Her eyes narrowed. “You wouldn’t do that.”
“Wouldn’t I?” Bluffing, but she’d never know. Jake knew he excelled at bluffing. He made a hell of a poker player.
Her hard swallow told him he’d succeeded.
“Jake, I want to tell you the truth. Really, I do.”
“But?” he prodded.
“But I can’t take a chance of jeopardizing...everything.”
He opened his mouth, intending to press again, but she held up her hand.
“I keep my ears open,” she said, offering up a half-hearted shrug. “You’d be surprised at the kind of things you can learn when people find you invisible.”
“Uh-huh.” With his arms crossed and his expression skeptical, he let her know he wasn’t buying it. One, two, another heartbeat while he waited for her to say more.
When she didn’t, disappointment knifed through him. “That’s all you got?” he asked. “The best you can do?”
He could have sworn he saw a twinge of guilt in her face, but she managed to smile. “That’s it. I wish I had more.”
He shook his head. “That’s too bad. That tells me that you’re more like Micheline than I realized.”
The insult made her gasp. “In what way?” she asked.
“You’re a liar, just like her. I can put up with a lot of things, but I refuse to deal with a liar.”
Back stiff, he turned and walked away.
Once inside his room, he locked the door. He dug out his laptop, powered it up and did a search for Ace Colton. Quite a bit turned up.
First, he pulled up the picture. Though they were both forty, the ousted CEO of Colton Oil looked nothing like Jake. But then, why would he? They weren’t related. Instead, Jake realized he could actually see traces of Micheline in the other man’s face. There, in the chin, maybe even the nose. While the other man’s appearance seemed fashionably casual, he also exuded an aura of comfortable wealth. Because as a Colton, Ace would have been brought up wanting for nothing, especially love.
Except Ace Colton had been accused of trying to kill the man he’d believed to be his father. And, even worse, the fact that he wasn’t actually a Colton had made the news. Ace had eventually been cleared and the actual attempted killer had been caught. Still, something like that had to leave scars.
Slightly queasy, Jake couldn’t help but wonder what kind of life he might have had if Micheline hadn’t taken it upon herself to switch babies. He couldn’t help but want to know her reasoning.
He’d never know now. With four decades already under the bridge, he supposed the Colton family might be content to simply leave things the way they were. Though a simple DNA test would be able to prove or disapprove Micheline’s story.
In that instant, Jake realized he wasn’t going to be able to go home, not just yet. He wanted to meet Ace Colton. He assumed the other man would be just as curious about him, especially since Ace already knew about the baby switch.
Decision made, he grabbed his keys and left. To his surprise, no one intercepted him or tried to stop him.
He first drove to Colton Oil, but when he reached the parking lot, he realized Ace probably was too high up in the corporate ladder for Jake to simply walk in and expect a meeting. Still, he’d come this far. It couldn’t hurt to try.
Once he’d killed the engine, he stared up at the building. If things had been different, he would have been comfortable in this place, known. Now, while he might have been a Colton by blood, since Ace had been ousted as CEO, they were both strangers here.
Inside the modern, industrial structure, which had been decorated in an upscale Western theme, he walked over to the huge reception desk and asked to see Ace Colton. He’d read in the local paper that Ace would be there today to meet with the board.
The young woman behind the counter looked him up and down before pushing her fashionable eyeglasses up. “I’m sorry, but he is no longer employed here.”
“I understand. But I’m aware he’s in the building and I really need to talk to him.”
Expressionless, she studied him. “Do you have an appointment?” she asked politely.
“No,” he drawled, leaning in confidentially. “But I have a feeling he’ll be open to seeing me. Why don’t you check, if you don’t mind.”
Though she sniffed, the corners of her pink-painted lips fought a smile. “Your name?”
“Jake Anderson.”
She froze. Her eyes went wide. “Yes, of course,” she said hurriedly. “I’ll just let him know you’re here.”
