Black Sheep Heir

by Yvonne Lindsay

  Miles and Chloe settled into the back of the SUV, and Sebastian and Sutton took the front. As they headed toward home and passed through Royal, Miles noted the familiar landmarks and wished he’d thought to book a room at the Bellamy just so he and Chloe would have some space away from the rest of his family. Yes, the Wingate mansion was huge and the land sprawled over many acres, but he knew he’d be on tenterhooks until they were on a plane back to Chicago again.

  He reached across the leather seats and took Chloe’s right hand. Even she seemed tenser than he’d known her so far. Her gaze was fixed on the passing scenery and her entirely kissable lips had firmed into a straight line. He leaned over to whisper in her ear. “If you’re not comfortable at the house, we can check in at a hotel. Okay?”

  She turned her face to his and gave him a brittle smile. “I’ll be fine. Just don’t abandon me.”

  “I’ll try not to but I will have to go into work with my brothers,” he said, keeping his voice low. “If I have to leave you, I’ll make sure you’re in good hands, I promise. My sister Beth will welcome your company, I’m sure.”

  “And you have another sister, too, don’t you?”

  “Yes, Harley. She’s living in Thailand at the moment. Both my sisters are heavily involved in charity work.”

  Sutton looked over from the front passenger seat. “Sharing family secrets, Miles? Or uttering sweet nothings?”

  “I apologize. My brother thinks he’s a comedian,” Miles said as he straightened. He made a point of not letting Chloe’s hand go.

  Her smile became even more strained, and she turned her attention back out the window. He’d handled this all wrong, and she was clearly overwhelmed by his family’s obvious wealth. He knew it made some people uncomfortable. They should have taken a regular flight out of Chicago and hired a car. That way they would have had total independence. Hell, he probably shouldn’t have brought Chloe along at all. Talk about baptism by fire. Well, he’d do the job he came to do and that would be it. They’d be back in Chicago and back to discovering all there was to know about each other in no time.

  * * *

  Chloe felt her entire body cringe as they drove onto the Wingate estate. She’d been here once, as a child, the summer before she turned eight and her world, as she knew it, had disintegrated. Trent and Ava Wingate had hosted a massive picnic and invited all their local staff and business associates. There’d been bouncy castles and pony rides and a magician. It had been like a fantasyland and left her completely overwhelmed by everything, and she had clung to her mother like a limpet.

  “Don’t worry,” she heard Miles say from beside her. “It’s not as imposing as it looks and I have it on good authority that my family won’t bite.”

  She dragged her thoughts from the past. “Good to know. And, as to imposing? I’ll get back to you on that.”

  The road to the house began to rise slightly, and there on the highest point of the gently rolling hills, stood a large mansion. Oh, it was imposing all right. A mix of Southwestern and California ranch architectural styles, the cream stone and stucco building dominated the knoll on which it was built. It certainly wasn’t your average family home.

  Sebastian rolled the SUV to a halt outside the front of the building, and Chloe was quick to alight from the vehicle. She drew in a deep breath and was assailed with the scents of home. Pasture, animals, clean air. It was what she’d taken so much for granted growing up. Her family’s home hadn’t been terribly far from here, and while they hadn’t lived anywhere near the grandiose scale of the Wingates, they’d been affluent enough. Until Trent Wingate had done the dirty on her father, she reminded herself and steeled herself for the welcome that was apparent on the face of the woman coming through the front door.

  A few inches taller than Chloe, Beth Wingate had a thin but elegant build. Her dark blond hair hung long and straight and she looked amazing in the designer sundress she’d teamed with a matching pair of flat shoes that took a little of the edge off her sophistication.

  “Miles! So good to see you!” She flew toward her younger brother and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. “It’s been too long since you’ve been home.”

  “So y’all keep telling me,” Miles answered, hugging her back with a wide grin on his face.

  He seemed far more comfortable with his sister than he’d been with the twins, Chloe realized.

