They talked about a few other things, including Ace’s desire to show him around Colton Oil. “I used to be CEO there,” Ace said, his tone rueful.
“This all has been a lot to deal with.”
“True. But one good thing came of it. I met the woman I’m going to marry. You met her. Sierra. She was a bounty hunter looking for me.”
“Wow.” Jake tried to wrap his mind around that. “She doesn’t look the slightest bit dangerous.”
For whatever reason, this caused Ace to laugh. “Oh, she is, believe me,” he said. “She’s the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Jake nodded. He could definitely understand that. Because Fiona was exactly the same to him. Glancing over at Ace, he realized meeting his new family and getting to know this man, in particular, ranked right up there too.
Chapter 14
Getting around on the knee scooter was a royal pain. Though she had to struggle not to show her frustration, Fiona found the entire process way too cumbersome and slow. Patience had never been one of Fiona’s virtues, and though it was something she constantly tried to work on, she realized twenty minutes into trying to navigate through life on one knee that she still had a long way to go. It didn’t help that this broken ankle had happened at the worst possible time—the biggest bust of her career.
Micheline Anderson was going down. Though the FBI already had enough to charge her with to put her away for years, especially with Ainsley having direct experience of Micheline’s Marriage Institute, Holden working with Spencer, and Spencer already investigating the AAG with Katrina, they wanted more. Fiona did, too, with a furious sort of passion that consumed nearly every waking moment. Because she wanted justice. Retribution for what Micheline had done to Jake Anderson, one of the finest men Fiona had ever known. And for all the poor, gullible or desperate souls she’d taken in with her quasi-affirmation hocus-pocus. The college students she’d swindled, the elderly people who’d gladly handed over their life savings and everyone in between. Including the Colton family, who’d suffered their share of bizarre events already. Learning their eldest son and heir wasn’t actually related by blood had to rank up there as one of the worst. Having Micheline try to extort them for ten million dollars must have been the final straw.
Righting injustice had been one of the main reasons she’d chosen a career in law enforcement. The training she’d received at Quantico had underscored her certainty that she’d been born for this kind of work. Taking this undercover assignment had been more difficult than she’d expected, especially since so many of the things she’d been expected to do went deeply against her beliefs. She was glad it was over, happy that they’d been able to end it with an arrest and numerous, serious charges.
And because of it, she’d met Jake. While they hadn’t known each other very long at all, the connection they’d made hinted at the possibility of a long and happy future as a couple. If she allowed herself to be optimistic—something she rarely did, since she considered herself a realist—she’d come to believe he might just be the one. Once this case was closed, she planned to take some time off and find out.
Meanwhile, the formidable fact-finding machine that was the FBI had gotten hard at work obtaining information. The AAG center swarmed with agents. Since they’d obtained a far more detailed search warrant, the Bureau had brought in teams, who all conducted an intensive search. This went on from sunup to sundown. As soon as one team left to get some rest, another showed up to take their place.
For her part, Fiona tried to stay out of their way. Though she hadn’t been removed from the case, she hadn’t been assigned to a particular team, either. The special agent in charge allowed Fiona and Holden to stay and do as they pleased, as long as they didn’t interfere with anyone else. Fiona had claimed Leigh’s suite as her own search area and took a certain satisfaction in taking apart the room piece by piece.
Thus far she’d found nothing substantial. But then, Leigh clearly had been coached not to leave any kind of paper trail. She’d kept only a few paper files—one with handouts touting the miracle seminars that AAG offered, and another with printouts and newspaper clippings regarding her Miss Mustang Valley win. The rest had to be stored on a computer or in the cloud.
Fiona itched to get a look at her laptop. But of course, she’d had to turn the computer over to the FBI’s IT department, who would thoroughly examine its contents. Right now, she was kneeling on the floor going through the bottom drawer of a mostly empty filing cabinet, just hoping Leigh had been careless one time.
A quiet tap on the door made her look up. Holden St. Clair stood in the doorway, eyeing her. “Did you find anything?” he asked.