Turning away, she quietly spoke a few words into the phone. When she hung up, she dipped her chin and pointed toward the elevator. “Second floor. He’s expecting you.”
“Thank you.” As Jake started for the elevator, the doors opened. Ace Colton stepped out, a guardedly optimistic look on his handsome face. Jake froze, swallowing hard. He wasn’t sure how to act, what to think. In fact, his first instinct was to back the hell away and claim this entire situation must have been a colossal mistake.
Ace, however, apparently had other plans. “You must be Jake,” he said, shaking hands. “I heard you were in town and I wondered when we would meet.”
Jake nodded, somewhat at a loss for words. “Is there somewhere we can go and talk?” he asked. “Somewhere private?”
“My thoughts exactly,” Ace replied. “Since it’s way too early to go to a bar, how about we grab some coffee at Java Jane’s?”
“Sounds good.” Though Jake had expected this meeting to be awkward, to say the least, Ace’s relaxed, casual demeanor had a way of dissipating any tension.
“Do you mind if I drive?” Ace asked, jingling a set of keys.
“That depends,” Jake responded. “Whether I have to cram myself into some kind of sports car or not. I have a really nice truck.”
After a second, Ace laughed. “It’s a Porsche. Does your truck have a lift kit?”
“Yep.” Jake grinned back at him. “F-250. Custom everything. It’s new. I special ordered it, and I’m pretty proud of that truck. This drive here was the first road trip.” Plus, though he’d never admit it out loud, driving would help him regain some semblance of control in an admittedly crazy situation.
Ace pocketed his keys. “I’m in. Lead the way.”
He whistled when he caught sight of Jake’s pickup, the paint gleaming in the sun. “Nice.”
He actually liked this guy, Jake thought. “Thanks.”
They drove a couple of blocks. Ace pointed out the coffee shop on the right, and they parked. Neither man got out immediately.
“Are you as weirded out by all this as I am?” Jake asked.
“Yeah,” Ace said. “I’ve got to tell you up front, I’ve never liked Micheline. But this, this takes the cake.”
“That makes two of us,” Jake replied, not bothering to keep the bitterness from his tone. “Let’s go inside.”
Side by side, the two men walked into the crowded coffee shop. “What’ll you have?” Ace asked. “I’m buying.”
“Just coffee,” Jake answered. “Thanks.” He looked around, impressed by the cleanliness and warmth of the place.
“Here you go,” Ace said, handing him a coffee. “Now to find a place to sit.”
Jake grimaced. “I’ve scanned the entire place. There are no empty seats.”
“There’s another room in the back. Follow me.” Moving with the confidence of a local, Ace led the way through the crowd. They passed through a doorway into a smaller, less crowded room. “Perfect.” Ace made a beeline for a couple of overstuffed armchairs near the window. “My favorite spot.”
They sat. Jake studied Ace, making no effort to hide it. And Ace, in turn, studied him back.
“So she summoned you home to tell you the truth?” Ace finally asked.
“Micheline? No.” Jake took a drink of his c
offee. “She still hasn’t told me. She tracked me down to tell me she had cancer.”
“Do you believe her? She said something about that when she stopped by Colton Oil.”
“I’m not sure,” Jake admitted. “I swear she seems desperate now, closer to being truly mentally ill than I’ve ever seen her. Of course, it’s been twenty-three years since I left home. Obviously, she must have deteriorated in all that time.”
“Twenty-three years? Wow.” Ace whistled. “Your life must have been hell for you to take off at seventeen.”
His life. The life that should have been Ace’s. “I wouldn’t wish it on you, man,” Jake said. “None of this is your fault, or mine. I’m still reeling with the knowledge that I’m really not related to that b—” He broke off, realizing Micheline was actually Ace’s biological mother. “She’s crazy,” he finally amended. “Truly delusional.”
“Great, just great.” Glum now, Ace gazed out the window with a contemplative expression. “That means it runs in the family.”
