Loe raamatut: «The Coltons of Shadow Creek»

Chapter 1

Shadow Creek, Texas, held nothing but broken dreams, betrayal and heartache for Knox Colton. He had thought he’d never return to the small town where he’d grown up, but here he was again after a ten-year absence.

Forced to take a sabbatical from his job as a Texas Ranger, embarrassed and humiliated by his mother’s crimes, he’d really had no other place to go.

He now clenched his fingers around the steering wheel as a whisper of heated anger burned in the pit of his stomach. Nothing like being a Texas Ranger and having one of the FBI’s most wanted as a mother.

Livia Colton had created plenty of chaos and damage in his childhood, and now she was affecting her grown children’s lives once again.

He rolled down his window to allow in the sweet-scented early March air and drew in a deep breath. The last thing he wanted to do was to carry his simmering anger into the peaceful sanctuary his younger sister called home.

His anger eased at thoughts of his youngest sister, Jade. Despite the nine years difference in their ages, he’d always been particularly close to her.

A smile curved his lips as he turned into Hill Country Farm, Jade’s home. Ahead of him was her house, but around the house were her passions. Vegetable gardens were just beginning to awaken with what would be summer bounty. Stables and a riding arena were on the right, and a barn with chickens, goats and pigs was on the left.

The house itself was small, but exuded a sense of stability and welcome. Pots of purple pansies sat on the porch, dipping and waving their heads in the light spring breeze.

Before he’d stopped his car, Jade stepped out on the porch, a wide smile of greeting on her pretty face. He parked and got out of the car and she raced toward him, her dark brown ponytail bouncing as her sweet laughter filled the air.

She jumped into his arms and he picked her up and spun her around. His cowboy hat flew off his head before he deposited her back on the ground and gave her a firm kiss on the forehead.

“Oh, Knox, I’ve missed you so much,” she said.

“And I’ve missed you,” he replied as he picked up his hat and plopped it back on his head. “You look terrific, Jade.”

She stepped back from him and eyed him. “You don’t look half-bad yourself, big brother.” She gave him a playful punch in the stomach. “At least you haven’t gone to seed in your old age.”

“Hey, I’m only thirty-three. I’m still in my prime,” he retorted.

She linked her arm with his. “Come on inside. I’ve got the coffee on and I made a batch of homemade cinnamon rolls.”

“Hmm, nothing better on a Saturday morning than cinnamon rolls and time with you,” he replied.

Minutes later the two siblings sat across from each other at the round oak table in the kitchen that smelled of spices and sunshine. Yellow curtains fluttered at the open windows as the sweet scent of new grass and budding flowers drifted in.

“So, how’s Ranger life?” Jade asked as she set a small plate with a cinnamon roll the size of the palm of his hand before him.

“It was great until two weeks ago.” He frowned down into his coffee cup and then looked up and met his sister’s gaze. “And then day before yesterday I was told rather forcefully that a sabbatical might be a good idea right now.”

Jade’s brown eyes darkened. “Because of Mother’s escape from prison.” Knox gave a curt nod of his head. “How long are you on sabbatical for?”

“An undetermined amount of time,” he replied. “I have become somewhat of an embarrassment with a mother who plotted and succeeded with an elaborate escape from Red Peak Maximum Security Prison. I was told to lie low until she was no longer a hot news item and was caught.” The burn of anger was back in his stomach.

“I can’t believe she managed to pay off so many guards and got into the infirmary and through two more security checks before cutting a hole in the floor and slithering down into the sewer system.”

“A new sewer system that she somehow arranged to be built,” he added drily. “And you’ve probably heard that in the construction site she was picked up by a white van outside the prison walls.”

“And the van had no plates or distinguishing marks when it was found abandoned near the Mexican border,” Jade added. “I watch the news, too.”

What had been kept out of the news was that there had been blood found on the side of the van, blood that hadn’t belonged to Livia Colton, but Knox wasn’t telling that to Jade or anyone else. Knox had been told this by his boss before the upper brass cut him out of the information chain.

The information was being intentionally held back by the authorities. Someone had been at the scene at the Mexican border with Livia and that someone had apparently been hurt. Knox had a feeling the identity of that person was already known to somebody in law enforcement, but it was a piece of information that hadn’t been told or leaked. By now, the blood left behind at the van would have been analyzed and he couldn’t help but believe DNA had been matched to somebody.

“Then you know the latest is that she was spotted in Mexico, and that’s where I hope she stays until she burns in hell,” Knox said forcefully.

Jade reached across the table and grabbed his hand with her much smaller one. “Knox, you need to release some of that anger. It knots up in your veins and makes me believe the Hulk could pop out of you at any time.”

A wry grin curved his mouth. “Maybe what I need to keep the Hulk inside is a couple of bites of this magnificent cinnamon roll.”

