Romance in Color

by Synithia Williams

  They slowed. Shifted aside. Jake adjusted the water temperature, kissed her gently, then grabbed the washcloth and soap and washed her body. She took over and did the same to him.

  He killed the water. “We’ll turn into prunes if we don’t get out.”

  He stepped out of the shower, grabbed a towel, and wrapped it around Winona before grabbing one for himself.

  She slapped his bare ass. He swung around and whacked her with the towel, but the long and bulky towel barely hit its target. She poked her tongue out and dried herself as she watched him dry off, admiring the strong lines and muscular curves of his body.

  He bent and grabbed a pair of jeans hanging on the door. “So what do you think?” he asked as he pulled on the jeans.

  “I think that’s the best damn sex I’ve ever had, aside from last night.”

  His eyes twinkled as he looked at her. “I mean about Chayton’s proposal.”

  She shot out of the bathroom and grabbed her skirt. “I think it’s a great idea,” she called from the other room. “I have some shopping to do today. You can go bond with my brother.” Not that their relationship required a bond or even a friendship with her immediate family.

  She returned to the bathroom, pulling a shirt over her head, to find him standing in front of the mirror, unmoving.

  “Yeah, it sounds like it’d be fun, and I’ve been cooped up for a long time.” He ran his fingers through his wet hair.

  “So go.”

  “What about Amy?”

  “Give her another day or two. Get out and have a good time. She’s okay now.”

  “You sure he doesn’t just want to take me out and bury my body somewhere?”

  Winona giggled. “Do you think everyone is a murderer or kidnapper?”

  • • •

  Jake continued to watch Winona in the mirror until she whirled away and stepped out of the bathroom. He followed, pulling on his shoes with no intention of leaving.

  He needed to be here, needed to be doing something about Amy, and he wanted to talk to Winona about investigating Brandon.

  “My brother’s getting antsy,” Winona said, waving her phone. “What should I tell him?”

  Jake groaned, doubt flickering in his chest. It’d be fun to get out and do something, but he didn’t feel he had that right.

  “I don’t know. I was hoping we could talk.”

  “About what?”

  “About you investigating Brandon’s death.”

  “Haven’t we already talked about that?”

  “Not near enough.”

  “You still want to hire me?”

  Jake nodded.

  “For what? Sex?” she asked, but he could tell she was teasing by the curl of her nose and the twinkle in her eye. He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her forward.

  “I’m sure you’re way too expensive for me,” he said. “But I’ll pay you whatever you ask.”

  She bumped her nose with his then pulled away. Grabbing her brush from the dresser, she pulled it through her hair and met his eyes through the dresser mirror. “I’ll talk to some contacts, do a few things, but I can’t promise I’m going to take the case. I’m not even sure there’s a case to take.”

  Jake rubbed a hand across his face, despair clenching his shoulders. “But you’ll at least look into it? I mean, I haven’t even heard what happened to Brandon. All I know is that someone came into his home and shot him and took Amy. I don’t know any other details. Hell, most of what I know is from what I’ve seen on the news, and who knows if that’s true?”

  Winona dropped the brush and came back to him, circling her hands behind his neck. Her fingers combed his hair at the nape of his neck, inciting waves of heat and cold on his spine. “If you promise you’ll go out today and have a good time, I promise I’ll make a few phone calls and try to get some information for you.”

  He nodded. He couldn’t promise to have a good time, but he could at least go out with her brother. It’d do him good to get out in the fresh air. “Okay.”

  “Okay.” She slapped his butt and tried to move away, but he cinched his hands around her waist. “We’d better call him before he gets impatient,” she said, wiggling out of his grasp. “He said he was leaving in an hour. And hell, that was almost an hour ago.”

  Jake pressed his nose to hers. “Oh good, that’s plenty of time for one more quickie.”

  • • •

  After Jake left, Winona returned to her condo and spent the morning researching Lillian. Amy’s return dominated the news, and Winona had to admit her optimistic return rang a discordant tune. As Winona watched Internet videos, nausea welled within her, surfacing into flu like symptoms—the sickness she always felt before taking on a big case.

