Jade’s nerves were frayed. On top of the long day was the knowledge that her mother was lurking around Shadow Creek, watching them, keeping her finger on the pulse of everything they were doing, having the power to get into Mac’s barn and leave Edith a creepy note—and Jade had no doubt the message was from Livia—meant Livia was still slick and careful.
She could be at Hill Country. Showing up anywhere to do anything because she had power. Prison hadn’t taken away her strength. Loyalty to the criminals in her organization had earned her their respect in return. Favors could be called in.
“I’m spending the night. I’ll sleep in the guest room if you prefer, but I’m staying with you,” Declan said.
He had caught on to her frame of mind and she was grateful that he hadn’t needed her to ask. Her desperation to not be alone had to be clear. “Please come inside.”
Jade had left the light on in the kitchen. Now she turned on the ones leading to the bedrooms. Every light on in the house didn’t seem like enough. “My room.” Having him close felt important.
She kicked off her shoes, her feet grateful to be free. Then she took off her dress. It was still damp from the rain. Declan removed his coat, dress shirt, tie and pants.
“I need a shower,” Jade said.
“Me too.”
“Save water. Shower with a friend?” she asked.
He laughed and followed her into the bathroom.
A quick twist of the handle and the water spurted on. As steam billowed from the stall, she stepped in. Declan was close behind her. Unlike their rendezvous in the car, which had been passionate and intense, this felt lighthearted and easy.
Declan helped her remove the bobby pins from her hair and wash out the hairspray. When they were clean and dry, Jade felt more like herself. “I am glad to be out of that dress. I was afraid the seams were going to give out!”
“You looked great. Thank you for doing this for Edith and River,” Declan said.
Finding clean T-shirts and shorts, Jade gave Declan a shirt and an oversize pair of cotton shorts.
They crawled onto the mattress, the sheets cool on her body, and lay at the center of the bed. Declan took her foot into his hands and rubbed the arches and her aching toes. It was great to be out of the rain and humidity and crowd. The day wouldn’t have a perfect ending; Jade continued to think about her mother.
“It will be okay,” Declan said.
“When Livia is caught, it will be better. For now, I have to hope that she’s fixated on other things. Edith and River are leaving for their honeymoon tomorrow and getting out of town will be good for them. Every Colton has their guard up. She went after each of them, so she could go after them again.”
“Livia seems to have an ax to grind with her children. That’s incomprehensible to me. You’re her children. What could she possibly think you’ve done to deserve punishment?” Could Livia know Jade had told the authorities about the password book?
Jade took a deep, shuddering breath. “There are reasons. My mother did many bad things. She broke the law. She lied and hurt people without any remorse. Even during her trial, she didn’t apologize to her victims. When she was sentenced, she had the opportunity to express remorse for what she had done, both to the community and to her victims. She said her only regret was being caught. After she went to prison, she knew I’d betrayed her. And now, I’m afraid she’s figured out what I know.”
“Figured what out?” Declan asked. He stopped rubbing her foot and his face was filled with concern.
Their eyes connected. “I saw my mother kill my father.”
Declan set her foot on the mattress and drew her to him. “Jade, I’m so sorry.”
Jade nestled against him, enjoying the comfort of his touch. “I’m not sure how much she knows. But she might have known that I saw her bludgeon my father. I never said anything to her. I never asked her why. But I told the authorities her passwords to her bank and investment accounts, and the information gathered from that was a huge part of the case against her. If she’s put that together, that I was the one who revealed her passwords, she’ll want revenge. Me being her daughter has no meaning to her and after what I did to her, I expect only retaliation.” She had been waiting for that backlash for ten years. Until she spoke the words, she didn’t realize how burdened she had become.
Declan and Jade settled back on the pillows and Declan pulled the sheet over them. It was cool and crisp and tucked against Declan, she felt cozy and warm.
Declan kissed the top of her head. “She won’t come tonight. You’ll be safe with me.”
* * *
Jade was becoming accustomed to the protesters following her around town and showing up at the places where she did business. She’d seen the flyers and pamphlets, the long looks when she passed by someone in the group who recognized her, but they weren’t always confrontational enough to sling angry words at her. Between them and her mother lurking around Shadow Creek, almost nowhere felt safe. The only safe place in Jade’s world was with Declan.
