“You’re some kind of a cop?” Jase asked. His voice cracked, making him sound younger and even less sure of himself.
Cole nodded. “I have a small apartment in San Francisco that I rarely use. Most of the time I’m on the road, sent undercover to various countries. Sometimes it’s here in the U.S. We carefully cultivated my reputation and network in the drug world. When the old man was investigating me, the P.I. raised a red flag, and we fed him the details of my life just the way we do everyone who investigates me. I was using a different name, and the private investigators just assumed I’d covered my tracks to be rid of the old man. They bought my undercover role and took it at face value. So now Cole Steele has the same background as my persona at work.”
“And you didn’t want me to know?”
Cole flinched inwardly at the hurt in the boy’s voice. “I wanted to wait until we knew each other better, Jase. Things have been so bad for you. I’m not used to being around anyone for an extended period of time. I had to know if I could be someone you could count on.”
“But you let all those people say that you were here to kill me.”
Cole nodded. “And I’ll continue to let them say it. I don’t care what people say or think about me. I’m only concerned with what you say and think.”
“I tried not to think they might be right, but I found your glove by the fence. And sometimes, when you look really mean, you look a little bit . . .” Jase trailed off.
The knot in his gut tightened. Cole refused to look at Maia. “I’ve seen the resemblance. I always carry a gun, Jase.”
“I guess I’m not supposed to tell anyone.”
“I’d rather you didn’t,” Cole said.
“Are you going to go away again?”
Maia felt the boy beside her, stiff and awkward. She could feel fear rolling off him and immediately locked her gaze with Cole’s. Pleading with him. Hurting for him. Did he realize how important that single question was? The relationship between the two brothers was so fragile.
Cole felt the impact of Maia’s eyes. He swallowed his first careful answer. He had promised himself he would change the boy’s life. He couldn’t very well do it from a distance. His leave of absence might turn out to be far longer than he’d anticipated. “I’ll stay as long as you need me, Jase. Or want me. It’s up to you.”
Jase jumped to his feet. “All right then. I won’t say anything.” His voice was gruff, covering his emotions. “I’m sorry I believed those people, even for a minute.”
“I think you were smart to be careful, Jase. After what we’ve been through, we need to build our relationship on solid ground.”
Jase nodded and practically ran from the room.
Maia guessed he was close to tears. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to intrude on such a personal moment with Jase. I couldn’t figure out a way to leave gracefully in the middle of it all. I won’t say anything about your life to anyone.”
“I never thought you would.” And he hadn’t. That was the strange part. It never once occurred to him she might reveal the truth about what he did. And did that mean he trusted her? Cole turned away from her to stare out the window at the driving snow. “We have a problem here, Doc. More than one, and I’m going to need your help.”
“You don’t think the ice got there naturally, do you?” Maia said shrewdly.
“No I don’t. And I don’t think a ghost is running around the ranch turning on hoses and arranging accidents with the horses.”
She studied his face. He wore an expressionless mask, but there was something frightening about the expression in his eyes. “It’s Jase, isn’t it? You’re worried about him.”
Cole glanced toward the door. “Yeah, I’m worried.”
Maia sighed. “It was definitely a human driving Wally through the fence.”
He spun around, his gaze sharp as it raked her face. “What makes you so sure?”
She pulled the ice pack away from her head. “If I told you, you’d want me locked up in a little cell. Suffice to say, I just know.”
He stalked across the room and crouched down in front of her, his face inches from hers. “Not good enough. Tell me.”
Maia pushed at the wall of his chest. “Stop invading my space. I don’t know you well enough to tell you. I don’t know anyone that well.” She couldn’t think straight with him so close. He was the most sensual man she’d ever met. His eyes were just so intense, his features etched with need.
“I told you about the DEA.”
“You told Jase, not me. I just happened to be in the same room.”
“I told you. You know damn well I was telling you.” He pulled away from her, a flash of irritation on his face. “I don’t even know why I wanted you to know, but if I’m going to come unraveled around you, the least you could do is open up a little.”