Just as Jake was searching his mind for how to respond to that, Ace laughed. “This is so messed up.” He eyed Jake. “You know you’re going to have to take a DNA test. I did, and it confirmed what we already know.”
“I figured. And I will. But you should know, I’m not after anything. I like my life. I’ve worked hard and own a small ranch north of here. If anything, I’d just like to get to know your family. My family, too, I guess.”
Ace met his gaze. “That can be arranged. I’ll just need a little time to get them used to the idea. Everyone is still in shock.”
“I can understand that,” Jake said. “I’m in the same state myself.”
Clearing his throat, Ace nodded. “I’m sure you’ve read about me being framed for attempted murder. I was exonerated and the actual gunman was caught.”
“I did.” Jake wasn’t sure what else to say. “That must have been tough.”
“It was.” Ace eyed him. “You do understand, once all the smoke clears, you’ll most likely be able to assume a position on the Colton Oil board. You could even move to the Triple R if you want.”
“I have my own ranch,” Jake answered quickly. “But thank you. What about you? What will you do now?”
Ace grimaced. “I might start an energy consulting firm but that is still up in the air. I suppose at some point, Micheline is going to want to spend some time with me, too, and get to know me. Though she hasn’t cared for forty years, so why would she care now?”
“Don’t take it personally,” Jake advised. “That’s just the way she is. She cares about herself and only herself.”
“But what about all those people who belong to AAG? Surely by now, at least some of them would have noticed she isn’t what she seems.”
“You’d think.” Jake took another deep drink of his coffee. “But they see what they want to see. And Micheline is a very good actress. However, I’d still like to know why she switched us as infants.”
“Me too.” Ace sighed, also sipping his coffee. “Tell me about yourself,” he urged. “I know we’re not really related, but I feel like we could be brothers.”
Though Jake preferred not to talk about himself, he complied. Ace Colton was surprisingly easy to talk to.
“I’m sure you’ve read about what happened to me,” Ace said.
“When your—our—father was shot?”
“Yes.” Ace nodded grimly. “I was framed for that. As if I’d ever hurt Payne. Luckily, they caught the guy who did it, a man who had a real grudge against my dad. But they suspected me because we all heard the news that I’m not really a Colton, at least by blood. That little bit of knowledge got me ousted from the board of Colton Oil and Dad and I got into an argument.”
Jake winced. “Ouch. Though I know it’s not my fault, I feel like I should apologize.”
“No need.” Ace waved him away. “My life is still good. I know my family—our family—still loves me, even if we don’t share the same blood. I even recently learned I have an adult daughter from a long-ago relationship. Her name is Nova and she’s pregnant. Which means I will soon be a grandfather.”
“Wow. At our age?”
This made Ace laugh. “Yes. I’ll be a young, hip grandpa.” He leaned forward, his expression going serious. “Now tell me what it was like being raised by Micheline.”
“Well...” Jake tried to think of a way to sound diplomatic. Then he decided the hell with it. Ace deserved to know the truth. “She’s an awful woman,” he said bluntly. “And always treated me like an afterthought or an unwanted pest. Which now makes sense. I ran away from home when I was seventeen and never looked back.”
“Yet you returned now,” Ace pointed out.
“She found me and made contact, claiming she has cancer.” Jake shook his head. “Despite everything, she was my mother. Or so I thought. So I came back. Now, I’m glad I did. I always wanted a large family, with brothers and sisters.”
“Well, you’ve definitely got that now.”
“I do.”
“I don’t remember you from school,” Ace pointed out. “Which seems weird.”
Jake grimaced. “Micheline kept me home. She signed me up to be home schooled, but I mostly learned by myself. Luckily, I wanted to learn, so I was able to not only keep up with what everyone else was doing, but I graduated early.”
“That’s amazing.”
Enjoying the camaraderie, Jake and Ace continued to share stories, talking and laughing until Ace’s phone buzzed.
“My secretary is texting me,” Ace explained. “I need to get back to the office. But I’d really like to get together again, soon.” He handed Jake his phone. “Put your contact information in and I’ll text you, so you can do the same.”