“Not really.” Struggling to pull herself up without putting weight on her ankle, she gratefully accepted Holden’s help getting on her knee scooter. “I have to say, I’m really disappointed. I honestly believed Leigh knew a lot more secrets than she let on. Now I’m wondering if Micheline kept her mostly in the dark and told her only what she wanted her to hear.”
“I wouldn’t put it past her,” Holden replied. “Micheline was a master at manipulating people. And Leigh Dennings seemed a naive and trusting sort. By the way, speaking of her... Leigh has been asking for you. She keeps saying she doesn’t belong in jail. She’s been telling everyone who will listen that you will vouch for her character.”
Momentarily taken aback, Fiona shook her head. “She’s wrong. I gave her the opportunity to get out before it all hit the fan. I asked her to do the right thing. She refused. She left me lying in the tiny basement cell, injured, determined not to hear anything bad about Micheline or the AAG. She made her choice. Now she’s going to have to live with it.”
“I agree.” Holden walked around the room, one brow raised. “She decorated this place like a Pottery Barn store,” he said.
His comment made Fiona laugh. “Good analysis. Stylish, cozy and expensive.” She eyed the other agent. “What about you? Is there something you’re not telling me?”
“That’s why I’m here now.” Holden flashed a quick smile. “We’ve got some new information,” he said. “A while back, we rounded up a guy named Harley Watts. He did all of Micheline’s dark web work and took care of helping her set up a new identity for when she took off. Once he’d had a little taste of jail, he said he was willing to talk if the prosecutor would hammer out a plea deal.”
Fiona perked up. “Did you get that worked out?”
“We did. And let me tell you, it was worth it. This Watts guy bugged Micheline’s office. He recorded everything and hung on to it all. Once he told us where to find it, we sent a couple of agents over to get it. We’ve got people listening to it all now. My hunch says we’ll have a ton of evidence of even more crimes. Enough to put Micheline away for a long, long time.”
“I’d like to see the transcript when it’s finished,” Fiona said. “I want to throw the book at that woman.”
“I agree. Anyone awful enough to plan for all her followers to commit suicide needs to go away for a long, long time.” Holden shook his head. “It never ceases to amaze me how people can be so evil and yet manage to convince so many others to believe in them.”
“At least we got her.” Her knee had started aching, as it usually did when she spent too much time on the scooter. “I’d better get back to it.”
“Let me know if you need any help,” Holden replied, turning to go. “And please, give me a holler if you find anything good.”
Even though she privately didn’t think she would at this point, Fiona agreed. Back to work, she told herself, but she remained on her knee scooter rather than lowering herself to the floor. What she really wanted, she realized with some disbelief, was to be with Jake. This seemed so out of character for a woman whose work always, always came first, she had to sit still and consider.
She really had it bad for him. Jake was never far from her thoughts. She found herself wonderin
g at odd moments during the day what he might be doing right then, if he felt okay, how his new Colton family was treating him.
Pushing thoughts of him away, she returned her focus to where it belonged right now—her search. She’d give Jake a call later, once she was off duty.
* * *
Though Jake had wondered if he’d feel awkward, walking into the huge house at the Triple R felt almost like coming home. Part of that feeling might have been the warm welcome everyone gave him, from Payne and his wife, Genevieve, who actually hugged him this time, to Ainsley, Grayson, the twins Marlowe and Callum, as well as Asher, and a host of other family members. Jake did wonder how Ace had managed to coordinate everything, but he definitely appreciated their kindness.
“I feel like one of the family,” Jake mused to Ace after Ace had shown him his room.
Ace laughed. “You are one of the family,” he said. “Actually more than I am.”
Studying the other man, who appeared both confident and relaxed, Jake decided he might as well ask, especially since they were all going to be in such close quarters. “How are you feeling about all this, Ace? I definitely don’t want to be encroaching on your...”