  The news splashed pictures of the little girl, and Lillian’s boyfriend held her hands and supported her as tears ran down her face. He smiled a benevolent smile for the cameras. Winona immediately disliked him.

  Her instincts were back in full force. Either that, or they were severely distorted by Jake’s presence.

  She’d made a few phone calls to agencies she knew from her previous days working as a PI and had called in a few favors with friends. What she learned made her blood run cold. Lillian, a charming and attractive socialite who was currently separated from her husband of seven years, had a gambling problem. Possibly a drug problem. And a million dollar insurance policy on her estranged husband. Who was now her dead husband.

  After her separation from Brandon, Brandon had taken the child out of mutual agreement until Lillian had decided to involve the courts. The media had gone crazy, especially because of Brandon’s stature in the sports industry. As his cousin’s manager, he’d shot to the top and was one of the most sought-after sports managers in his field, which included not only triathlon athletes like Jake, but football, basketball, and soccer players as well. Many athletes mourned his death; many more fans.

  The paparazzi had caught pictures of Lillian with several different men. They’d caught her partying at a high-end club the night before her daughter had been kidnapped and husband killed. Ever since, she’d tried to stay low-key. Until Amy was found.

  Winona tried to respect her for that. At least she had realized what she was doing was wrong, and had taken steps to correct it.

  After watching Internet videos and reading every online article she found, she mapped out tomorrow’s destination. Lillian lived eight hours from here, but Winona knew a pilot who could get her there much faster, if he’d agree.

  She would pay the woman a visit. Questioning her didn’t mean she planned on taking the case.

  She had no intention of telling Jake her plans.

  She considered asking Garret for help but feared Reagan’s disapproval. His experience as an FBI agent would help, plus having a man there with his background would offer protection she might or might not need. But he was retired, and for all she knew he might feel exactly how she felt when taking on a new case.

  Garret was Chayton’s half-brother, but not Winona’s. They still shared a familial love, though, from the moment she’d met him and Reagan. They’d accepted her before Chayton had.

  From what she gathered, Lillian was a charmer and loved to be charmed, so she’d probably be more willing to talk to Garret than she would to a woman. It was worth asking.

  She called Nick first. Nick, a friend and pilot, owned his own company. He piloted skiers wanting to heli-ski in the winter, or sightseers who wanted to experience the unmanned depths of Montana. His company chartered helicopters and small planes. She’d ask him to fly her to Wyoming, praying he had no last-minute plans.

  “Can’t do it today,” Nick said when she called. “But tomorrow’s a good day.”

  “Sounds great. Let’s do it tomorrow.” Winona would just have to find new plans for Jake so she could sneak away. She didn’t want to tell him yet, and she wanted to do this without him.

  She thanked Nick and hung up, deciding to hike the three miles to Garret’s h
ome. She needed to get out and exercise anyway. She changed into her hiking shoes, grabbed water and snacks for her rucksack, and donned her hat and shades.

  She stepped out of the condo. The sun, a crystal ball, thrust its way out of thin clouds to highlight the mountains. She loved Montana summers. Flowers bordered the lawns of homes and businesses, and colorful mountains, the highest peaks still topped with snow, surrounded the entire horizon. She waved at a woman who was outside watering and nodded several hellos on her way.

  Her heart pounded as she paved her way up the sidewalk to Garret’s. She hated asking for help, especially from family. Especially this type of help. She removed her hat and shades, placing them both in her rucksack, and pressed the doorbell.

  “Winona! Hi!” Reagan greeted her with a smile and a hug she’d probably wish she could take back when she found out Winona’s reason for the visit. She moved aside. “Come in.”

  “I hope I’m not disturbing you.”

  “Of course not. You’re always welcome. Garret’s in the kitchen.”

  Winona followed Reagan through the living room into the kitchen. Their home boasted love and coziness, something Winona desperately missed with her mother but still wasn’t used to after spending her early years in an orphanage.

