. “That food smells insanely good. When are we going to eat?”
“Let Jake meet the others first,” Payne chided, seemingly oblivious to the way his current wife continued to glare at his back. “Come on, Jake. Let me introduce you and your lovely friend to the rest of the family.”
Grabbing Fiona’s hand, Jake followed his father. He met his full sister Ainsley, an attorney for Colton Oil, and her fiancé, fellow lawyer Santiago Morales. Next his brother Grayson, a first responder who kept his arm around his date, Savannah. Then his younger half sister, Marlowe, a pretty blonde who said she was the current CEO of Colton Oil, her fiancé, Bowie, and their baby son, Reed. Her twin Callum, a muscular man who said he worked as a bodyguard, appeared with his live-in love, Hazel, and her daughter, Evie. Hazel was a chef and had prepared their dinner this evening. Ace’s daughter Nova, visibly pregnant, smiled shyly while her beau, Nikolas, shook Jake’s hand. Rafe Colton, Payne’s adopted son, was there with his fiancée, Detective Kerry Wilder, and so were Marlowe’s and Callum’s brother, Asher, and his love, Willow, with their baby daughters. Jake also met a petite, slender woman with reddish-blond hair named Sierra Madden, Ace’s girlfriend. Triplet cousins Spencer, Bella, and Jarvis Colton—along with their respective partners, Katrina, Holden, and Mia, plus Mia’s son, Silas—were also in attendance.
Selina, Payne’s second wife, had apparently declined to attend, as Jake saw no sign of her.
By the time the introductions had finished, Jake felt better. He’d give himself a fifty-fifty shot at remembering the names, but everyone seemed kind and easygoing.
“Time for dinner,” Genevieve announced, her soft voice matching her large, kind eyes. They all traipsed after her to a large formal dining room. Inside, an amazing Western-style, cedarwood table had been set with plates of every color. The decor seemed like a mix between Western and a Mexican fiesta. Elegant, yet homey. He liked it a lot.
“Fiestaware,” Fiona breathed. “My favorite.”
“There are place cards on the table,” Genevieve continued, her formal tone softening some as she looked at the twins. “I know Hazel has prepared an amazing meal for us tonight.”
With much scraping of chairs, they all sat down to eat. Looking around at his new family, a sense of peace settled in Jake’s heart. These, he thought, were his people. Someday he might be able to sit at this table and feel as if he belonged here. Tonight would be the start of something good.
Chapter 8
“You know what? I don’t want to go back to the AAG center,” Fiona murmured, her head resting comfortably on Jake’s broad shoulder, after dinner. “That was some seriously good company. And the food...” She rolled her eyes, even though he couldn’t see. “Wow. Just wow.”
“Better buckle up,” he advised, smoothing her hair away from her face. The husky note in his voice heated her blood. “You know as well as I do that we both have to go back.”
He was right. After all, they couldn’t sit in the Colton ranch and make out like a couple of horny kids in the front seat of his truck. With great reluctance, she slid back into the passenger side and fastened the seat belt. “Did you enjoy yourself?” she asked.
“Yeah, I haven’t tasted carne asada that good outside of a pricey restaurant,” he replied.
She glanced up at him. He stared straight ahead, his concentration on the road as he drove, but there’d been a hint of remoteness in his voice. As if he’d shut down to avoid dealing with what surely had to be a tangled web of emotions.
Her phone pinged, indicating a text. Can you talk? Holden texted.
“I need to make a call,” she told Jake. “Work related. It’ll just take a second.” Then, instead of texting Holden back, she punched in the number to call him.
“What’s up?” she asked.
“Not much,” he answered, his tone cheerful. “I wanted to check in with you and see if you’ve learned anything new.”
“I might. That depends.” She told him about the basement and the possibility of cells or a jail of some sort under the house. “I’m working on trying to gain access,” she said. “They also had me working on some poor college freshman, trying to get him to sign up for seminars at a grand a pop. They prey on people who are desperate enough to try anything.”
“True. Unfortunately, as long as their victims receive what they were promised for their money, it’s not a crime.”
“I know. But there’s more, though I don’t have concrete evidence yet. Our intel is correct. Micheline is planning something big, though I haven’t been able to learn yet what it might be. I’m trying really hard to gain the welcome coordinator’s confidence.”
“Leigh?”
“Yep. And they’ve assigned me to get close to the son in order to get him to stick around.” She shot a quick glance at Jake, who continued to watch the road, though she knew he was listening.
“What’s he like?” Holden asked.
“Jake? Oh, he’s all right,” she replied, grinning. “He’s easy on the eyes, so that helps.”
“Well, that’s good, I suppose. As long as he’s not another one of those crazy cult members.” Holden sounded amused. “Keep me posted if anything changes.”
She promised she would and ended the call. “My colleague,” she explained. “I try to keep him updated periodically, but I can only do it when I’m not at the center.”
“Makes sense.” He eyed her thoughtfully. “Is it hard to play your role?”