She flashed him a beautiful smile. “Dig in.”

As he enjoyed not one, but two of the breakfast treats, Jade caught him up on her business. She ran a rehab center for off-track Thoroughbred horses, hoping to give them second careers as pleasure riding mounts or hunter-jumpers.

It was obvious she loved what she did; it shone from the happiness in her eyes, in the flush of her cheeks as she spoke about the horses. Knox had loved being a Texas Ranger, but his mother had stolen that from him, at least for now.

At least Jade seemed to be thriving, despite the fact that their mother had been in prison for drug charges and murder.

“So, where are you staying while you’re in town?” Jade asked.

“I was going to see about staying in the apartment at Mac’s, but Thorne insisted I bunk with him, so I’m at his place.” Mac Mackenzie was the closest thing to a father figure that Knox knew; Thorne was his son with Livia, although all of Livia’s children shared the Colton last name. Thorne had a ranch not too far away from Jade’s. “Wht’s new with everyone else?” he asked, wondering about the rest of their Colton siblings.

Jade shrugged. “Nobody has heard anything from River lately, so we’re all assuming he’s still a marine and someplace overseas. Claudia is apparently living her dream in New York and Leonor is still in Austin.”

“Or helping Mother stay hidden in Mexico.”

“She wouldn’t do that,” Jade protested. Knox raised an eyebrow and Jade continued. “I know Leonor was the last to believe that Mother was guilty of all the charges against her, but she would never aid her in an escape.”

Knox didn’t reply. He wasn’t sure what his sister might do to help their mother. She’d clung to her belief in Livia’s innocence far longer than any of the other siblings and had been the only one who had visited Livia in prison.

“Why don’t you take me outside and show me around,” he said, suddenly tired of thoughts of their mother.

“I’d love to,” she replied. He grabbed his hat from a nearby chair and together they walked out of Jade’s door.

It was with great pride that she pointed out the vast gardens and the area that was a petting zoo where local schools often brought their classes to visit.

“I love it when the children come,” Jade said. “And these animals love all the attention they get on those days.”

They reached a pasture fence, beyond which were several of the horses she’d devoted her life to giving a second chance at a different kind of life.

He turned to look at her. “You’re happy here.” It was a statement, not a question.

She smiled. “I am.” The smile faded away and her eyes darkened. “And I’ll feel a lot happier when our mother is once again behind bars. I worry that she knows I helped put her there in the first place.”

Knox pulled her into an embrace. “Don’t worry, Jade. It would be stupid for her to show up here, and we both know that she isn’t a stupid woman.”

No, Livia definitely wasn’t stupid. She was a cunning, manipulative sociopath who had seen her children only as tools to be used to gain her wealth and power. She trotted them out for photo ops when it served her purpose and then handed them off to a nanny and forgot about them until the next time they could be useful to her. And that had been the very least of her crimes.

“You’re right,” Jade replied as he released her. She stared out into the distance for a moment and then laughed. “You remember her lacy handkerchiefs?”

“How could I forget? She thought carrying one made her look all high society, and God forbid if she couldn’t find a particular one in her drawer. She’d have all of us searching high and low for a pink-or lilac-colored hankie. But enough about her, let’s go see your stables.”

As they walked toward the stables, Jade told him about the racehorses that came to her, many of whom might otherwise have been headed to the glue factory, or sadly sold for meat.

“The first thing I have to do is make sure they’re healthy,” she explained. “And then they have to be socialized with both people and the rest of the herd.”

They entered the stables and Knox immediately spied a young boy sweeping up. “Cody, come and meet my brother,” Jade called out to him.

The boy set the broom aside and approached them with a friendly smile on his face. “This is my brother Knox,” Jade said. She placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “And this is Cody, the best nine-year-old helper and horse lover I’ve ever met.”

“It’s nice to meet you, sir.” The boy stuck out a hand to shake.

Knox took the small hand and studied the boy’s face. Bright blue eyes, oddly familiar, gazed up at him. Cody’s light brown hair was neatly cut and his smile was broad enough to illuminate an entire room.

“It’s nice to meet you, Cody, and you can call me Knox.”

“Do you like horses, Knox?” the boy asked him.

“I love them,” Knox replied.

“Knox is a Texas Ranger,” Jade said.

“Wow.” Cody’s eyes widened. “That’s awesome.”

Those eyes...the shape and the bright blue color...what about them felt so familiar to Knox? “Thanks. So you sweep up around here?”

“I do whatever Miss Jade wants me to and then she lets me ride the horses,” he replied.

“Sounds like a lot of responsibility,” Knox replied.

Cody nodded. “I can handle it.” He looked at the wristwatch he wore. “Now I need to finish up sweeping because my mom is going to be here any minute.”