  Another woman appeared in the doorway. Thin and looking a bit frail, Chloe recognized Ava Wingate immediately. Grief and time had tinged her hair, once the same color as Beth’s and Miles’s, with gray but her gray-green eyes were sharp and clear. Chloe felt a moment of anxiety. Would Ava recognize her? She’d changed a lot from the shy seven-year-old who’d been here last time. Maybe she should have stopped and thought about this a bit more before suggesting she accompany Miles. She could bump into anyone who’d once known her parents , and she looked enough like her mom that someone might actually recognize her. A sick feeling took up residence in her stomach.

  “Miles, welcome home,” his mother said as she moved elegantly toward her youngest son. “It’s good to have you back. And you’ve brought company? What a surprise. Welcome, I’m Ava Wingate.”

  Ava extended a slender hand to Chloe, who took it automatically. The woman might look frail but that handshake was pure steel. Much, Chloe suspected, like the woman herself. She still remembered running away, frightened, from the magician show and straight into the skirts of Ava Wingate. The woman had placed firm hands on Chloe’s shoulders and turned her around to face the magician before bending down to whisper in her ear, “Never show fear. Always face it down.” Then she’d given Chloe a gentle push back toward the rest of the children.

  The advice had stood her in good stead throughout her life even if it wasn’t always comfortable. This was definitely one of those occasions.

  “Hi, I’m Chloe. I’m sorry if my presence is an intrusion,” she said apologetically.

  “Well, I can’t deny it would be nicer to have met you under better circumstances. However, you’re here now. Please come inside. We can have iced tea and a snack on the patio by the pool while Miles and his siblings discuss what they need to.”

  Chloe went with her hostess, feeling somewhat like a calf that had been cut from the herd. She cast a glance back over her shoulder to Miles, who was handing their luggage to a staff member who had appeared. He caught her glance and gave her a reassuring wave. Chloe reminded herself that he had said no one at the house would actually bite, but she was going to have to stay on her toes nevertheless.

  On the patio, Ava gestured for Chloe to take a seat in a delightfully shaded area. Shortly after, a woman brought out a tray with iced tea and warm, fresh cookies. Chloe’s stomach gave an unseemly rumble and she apologized immediately. Miles’s mom merely waved a hand in the air, dismissing the apology before Chloe had finished.

  “Please, help yourself. These are fresh from the oven and they’re always delicious. Dinner won’t be for a couple more hours. Plus, if I know my son, he probably forgot that you need to eat at regular intervals to keep your stamina up. He’s a lot like his father was. Driven and focused to the expense of those around them at times. Tell me, have you known each other long? And, how did you two meet?”

  Ava’s gaze locked onto Chloe like a laser, and Chloe sat a little straighter on the outdoor chair and fought the urge to nervously smooth her hair. She took a sip of her tea and was relieved to see her hand didn’t shake.

  “Oh, that’s lovely,” she commented, and gathered her thoughts together. She may as well stick as close to the truth as possible. Less chance of getting caught out. “To be entirely honest with you, Miles and I haven’t known each other long. In fact, we only met on Wednesday.”

  She was pleased to see a flare of surprise in the older woman’s eyes. “Tell me more,” Ava coaxed. “It isn’t like Miles to be spontaneous.”

  Chloe
forced a laugh. “Well, the last few days have certainly been that. We met in the park. He, quite literally, swept me off my feet.”

  She went into a little more detail about her fall, how solicitous he’d been and how he’d looked after her afterward.

  “Good to know he hasn’t forgotten everything his family taught him,” his mom said wryly. “So you’ve actually only known one another two days?”

  Chloe felt a heated blush stain her cheeks. It might only seem like a couple of days, but they’d been a very intense forty-eight-plus hours. She nodded and took another sip of her tea.

  “Well, you certainly must have made an impression.”

  “She did,” Miles murmured as he walked up toward them. He bent to kiss his mother on the cheek. “And we had plans for this weekend.”

  “Plans that we disrupted. I’m sorry about that, Miles, but we do need your expertise. There’s no one else I trust more than you right now,” the older woman said solemnly. “After what’s happened, we’re not sure who is telling the truth anymore.”