He had been spending the night at Hill Country since Edith and River’s wedding the week before. They’d fallen into an easy pattern of work, dinner and early bed. Sometimes they read, sometimes they talked, sometimes they watched a movie, but it was developing into an intimate relationship that was shedding light on the more lonely parts of her life. With Declan in her life, she felt like she had more than her work, and that was good, because the protesters were having an impact on her business, scaring off donations and possibly making potential buyers change their minds about her horses.
Jade hadn’t realized how much she enjoyed Declan’s company until he was working in Austin and messaged her that he’d be late. They hadn’t made official plans and he hadn’t promised to meet her at any given time, but the disappointment was real and palpable. It put her in a low mood. He said he would call if he could make it by that night.
Her phone rang at nine. Reading in bed, she set her book on her bedside table and answered the phone. Declan’s number on the display made her heart flip-flop. “Hey, you.”
“Hey. Am I calling too late?” Declan asked.
“No, you’re fine. I was up.” Her eyes were heavy though. She had been up since four in the morning and she was ready for sleep. One of her horses had mistakenly pushed her against a fence, and her calf was bruised and aching.
“I’m twenty minutes out from Shadow Creek, but the FBI has a roadblock up. They’re stopping cars, and it’s either a drunk driving checkpoint or they’re looking for Livia.”
Jade shivered and rose to her feet. Though she had checked the locks on the doors and windows before bed, she wanted to check them again. “I’d love for you to stop by. Call when you’re outside.” Though being woken to answer the door wasn’t ideal, she wouldn’t be able to sleep with her door unlocked. This could be the unlucky night that Livia came after her.
A memory split into her brain and Jade winced as it rolled over her. “Oh my God.”
“What’s wrong?” Declan asked, alarm in his voice.
“I just remembered something. Something about Livia.” The memory was so disturbing, she wanted to purge it from her mind.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Declan asked. “I wish I could be there right now.” He swore under his breath.
The memory was filling in, little details coming to mind. “When I was little, I remember waking one night to hear voices in the house. It didn’t sound like my father or brothers, but it was a male voice. I was worried that something was wrong, that maybe someone needed to go to the hospital. I got out of my bed.” She had been scared and had tried to listen harder to hear what was going on. The floor had been cold beneath her feet and she had moved to the railing of the grand entrance and looked down. Only two lights by the front window were lit and she couldn’t see anyone. Checking her brothers’ and sisters’ rooms, she found they were sleeping quietly. Claudia was her first pick of someone to wake, but if it was nothing, she didn’t want to get in trouble.
Hearing the voices again, Jade had crept down the stairs, praying they didn’t creak.
Standing by the French doors leading to the backyard was a man and Livia. The man had his hand on Livia’s throat. He was speaking to her and she was hissing words back at him. Jade knew she should call the police, except her mother had been strange about the police. Even when they had learned in school about calling for assistance in an emergency, Livia had told Jade to never call for help without asking Livia first. It had struck her as odd and not what the teacher had explained, but Jade knew better than to question her mother.
Jade thought about getting her father and then had remembered that he was traveling to look into the purchase of another horse. She could get her siblings to help. Would it be too late? She peered around the corner again and saw her mother kissing the other man.
Livia wasn’t fighting him. He had her on top of the giant kitchen island, her legs wrapped around his waist and they were kissing. Not her father. Her mother was doing something she shouldn’t. Jade knew it and she was in no position to confront her mother over it. Worry and confusion had tightened around her, making her feel dizzy and sick.
She had slinked back to her room, got into bed, closed her eyes and waited for morning. “My mother was cheating on my father. And after my father returned from a trip, I saw the man my mother had kissed around the house. He worked for my mother, but in what regard, I didn’t know. I avoided him. I never made eye contact and I never told my father what I had seen.”
“That’s a terrible burden for you to have carried,” Declan said.
