Loe raamatut: «The Coltons of Texas»

Chapter 1

She was definitely out of her element. Josie Colton had known that the Colton Valley Ranch just outside of Dallas in Brush Valley was a multibillion-dollar operation, but she hadn’t really processed just how well-off this branch of the family was until now.

The early July sun gleamed on the large black ornate gates with COLTON VALLEY RANCH in gold lettering just in front of her car. Beyond the gates in the distance a white, two-story mansion with one-story wings on either side sprawled across a manicured lawn with a regal grace that screamed of wealth and privilege.

For just a brief moment Josie wanted to back up, turn around and leave. She wasn’t prepared to meet these people who were family, but strangers nevertheless. After seven years in the witness protection plan, she scarcely felt ready to face her own new life of freedom.

She gripped the steering wheel tightly and remembered that all of her siblings were counting on her. She wasn’t here for a social visit; she was here to do a job and she definitely didn’t want to disappoint the family she had been reunited with so recently.

She pulled closer to the gates and noticed a speaker built into the column to her left. She rolled down her window and leaned partway out, the sun already hot despite the fact that it was only eight in the morning. Since it was Monday she hoped she’d arrived early enough that Eldridge Colton hadn’t already left the house for business purposes.

“Hello?” she called.

“May I help you?” a disembodied male voice replied.

“Hmm, I’m Josie Colton and I believe I’m expected.”

The gates opened as if by magic and Josie pulled through. She glanced in her rearview mirror to see them closing behind her.

At least there didn’t appear to be anyone following her. For the past couple of weeks more than once a creepy-crawly feeling had suffused her, making her look over her shoulder for some phantom bogeyman.

“No bogeyman,” she said firmly and shoved the thought out of her head.

When she’d spoken to her distant cousin, Eldridge Colton, the night before, she had told him exactly what she wanted and why she needed his permission to be on his land. He hadn’t hidden a touch of amusement at her request, but had agreed to allow her access to the property.

Now here she was, and despite all she’d been through in her twenty-three years of life, nerves jumped and bubbled in the pit of her stomach.

She parked in the driveway and got out of her car. A light, hot breeze sent her long dark hair flying into unruly disarray and before she rang the doorbell she reached up to smooth the strands.

She was still finger-combing her hair and gathering her nerve when the door opened to reveal a tall, thin older man. Clad in a dark suit, crisp white shirt and gray tie, he sported a gray mustache and a bald head covered with a few thin wisps of gray hair.

“Eldridge?” she ventured tentatively.

“No, ma’am, I’m Aaron Mansfield, the butler.” He opened the door wider to allow her entry. “If you’ll wait here, I’ll see if Mr. Eldridge is available to see you.”

He turned and disappeared down a hallway as Josie gazed around at her surroundings. The huge foyer not only sported gorgeous marble floors, but there were also twin curved staircases that swept down from the second floor and nearly stole her breath away with their grand beauty.

She had been raised in a foster home and was most recently suspected of being a serial killer like her father. After spending seven years in the witness protection program in the small town of Excelsior Springs, Missouri, it would have been easy for her to be overwhelmed and intimidated by the opulence that surrounded her.

But Josie was a survivor and she was on a mission. She’d already been through more difficult times in her life than most people suffered in an entire lifetime. She refused to be cowed by anything or anyone. For the first time ever her family was depending on her to do a job and she didn’t want to blow it. She straightened her shoulders and raised her chin as Aaron Mansfield approached her once again.

“Mr. Eldridge is still sleeping, but his wife, Mrs. Whitney, has agreed to see you in the parlor. Please follow me.”

He led her to a set of ornate double doors off the foyer. He opened them and gestured for her to enter. Josie swallowed a small gasp of surprise as she got her first sight of Eldridge’s wife.

Whitney Colton was clad in an emerald green dressing gown and lounged on a white chaise. Her shoulder-length blond hair was perfectly coiffed and her makeup was impeccable, enhancing her delicate features and bright green eyes. Josie knew Eldridge was seventy-five years old. His wife was at least two decades younger than him.

