Capturing A Colton

Her nerves were still rattled and she hadn’t cleared the fog left by the memory yet. Declan led her toward the house. He held open the screen door and she unlocked it. The kitchen was in the front of the house. Taking a seat at the wood kitchen table, Jade watched Declan. He got her a glass of water. “Headache meds anywhere?” he asked.

She pointed to the cabinet next to the black refrigerator. Her coffeepot was still half-filled, her mug and plate from breakfast in the farmhouse apron double sink.

Handing her the pills, he took a seat across from her. “Tell me what you need.”

Tossing the orange pills in her mouth, she swallowed them with water. “You are sweet to care, but I’m doing okay.”

“Then give me the farm to-do list and I’ll handle it until you’re feeling better.”

She reached across the table and covered his hands with hers. Meaning the gesture to get his attention, it did more than that. Heat vibrated between them and Jade felt desire blossoming inside her. Her crush on him was growing deeper. “I’m really okay. I wasn’t feeling well and I should have slowed down. You aren’t dressed for farm work.”

“The list,” he said. He stood and started unbuttoning his shirt.

“I don’t have an actual list.” And now that he was taking his shirt off, her mouth went dry.

In just a white T, he was something to look at. He frowned. “Then I’ll accompany you.”

Sensing he wouldn’t give up, she stood, too tired to fight and wondering why chasing him away was important. His willingness to help should be accepted with open arms. “You may find it interesting.”

“I find a lot about this farm interesting.” The look he gave her seared her to the core.

Her. He found her interesting and that was an exhilarating experience.

* * *

After spending the morning with Jade at Hill Country, Declan’s shoulders were tight. He had respect for what she did every day. He’d needed to stay to be sure she was fine. It had scared him to see her crouched in the dusty training ring and she hadn’t exactly explained what had happened.

Though he was behind on his own work, spending the morning with her had been eye-opening. Her work was tough and endless, and her devotion was admirable.

Declan showered and changed into fresh clothes and shoes and then headed to La Bonne Vie, his most recent acquisition. He had plans for the run-down mansion and the valuable land it sat on. Edith had come to Shadow Creek first to look at La Bonne Vie to fix up the house and make it inhabitable. Buying the old estate had brought Declan no satisfaction. The house was dark and haunted by the evil that had gone on there. He had tried to stay there, but nothing could fix the damage to that property; it was beyond repair. His new plan was to start paving the way with the local government toward rezoning the land into developments.

Residential neighborhoods or a commercial property would be well suited to the area. Shadow Creek was a small town, located about one hour south of Austin in the great Texas Hill Country. The perfect place to raise cattle, with rolling hills and green land, it was comprised of a central town and surrounded by cattle ranches. From Declan’s experience, it had room for growth and that meant development opportunities.

The small-town atmosphere would attract people looking for a less hurried way of life. The shops along Main Street and local businesses were quaint and welcoming. Burnout from big-city living would send people to Shadow Creek if Declan provided them the right place to live. The local schools were underpopulated, so there was room for plenty more families to settle on La Bonne Vie’s three hundred acres of land. The natural spring running through it provided the best source of water for local ranchers and was another selling point. He was already thinking of neighborhood names that brought to mind the type of living he wanted to sell: Spring Overlook, Well Wood Spring, Springcrest or Bishop’s Spring. Packaging the houses with the implication that the homes would be luxurious and the neighborhood would be elite would allow him at least a fifty percent markup on every option sold.

Though he wondered if he would catch flak from Joseph “Mac” Mackenzie, owner of the Mackenzie Ranch that bordered La Bonne Vie, Declan would overcome it. Mac was Thorne Colton’s father, the result of an affair with Livia Colton while she had been married to her third husband, Wes Kingston. Livia had deflected gossip about her and Mac by concocting lies about Wes, claiming he’d mistreated her, working to ruin his reputation. Wes divorced her and left his land behind in a settlement that gave Livia full custody of both River and Thorne. Until recently, when a DNA test had proved otherwise, River had believed Wes was his father.

From what Declan knew of Mac, his affair with Livia had been out of character for him. Mac had worked as a foreman on Livia’s property. Livia hadn’t been willing to raise cattle because their noise bothered her, so Declan wondered what exactly Mac had done at La Bonne Vie.