  Windows graced one side of the living area and pictures of their life lined the walls. One wall held pictures of them at their wedding: a wedding nobody would ever forget, since Garret had been kidnapped and almost killed. Winona spotted a stuffed moose on the couch and remembered the story of Reagan finding and naming him when she first came to Tanyon.

  They entered the kitchen, and Garret stood to offer Winona a hug before returning to his meal.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

  “You didn’t. We’re having brunch. Skipped breakfast.” He winked at Reagan. “Can we get you anything? There’s plenty of sausage and bacon and biscuits left over.”

  “No, thank you.”

  “How about coffee? A mimosa?”

  Winona expected coffee would exacerbate the nausea in her stomach. “No, thank you. Actually, this isn’t a social call. I came to ask you for help.”

  Garret drained his coffee and stood. He set his plate in the sink and turned on the water to rinse the dishes. Probably thinking she needed help with her motorcycle or hanging a picture, Garret said, “I don’t have anything planned today. What did you need?”

  “Remember Jake’s cousin who was killed?” They both nodded. “Jake wanted to hire me to investigate his cousin’s estranged wife and the disappearance of Amy, the daughter of the man killed. I haven’t agreed yet, but I’d like to question the mother. I was wondering if you’d want to help.”

  Reagan’s eyes narrowed, but she didn’t say anything. Garret glanced at his wife a moment and returned his attention to Winona.

  “If not, that’s okay. Don’t think I need protection or anything. I’ve been doing things like this alone for years. Please, please don’t tell Jake or Chayton. I haven’t decided yet whether I’ll take the case.”

  An awkward silence stretched among them.

  “What exactly is your plan?” Garret finally asked.

  “I thought I’d pay her a visit tomorrow morning. Nick agreed to fly me to Jackson, Wyoming, which is where Lillian is. We’ll be back by dinner.”

  Garret nodded. “Uh-huh.”

  “I know it is last minute, but I’ve already talked to Nick and he agreed.”

  “Actually, I’ve been wanting to do some shopping and sightseeing in Jackson,” Reagan said. “I’ll call and ask Nick’s wife if she wants to go, and we can make a day of it.”

  “Darling, last time we took his helicopter, we destroyed it.”

  “Yeah, but Chayton was flying. Not Nick.”

  Winona remembered the story. Reagan had been kidnapped by a madman who thought she could help him heist the jewels that were locked in a safe at her dead uncle’s cabin, and Garret and Chayton had flown into a blizzard to save her. Her relationship with Garret had been wrought with near-catastrophes, but true love had won in the end. Winona’s eyes watered every time she thought of it, and she didn’t cry easily.

  “Okay,” Garret agreed.

  “I’ll pay for everything,” Winona said. If she planned on taking the case, she’d hand Jake a hefty bill.

  “No need,” Reagan said. “You can pay Nick, but no need to pay for our trip.”

  “So when do we leave?” Garret asked.

  “Tomorrow. About seven in the morning.”

  “Sounds good,” Garret said.

  “Thank you so much.” Winona hugged Reagan, then Garret.

  “No thanks necessary, but you’re welcome.”

  “Please don’t tell Chayton or Naomi where we’re going. I don’t want Jake to know.”

  “I doubt they’ll tell Jake,” Reagan said. “We can’t leave without telling them.”

  “Yeah, but you don’t have to tell them where you’re going or why.”

  “I don’t have to tell them a damn thing,” Garret said, his voice taking on an edge of humor combined with combativeness. He wrapped his arm behind Reagan’s waist and pulled her in to kiss her cheek. “What I do is none of my brother’s business.”

  Chapter Eight

  Jake was surprised when Chayton didn’t once lecture him about Winona. He had expected to hear something along the lines of you hurt her, I’ll hurt you, but Chayton never said a word.

  Instead, they four-wheeled through lush green forests, stopping for a picnic and fly fishing. They talked about activities, extreme sports, the weather. Jake had a feeling Chayton was testing him, seeing what kind of person he was before he passed any judgment, but it didn’t bother Jake. He’d do the same thing if he had a sister. Planned to do the same thing when Amy started dating.