“Don’t dawdle. Come in,” Whitney said and waved a hand airily toward a nearby chair.

Josie quickly walked across the room to the chair and sank down. “Hello, I’m Josie Colton and I’m here to—”

“I know why you’re here,” Whitney interrupted. “My Dridgey-pooh told me all about you last night after you called him.”

Dridgey-pooh? Josie inwardly groaned.

“It’s so nice to meet a part of the family we don’t know,” Whitney said with a warm smile.

Josie relaxed against the back of the chair. “Thank you. It’s nice to meet you, too. I really appreciate you all allowing me access to your property.”

“Dridgey-pooh said it was okay, so I suppose it’s okay. He told me all about your family. He said your father spent some time here when he was younger.”

“Yes, although it was about twenty years ago or so,” Josie replied.

Whitney leaned forward, her eyes gleaming with a sudden hardness. “Tell me, Josie, how does it feel to be the daughter of an infamous serial killer? Oh, I probably shouldn’t have asked that. It was rude, wasn’t it? Please don’t be upset with me.”

The question might have been rude, but it was obvious the woman wanted an answer. And how on earth did one answer a question like that?

“It’s been rather difficult,” Josie finally replied.

Whitney’s mouth pursed in a slight pout. She was obviously not pleased with the shortness of Josie’s response. Her eyes suddenly widened and she leaned back against the chaise, her perfectly arched eyebrows raised in an unmistakable expression of fear.

“I certainly hope you don’t share any crazy homicidal tendencies with your father.” Her voice was suddenly breathy.

“You don’t have to worry—” Josie didn’t get the entire sentence out of her mouth before Whitney interrupted again.

“I don’t really like the idea of you being here at all, but the very last thing I want is to make you mad at me.”

Josie’s brain ping-ponged in her head with Whitney’s mercurial mood swings. Did the woman have some kind of mental problem? What was her deal? Before she could respond Aaron appeared in the doorway once again.

“Tanner is here to see you.” He no sooner got the words out of his mouth when a tall, blond man in worn tight jeans and a white T-shirt swept past the butler and into the room.

An unexpected butterfly took flight in the pit of Josie’s stomach as he gazed at her with the blue eyes of a cloudless Texas sky.

He gave a curt nod in greeting and then turned to Whitney. “I’m sorry to interrupt but I just wanted to let you know that Clementine birthed her foal early this morning and both are doing well.”

“Thank you, Tanner, and I am so glad you’re here.” She pointed to Josie. “This is Jodie Colton, one of Eldridge’s very distant cousins. She’s here to find a watch or something that is buried on the property. You can see to it that she gets what she needs as quickly as possible.”

There was still a touch of breathless distress in Whitney’s voice and it was obvious by her words that she wanted Josie gone sooner rather than later. So much for the warmth of her initial greeting, Josie thought.

The man walked over to Josie and held out a hand. “I’m Tanner Grange, the ranch foreman.”

Josie rose and shook his hand, the butterfly turning dizzying somersaults at the brief physical contact with his warm, slightly calloused hand. “Hi, I’m Josie Colton and it’s nice to meet you.”

“Jodie... Josie.” Whitney released a musical burst of laughter. “All I know is that it’s a beautiful Monday morning and Eldridge and I have a breakfast to attend downtown, but before I get ready I need my guava-kale smoothie. Tanner, see that Josie gets whatever she needs and let me know when she’s off the property.” She turned on the lounge to face the doorway. “Bettina, bring me my smoothie.”

Her last sentence was screamed and Josie didn’t miss the slight roll of Tanner’s gorgeous eyes. “Shall we?” He gestured toward the door to leave.

With pleasure. Josie didn’t mind getting down to business and putting the dramatic, temperamental Whitney behind her. As Josie followed the hunk out of the parlor, she couldn’t help but notice his slightly faded jeans looked awesome on his taut butt, as did his T-shirt, which was pulled tight across his broad shoulders.

Get a grip. The very last thing she wanted or needed in her life at the moment was any kind of a romantic connection. Besides, Tanner Grange looked old enough and was definitely hot enough to already be married.