La Bonne Vie being run-down didn’t bother him; he had seen worse properties and had made a fortune renovating them. The main house, built in a French country style, sat on top of a hill with a long drive and a fountain in front. The grand staircase inside the foyer, the seven bathrooms and eight baths, heated pools and beautiful barn: all spoke to the lifestyle Livia had led.

But the stigma La Bonne Vie carried because of what had gone on inside the house wouldn’t be scrubbed from local memory anytime soon. No one wanted to live there. It was haunted by the people whose lives Livia had destroyed. Quite a fall from grace for Livia, to move from the mansion to prison. Declan delighted in knowing the drastic change had to have been terrible for Livia. She deserved every ounce of suffering she had withstood over the last ten years.

Seeing La Bonne Vie in its current state made it easier to tear it down. Declan was removing anything that remained in the house that he could sell. Though the state had taken most obvious items of value, Declan knew how to squeeze every last penny from a property. The house had items to be sold and Declan had them taken to a nearby auction house each week, where they wouldn’t be recognized as Livia’s. When he was finished stripping the house, the structure would come down, the wreckage hauled away, and he would start new.

A new beginning for the property and perhaps, a fresh start for Declan. He hadn’t managed to outrun the ghosts of the past, but this effort was for revenge and closure.

The big fountain, thanks to the local spring on the property, was still spouting water into the algae infested bottom. The sight disgusted him, not only because of the grime, but because it represented everything Livia had been. An air of grace from a distance, but dirty and rotten close up. Livia had built everything on the backs of the people she had hurt and used. The house was dilapidated and smelled terrible from years of being vacant. The decor was outdated and water leaked in every bathroom and in the kitchen. The roof had been blown off in parts and several windows were broken. Even the work that Edith and River had done on it could not address the massive renovations needed. Those would take years. And while he didn’t have a problem putting time into a property, being in that place depressed him. His home awaited him in Louisiana and Declan couldn’t wait to return to it.

The one part of the property that had stood the test of time was the ostentatious red barn that Fabrizio, Jade’s father, had built before he’d died. It contained twelve stalls, a tack room, indoor corral, a feed room and a storage room. Aside from the indoor corral, it reminded Declan of a large version of Jade’s stable.

Declan hated being inside the house. Not a paranoid man, he was sure they would find a dead body somewhere. The police had brought out cadaver dogs when they were investigating Livia ten years before, but the land had a series of underground tunnels that had not been fully explored. No one knew exactly where those tunnels led, but Declan took great pleasure in dynamiting them closed. Livia had recently been hiding inside La Bonne Vie’s underground tunnels and run off the land. Declan would not give her an opportunity to return.

Shutting down each entrance to La Bonne Vie was like tying off a part of the past, closing that section of the town’s history. And it needed to be closed. There was nothing good about it.

Behind the house on the crumbling back porch, the construction crew had laid out items they had found.

Today’s items were a silver photo album, a gold bell and several dusty books. Declan picked them up. They might fetch a small amount of money at auction. Flipping open the photo album, he found pictures of Livia. How narcissistic. Livia with Fabrizio, her most recent late husband. In every picture, he was looking at her adoringly. Declan couldn’t imagine how Fabrizio had married her. Not even her money or beauty could hide how ugly she was inside.

Allison Rafferty Colton joined him on the covered porch. Declan had hired Rafferty Construction to help with the teardown of La Bonne Vie. He liked the pretty blonde. She was no-nonsense and direct. From what he had heard, she was married to, and shared a child with, Knox Colton. Declan didn’t hold that against her. At least, not for now. It hadn’t become a problem and it seemed in Shadow Creek, the Coltons were everywhere and into everything.

“It’s been a productive morning. We’ve removed some copper wiring from the second floor. We’ll take that to be recycled. The crew has been enjoying these treasure hunts. That’s what they call them. Person who finds the coolest trinket for the day wins.”

“What do they win?” Declan asked.

“I buy them their first round at happy hour,” Allison said.