“It was another moment that made me hate my mother. Hate her. When I had the opportunity to lash out at her years later when the police questioned me, I took it. My desire for justice was second only to my need for revenge. That’s why I feel guilty. My motives were not pure in confessing to the police about my mother’s secret accounts and her book of passwords. I wanted to hurt her. I wanted to make her suffer like I had.” Jade waited for the judgment in Declan’s voice, for him to tell her that she shouldn’t have betrayed her family.
“You did the right thing helping to bring down your mother. That’s all that matters. Reasons aside, you did what was needed.”
His acceptance was healing salve on her soul. “I wish you were here,” Jade said.
“I know, me too, and I’ll be there soon.”
* * *
Declan had brought Jade dinner every day for the last week, including cooking for her twice in her home with groceries he had bought. She appreciated his company and his dining choices hit the spot every time. Tonight, she had told him she’d arrange dinner. Ticking through the list of possible meals she could serve—slow-cooker beef, lasagna, microwave dinner—she settled on El Torero’s. The location of their first sort-of date, and this time, she would pull out all the stops.
She had remembered what he ordered and she arranged for takeout of the same items, adding extra chips and salsa and a double order of flan. After picking up the meal from the hostess and paying, she exited the restaurant. At six thirty, Main Street was crowded, and she’d needed to park a couple of blocks away.
She heard shuffle of feet behind her and then a quiet, raspy voice. “You have a black heart like your mother.”
Jade froze. Keep walking. Don’t take the bait. If it was another of her mother’s victims, their anger blinded them. They wanted revenge and they didn’t care if that meant lashing out at the Colton children. Their anger needed a release.
“Black heart. Dead inside.”
Jade whirled and met the eyes of an elderly woman wearing a calf-length, button-down, burnt-orange dress. She had a yellow scarf over her head and she was supporting herself on a knobby wood cane. Despite the weather, she was wearing black leather calf-high boots.
Jade struggled for calm and peace in her words. Getting into a throw-down on the street wasn’t helpful to anyone. “I am not dead inside. What my mother did to me, my family and this town is inexcusable. But I won’t answer for her crimes.”
“You know where she is. She hides in your home.” The woman’s voice was low and scratchy and she pointed an accusatory finger.
Passersby stared as they walked by.
“I do not know where she is. If I see her, I will call the sheriff,” Jade said.
The woman poked at Jade with her cane. “Lies. Lies! A Colton mouth only speaks lies.”
Tears burned behind her eyes. Her mother was evil. She didn’t defend her or deny it. But to carry the blame of her mother’s choices was a burden she didn’t deserve. “Good day, ma’am.” She turned and stalked away, clutching the bag of food in her arms. She got into her car and set it on the passenger seat.
Her legs felt weak and her hands were shaking. Deep breathing. The old woman wasn’t wrong. Livia Colton was somewhere in Shadow Creek, lurking around, waiting to do God-knew-what to her and her siblings. People walked by on the sidewalks, oblivious to Jade’s distress. A young couple strolled past, laughing and holding hands. A family of four hurried down the sidewalk. She had never felt more alone. Rejected by the town where she had grown up and an outsider in her own family.
Jade set her arm on the steering wheel and laid her head on top of it. After several minutes, she was composed. If nothing else, through being Livia’s daughter, she had learned to mask her feelings and shut down parts of her emotions she didn’t want to confront.
She turned the key in the ignition and then checked her mirrors. A dark sedan was parked behind her. A man with a mustache sat in the driver’s seat.
He looked out of place, though Jade couldn’t pinpoint why. Perhaps an FBI agent following her, waiting to see if she was going to visit her mother. Jade sighed and decided after her encounter with the elderly woman on the street, she wasn’t up for another confrontation. Instead, she pulled out of her spot and drove to Hill Country. The mustached man in the dark sedan didn’t follow her. Perhaps she was being paranoid.
When she arrived home, Declan was seated on her porch in the wooden rocking chair she had bought at a yard sale a few months ago and had spray painted aqua. Even after a long day at work, he managed to look unbearably handsome. His gray pants and white shirt were still crisp and his posture was relaxed and inviting. Success in business probably had something to do with how he carried himself. Confident and calm, the type of man who was unwavering and firm, even in the worst storms.
“Sorry I’m late,” she said, getting out of the car and holding up the bags for dinner.