He led her back into the foyer, where he stopped and turned to face her. His handsome, chiseled features formed a slight frown across his forehead that did nothing to detract from his attractiveness. “I’m afraid I have no clue exactly what I’m supposed to help you with. Whitney didn’t explain it very well.”

“She was worried about her guava-kale smoothie,” Josie said drily and then bit her tongue. She had no idea what this man thought about his boss and the last thing Josie wanted to do was make a bad impression or alienate the man who had been tasked to help her.

She was relieved when Tanner offered her a wry grin. “Whitney does love her smoothies, among other fairly superficial creature comforts.” His smile fell into a gaze of curiosity. “So, she mentioned something about a buried watch?”

Josie nodded. “My siblings and I were told our father buried a watch here years ago on this property. My father is a second cousin to Eldridge and spent some time here when he was younger. He’s dying now and the watch has sentimental value to him and he’d like to be buried with it, so I’m here to hopefully find it.”

There were a million things Josie didn’t say, like that her father was in prison, convicted of killing nine men and Josie’s own mother. She also didn’t mention that she and her siblings believed the watch might hold a map that could possibly lead to her father’s stash of money from old bank heists he had committed before he went to prison twenty years ago.

“I’m sorry about your father.”

“Thanks,” Josie replied. “He’s been sick for a long time.”

“This is a big spread. Do you have any idea where this watch might be?”

“It’s supposed to be at the base of an old oak tree with some kind of carvings in the trunk and the tree is near a brook or a stream.”

Whitney’s strident voice drifted out to them. “Moira, wake up Eldridge. He needs to get ready for the fund-raising breakfast downtown.”

Tanner frowned. “I think I know that particular tree. It’s in a pasture a bit of a distance away from the house. Do you ride?”

“Ride? You mean like on a horse?” Josie shook her head. “I’m afraid I’ve never had the opportunity.”

“That’s all right. We can take one of the ranch trucks. Shall we?” He gestured toward the front door.

Josie was just about to step outside when a bloodcurdling scream pierced the air.

* * *

Adrenaline pumped through Tanner as he recognized the scream as coming from the housekeeper, Moira. “Excuse me,” he muttered to Josie and turned to race down the hallway toward the master suite.

He was vaguely aware of Aaron, Whitney and the pretty petite Josie following right behind him. Dread coursed through him as he saw Moira standing just outside of the doorway of the bedroom.

She held a trembling finger to her lips and looked every day of her seventy-five years. As she saw Tanner she pointed into the room, horror gripping her features into a tight mask.

At his age, Eldridge wasn’t in the best of health and Tanner’s first thought was that the old man had probably passed away in his sleep.

He flew into the large room and then froze in his tracks in stunned surprise. In an instant his brain registered several things. The window to the gardens was open and the screen had been removed. The lamp on the nightstand was overturned. The covers on the bed appeared to have been dragged off and something that looked like blood was both on the windowsill and on the floor next to the bed.

Eldridge was gone.

“Oh, my God!” Whitney screamed from behind Tanner. “Where is he? What’s happened?” She pushed past Tanner and ran into the adjoining bathroom. “Eldridge honey, where are you?” A wail ensued, letting Tanner know the old man wasn’t there.

Whitney stumbled back into the bedroom, and at the same time Fowler Colton, Eldridge’s eldest son, ran into the room. He was followed by his sister, Alanna.

Bedlam ensued as more of the Colton family appeared on the scene. Zane, Eldridge’s adopted son and head of security, shouted to be heard above Whitney’s hysterical screams.

Within minutes all of Whitney and Eldridge’s children and stepchildren were in the room except one. Aaron held on to his wife, Moira, his eyes misted with tears, and Josie cowered against a wall as if attempting to disappear.

“Everyone out of the room,” Reid Colton yelled above the din. “We need to preserve the evidence.” He attempted to herd everyone back out into the hallway.

“I just called Sheriff Watkins,” Fowler replied. “He’s on his way. In the meantime, I need to take a look around.”