“Territory?” Ace grinned even wider. “You couldn’t. They love me like a son. Hell, I was their son for forty years. I still am. As are you, now. Believe me, the Colton family has enough room in their hearts for one more.” His smile faded. Stepping forward, he clasped Jake’s shoulder. “I never, ever want you to feel uncomfortable or awkward around any of us, understand? None of what happened was your fault.”
Slightly embarrassed, Jake nodded. “I know. I just wondered if it felt weird.”
“Yes, of course it does.” Ace released him, going to the window and pulling aside the drapes so he could see out. “At first, I questioned my own identity. I mean, Micheline is a pretty awful woman. Anyone would have issues learning they were actually related to her.”
Now Jake had to laugh. “I know, believe me. I lived with that for forty years. It was hell.”
Ace’s cell phone rang. Glancing at the screen, he glanced at Jake. “Sorry, I need to take this.” Answering, he walked out into the hallway to listen.
Jake placed his suitcase on the bed, debating unpacking. He decided he might as well. He hadn’t brought a lot of clothes since originally he hadn’t planned on staying long. Since then, he’d bought a few things, but he really needed to go shopping again. Maybe he and Fiona could make plans to do that when she was off work.
“Wow.” Returning, Ace grinned at Jake, his expression both bemused and excited. “I’m officially a grandfather.”
“What?” Stunned, Jake eyed the other man. Since they were the exact same age, he could hardly imagine. “I didn’t even know you had kids.”
“One—I just found out, to be honest. Her name is Nova. She just gave birth to her daughter, Clara, with her boyfriend, Nikolas, by her side.” Ace shook his head. “He’s a great guy. The baby isn’t even biologically his, but he loves Clara so much, he’s planning to raise her as his own daughter.” A single tear leaked from one eye. Ace wiped it away with one finger. “I knew her due date was coming up, but I wish someone had called me when Nova went into labor.”
“Congratulations.” Jake held out his hand.
Ace gripped it, still grinning. “I’ve got to head up to the hospital. I want to see my granddaughter. And make sure Nova is doing okay.”
“How about I take you?” Jake offered. “You seem a bit too shook up to drive.”
Expression still a potent mixture of joy and bewilderment, Ace shook his head. “Thanks for the offer, but I’m fine. Just a bit...overcome, I guess.” He snapped his fingers. “I need to stop and get some flowers or something. A teddy bear for the baby. I’ll see you later back here.”
He started to walk off, but then turned. “Oh, before I forget, Ainsley is planning a get-together so the entire family—cousins and all—can meet you. Bring Fiona, too, of course. I’m sure Ainsley will get you details as soon as she finalizes everything.”
Ace rushed off, still muttering to himself under his breath.
After unpacking, Jake debated going into town alone and doing some shopping. But since buying clothes was a task he despised, he decided to wait and see if Fiona wouldn’t mind joining him.
He wandered downstairs, still feeling pretty self-conscious, thinking he might go out to the barn and check out the horses. With Ace gone and the rest of the Colton family busy with their jobs or their daily routines, the massive house seemed empty.
As he headed into the kitchen to see if he could rustle up another cup of coffee, he found Payne sitting alone at the kitchen table. The older man still appeared weak, though he seemed to be gradually recovering.
“Pull up a chair,” Payne invited, his fingers wrapped around a steaming mug of his own coffee. “Grab a cup. I just made a fresh pot.”
Jake did. The coffee tasted strong, just the way he liked it.
Payne talked mostly about generalities, the ranch, his livestock and how much he loved Mustang Valley. Genevieve drifted in, wearing yoga clothes, smiled at Jake and kissed Payne’s cheek before drifting back out. “I’ll be home in an hour or so,” she said, and left.
She’d barely left for her yoga class when Payne leaned forward, his intense gaze fixed on Jake. “I’m going to have to ask you to take a DNA test you know.”
Jake nodded. “I’ve expected that. And I’ve already done one and sent it in. I’m just waiting on the results. Honestly, I don’t blame you. That’s the only way to make sure.”