  Not that he and Winona were dating, by any means. And not that Chayton knew they were sleeping together. If he knew, he might not be so nice.

  They got home by nine, which was too early to sleep and too late to do anything but drink. Once Jake was enclosed in his tiny shell of a room, the world started closing in on him. He mused over Amy, Winona, Lillian, Brandon, and all the things that were messed up in his life right now.

  He texted Winona and paced the room. After an hour of no response, he showered. Still no response, and he couldn’t sleep.

  He finally called Winona.

  “Hello?” she chirped. He wasn’t sure how to feel about that. She wasn’t sleeping, she obviously wasn’t missing him, and she sounded cheerful.

  “Hey,” he said. “D’you miss me?”

  “What?” Her silken voice tingled on his ear, licking flames along his spine. He stretched his feet out on the bed and propped himself up against a pillow. He heard her fake a yawn. “Who is this?”

  “Oh, that’s what I get, huh?” he teased. “I’ve been thinking about you all day and you don’t even remember who I am?”

  “Mmmm,” she uttered. “Did you have fun with my brother today?”

  “Oh, we had a blast.”

  “I see he didn’t kill you. Or leave you stranded out in the boondocks so you couldn’t find your way home.”

  “No, he didn’t kill me. At least, not yet. I’m still convinced he wants to, though.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “He wants to take me to an old cabin in the woods tomorrow.”

  “You mean his cabin? It isn’t old. And I’d hardly call it a cabin. It’s a magnificent house.”

  “He says he’s been thinking of building a track there, and wanted to get my take on it.”

  “You should do it. It’ll be fun.”

  “Yeah.” He didn’t deserve to have fun.

  “Did Naomi go with you today?”

  “No. Chayton said she was doing wedding stuff today. I think she might be driving him somewhat bonkers.”

  “Naomi can be a bit controlling herself.”

  “He seems happy.”

  “They’re both very happy. And
a lot of fun. You’d have a lot of fun with him tomorrow. He probably needs the company right now, too. Needs to get away from Naomi and her wedding planning.”

  “Are you trying to get rid of me for another day?”

  Winona’s laughter drilled heaviness in his heart, making his loneliness more physical. He jumped up from the bed and switched on another lamp to try to dispel the darkness.

  “No, I’m not trying to get rid of you. I just think you’ll have fun.”

  “Maybe you’re in on plotting my murder.”

  Winona laughed again, and his tread was lighter as he returned to the bed. He huffed out a breath when he reached the lonely bed, whipped around, and paced. “I’m thinking about going tomorrow. But I need to go see Amy.”

  “I know. But I think you’re doing the right thing by giving them a few days to adjust.”

  Jake didn’t agree. The more time he gave them, the more lies Lillian had a chance to tell Amy. Amy was only seven, and probably thought her dad and uncle had abandoned her.

  “Give it one more day,” Winona continued. “We can drive out to see Amy together, and I can do more research there, if that’s what you still want.”

  “Yes. Yes, I do still want that. I just … I’m afraid to wait another day.” His voice cracked, and he sat on the bed, trying to hold it together. Solitude made it much harder to hold it together.

  “I know it’s hard, baby.” Winona’s voice crept into his nerves, rupturing his reserves. “But right now, as a woman, I think she’s doing the right thing, as long as she’s keeping Amy from everyone. Amy doesn’t need to be influenced by outside sources right now until she can remember what happened and tell the cops.”

  He tightened his grip on the phone and clenched his teeth. “She’s being influenced by her mother. That’s the problem. And I’m not an outside source.”

  He heard Winona’s heavy breath in his ear, and fury pounded him. How dare she take Lillian’s side?

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way,” she said.

  “Did you find out anything today?” Jake finally asked.

  “I made a few phone calls. And I have a few other things to do tomorrow. So you go with Chayton tomorrow, and I’ll finish up some things I have to do here.”