“No problem. I was enjoying the view. It’s so peaceful and after the day I had, I need some quiet.”
Sounded like a rough day. Ups and downs with her horses were the norm, but she liked that she worked with animals and not people. People created complicated problems.
Unlocking her front door, they entered the house. Twenty minutes later, they were eating. Jade debated telling him about the run-in with the woman and the strange man parked behind her just off Main Street.
“When I was leaving the restaurant, I had another person tell me I was a liar. Among other things.” The words were harder to speak than she would have guessed and the emotion she had tamped down rose in her throat.
Declan’s eyes creased in concern. “That sounds bad. Are you okay?”
“I was upset. Am upset. But I’m okay.”
“You should have told me right away.”
“It’s not something I like thinking about. Will my mother’s legacy ever be forgotten?”
“Eventually. Because she escaped prison, the news ran those stories again and rehashed the past and everything they print is sordid and dark. It refreshed things in people’s minds, and even newcomers to town or people who didn’t know about what had happened with Livia now know the story.”
“Do you think I’m destined to become like her? Or one of my siblings?”
“You are nothing like her. I see goodness in you. You’re creating your own legacy. Running this farm, caring for the animals the way you do. It’s incredible. Giving and warm.”
Jade blushed at his compliment. “Thank you. This farm means a lot to me. I’ve invested everything I have in it. But when people scream at me in the street, I wonder if I shouldn’t move. Go where no one knows me. Take my father’s last name. It was strange that my mother insisted her children’s last names be hers. But I like the sound of Jade Artero.”
“Do it. Change your name. Give yourself a fresh start. Take it from me. No good can come from dwelling on the past or letting it define who you are.”
He sounded almost angry. Though he had never spoken about it to her, Edith had told Jade that she and Declan had met in foster care and that their experiences had not been great.
“But if I’m not a Colton, I lose that connection to my siblings,” Jade said.
“That might be healthy for all of you. Maybe you should all break ties with Shadow Creek and the mess your mother made. From what Edith tells me, Mac was a better parent than Livia. Take his last name.”
Jade heard open hostility in his tone and she wasn’t sure how to react. Declan had never been like this with her, usually a sympathetic ear and kindness all around, but tonight, something was bothering him. His anger felt personal. “Did I say something that upset you?”
Declan forked his fingers through his hair. “I’m sorry, Jade. You hit a nerve.”
“Can you explain what nerve I hit?” Jade asked.
Declan shook his head. “I need to get some sleep. I need to think.” He stood and pushed away from the table. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“You’re leaving?” She couldn’t keep the hurt from her voice.
“I need to pack and be in Odessa tomorrow to deal with a legal matter. I’ll be there a few days.”
“Then you’re planning to leave in the middle of this discussion and not even tell me what’s on your mind?” Jade asked.
“Jade, just let it be,” Declan said. His voice was uncharacteristically irritated.
“I can’t!” He was the most stable and warm part of her life. In the span of a few weeks’ time, he had come to mean a lot to her. “Tell me what I said that upset you this much. Are you upset at me? Are you upset at what my mother did in a personal way?” He certainly had reasons to be.
Declan forked his fingers through his hair. “I can’t get into it right now. I have a lot on my mind. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
With that, he left, locking the door behind him.
Jade stared after him. Something about her mother had infuriated him. Again, her mother was causing problems in her life. But Jade wished she knew what exactly she had said to make him so upset.
* * *
When Jade had spoken of her mother and father, Declan thought of his own. From that point, thinking of Livia having an affair with his father and the turmoil and heartbreak that had followed brought up fresh wells of pain.
In purchasing La Bonne Vie, Declan had realized that he wasn’t over what Livia had done to his family. He wanted to see her burn for ruining his parents’ lives and destroying his.
Being in Shadow Creek, and spending time with the Coltons talking about Livia, was causing him to relive those dark moments from his childhood. His parents fighting, arguing, his mom throwing dishes, and pots and pans slamming to the ground. It had been so loud and violent, Declan had hid in his closet. When his father had died, his mother had lost it. There had been no one to help Declan. Alone and scared, he had done the best he could.