“And who is your mom?” Knox asked, wondering if he knew the woman.

“Her name is Allison Rafferty,” Cody replied.

Allison Rafferty? Knox’s brain exploded with a flash of sweet memories. Allison was the woman he’d once loved, the woman who had betrayed him and the one he’d never quite been able to forget.

He stared at Cody. Those eyes...no wonder they looked so familiar to Knox. Each morning when he looked into a mirror, he saw those same ones staring back at him.

Shock waves shuddered through him and he was vaguely aware of Jade telling Cody to go ahead outside and wait for his mother. The complicated memories he had of Allison disappeared beneath a veil of pure white anger.

Knox turned to his sister, his heart beating hard and fast. He felt gut-punched. Cody was nine years old and had his eyes. Almost ten years ago, he’d contacted Allison when he’d heard she’d had a baby that she’d insisted belonged to an old boyfriend. She had to have gotten pregnant by another man during the time they’d been dating. He’d been utterly destroyed by her cheating and that had been the end of any relationship he had with her.

She’d lied.

Knox knew with a gut instinct that Cody was his son. He stared at Jade. “Did you know?”

Jade didn’t pretend not to know what he was talking about. “I’ve always suspected, but Allison has never said anything to me, and I haven’t asked her.”

A son. Emotion welled up to press tight against his chest. He had a son, and he’d already lost nine years because Allison had lied to him. He’d always known that she was just another woman who’d betrayed him, and this only confirmed it.

“I think I’ll step outside and wait for Cody’s mother to arrive,” he said.

“Knox, you aren’t going to do anything crazy, are you?” Jade asked worriedly.

He smiled grimly as an icy cold shell wrapped around his heart. “Don’t worry. I’m not crazy.” His fellow Rangers and several news agencies had nicknamed him Fort Knox because he was the unbreakable Ranger who had no heart. He was always in control of his emotions.

The sound of a car approaching from the distance tensed all of his muscles. He drew several deep, long breaths and then prepared himself to face the woman who had kept the secret of his son from him for nine long years.

* * *

Allison Rafferty couldn’t help the smile that curved her lips as she saw Cody and Jade standing just outside the stables. The sight of her son always made her heart expand with pride and joy.

It was impossible to hold on to the worries of running the construction company when she was with her son. On Monday she was going to have to fire a man, never a pleasant thing, but in this case necessary. But for this afternoon and evening all she had to think about was making homemade pizza and watching a movie with the little man in her life.

She parked and turned off the car engine, then got out of the car. At the same time a tall, broad-shouldered man wearing a black cowboy hat stepped out of the stables and into her view.

Knox.

Her breath hitched in her throat and she froze in her tracks. For a long moment her brain refused to function as she stared at him, and then a million questions fired off in her head.

Knox Colton... What on earth was he doing there? Oh, God, she didn’t want him there. Why wasn’t he in El Paso doing whatever he did as a Texas Ranger?

“Hello, Allison.” His eyes beneath the rim of his hat were icy blue.

He knows.

The two dreadful words echoed in her head as her heart began to beat an unsteady rhythm. “Knox, what a surprise,” she said and took several slow steps forward.

“It’s been a day full of surprises,” he replied with a pointed glance at Cody.

“Cody, why don’t you come inside with me and let Knox and your mother visit for a few minutes,” Jade said. “I think I’ve got some of those chocolate cookies that you like in the pantry.”

Cody looked at Allison for permission and she nodded her head, still stunned by Knox’s presence. She watched as Jade and Cody headed to the house and a million old memories fluttered through her mind.

Knox, dressed in a navy tuxedo to take her to the high school prom... Knox, naked and beautiful as he made love to her in the pool house at La Bonne Vie, his family home.

He had been her first love, her only love and the man she believed would be her forever love. They’d dated all through high school and after that whenever she could get back to Shadow Creek from the college she’d attended in Massachusetts.

They’d drifted apart during the last of those days, but when she’d had to quit college and return to Shadow Creek to take over her father’s construction company, she and Knox had resumed their love affair. The memories of loving and being loved by him warmed her.

She watched until Jade and Cody disappeared into the house and then she turned her gaze back to Knox. Any warmth her memories had generated instantly cooled beneath the chill of his arctic gaze. She raised her chin and waited for him to speak, her heart beating even more frantically.

“You’ve kept him from me for nine years.”

She wanted to protest. She wanted to reiterate the falsehood she’d told him years ago when she’d been pregnant and he’d called to see if the baby was his. But it was one thing to utter a lie over a phone line, quite another to stare into somebody’s eyes and lie.