“Sometimes,” she admitted. “Especially when I have to do something that’s abhorrent to me, like try and fleece a young college student. But I know it’s for the greater good in the end. Once we get enough information to arrest and convict Micheline, I’ll be proud of myself for doing my job so well.”
“I’ll be looking forward to that day, too.”
A thought occurred to her. Crazy, maybe. But she could use all the help she could get.
“Maybe you should play along, too,” she said, not sure how he’d receive this idea.
As she’d expected, Jake shot her an incredulous look. “Play along how?”
“Well, clearly Micheline needs you for some part of her plan. What if you were a willing participant?” When he started to speak, she held up her hand. “Hear me out. As you know, Micheline is all about two things. Money and power. If you can convince her that you crave those as well, she might be willing to let you in on her little plan.”
“The woman switched me with another baby at birth.” The flat note in his voice and the tight set of his jaw spoke volumes. “Why would she care what I want?”
The more she considered, the more she liked the idea. “If it benefits her, she’ll care a lot.”
“No.” Just that. Nothing more.
“I understand.” She shrugged. “I’ll admit that I’m disappointed, too, but I get it. Sort of.”
As she’d suspected it might, her response earned her another sharp, sideways
glance.
“It’d make your skin crawl,” she continued. “I know it does mine. Everything that woman stands for is the opposite of my own beliefs.”
“But if in the end, what you do helps keep her from hurting other people, it’s worth it,” Jake finished for her. “No need to pile it on any thicker. I get it. I’ll do it. Or at least try. What do you suggest?”
Now it was her turn to eye him. “Tell her you want to meet with her. Refuse to take no for an answer. Then, when you do, tell her you want something in return for all the grief she’s caused you. Play it by ear. I guarantee she’ll relate.”
“Oh, she’ll relate,” he said, his voice grim. “Greed is one of her highest motivators.”
Fiona nodded. “Remember, don’t do anything that will put you in any sort of danger. But if you can get her to think you’re completely on board, and she might stand to gain financially, then you might be able to learn something important.”
“Why not?” he said. “It’ll keep me from getting bored, plus I’ll feel as if I’m actually contributing toward Micheline’s downfall.”
He spoke without rancor, his tone matter-of-fact. She wondered what all he’d seen in his seventeen years with a woman who’d never wanted him and certainly hadn’t loved him. She considered it a small miracle that Jake had grown up relatively unscathed.
“Did someone help you?” she asked. “After you left home? Seventeen is awfully young for a kid to be on his own. Did you even have any money?”
“Actually, I did. Micheline had me homeschooled, so I didn’t have any friends my own age. I started working at Burger Barn when I was sixteen. Micheline didn’t know. By then, she was already busy starting up her foundation.” He grimaced. “The people I worked with—other teens mostly—were my first real friends. Despite the temptation to party with them, I saved every penny I made. Because I already had a plan. I also managed to keep it hidden from Micheline. If she’d found it, she wouldn’t have had any qualms about taking every cent.”
“That doesn’t surprise me,” Fiona remarked.
“Yeah. And I did have help. I used some of my money to buy an old motorcycle. I headed north, figuring I’d keep going until I found a place that felt right.”
He went quiet for a moment, clearly lost in his thoughts. “I was driving through this small ranching town when I saw someone toss a kitten from a car window. I pulled over, and the little thing was still alive, though injured. I picked it up and drove to the veterinary clinic I’d just passed.” He shook his head. “They were amazing. The vet, an older man named John Letcalf, rushed the kitten into emergency surgery to repair a broken jaw. They let me hang out in the waiting room and gave me a drink and some chips. I think they knew...”
Watching him, her heart swelled. He’d been through so much.
After a moment, he continued. “In the end, Dr. Letcalf fixed the kitten and promised to find it a home. And he offered me a job and a place to stay.” His voice had gone rough. “If not for him and his wife, I don’t know what would have happened to me.”
Fascinated, she nodded. “So you worked at the vet clinic?”
“No. Actually, he and his wife lived on a ranch. He hired me on as a ranch hand. It was a big enough place that the hands had their own bunkhouse. I learned everything I know today about cattle ranching from that job. Believe me, it wasn’t anything near as fancy as the Coltons’ operation, but was a profitable, working cattle ranch.”
“Is that the same one you own now?” she asked.
“No. Dr. Letcalf’s wife got dementia. He retired, sold the veterinary clinic to two of his partners. His son took over the ranch. He let me stay on, but I knew it would be only temporary. When one of the neighboring ranches went up for sale, I bought it. It’s much smaller—only a couple hundred acres—but works for me.”
“I’m impressed.” She smiled at him. “Let me guess. You saved up every penny you made working for Dr. Letcalf.”
He nodded. “You would be correct. I wasn’t able to pay cash for the place, but I had more than enough for a hefty down payment. Still, Dr. Letcalf had to cosign for me. I had no credit history at all.”