“Good, good.” Payne exhaled, clearly relieved. “We’ll get that done as soon as possible. That way there’s no room for doubt.”
“I agree.” Jake smiled at the older man.
“So many years wasted. All because of that awful woman.”
Fighting the urge to apologize, Jake nodded instead. “I really appreciate how welcoming everyone here has been.”
“Welcoming?” Payne’s brows rose. “Son, even though we don’t have the DNA results, I can tell you’re one of us. It might have taken you forty years to find your way back, but you’re a Colton. Don’t you ever forget that.”
“I won’t.” Feeling absurdly relieved, Jake took another drink of his coffee. “I just wish I could have met my mother.”
“Me, too. I loved your mother,” Payne said. “I’ve been married three times. Tessa’s been gone just a little over thirty-five years, but I’ve never stopped missing her.”
Jake nodded. “You seem happy now, though. Genevieve seems nice.”
“Oh, she is. And I am happy,” Payne declared. “The only relationship mistake I ever made was marrying Selina. And now I can’t get away from her. Damn woman is even on the board at Colton Oil.”
Jake wasn’t sure how to respond to that, so he simply sipped his coffee and said nothing.
“Wait here.” Getting up slowly, Payne disappeared for a moment. When he returned, he carried a large, faded photo album. “Come into the living room,” he said, leaving his cup on the table.
Jake did the same. Payne grunted, lowering himself onto the couch. “Sit beside me. This is a photo album, one of many. Though Tessa was the photographer in most of the others, all the pictures in this one were taken by other people, so she’s in them. Let’s take a little walk down memory lane.”
Once Jake had taken a seat, Payne opened the album. There, in the first photograph, a beautiful woman smiled at the camera, her face alight with love. She held a baby in her arms, whom Jake guessed must have been Ace. He felt a pang, well aware that this might have been him. Though he’d never wish to take that experience away from Ace, he couldn’t help but feel envious. Not once in his forty years had he known a mother’s unconditional love.
Payne turned the pages slowly, giving Jake time to study each picture. In all of them, Tessa’s love of her family shon
e through. She positively glowed with it.
And there, on the last page, Tessa and Payne. Gazing into each other’s eyes.
Swallowing hard, Payne closed the book. “Still gets me,” he said. “Even after all these years. She was a good woman.”
“Thank you for sharing that with me,” Jake told him. “I really appreciate it.”
“No problem.” Payne yawned, covering his mouth with his hand. “Sorry, son,” he said. “I need to go lie down. Colton Oil has a board meeting this afternoon, and I need to rest up for that.”
The way Payne casually called him son made Jake’s chest ache. He managed a nod. “A nap sounds like a great idea,” he said. “Do you need any help getting to your room?”
“No, thanks.” Payne waved him away. “I’m getting stronger bit by bit. The walk will do my legs good.”
As Payne pushed to his feet, Jake did, too. “At least let me walk with you. It’s always good to have company, just in case.”
“Am I that wobbly?” Payne shot him an amused grin. “Don’t answer that. You’re not much better yourself, you know. Come on then. You can escort me to my room.”
Once they’d reached the doorway, Payne turned and put his hand on Jake’s shoulder. “I know I can never make up to you all the years we lost. We can only move forward. You understand that, right?”
“I do.”
“You’re welcome to attend the board meeting this afternoon,” Payne said. “As my guest. I think it will do you some good to learn about our company.” And he went inside his room, closing the door without waiting for Jake to answer.
Jake took himself outside, slowly walking the grounds around the ranch. The Triple R was well maintained in addition to being beautiful. He admired the livestock, their coats gleaming with health, took in the clean barn, the outdoor ring with its freshly raked surface. Pride of ownership shone here, making him miss his own ranch. Though not nearly as large or prosperous as the Triple R, he’d worked damn hard to get it and keep it running. He’d built it from the ground up, and while the ranch was still a work in progress, it was his.
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