“No, you don’t. You need to get out of here like everyone else,” Reid replied tersely.

“Don’t act like you’re a cop. You just used to be one,” Fowler replied with a raise of his chin. “As I remember, brother, your badge was taken away from you.”

Reid stared menacingly at Fowler and one of his hands tightened into a fist. “Don’t go there, brother.”

“You two, don’t even start,” Whitney cried. She started out of the door and then stopped and stared at Josie. “You! You did this. You brought evil into the house. It’s all your fault. You’re the devil!” She covered her eyes and wept as her daughter Piper placed an arm around her shoulders and quickly led her from the room.

Josie’s hazel eyes were wide and her lower lip began to tremble. Tanner fought the crazy impulse to shelter her with his arm. Instead he motioned for her to follow him out of the bedroom and fought against his worry for the old man he’d looked on like a father.

“Everyone into the parlor,” Fowler instructed. “Sheriff Watkins will want to question everyone when he and his men get here.”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea for Josie to be in the parlor with Whitney,” Tanner said. “I’ll take her into the dining room and we’ll wait there for the sheriff.”

Josie gave him a grateful glance. He didn’t wait for permission from anyone, but took her by the arm and led her in the opposite direction from the rest of the people. The last thing needed at the moment was Whitney’s histrionics directed toward Josie.

As they walked toward the formal dining room Tanner tried to tamp down his fear for Eldridge. What on earth had happened in that bedroom?

It had been obvious that a struggle had occurred. Had it happened that morning? Sometime in the night? Had the old man been kidnapped? Had he been killed? There hadn’t been a lot of blood to indicate a death, but there had certainly been enough for Tanner to be extremely concerned about Eldridge’s well-being.

The formal dining room was a large room with a table that nearly stretched from one end to the other. Several large candelabras were positioned on a black-and-gold table runner and held fat, white pillar candles.

This was where the large family usually gathered to take their evening meal together. Breakfast and lunch were less formal. He gestured Josie into one of the high-backed chairs and then sank down in the chair next to her.

Josie’s scent wafted toward him, a heady combination of spices mingling with a fresh peach fragrance. He’d experienced a swift kick of physical attraction to her the moment he’d first laid eyes on her. Her long dark hair looked silky, and she might be small and petite, but her body was perfectly proportioned. But at the moment that was the last thing on his mind.

He reached up and rubbed the center of his forehead, where a headache attempted to take hold. Loud voices could still be heard coming from the parlor, where the family and other staff members were gathered together.

“Whatever happened in that bedroom, I’m in no way responsible,” Josie said. Her eyes simmered as she held his gaze. He couldn’t help but notice her eyelashes were lush and long.

“I’m aware of that. I just wish I knew what really did happen.”

“There were so many people. Are all of them family?”

He nodded. “Eldridge had two children, Fowler and Alanna, with his first wife, Darla. When Darla died Eldridge married Whitney, who had two children, Zane and Marceline. Eldridge and Whitney had three children together, Thomas, Piper and Reid. Well, actually, Piper was an orphan who they adopted. The only one who wasn’t in the bedroom a few minutes ago was Marceline.”

“Thank goodness I won’t be here long enough to try to keep them all straight,” Josie replied.

“They all have very distinct personalities, so once you’ve been around them for a short period of time it’s fairly easy to figure out who is who,” he replied. It was easier to focus on the Colton family dynamics rather than his fear for his boss and mentor.

The faint shriek of sirens was audible from somewhere outside, and before they halted their cry, Brianna Nugent flew into the dining room.

Tanner jumped out of his chair at the sight of his young nanny. “Brianna, what are you doing in here? Where are the girls?” A new concern whipped through him. Had something happened to them?

“Peggy said she’d watch them for a few minutes,” Brianna replied and tugged on the end of the thick blond braid that fell forward over her shoulder. “What’s going on? There’s so much negative energy in the air. It’s totally upsetting my chakra.”

Tanner drew in a breath and sought some modicum of patience before replying. “Eldridge is missing. I’m sorry about your chakra, but you really need to get back to the girls.”