He sometimes wondered if living with his angry, depressed mother would have been better than being in the foster system. He had known his mother loved him. It was a strange, push-and-pull kind of love, never knowing what mood she would be in, walking on eggshells. But she had loved him. If Declan had been older, he might have been able to take care of the two of them enough that he wasn’t a burden. In his mother’s degraded mental state, she hadn’t been able to care for herself or him. The choices she had made were selfish, and yet she had loved Declan enough to know she could not care for him.
Declan tried not to think of his mother. That hurt was too sharp even after so many years. He did not know where she was or what she was doing. In many ways, he didn’t care.
The best thing about having a ravaged childhood was that, having lived through the ordeal of his parents’ marriage falling apart and being tossed out onto the street, Declan feared nothing in business. Whatever his company threw at him, it would be easier than what he had faced as a child. He had thick skin and he rarely let anyone or anything get to him.
A former employee stealing from him had been another obstacle. It hadn’t rattled him. He had handled the financial fallout, contacted his lawyers and went after the thief to the fullest extent of the law.
His business was where he put all his time and effort when his personal life was a mess. Turning his attention to work, Declan relaxed. Work was in his control.
Edith had found a lead for an interesting property in Odessa. She couldn’t come with him today, though when she returned from her honeymoon with River, she would start looking for a new place for them to live. Declan would have liked to help her find a great place at a good price, but he knew Edith had superb house-hunting skills and it seemed like an activity better suited for the couple. It was another way Declan felt nudged out.
The property Edith had found in Odessa was in an up-and-coming neighborhood; house prices were on the rise and local shopping centers were beginning to fill in with high-end retailers and restaurants. Declan sought those signs of progress when moving into an area.
Declan was fifteen minutes early for the meeting. He checked his paperwork and the address and then entered the building. The area was in need of renovation, but that was what Declan liked. The more opportunity for upgrading properties, the higher the income potential.
He opened the metal door to the office marked Sky Realty.
Tim DeVega, the employee who had stolen from him, was waiting inside. Shock struck him, rendering him momentarily speechless. The police had been looking for DeVega and he was here. Before Declan could say anything or understand how DeVega came to be in this office, DeVega lifted his right arm, aiming a gun at Declan. He had no time to react, and the sound of the explosion echoed around him and pain pierced him. Everything went dark.
* * *
Something was wrong with Declan’s eyes. The left one was twitching and wouldn’t focus. His eyelids felt weighted down with concrete. Something was wrong with his right side too. His entire arm was asleep. His hand was heavy, too heavy, like it was being crushed by a car.
“It’s okay. You’re okay.”
Pressure on his left side and Jade’s voice. Steady beeping from a machine.
Forcing his eyes open wider, he stared into the open, warm, beautiful face of Jade Colton.
Opening his mouth, he tried to speak, but his throat was dry.
Jade handed him a cup with a straw and he took a long sip.
“You were shot. You're at the hospital now.”
He took a minute to process that. “Shot.”
Her eyes were filled with concern. “Someone in the neighborhood called the police. They got a description of the man who shot you. The police are looking for a man named Tim DeVega. The police found my number in the call log on your phone and contacted me.”
Declan closed his eyes and the memory of DeVega shooting him, at least part of it, popped to mind. His body felt numb, but anger and fear made his chest tight. How easily DeVega had gotten to him. Looking at Jade, another sensation washed over him: warmth and happiness. She had come from Shadow Creek, disrupting her busy schedule to be with him. He had been a priority to her.
“Edith is looking for a flight to come home from her honeymoon. She feels terrible.”
Edith had no reason to feel bad. “Why?” Declan asked.
“She set up the meeting and she didn’t realize it was a trap,” Jade said.
Declan should have seen it. It was rare for him to travel alone and he was glad Edith hadn’t accompanied him, or she might have been shot too. “Tell her to stay on her honeymoon. I’m fine,” Declan said.
“I don’t understand what you’re saying. You’re slurring. Can you speak slower?” Jade asked.
He repeated himself, feeling like his head was being held underwater. Drugs from the surgery? What had happened when he’d arrived at the hospital? “What about my arm?”