After Jake dropped Ace off at the Colton Oil parking lot so he could retrieve his car, he couldn’t stop smiling. Maybe something good would come out of this entire mess after all. He’d always wanted a brother. And family. The prospect of meeting them all was enough to make him decide to stick around Mustang Valley just a little longer.
Chapter 5
Considering Jake’s words, aware he believed her to be as big of a fraud as Micheline, hurt more than it should have. Fiona wrestled with her conscience as she paced her small room. Being undercover did mean she had to play a role, and the most important thing here was her mission. Though she’d like nothing more than sharing the truth with him, in the end she couldn’t risk Jake blowing her cover. There was too much at stake, including her professional reputation.
More importantly, if Micheline ever learned the feds were on to her, she might move up her timetable for whatever awful thing she had planned. They’d be caught unaware, and innocent lives could be lost. Fiona had no choice but to continue on playing the part of a fully indoctrinated cult member, no matter what the personal cost. Still, she ached for Jake. While she knew he would have eventually learned the truth, the fact that she’d been the one to unleash it on him, even accidentally, really bothered her.
Deep cover sometimes involved forgetting who you really were. So far, she hadn’t achieved that level, and in this situation, she doubted she ever would. First, she wouldn’t be here that long, and second, in a cult allowing oneself to actually be indoctrinated could be dangerous. Due to her intensive training, she honestly felt as if she was doing a good job of pretending. So good that Micheline and Leigh appeared to completely trust her. Everything she’d worked so hard to achieve appeared to be going forward exactly as she’d planned.
And then she’d met Jake. Talk about bad timing. One look from his blue eyes and she turned into a puddle of want and need. While she’d been attracted to other men, the way she felt about him was different. Stronger, more intense. As if she craved him with more than just her body.
The foolish, romantic notion made her scoff at herself. She’d never been a believer in sappy things like sou
l mates or love at first sight. This had to be simply an issue of overactive hormones or pheromones—something easily explained by science. Whatever the explanation, she couldn’t stop thinking about him. Part of her hoped he would follow through on his threat to leave so she wouldn’t constantly be tempted. The rest of her—most of her—wanted to throw herself into his arms and let passion take her where it may.
Not merely foolish. Dangerous. She’d need to be careful. Walking a fine line between her undercover persona and herself would be difficult, but not impossible. The knowledge that Jake hated liars shouldn’t bother her, but it did. Far too much.
Jake already suspected something, though. Since she sensed the strong attraction went both ways, she figured he’d be easily distracted. Judging by the way they’d both reacted to the kiss, they’d both enjoy any distractions she decided to throw his way.
He probably wouldn’t be a problem for too much longer, anyway. She knew he planned to go back home really soon, especially if his mother—who wasn’t really his mother—continued to dodge him. Fiona couldn’t blame him for wanting to put Mustang Valley in his rearview mirror. His entire childhood had turned out to be a lie. He’d built another life, his own life, far away from here. Once he’d gotten to know his new family and explored his options here in Mustang Valley, naturally, he’d want to get back to the familiar reality of his home, his ranch, even if just to put his affairs there in order. Unless Micheline found a way to stop him. Which Fiona wouldn’t put past her.
After the incident with Underhill, Fiona had known better than to go look for Jake. After all, he’d made his feelings clear. She wished it didn’t bother her so much—really, she barely knew the man, so it shouldn’t—but it did. A lot.
Sighing, she twisted her hair into a neat ponytail and got dressed in her dressier day clothes. She wasn’t sure what Leigh had scheduled for her, but she knew she was supposed to go to the infirmary and coerce a young man who’d just been beaten for no reason into signing up for a bunch of expensive classes.
For this odious task, she chose a different cheery yellow shift dress than the previous night’s and tan heels. Bright colors helped lift her spirits. While she hated the thought of doing what they wanted her to do, it helped if she separated her true self from the person she had to be here. Cultist rather than FBI agent.
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