“You left town,” she replied. He’d left her utterly brokenhearted and not knowing if she would ever have a future with him. That had been one of the reasons she’d lied to him, because he’d distanced himself from her, indicating that he didn’t want to be with her anymore. There had also been the fact that she hadn’t wanted her newborn son in any way associated with the Coltons, considering that Livia had just gone to jail for her heinous crimes.

“And then you had your new life with the Rangers. I didn’t think you’d care,” she said.

“You thought wrong. I had a right to know that he is my son, and he has a right to know that I’m his father.” His words were short...clipped, and he took a step toward her.

Anger and fear leaped into her chest. “You haven’t told him, have you?” How long had he been there with Cody today? What might he have already said to her son?

“I haven’t told him anything yet.” His tone was cold, dispassionate, and reminded her that his reputation was that of a heartless, emotionless man.

“Please don’t tell him,” she replied hurriedly. “What are you doing here in Shadow Creek? Last I heard, you were in El Paso protecting the border.”

For the first time a flicker of something dark shadowed his eyes. “I decided it was time for a vacation, and don’t try to change the subject. You’ve had nine years with Cody and now it’s my turn to have time with him.”

Everything inside of her stilled. Her heart stopped beating and her lungs quit drawing breath as she stared at him wordlessly. She’d always wondered in the back of her mind if this day would come, but over the years she’d convinced herself it wouldn’t. But here it was and she was so ill-prepared for it.

“How long is your vacation?” she finally asked.

“I don’t know yet.” He shoved his hands in his jean pockets. “I have a right to spend time with him.”

She didn’t care what was right in this situation; all she cared about was the best interest of her son, and she didn’t believe him spending any time with Knox was in Cody’s best interest.

“We’ve done fine without you. I just don’t think it’s a good idea,” she replied. “Especially now that your mother has escaped from jail.”

His shoulders stiffened. “My mother has nothing to do with this. I have rights, Allison, and if I have to get a lawyer and fight for them, I will.” The resolve in his eyes let her know he wasn’t playing. He was dead serious.

“I don’t want you to hurt him, Knox.”

His jaw tightened. “That’s the last thing I intend to do.”

She sighed. “If you promise that you won’t tell him you’re his father until I think he’s ready to hear it, and if the two of us can remain civil with each other, then I guess we can work something out so that you can spend some time with him.”

Worry fluttered through her. She didn’t want to do this, but Knox did have a right to get to know his son. The last thing she wanted was a custody battle. She had to do this right for Cody’s sake.

“I promise.” He pulled his hands from his pockets and took another step closer to her. “I don’t want to screw up his life, Allison. I don’t want to screw up your life.” His eyes narrowed. “But you should have told me.”

A flush of warmth filled her cheeks. “I did what I thought was best for everyone at the time.”

“You thought wrong.”

His anger was controlled, but she saw it in the tense set of his broad shoulders, in the thin line of his lips and in the depths of his beautiful blue eyes. “When?”

Next year...the year after, or maybe when he turns eighteen, she wanted to reply. “Next week?”

“Not good enough,” he replied.

She forced herself to breathe. “You can see him tomorrow after church. We’re usually home around noon.”

“Then I’ll pick him up at twelve thirty.”

A new panic leaped into her throat. “Pick him up? Where are you going to take him?”

“I thought I’d take him to Mac’s ranch. I haven’t had a chance to stop in there and say hello since I’ve been back in town.” He crooked an eyebrow up. “If you’re worried that I’ll steal him away from you, then you need to relax. I wouldn’t do that to him.”

Relax? How could she when his very presence there had shaken her to her very soul? How could she relax when he apparently wanted to step into a parent role, even though he’d walked away from her...from their love so easily almost ten years before?

“Then we’ll see you tomorrow.” She was ready for this conversation to end. She needed to go home and process just how much he’d turned her world upside down.

“I’ll send Cody out.” He headed for the house.

Allison got back into the car and finally drew in a deep breath. She’d always felt half-breathless when around Knox. He was ten years older than he’d been the last time she’d seen him, but those years had only made him more attractive.

He was deeply tanned, which made the blue of his eyes more intense. His light brown hair was clipped short, emphasizing his chiseled, handsome features.

Despite the shock of seeing him, in spite of the simmering anger that had marked their conversation, she had to admit that he still held some sort of sensual power over her.

She’d wanted to brush her fingers through his hair, feel the strength of his arms around her and taste his lips once again.

Foolish, foolish thoughts. She’d been devastated when he’d left her ten years ago. Ten years was a long time. She had no idea what kind of a man he’d really become, and the last thing she wanted was to allow Fort Knox back into her life in any capacity.

Jade’s front door opened and Cody came running out. Allison drew another deep breath to steady her emotions. Whether she liked it or not, Knox was back in her life for now. She just prayed he wouldn’t do anything to hurt Cody.