C.J. Miller - Capturing A Colton

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?”