  “I’ll do what I can, Mom. I’ll go into the office with Sebastian and Sutton tomorrow. We’ll need to work fast if the DEA is involved. They may shut everything down before we can—”

  Chloe’s ears pricked up. The DEA? So it wasn’t just a safety issue anymore?

  “Let’s not discuss the finer points right now,” Ava said, cutting Miles off quickly.

  Chloe had no doubt it was because she was here.

  His mother continued. “I’ve put you in your old room, Miles. Since you didn’t see fit to tell us you were bringing a guest, I wasn’t sure where I should accommodate, Chloe.”

  “She’s with me,” he said firmly.

  Ava looked from her son to Chloe and back again. One finely plucked brow arched in acknowledgment. The older woman rose from her chair. “I’ll let the staff know and have an extra setting laid for dinner tonight.”

  She gave them a regal nod and walked away, her back ramrod straight and disapproval pouring off her in waves.

  “I don’t think your mother likes me,” Chloe said in a small voice.

  “Then it’s a good thing I do. Chloe, I’m sorry you had to face her so soon after we arrived. I wasn’t expecting her to be home, to be honest. She’s always at the office until late most days.”

  “It’s okay. I’m not here to please her.”

  “Does that mean you’re here to please me?” Miles’s voice dropped an octave, and Chloe felt a shimmer of desire spread through her.

  “Well,” she replied, “that depends on how close your mom’s room is to ours, don’t you think?”

  Miles laughed out loud. “Don’t worry, we’re on the second floor. She’s on the first.”

  “Good to know,” Chloe said, and grabbed a cookie from the plate on the table. “How about you show me our room. I really will need to freshen up before dinner.”

  “Sure thing. I could do with a little freshening myself.”

  Miles offered her his hand and she let him tug her to her feet. He drew her close and bent his head and kissed her deeply. When he pulled away, he said, “I’m glad you’re here, Chloe. This would have been tougher without you.”

  She lifted a hand to his cheek and looked directly in his eyes, for a split second forgetting her real reasons for being here. “I’m glad I can be here for you, too.”

  He grinned. “Let’s go shower.”

  Eight

  Chloe woke alone to tumbled sheets and a sense of satiation she was fast coming to associate with Miles Wingate. Dinner last night had been strained, as if everyone there was on tenterhooks for a variety of reasons to which she was not allowed to be privy. But when she and Miles retired after dinner, all the tension of the evening swiftly dissipated.

  She stretched against the sheets before rising from the bed and getting ready to head downstairs. After a quick shower and choosing a cornflower blue sundress she knew flattered her blond hair and blue eyes, she went downstairs.

  Beth Wingate was in the breakfast room off the kitchen. She looked up with a friendly smile as Chloe entered the room.

  “Good morning. Help yourself to breakfast from the buffet. Mom and the guys have already headed into work.”

  “Yes, Miles told me last night that they’d be going in early. Do you think he’ll be able to help source the problem?”

  A small frown pulled between the other woman’s brows. “I sure hope so. Say, you’ll be at a bit of a loose end today. Would you like to spend the day with me? I can ask Miles to call us when he’s heading back to the house.”

  Chloe pushed down the automatic “no” that sprang to her lips. She wasn’t quite sure how to take the friendly overture from Miles’s sister, but it was an opportunity to learn more about the Wingate family, which could only help her cause.

  “I’d like that, thank you.”

  “Great! I’m working on a masquerade ball fundraiser for the Texas Cattleman’s Club and was planning on heading to the club after breakfast to discuss decorations. I’d appreciate another woman’s input.”

  “I’m not sure how much use I’ll be to you,” Chloe said on a laugh. “My experience with decorating relates most to second graders in the classroom.”

  “Well, there’s a child in all of us, right?” Beth replied with a warm smile.

  “Do you do a lot of fundraising?”