Declan was pleased to hear the crew were at least somewhat enjoying the task. They’d work harder and get the job done faster. “Interesting collection today. Those wine bottles and racks you found sold great at auction.”

Allison glanced at the table. “I keep expecting we’ll find another secret room and it will be filled with treasure. I’ve taken the measurements of the outside of the house and of each room inside, and we could find small spaces stacked with goodies.”

“I was over at Hill Country Farm this morning.” Off topic and not what he’d intended to say. The words had popped out.

Allison nodded. “I thought I saw something between you and Jade at River and Edith’s engagement party.”

The statement made him feel defensive. “There isn’t anything between us. We just met. It was nice of her to host the engagement party.”

“Why were you at Hill Country today? Looking to buy a horse?” Allison asked.

He didn’t have time for a horse and he couldn’t read if she was being sarcastic. “I told Jade I would check in with her. Livia is still out there and seeing this done to her house has to piss her off.” Livia knew exactly what he was doing to La Bonne Vie.

Allison looked back at the house. “I figured that was part of the reason we were doing it. Knox will like seeing this place taken off the face of the earth. Nothing but heartache here.”

It was one of the first times Allison had mentioned her Colton husband. “The town doesn’t want it here. I wouldn’t have torn it down otherwise.” Not exactly true, but it helped that most of the town was happy to see it gone.

Before the town had known about the criminal enterprise Livia had helped run from La Bonne Vie, it had celebrated her and her children. They had been local celebrities. Livia had donated money to build Shadow Creek Memorial Hospital. Her name had been on the chapel inside the hospital, which had been renamed after her conviction. Her generosity had been the veil covering the truth of Livia Colton’s life.

She was a liar, murderer and a thief and used people like disposable lives.

“I’ll let you know if we find anything of major interest,” Allison said. She returned to the house and Declan was left alone with his thoughts.

The finality of destroying La Bonne Vie would be the jewel in the crown of Livia being found and arrested. Staying away from her home was impossible; she had just stayed there for weeks. When she was caught, Declan would campaign for her to be transferred to the most secure prison in the South.

Livia Colton wouldn’t see the light of day again.

* * *

Declan’s nerves were tight. Another conference call with SinCo’s lawyers and another week had gone by since Tim DeVega, SinCo’s former accountant, had taken off with over two hundred thousand dollars, embezzling the money and then disappearing. Declan refused to let DeVega go without pursuit. The authorities hadn’t found him, but Declan wouldn’t give up. He had hired private investigators to track DeVega down.

The money was important, but it was more than that. It had cost Declan a deal in progress when he hadn’t had the cash on hand to close. He was heavily invested in his real estate company. After acquiring one property and finalizing the development plans, he was quick to move forward with another property. Each sale netted him more money, and the more properties he turned over, the better.

He had his eye on three burned-out apartment buildings in Killeen, located in central Texas. The structures had been built in the twenties, renovated over a dozen times, each time cutting a few corners, until a fire had demolished all three. The violated building codes had made the apartments a hazard. Declan wanted to buy the destroyed buildings cheaply, tear them down and construct a luxury condo community with a view of the nearby lake.

Leaving the B and B in Shadow Creek, he stopped at the Cozy Diner. He ordered two meals to go. Though he wasn’t obligated to, he wanted to check in on Jade. Her concerns about her mother were well-founded. Recently, in an absolutely terrifying ordeal, Livia had kidnapped Edith and had almost killed her. Understanding Livia’s motives were impossible, except to say they were selfish.

When he had seen Jade kneeling on the ground, head in her hands, he had been scared and worried, borderline panicked. That reaction was a surprise to him. Caring for someone he knew so little about wasn’t like him. He kept people at a distance for a reason. His father had betrayed their family, his mother had left, and during almost every other experience he’d had in foster care and in the business world, he’d had to watch his back. Keeping a cool distance from others was in his comfort zone.

Carrying the handled plain brown bag from the Cozy Diner, Declan stepped out of the car. He’d parked in front of Jade’s house, which seemed to be the heart of the farm. Across the street was parked a dark sedan with tinted windows. It might have been the same one from the night of Edith’s engagement party. Not very subtle. The FBI couldn’t know how much the Colton children were involved with Livia, and Livia could show up any place, any time. Her connections and access to funds made her hard to catch.

