Unannounced, uninvited, Jake had simply shown up and asked to meet the man with whom he’d been switched at birth. She had to admire his bravado.
“And he met with you?” she asked, just to be clear.
Jake tilted his head. “Yes. You sound surprised. Don’t you think he had to be curious, too? Naturally, he’d want to meet the man whose life should have been his.”
She let her gaze roam over his rugged, handsome face. “You don’t sound bitter. I don’t know that I wouldn’t be, if I were in the same position.”
“Maybe a little,” he admitted, lifting one bare shoulder. “But it’s forty years in the past. There’s nothing I or anyone else can do to change things. All we can do is move forward, one day at a time.”
Admirable. She didn’t know that she’d be able to be so sanguine if she were in his position.
He kissed her again, a quick press of his lips against her temple. “He’s going to introduce me to the rest of his—of my—family,” he said, his eyes drifting closed. “That should be interesting.” He tightened his arms around her, pulling her in close.
Nestling into his embrace, she marveled at the myriad of complex emotions swirling around inside her. In the space of twenty-four hours, her entire situation had completely changed. On the one hand, as far as Micheline and Leigh were concerned, she’d been a good little cult member and done what they wanted by getting Jake to stay.
On the other, by revealing herself to Jake, she could have placed the entire undercover operation in jeopardy. Her gut twisted at the thought. But as she gazed at Jake’s rugged profile, she just knew her trust wouldn’t be misplaced. He wasn’t a part of the AAG. Even before learning of his true parentage, he’d been destined for other things. He had his ranch, a life he’d built from the ground up. Soon, he’d have a new family to get to know. The machinations of Micheline Anderson and her merry little cult would figure very little in his world. Especially once he’d left here.
For Fiona as well. Once she’d completed this assignment, she’d go back to her job working out of the Phoenix office and her tidy little apartment downtown. Until her next assignment. Then this time she’d spent here in Mustang Valley would become nothing but a memory.
For now, she wanted to simply revel in the moment. She’d learned a long time ago to enjoy the happy moments when she could. Because in the crazy world she worked in, she knew they were few and far between.
She must have fallen asleep, because when she opened her eyes again, someone was trying to open Jake’s door. Quietly, but clearly attempting to get the stuck door to open.
“Jake!” she whispered, nudging him with her elbow. He came awake instantly, and she held her finger to his lips to keep him silent.
Once more, the intruder rattled the door. The chair Jake had wedged under the knob held. Slowly, Jake sat up. “Who’s there?” he asked, his voice stern.
“It’s Micheline,” a familiar voice answered back. “I think it’s time we had a chat.”
Talk about timing. Fiona’s first instinct was to panic. How embarrassing! Her second had her burrowing deeper into the covers, thinking letting the cult leader find her here might not be a bad thing. After all, as far as Micheline was concerned, Fiona had simply done what she’d been told.
“Let her in,” she murmured to Jake, keeping her chin up though her cheeks were hot.
One brow raised, he asked her if she was sure. When she nodded, he pushed himself off the bed, stepped into his jeans and, after zipping them, he answered the door.
“Micheline.” He stepped aside, allowing her to see into his small room.
Fiona waved, just to make sure Micheline saw her.
“Oh.” Micheline took a quick step back. Fiona had to stifle a smile.
“Sorry. I was busy.” Jake dragged his hand through his hair. “Maybe you should have considered calling first.”
“I didn’t know you had company,” Micheline responded, sounding a bit tense. Translation—her spies hadn’t informed her that Jake was with Fiona. “But I had a cancellation, which meant a couple of hours opened up in my schedule. I thought we could get together and talk.”
Jake glanced over his shoulder at Fiona before gesturing toward a chair. “Come on in. Have a seat. We can talk here.”
Micheline didn’t move. “Alone,” she clarified. She cut her eyes to Fiona, pasting an utterly false beatific smile on her perfectly made-up face. “Fiona, honey. Would you please go on back to your own room?”
“Of course,” Fiona replied, dipping her chin. “I’ll need to get dressed first.”
“What if I want her to stay?” Jake asked, crossing his arms. “Fiona and I have become very close. She can hear anything you want to say to me.”
Interesting. Fiona watched Micheline, curious to see which way this would go. On the one hand, Fiona was supposed to do whatever the cult leader wanted. On the other, Micheline would want to placate her son. Especially if she ever revealed the truth of his birth to his face. She had no way of knowing Jake already knew.
Or did she? Fiona frowned, looking down to hide it. She’d long suspected the presence of cameras and/or recording devices, which was why she’d made Jake go outside to discuss her true identity. She generally tried to be super careful with what she said, but perhaps Jake had not.
/> “Fiona can stay,” Jake repeated when Micheline didn’t respond.