Capturing A Colton. C.J. Miller

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      They ate in comfortable silence.

      “I appreciate this, Declan,” Jade said. “I sometimes forget to take breaks and it catches up to me.”

      “Is that what happened yesterday?” he asked.

      After a thoughtful moment, she shook her head. “That was just a bunch of problems and worries catching up to me. My farm hasn’t been open long and while I love the work, there’s so much of it. It will be years before I’m out from under the paperwork and the financial pressures. I run this place on donations and the occassional horse sale, and I try hard not to dip too often into my salary, but it’s hard. I want to do all I can for the animals and it’s never enough. I’ve been giving riding lessons when I have time for extra money, but not all my horses are amenable or able to do that, and it takes away from working with the horses that need the most attention.”

      Declan didn’t like to talk about money outside a business setting. When he had been younger and had none, he hadn’t felt like enough. When he had finally made his fortune, he had learned that friends weren’t necessarily happy that his hard work had paid off. A few even resented his fortune. Some expected he would give them money when they needed it, even when their definition of need—a brand-new car, a trip to a tropical island, a coveted piece of jewelry—didn’t align with his. Some criticized presents as not being extravagant enough. It was the ugly side of having money and people knowing it.

      Jade took a sip from one of the water bottles he’d bought at the Cozy Diner. “One of my biggest costs is the veterinary bills. The horses come to me in various states of bad health. If I were a veterinarian, I could treat my horses without that expense. Don’t get me wrong. I have a great vet who doesn’t charge me nearly what she could. But it’s a big part of the budget.”

      Becoming a veterinarian to treat her horses didn’t seem like the most time-or cost-effective option. Raising the money herself or finding a marketable product to supplement her income would be easier. Jade had a great place and he could think of several moneymaking opportunities. “Do you plan to go to vet school?”

      Jade sighed. “I can’t. Every penny I have is wrapped up in this place. I wouldn’t have the time and I can’t afford to hire anyone to run the farm. And as much as I’m ashamed to admit this, I don’t even know if I could get into veterinary school. My grades in high school were bad and I haven’t gone to college.”

      “Yet you’ve figured out how to purchase land and set up this elaborate horse rehabilitation business. You must have a knack for animals and numbers. If you were interested, you could go to school for business, learn ways to grow your farm.”

      Jade stretched her legs out in front of her. “You think I could do that?”

      “I know your time is limited, but you could manage.” She could find a way if she were resourceful.

      “Wow, thanks, Declan. I appreciate the vote of support. I can’t say that formal school appealed to me before opening the farm. I had a complicated childhood and that led to a confusing adolescence where I looked for attention in the wrong places. If it wasn’t for Mac, I would have gone way, way off the skids. Probably would be working some dead-end job that paid nothing and counting down to the end of the shift. At least with the farm, I love what I do. The hours pass quickly. There are days when I don’t have enough hours to finish. I’m never bored here.”

      Declan knew of Mac and had heard good things about the older man from Edith. He had been involved with Livia and managed to leave her without being killed. He owned a ranch in the area and, since reuniting with Edith, had been good to her. “That’s great that you had someone to help you.”

      He hadn’t had anyone who’d cared for him in that way. Not a single foster parent took an interest in him. He was a paycheck to them and while he wasn’t ever mistreated, he had never felt the consuming love of family. Edith was the only person in his life who had shared his triumphs and failures.

      Jade’s eyes were bright when she looked at him. “For all my misfortune being a Colton, I’ve been blessed.”

      Declan wasn’t sure what to make of Jade and that statement. His attraction to her defied explanation and while he had expected someone cold and hard, the warm and generous woman in front of him was a pleasant surprise.

      “Can I be blunt with you?” Jade asked.

      “I appreciate honesty,” Declan said. He anticipated a question about Edith or River, or maybe his father. He wasn’t quick to talk about any of those subjects, but he was curious what was on Jade’s mind.

      “Why did you buy La Bonne Vie?” Jade asked.

      Without getting into the emotional reasons for his decision, he could lay out his plan. “It’s a valuable property. The house poses a problem, but I’m tearing that down. I’ll divide up the land and use it for commercial or residential properties.”

      Jade frowned. If she had sentimental attachment to her childhood home, he was sorry about that. He hadn’t meant to speak bluntly about the house, but when he spoke of business, he left emotion out of it.

      Jade set her sandwich on the wrapper. “Do you think I could visit?”

      “The house?” he asked. It was being taken apart by Rafferty Construction. Given Jade’s connection to Allison, she had to know that. Having anyone walk around in the middle of the teardown was dangerous.

      “Yes. This might sound strange to you because my mother did bad things in that house, but I’ve had nightmares about that place for years. I’ve never visited, even when the state owned it, because it holds terrible memories and I wasn’t ready to confront them. But I’m ready now.” She lifted her chin.

      He admired her courage. He knew all about the ghosts of the past and how they seemed to howl when they were needed the least. “Are you sure you want to see it? You could wait until it’s torn down.” Might give her a sense of peace to know that it was gone.

      “No, I need to see it. As it is. I remember the house being huge and grand and I remember my mother moving through hallways like a queen. I want to watch it burn.”

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