“There’s not much to know,” Declan said.
“I doubt that very much,” Jade said. In addition to his interesting real estate purchase, he was wealthy and good-looking and likely had experiences and interests to share.
“I can tell you my big secret,” Declan said.
Interest brought her a few steps closer. Confiding in her during their first real conversation, he must feel the pull too. “I’m a great secret keeper.” An understatement. Desperate to be brought into his confidence, she waited.
“I’m married to my job. My calendar is booked and I’m rarely sitting around, but it’s almost all related to work. So while I know there have been rumors about me and what I do and where I go, it’s all about my job.”
“All real estate, all the time?” she asked, not truly believing that was the whole story and wondering how La Bonne Vie fit into his plans.
He nodded. “The most interesting thing to happen to me today was meeting you and talking with you. I’ve seen you around town, but tonight you look especially beautiful. Maybe it’s how you look when you talk to your horses. There’s something so entrancing about it,” Declan said.
The reflection of her love for her horses must radiate from her every pore. She lived and breathed her work, much like he did. “Then I guess that’s something we have in common. My work is my everything too.”
But Jade did feel beautiful as Declan looked at her, and it had been a long time since she had felt this giddy with a man. She was happy she had taken the time to have her hair styled at Marie’s Salon and Spa and she had worn the dress Claudia had helped her select. Declan’s attention was flattering and the admiration she saw in his eyes as he looked at her stables made her proud.
The stables had been her design. Each stall was intended to be safe and comfortable. The wood was a lighter color, sanded and polished with materials safe for the horses. She had a place for the hay and food to be stored and prevented from rotting. Overhead, the loft held additional supplies. She had extra chaps, protective helmets and riding boots close to the hose bib for easier cleaning. Bibs and saddles, blanket bags, feeders, measuring scoops, extra water buckets and brushes had their places in an alcove of bins and hooks. Muck carts and cleaning buckets were ready; the ones she had used that morning were clean and drying across the way.
“You sound like me. All work and no play,” Declan said.
A man who looked and dressed like Declan, with those smoldering eyes and fit physique, had to date society women. He likely had his pick of companions when he wanted one. But maybe that was what he was telling her; he was only interested in brief affairs. Jade shook off the thought. She was overanalyzing, a bad habit she had picked up from trying to read her mother’s moods to know when to avoid her.
Jade kept her tone carefully casual. “Anytime you want to get away from your job and spend time here, you’re welcome. There’s plenty to do.”
Declan studied her and Jade found herself loving how he looked at her. Attention from men sometimes confused her and she wasn’t sure what they wanted from her. She wished she hadn’t had a totally manipulative psychopath as a mother. Though Livia had been great at tricking men into doing what she wanted, Jade wasn’t eager to use those methods and follow in her footsteps. She often wondered if she would unintentionally do just that, so she was careful not to coerce people. It had become almost instinct to speak what she wanted plainly and honestly.
“I may do that. This is a great place and the work you’re doing is good for the community. A positive endeavor,” Declan said.
Unlike her mother’s “endeavors,” which had been dark and twisted. “You’d have to dress differently.”
He glanced down at his suit. “You’re wearing a dress. Is a suit that much more overdressed?”
She laughed. “I don’t wear dresses most workdays.”
“You could start a new trend and look great doing it,” Declan said.
His compliment brought color to her cheeks. “If it fetched money to the cause, I’d do anything,” Jade said. Almost anything shy of illegal dealings to raise funds. Jade hadn’t meant to mention money, but it was on her mind. Working with charitable organizations to fund the horses’ care and veterinary bills were her top priority. Without it, she couldn’t keep Hill Country open. She didn’t make enough from the sale of her crops and horses to cover her costs.
“Consider it as a way to get your name out there.”
“My name is out there plenty,” Jade said with a helpless shrug.
Declan smiled. “Lead with the name of your cause. I saw a post on the table toppers in Big Jim’s for Honeysuckle Road. I had never heard of it, but while I’m not their target demographic, it got my attention. A picture of you with your horses with the cause would show people what a special place this is.”
Honeysuckle Road was Claudia’s boutique. Given his business success, Jade tucked the idea away for the future. “I’m devoted to making my farm succeed. My father was a great horseman. I inherited his love of horses.” The sadness and grief at her father’s passing never left her. It had been almost two decades since he had died and she still missed him every day. “He passed away when I was seven.”
It was something she rarely talked about with anyone, and she was surprised she mentioned it to Declan. When Jade was a child, Livia had made her feel bad for being sad about her father and had forbidden her from talking about it, even though her mother was responsible for her father’s death. Though she had gotten a few sympathetic looks from Claudia whenever it came up, the rest of her siblings had kept their heads down and their lips sealed. It was as if they knew Livia had done something wrong and they were too scared to say anything. That left Jade on her own. Growing up with a house filled with siblings, she had been utterly lonely.
Her father had been kicked by a horse, but the secret cause of his demise was one that Jade had kept for years. She had been terrified of her mother then and she was afraid of her now. Livia Colton was capable of true acts of evil. “Mac loves horses too, so I feel comfortable around them.” Better to keep the conversation light.
Jade hadn’t before had a friend who she could confide in about her family. To some extent, she could talk to her half siblings about their mother, but with varying degrees of success. Some didn’t want to speak of her; others seemed to turn a blind eye to the whole truth. Though her siblings’ feelings on their mother had changed in the last five months since Livia had escaped prison and began showing up in their lives, bringing more ugly truths to light, Jade hadn’t developed an open rapport with her family yet. But to have someone, anyone, in her life who she could speak to about Livia and about her childhood, would be therapeutic beyond measure. To open up to someone and not worry about them turning away from her would be a first.
Cheering and whistling from the party floated through the air. “We should get back to the party,” Jade said. Except she didn’t want to return. Talking to Declan had been the highlight of the night for her. He was open and easy to talk with.
Declan extended his elbow to her. “May I escort you back?”
She took his arm. “I’d like that, thank you.” When her hand set on the crook of his arm, she felt heat and a twinge of excitement.
* * *
Declan prided himself on having good instincts about people, business deals and properties. He had walked away from million-dollar deals because he didn’t trust someone’s motives. Since he’d been in Shadow Creek, seeing the Coltons around town was usually accompanied by the impulse to avoid them. The rule of thumb was that they could not be trusted: proceed with extreme caution.
That response presented a problem when it came to River. Edith wanted them to be friends and since Declan cared about Edith, he felt the obligation to try to get to know him better. Edith had strong opinions on the matter and, true to form, she wasn’t shy about telling