  “It’s my role in life to part the wealthy from their money for worthy causes. Mom used to manage Wingate Philanthropies, but after my dad had his first stroke, she devoted most of her time to him so it was natural for me to take over. I have to admit I love it. There’s a real satisfaction in knowing that what you do makes a difference for those less fortunate. The upcoming ball isn’t for a few months yet, but I like to make sure that all my ducks are in a row early on. That way I always have contingencies should anything go awry.”

  Chloe filled a plate with scrambled eggs and a couple of strips of grilled bacon and sat at the table.

  “Contingencies are always a good idea. I’ll text Miles and let him know I’m spending the day with you, just in case he comes back here and wonders what I’m up to.”

  Beth made a face. “Oh, now Mom and the boys have their hooks into him again, I doubt they’ll be letting him home early. They really need his expertise. I’m not sure how much Miles has told you, but things are looking pretty dire for WinJet at the moment. Safety is such an important issue.”

  “And the DEA?” Chloe pressed.

  Beth’s face froze. “He told you about that?”

  “Just a little,” she half lied.

  “Mom wanted a lid kept on that.”

  Chloe felt a burst of irritation. “Well, I’m hardly likely to run screaming it from the rooftops,” she said stiffly, even as she began to wonder what the reporter who’d written the safety investigation exposé could do with that information.

  But did she dare feed that to him? It was exactly the kind of information he was looking for. Chloe’s hands bunched into fists on the table. She started as one of Beth’s hands settled on hers.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend. It’s just that we’re finding it hard to trust anyone right now. What with the safety issues leading to the fire and the hurt caused to our staff and now the DEA being brought in. Someone has betrayed us horribly.”

  Chloe withdrew her hand from beneath Beth’s. “I understand. It’s a difficult time for you.”

  “I’d still enjoy having your company today, if you can forgive me for what I said just now?”

  It was clear Beth was trying desperately to make amends. Chloe forced herself to relax and painted a smile on her face.

  “Sure, no offense taken.”

  But she was offended. This family took so much for granted and circled the wagons instantly when under threat. But she was on the inside of that circle now. She’
d waited all her life for this opportunity, and she was exactly where she needed to be to make a difference to her mom’s future. But could she go through with it? Could she deliberately hurt the man who was fast coming to mean a lot more to her than simply a means to an end?

  * * *

  “Well, can you see anything?” Sutton asked as he looked over Miles’s shoulder.

  Miles pushed back from the computer and huffed out a sigh of irritation.

  “I’m not quite sure what you expect of me, Sutton, but trust me, it takes a whole lot more time and focus—uninterrupted focus—to look for what I believe you suspect has happened.”

  “So, nothing?”

  Miles closed his eyes and counted to three before opening them again. “I didn’t say that. It would seem that someone has tampered with the safety logs at the jet factory.”

  Sebastian uttered a string of curses while his twin merely paled.

  “So it was deliberate,” Sutton said grimly. “The accident was no accident at all.” He swore. “I can’t believe someone in our employ would put other people’s lives at risk like that. No wonder we’re being charged with criminal negligence. This should never have happened.”

  “What can we do to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” Sebastian asked.

  “Well, we can put some short-term security measures in place, but frankly the entire Wingate IT system needs a major upgrade. Steel Security can do that for you, but it is going to take time and if the DEA—”

  “Let’s cross that bridge when we get to it. Organize what you can for us for now, and we’ll take the next step as it comes.” Sebastian rubbed a hand across his face. “Man, this sucks, doesn’t it? Tell me, if we’d done the IT upgrade like you’d told us to, could this have happened?”

  Miles frowned. “No system is 100 percent hack proof but, to be honest, what you have had running here is child’s play.”

  “So we’ve been negligent on this as well?” Sutton pressed.

  “I wouldn’t say negligent. Your staff signs a code of conduct with their contracts, don’t they? Whoever did this was in breach of their agreement with WinJet as their employer. If criminal charges need to be laid, it’s against whoever did this. And, I suspect, more than one person. The digital footprints are all over the place.” Miles rocked back in his chair and looked at his brothers before delivering his final judgment. “To me it looks like a deliberate attack.”