“You were hit in the shoulder.” Emotion choked her and Jade took a few seconds to compose herself. “The surgeon saved your arm. But you need to rest.”
He was exhausted, but it was daylight. The drugs in his system and the numbness of his arm were indications he was not himself. “Will you stay?” The unexpected surge of neediness surprised him. He wasn’t used to needing anyone. He liked having Edith around, but he made it a point to never make anyone in his life essential. But he hated the thought of Jade leaving and him waking alone in this stark cold hospital room.
“Yes, I’ll stay.”
Unable to hold open his eyelids, he closed them and quiet surrounded him.
* * *
Jade hadn’t taken a day off of work in over a year. Finding the right farm, buying the land, building the right structures and then getting her business off the ground was a struggle. But Declan needed someone to help him while he recovered at home in Louisiana. Edith was making arrangements for a nurse and his regular housekeeper and chef to be on duty, but leaving him to the care of strangers felt cold and impersonal.
Declan was a strong man, a force to be reckoned with, and seeing him pale and still in a hospital bed had been knives to her stomach. She was staying with him until he was better, until she could see for herself that he was going to be fine.
When Edith had offered to stay with Declan in Louisiana, Jade had heard the hesitation in her voice. Edith didn’t want to cut short her honeymoon. Jade had not thought through the details when she had volunteered to stay with Declan. She had just known she had to be with him.
Then Mac, Thorne, Evelyn, Knox, Allison and Cody had offered to step in and run Hill Country for a few days. Jade had composed lists of to-dos and who to call for various problems, and hoped she hadn’t missed anything. Being available by phone, she knew her family could call with questions. It wasn’t her intention to be a burden, but she appreciated everyone taking on some of her responsibilities so she could stay with Declan. Being with him was something she needed to do, more than caring for her horses or worrying about the problems with her mother. Declan came first and that spoke volumes about how she felt about him.
Mac had made some calls and a local 4-H club was willing to pitch in too. Though being away made Jade nervous, she planned to stay with Declan for four days.
Jade picked up Declan from the hospital. She listened as the doctor carefully described the medications, what symptoms necessitated an emergency call for an ambulance. Declan couldn’t fly on an airplane, so he and Jade were making the long drive to Louisiana from the hospital in Odessa.
The five-hour drive took closer to nine and Jade was exhausted. They had stopped several times to eat, take the needed medications and to check Declan’s bandages. Pulling up to his home, Jade sucked in her breath. His house put La Bonne Vie to shame. Even at its most beautiful, Livia’s home lacked the style and architecture of Declan’s.
The two-story house had wraparound porches on both the main and upper levels. The pristine white of the house glinted in the afternoon sun. White pillars jutted from the front of the house and a dual, grand curving staircase extended from the top floor to a long walkway constructed of paving stones. The landscaping was green and lush and trimmed neatly.
Following the long driveway, Jade pulled around the back of the house and parked in a garage that was tucked under it. A valet took her keys as she stepped out.
“It’s a rental. See that it gets returned, please,” Declan said.
“Yes, sir,” the valet said, nodding and bowing slightly.
“You have your own chauffeur?”
“Nick isn’t a chauffeur. He takes care of my cars, making sure they get maintenance and are detailed on a strict schedule. Edith called to let him know I was coming home.” He started to get out of the car without waiting for her.
Jade rushed to his side. “You promised you would wait for me to help you. You might get dizzy and if you fall and hit your head, we have to go back to the hospital.”
She ducked under his good arm and tried to support him.
“I’m all right. I’ve managed this far,” Declan said.
Taking his key from his pocket, Declan opened the door from the garage. The house was elegant and detailed, the crown molding, wainscoting and ceiling beams a gleaming cherry wood. The far wall was lined with glass French doors leading to a courtyard.
“Welcome home, sir,” a man in a suit with perfect posture said.
“Thanks, Albert,” Declan said.
“Will you and your lady be needing anything?”
“No, we’re fine, thanks.”
Albert bowed and hurried away.
“You have a manservant?” Jade asked.
Declan scoffed. “Albert is not a servant. He’s a butler and a historian and a friend. He worked for the family who previously owned this house and when they sold it to me, he asked to be kept on to help maintain it.”