Unable to resist, she reached over and touched his arm. “Still, you overcame tremendous odds and made something of yourself.”
“Thanks.” He glanced at her, making her wish it wasn’t too dark to read his expression. “What about you? What’s your story?”
“I grew up in Phoenix. My father was a police officer and my mother a teacher. I was an only child. I had a basic, boring, wholesome childhood.” She swallowed hard. “It was great, actually. Until the day my dad was killed by a drunk driver. Life changed in an instant.”
“I’m sorry,” he said.
She nodded. “Thanks. After that happened, I focused my entire life’s purpose on becoming a cop. When I got to college, I took criminal justice classes. The FBI recruited me right after graduation, and here I am.”
“That’s impressive, too,” he told her.
“Maybe. I always wished my dad were alive to see what I’ve done with my life.”
“I’m sure he knows. What about your mother?”
“Oh, she’s proud, though she can’t really relate. She retired from teaching and keeps busy with a bunch of volunteer work. She still lives in the same house I grew up in, though she’s remarried.”
They turned down the long drive leading to the AAG Center.
“I wonder how she came up with this idea,” Fiona mused of the AAG. “Even her catchphrase is kind of general, as if she couldn’t think of anything better.”
“She was working toward something like this even when I was a young child,” Jake said. “Because she truthfully believes everyone else is an idiot, she always used short, catchy sound bites.” He shrugged. “It seems to have worked out for her.”
“Yeah.” Fiona shuddered. “But try sitting through seminar after seminar, hearing Be Your Best You over and over. Now, whenever someone says it, I fight the urge to be sick.”
He laughed. “Well, we’re here. You’d better get ready to put your game face on.”
“I’m ready,” she said, though she was reluctant to get out of the car. “What about you? Are you sure you’re up for this?”
Slowly, he nodded. “I like that you’re giving me the option of saying no. But I really want to help, even if every time I have to be nice to that woman, I want to vomit. It helps to know you can relate.”
“Oh, can I ever.” She got out of the truck, waiting for him to join her. Together, they walked back toward the house. When he took her hand, interlacing his fingers with hers, warmth blossomed inside her. Right before they reached the front porch, she turned to face him. “Good luck with Micheline.”
“Thanks. I might even go look for her tonight.”
* * *
As it turned out, Jake didn’t have to go through all of the trouble of badgering Micheline for a meeting. She appeared at his door moments after he got in himself. Good. After meeting his family and seeing the ranch, he now understood what all she’d taken from him. At least Payne had survived. Jake felt bad enough that he’d lost the opportunity to meet his late mother. He was grateful he’d have the chance to get to know his father.
Now, he braced himself for the confrontation about to come. At least she knocked this time.
“Micheline?” He didn’t have to pretend to be surprised. “What are you doing here?”
“I’ve been waiting for you to come back,” she said. “A little birdie told me you paid a visit to the Rattlesnake Ridge Ranch.”
Which meant she must have already spoken to Fiona across the hall. “I did,” he replied. “I can’t believe that all of that could have been mine. My little ranch is nothing compared to that spread.” He glared at her, keeping his expression hard. “You owe it to me to help me figure out a way to get part of that place. They view me
as an outsider and likely always will. Since you switched me with Ace forty years ago, it’s on you to make sure I’m not cheated out of what’s rightfully mine.”
Mouth slightly agape, she stared at him. “How do you suggest I do that?”
Instead of answering, he crossed his arms.
She crossed the room, going to his small window and pushing aside the curtains. “I may have an idea or two,” she said thoughtfully. “But as I’m sure you’ve already guessed, I’ll want a cut.”
“A cut?” This was the tricky part. “Why would I give you anything? You’re the one who basically ruined my life.”
“If you want my help, you’ve got to be willing to pay,” she snapped. Then, softening her tone, she continued. “Look, I’m pretty sure there’s a way we can work together, but it’s got to be mutually beneficial.”
Boom. Slowly, he nodded, though he kept his jaw tight. “I’m listening.”
She began to pace back and forth, making the short distance in a few strides, as if standing at the front of one of her packed lecture halls. “You have something of value now, Jake. Yourself. You’re one of them, a Colton. They don’t want to lose you again. We just need to figure out a way to make them understand they owe you. All those years when they were raising someone else’s child...” She stopped, gazing off into the distance, her eyes slightly unfocused.
It took an effort, but Jake managed to refrain from shaking his head. An act. He’d seen her play this one before. Maybe her persona had become so ingrained in her, she couldn’t help but carry on with her role-playing. She probably no longer remembered how to be honest or human. “You know some guy tried to pass himself off as the baby who was switched.”
“I heard. Payne Colton mentioned him. Jace Smith.”
“Yeah. He thought he could pull his own con. Little did he know that I was Luella Smith.”
“That’s your real name?” He couldn’t help but gape.
“Micheline Anderson is who I am.” She shrugged, the movement both elegant and weirdly frenetic. “He went away finally. I’m sure the Coltons must have asked for a DNA test.”
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