“Do you mind if I burn some sage in the nursery to clear away some of the bad energy?”

Tanner stared at her in disbelief. “You are not to burn anything in the nursery ever,” he replied firmly. “Now, I’d appreciate it if you’d get back to the twins. The negative air in here is far worse than any in the staff wing.” As Brianna whirled back out of the room, Tanner sat once again and released a deep sigh.

“You have twin daughters?” Josie asked.

Tanner relaxed a bit. It was impossible to feel too stressed out when he thought about his little girls. “Lily and Leigh—they’re eighteen months old. Brianna is their nanny.”

“So your wife works outside of the home?”

“My ex-wife, and she died a little over a year ago.” He fought against the sense of failure that always tried to take hold of him when he thought of Helen.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Josie replied.

“Thanks.” He leaned forward, tension once again twisting inside of him. “I just hope Brianna doesn’t let her unsettled chakra affect the twins. Kids pick up on grown-ups’ emotions so easily, and the last thing I want is for them to be upset.”

He also knew with a sinking sensation that Brianna, with her slightly crazy new age mentality, was probably going to have to be replaced. Anyone who thought burning sage in the nursery was okay wasn’t the kind of nanny he wanted for his girls.

He shoved the thought aside and looked at Josie once again. “What about you? Are you married? Have children?” Although Josie looked far too young for either, he wanted—needed—some conversation to keep his mind busy until the sheriff or somebody else official came in to speak with them.

“Neither,” she replied.

“Do you have other family?”

“Five brothers and a sister, but my mother died when I was three and we had an absent father, so we were all separated and grew up in different foster-care homes.”

“Foster care can be tough. It must have been especially difficult being separated from your brothers and sister.”

She stared down at the tabletop and traced an imaginary pattern on the wood with her fingertip. “It was, but you know what they say—when you’re handed lemons make lemonade.”

She dropped her hand into her lap and looked up at him again. “By the time I was six there were five other foster kids living in the same house as me. I made them my brothers and sisters and tried to take good care of them. What about you? Do you have other family?”

“It’s just me and my daughters,” he replied.

Eldridge was missing under mysterious circumstances. Josie Colton stirred something inside Tanner that hadn’t been stirred in a long time. Then there was the worry that he probably needed to hire a new nanny...again.

He was almost relieved when Sheriff Troy Watkins appeared in the doorway. “Tanner, I need to ask you both some questions.” The tall, dark-haired lawman pulled a notepad and pen out of his shirt pocket and then looked at Josie, his gray eyes flat and emotionless.

“Josie Colton, I understand you arrived at the ranch just before Eldr—Mr. Colton was found missing. Where were you last night?”

“I was at my apartment in Granite Gulch. I got up early this morning to drive in,” Josie replied. “If they have security cameras around the area, then I’m sure they’ll show you precisely when I arrived here.”

“And you’re one of Mr. Colton’s cousins?” Troy asked.

“We’re third cousins. I’ve never even met him. I just spoke to him on the phone last night. He agreed to let me come here and search for an old watch that belongs to my father.”

Troy turned to look at Tanner. “And what about you, Tanner? Where were you in the hours before Eldridge was found missing?”

“I spent the night in the barn. We had a horse that foaled and I didn’t leave the barn until this morning when I came into the house to speak with Whitney. She introduced me to Josie and here we are. Several of the ranch hands were in and out of the barn all night,” Tanner explained. “They can tell you I was in the barn until this morning.”

“I only planned on being here today,” Josie said.

“Your plans have now changed,” Troy replied flatly. “I don’t want you leaving here until we’ve conducted a more thorough investigation.”

He turned back to look at Tanner. “Whitney told me to tell you to find accommodations for Ms. Colton in the staff wing and to see that she has whatever she needs.”

Tanner stifled a sigh. As if he didn’t already have enough chaos in his brain, he’d now been given a babysitting duty for a very hot young woman whose lower lip trembled slightly. Her eyes had darkened with what suspiciously looked like secrets.