Jade was in the round pen with a horse. She was wearing tan boots and tight khaki pants. Her white collared shirt fit her curves, giving her a casual and sexy appearance. In her hand was a long rope attached to the horse’s halter, and she turned as the horse moved. Watching her, he was captivated again by her intensity and focus. He approached the five-foot-high slatted fence. Not wanting to break her concentration, he waited.

After a few seconds, she turned to him and waved. The smile on her face socked him in the gut. She was beautiful. He motioned for her to come over. She said something to her horse and then approached.

“Hey, stranger,” she said. “Two days in a row. How did I get so lucky?”

“I told you I would come by. I know you’re anxious about what’s been going on around Shadow Creek.”

Jade looked over her shoulder. “I’ve called Shadow Creek home all my life and I love the wide-open spaces. But I’ve been starting to wish I wasn’t as isolated out here. It gets creepy.”

“Do you have time to take a break?” He held up the bag. Not mentioning the incident from the day before, it crossed his mind a filling meal would help her through the day.

“Let me take Tiny to graze. Then yes, thank you—that sounds great.”

As Jade took care of her horse, Declan looked to where he had seen the dark sedan. It was gone. Many Coltons in the region meant the authorities had to split their time. Couldn’t sit on Jade’s farm around the clock. Though Declan liked the idea of them being close in case Livia approached her daughter, from what Declan knew of the local authorities, led by Sheriff Bud Jeffries, he couldn’t count on them to keep the Coltons safe. Bud didn’t hide his blatant dislike for the Coltons. Bud Jeffries wasn’t an idiot, but he was inept and stubborn. He wanted to run the sheriff’s office in his own way and he didn’t like anyone telling him what to do.

Jade appeared again. She walked with a swagger and the sway of her hips captivated him. Declan was lost. She was everything a Texas woman should be, except that she was the daughter of his enemy.

“We can eat under the acacia tree,” she said, pointing a distance away from the house.

He followed her and then sat in the grass beneath the tree, enjoying the shade. Declan set out the food, letting Jade pick first. She selected the club sandwich: turkey, black forest ham and roast beef, cucumbers, tomatoes and lettuce on a fresh sub roll. Declan unwrapped his cold cut with ham, salami and bologna on a wheat roll with mayonnaise and tomato.

“I asked the waitress at the Cozy Diner for the two best sellers,” Declan said.

“Good choice. They’re both great picks,” Jade said, taking a bite of sandwich. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the tree.

They ate in comfortable silence.

“I appreciate this, Declan,” Jade said. “I sometimes forget to take breaks and it catches up to me.”

“Is that what happened yesterday?” he asked.

After a thoughtful moment, she shook her head. “That was just a bunch of problems and worries catching up to me. My farm hasn’t been open long and while I love the work, there’s so much of it. It will be years before I’m out from under the paperwork and the financial pressures. I run this place on donations and the occassional horse sale, and I try hard not to dip too often into my salary, but it’s hard. I want to do all I can for the animals and it’s never enough. I’ve been giving riding lessons when I have time for extra money, but not all my horses are amenable or able to do that, and it takes away from working with the horses that need the most attention.”

Declan didn’t like to talk about money outside a business setting. When he had been younger and had none, he hadn’t felt like enough. When he had finally made his fortune, he had learned that friends weren’t necessarily happy that his hard work had paid off. A few even resented his fortune. Some expected he would give them money when they needed it, even when their definition of need—a brand-new car, a trip to a tropical island, a coveted piece of jewelry—didn’t align with his. Some criticized presents as not being extravagant enough. It was the ugly side of having money and people knowing it.

Jade took a sip from one of the water bottles he’d bought at the Cozy Diner. “One of my biggest costs is the veterinary bills. The horses come to me in various states of bad health. If I were a veterinarian, I could treat my horses without that expense. Don’t get me wrong. I have a great vet who doesn’t charge me nearly what she could. But it’s a big part of the budget.”