“That was nice of you.”
“It was a sound business decision. Albert does a good job. Lets me know when something needs repairs and then oversees the repair to maintain the house’s historic value.”
Exploring the house interested her, but Declan needed rest. “We need to change your bandage. Edith said a nurse is coming at 6:00 p.m. That’s in an hour. I want to have all the medication laid out so she can check them and we can go over what needs to be done.”
Declan squeezed her hand lightly. “Relax. I’m okay.”
Jade leaned into him, wanting his strength, but feeling guilty because she was supposed to be supporting him. She had known being with him was the most important thing in her life, but it was surprising to realize he had come to mean this much to her. Tears threatened and she held them back. Declan would recover from this. She needed him to be okay. “It was the most terrifying call I have ever received, hearing from the police that you had been shot and were headed to the hospital. They wouldn’t even tell me if you were alive.”
“I’m sorry you went through that. Thank you for coming and staying and taking care of me,” Declan said, kissing her temple.
“Lead the way to your bedroom,” Jade said.
Declan pointed and they headed toward stairs tucked away in the corner of the house. “I’ll give you a tour later. But my bedroom is on the top floor and takes up most of the south-facing part of the house.”
They took the stairs slowly. Though Declan didn’t lean on her, she noticed he gripped the bannister with white knuckles. He wouldn’t tell her if he was in pain, but from the set of his mouth and narrowed eyes, he was. She would not break down. He needed her to be strong, and weeping over every bump in his recovery would slow him down. But wow, it was hard to see him this way. In every other instance, he was composed and larger than life. This was a side of him she had not seen and his vulnerability made her feel closer to him and protective of him. She would do what was needed to make this right.
His bedroom suited him. It was what she would have selected for him if she’d been asked to design a room for Declan. It was tidy and orderly and the hardwood floors were made of three distinct shades of dark brown. The four-poster king bed had pineapples carved into it and the bedding was navy and gold. On the walls were pictures of sailboats.
“I didn’t realize you liked being on the water,” Jade said. She removed the pile of pillows from the bed one by one, setting them on the settee in the corner of the room.
“Everyone likes the water. I sold my boat recently, but I have my eye on another one,” Declan said.
“Where will you keep it?” Jade asked.
“A boat slip at a nearby marina,” Declan said.
His words accented a harsh truth. His life was based in Louisiana. Hers was rooted in Texas. Operating under the assumption they had a future was a huge leap.
Declan flopped on the bed. “This feels good. I know I’m tired when I’m falling asleep in the evening.”
“It’s good for you. The doctor said you needed rest, hydration and good nutrition.”
Declan’s eyes were closed and Jade watched the steady rise and fall of his chest. She kicked off her shoes and crawled into bed next to him, wanting to be close if he needed anything. He had been through terrible times in his life, sometimes alone, sometimes with Edith, but now, he had Jade and she would be there for him. In every way that he needed her, she would be strong and at his side.
* * *
The pain was bad, close to the time he was supposed to take his pills, but Declan was substituting what the doctor had prescribed for over-the-counter meds five days after his discharge. He didn’t want to risk getting hooked on prescription painkillers.
Having Jade with him those first days was healing in its own right. Attentive and sweet, Jade had pushed him to eat when his appetite flagged, kept track of his medications and changed his bandages. That quick, he was used to having her around and while his staff kept the house running and another associate was keeping the business running, Jade kept him going. But he couldn’t start thinking he had to have her in his life. Wanted her; that was obvious. But need crossed the line.
Her horses needed her and he understood when she’d had to leave. He had insisted on it and hidden the pain, telling her that he was healed. The physical pain was tolerable, but he missed her. She’d come to mean a lot to him and without her in his house, it felt empty and he was decidedly lonely. The house was too big and empty without her in it.
Now two women he cared about were living in Texas. It was tempting to move close to them, but Declan couldn’t live with those ghosts.
Livia Colton was haunting that town. Even if she was caught and returned to prison, her victims would continue to share what she had done to them. The reminders would be daily and ever present. Declan didn’t want to think about Livia for the rest of his life. Once he sold La Bonne Vie, he was finished with her and his dark, painful past.