time for socializing.
But she hadn’t and she was booked solid seven days a week. While her work was a joy, it was a constant in her life and there were times she wished she could sleep in or stay up late to watch a movie without regretting it the next day. Some nights, she barely made it through dinner before she collapsed into her bed and fell asleep. After working every day for years, she hadn’t thought of taking a break until recently. Very recently. Like when she had spoken with the charming and charismatic Declan Sinclair and she’d started to wonder what it would be like to go on a date. On a date with him, specifically. What it would be like to have a weekend away from work, the two of them taking off in her car on a road trip to somewhere quiet and relaxing.
She was getting way, way ahead of herself. Declan had mentioned he would stop by the farm to check on her, but that could mean anything and it certainly wasn’t a promise. His words weren’t the reason she had spent an extra few minutes that morning getting ready for work, ensuring her jeans were clean and her boots polished, her hair brushed neatly into a braid. She had stopped shy of putting on makeup, which would melt off in minutes under the sun.
Plenty of reasons to avoid Declan. River’s half brother. River had issues, like all of Jade’s siblings. Some of those problems were related to Livia, others of their own making. But his biological ties to Declan and their ongoing effort to form some type of relationship were awkward. He was Edith’s boss. Edith would be her sister-in-law and if Jade was dating Declan, that could put her in the middle of something. But evaluating the complexities wasn’t enough to put her off from the idea.
Nothing in Jade’s life flowed easily. By virtue of the fact that she was Livia Colton’s daughter, she was destined to struggle at every turn. The fear of Livia returning and hurting her or her horses or even outright killing her was her constant companion. Meeting new people was dicey; Jade didn’t know if they would make the connection to her mother and what they would say or do if they did.
As she was walking across the training circle toward the stables, a terrible memory speared into her brain. Jade standing behind the split rail fence, watching her father, Fabrizio, train one of his horses. Livia stormed toward him, her fists balled, already yelling. Her mother always seemed to be yelling. At Fabrizio. At her. At Claudia. At the housekeeper. At the chef.
Fabrizio turned toward Livia, calm and cool. He was the only person who didn’t seem to get visibly upset when Livia threw a tantrum.
Jade couldn’t recall what they were saying or why Livia had been shouting. Jade’s hands hurt and she scrunched behind the post, trying to hide and turning her face away. After more shouting and several loud noises, curiosity got the best of her and she peeked around the fence. Her father suddenly lying on the ground, tan dust blowing around his unmoving body. His horse, his most favorite horse, pranced nervously near him.
Livia had raised her fists and lowered them on her father’s head. Again. And again.
Jade hid behind that post and squeezed her eyes shut and cupped her hands over her ears. The ambulance had come. Livia had screamed and wailed in grief. A police officer had found Jade. He had taken her to the EMT.
The police had questioned her while Livia watched with her eyes narrowed.
Jade had lied. She had said she hadn’t seen anything. She had come running when she heard the ambulances. She didn’t know what had happened. She wanted to know how her father was.
Livia had been the one to tell her that her father was dead, kicked to death by his beloved horse. Then her mother had embraced her and Jade had wanted to kick her. But even at the young age of seven, she had recognized that Livia was not to be trifled with. Jade kept her mouth shut about what she had seen.
When her father’s horse disappeared, Jade mourned that too as another loss.
“Jade? Jade, are you okay? I’m calling for an ambulance.”
Jade opened her eyes. She was kneeling by the training circle, her head in her hands. The bright Texas morning sun hurt her eyes. Looking up, she could make out the shadow of a huge man, broad shoulders and crisp slacks, shiny polished shoes.
“Jade? What happened?” Declan knelt beside her, his strong hand on her shoulder.
It took several deep breaths for her to clear her head and focus. That memory of her parents pulsed through her like a bad hangover, the horror and the grief fresh every time. It had been years since her father had died and she had never told anyone except Mac and the federal agents he had put her in touch with. Even after Livia had been arrested, tried and jailed, Jade didn’t believe it was safe to tell anyone else what she knew about her mother’s crimes. Livia’s reach was too long and Jade had been right to be afraid. In prison, forever hadn’t meant that for Livia.
Her mother had escaped. Though she had never said anything, she had seen Jade that day in the training circle. It was part of the reason for the grieving wife performance and why she had pretended to care so much about Jade in front of the police and paramedics. When she had delivered the news about Fabrizio, Jade remembered the look of vicious joy in her eyes.
“I’m sorry, I had a sudden headache,” Jade said.
She rose slowly to her feet and Declan did, as well. “Let’s get a glass of water. Is there medication you need? Pain pills? Maybe an ice pack?”
His caring attention was almost too much for her and the wave of emotion brought the threat of tears. “I’m okay. I have a lot of work today.” Her animals, first and foremost, needed their breakfast.
“Jade, if there’s something that needs to be done, I’ll take care of it. After I take care of you.”
Her nerves were still rattled and she hadn’t cleared the fog left by the memory yet. Declan led her toward the house. He held open the screen door and she unlocked it. The kitchen was in the front of the house. Taking a seat at the wood kitchen table, Jade watched Declan. He got her a glass of water. “Headache meds anywhere?” he asked.
She pointed to the cabinet next to the black refrigerator. Her coffeepot was still half-filled, her mug and plate from breakfast in the farmhouse apron double sink.
Handing her the pills, he took a seat across from her. “Tell me what you need.”
Tossing the orange pills in her mouth, she swallowed them with water. “You are sweet to care, but I’m doing okay.”
“Then give me the farm to-do list and I’ll handle it until you’re feeling better.”
She reached across the table and covered his hands with hers. Meaning the gesture to get his attention, it did more than that. Heat vibrated between them and Jade felt desire blossoming inside her. Her crush on him was growing deeper. “I’m really okay. I wasn’t feeling well and I should have slowed down. You aren’t dressed for farm work.”
“The list,” he said. He stood and started unbuttoning his shirt.
“I don’t have an actual list.” And now that he was taking his shirt off, her mouth went dry.
In just a white T, he was something to look at. He frowned. “Then I’ll accompany you.”
Sensing he wouldn’t give up, she stood, too tired to fight and wondering why chasing him away was important. His willingness to help should be accepted with open arms. “You may find it interesting.”
“I find