Becoming a veterinarian to treat her horses didn’t seem like the most time-or cost-effective option. Raising the money herself or finding a marketable product to supplement her income would be easier. Jade had a great place and he could think of several moneymaking opportunities. “Do you plan to go to vet school?”

Jade sighed. “I can’t. Every penny I have is wrapped up in this place. I wouldn’t have the time and I can’t afford to hire anyone to run the farm. And as much as I’m ashamed to admit this, I don’t even know if I could get into veterinary school. My grades in high school were bad and I haven’t gone to college.”

“Yet you’ve figured out how to purchase land and set up this elaborate horse rehabilitation business. You must have a knack for animals and numbers. If you were interested, you could go to school for business, learn ways to grow your farm.”

Jade stretched her legs out in front of her. “You think I could do that?”

“I know your time is limited, but you could manage.” She could find a way if she were resourceful.

“Wow, thanks, Declan. I appreciate the vote of support. I can’t say that formal school appealed to me before opening the farm. I had a complicated childhood and that led to a confusing adolescence where I looked for attention in the wrong places. If it wasn’t for Mac, I would have gone way, way off the skids. Probably would be working some dead-end job that paid nothing and counting down to the end of the shift. At least with the farm, I love what I do. The hours pass quickly. There are days when I don’t have enough hours to finish. I’m never bored here.”

Declan knew of Mac and had heard good things about the older man from Edith. He had been involved with Livia and managed to leave her without being killed. He owned a ranch in the area and, since reuniting with Edith, had been good to her. “That’s great that you had someone to help you.”

He hadn’t had anyone who’d cared for him in that way. Not a single foster parent took an interest in him. He was a paycheck to them and while he wasn’t ever mistreated, he had never felt the consuming love of family. Edith was the only person in his life who had shared his triumphs and failures.

Jade’s eyes were bright when she looked at him. “For all my misfortune being a Colton, I’ve been blessed.”

Declan wasn’t sure what to make of Jade and that statement. His attraction to her defied explanation and while he had expected someone cold and hard, the warm and generous woman in front of him was a pleasant surprise.

“Can I be blunt with you?” Jade asked.

“I appreciate honesty,” Declan said. He anticipated a question about Edith or River, or maybe his father. He wasn’t quick to talk about any of those subjects, but he was curious what was on Jade’s mind.

“Why did you buy La Bonne Vie?” Jade asked.

Without getting into the emotional reasons for his decision, he could lay out his plan. “It’s a valuable property. The house poses a problem, but I’m tearing that down. I’ll divide up the land and use it for commercial or residential properties.”

Jade frowned. If she had sentimental attachment to her childhood home, he was sorry about that. He hadn’t meant to speak bluntly about the house, but when he spoke of business, he left emotion out of it.

Jade set her sandwich on the wrapper. “Do you think I could visit?”

“The house?” he asked. It was being taken apart by Rafferty Construction. Given Jade’s connection to Allison, she had to know that. Having anyone walk around in the middle of the teardown was dangerous.

“Yes. This might sound strange to you because my mother did bad things in that house, but I’ve had nightmares about that place for years. I’ve never visited, even when the state owned it, because it holds terrible memories and I wasn’t ready to confront them. But I’m ready now.” She lifted her chin.

He admired her courage. He knew all about the ghosts of the past and how they seemed to howl when they were needed the least. “Are you sure you want to see it? You could wait until it’s torn down.” Might give her a sense of peace to know that it was gone.

“No, I need to see it. As it is. I remember the house being huge and grand and I remember my mother moving through hallways like a queen. I want to watch it burn.”

Chapter 3

Like still photographs in her mind, Jade pictured La Bonne Vie. It meant “the good life,” in French, but for her, it was anything but.

Her father being struck in the head by Livia. His body unmoving on the ground. Hurt and pain. Livia flirting with men, touching their chests with her fingertips, leaning close, rubbing against them. Confusion and anger. Livia flying into a rage because something had happened or she’d perceived a slight. Fear. Livia calling to her children, asking them to line up along the grand staircase, looking them over for imperfections, like a hair out of place or not wearing the complete outfit she had purchased for them. As if wearing the wrong-colored socks would distort the image of the Coltons as the perfect family. Resentment and more confusion why they only mattered when other people were watching.