Page 25 of In Colton's Custody (Coltons of Mustang Valley)

“You and Bowie trying to keep it in the family now?”

They all laughed at Ainsley’s joke, added too late and referring to Marlowe’s fiancé’s position with Colton Oil’s rival company, but the levity sounded forced.

“I had a meeting scheduled late this afternoon, too,” Ainsley told them. “Guess I’ll have to reschedule.”

“What would Dad think if he saw all this?”

Marlowe crossed her arms as if she regretted her words. For several seconds, no one spoke. Just four siblings, possibly five, wrestling with the notion that they might never know what their father thought about that or anything else. Marlowe’s ringing phone came as a welcome interruption.

She reached down on the bench for it and glanced at the screen. “It’s Mom.”

Asher exchanged a smile with Marlowe over her correct prediction as she answered.

“Hi, Mom.” She stood and stepped away to continue the conversation. “Yes, I’m fine...”

Suddenly, Selina Barnes Colton shoved open the building’s door and burst through, wearing sunglasses and a low-cut business-casual dress, a cell phone tucked between her shoulder and ear. As she marched toward them, her trademark long, dark honey-colored hair caught the breeze.

“Well, look at who got to miss out on all the chaos this afternoon.” She slipped the sunglasses on her head.

Since it was clear she was speaking to Ainsley, Asher didn’t bother answering her. He always tried to stay out of the path of the tornado that was Colton Oil’s vice president and head of public relations. He couldn’t imagine how Willow’s mom had once won over the hard-to-impress executive. That he’d only met Kelly Johnson’s fiercely independent daughter, and he was thinking about her there, in a crowd of displaced workers after a bomb threat, suggested that the women in her family knew how to make an impact.

“I had an errand to do,” Ainsley said.

She didn’t have to explain it since Selina was the Colton Oil board member who’d insisted that they should track down the real Ace Colton in the first place.

Asher waved his free hand to get his older sister’s attention. “Any news about your ‘errand’?”

Ainsley shook her head. “We won’t know anything for a week. I even tried to incentivize faster results, but the lab technician said they’ve received a few rush jobs, and they won’t be able to get to it sooner.”

Asher shook his head. “The Colton name sure didn’t help us out there.”

What would Willow have said about that? Something, he was sure.

Selina frowned at them both by turns and then stepped over to their houseguest and held out her hand.

“You’re Jace.”

He nodded. “I am. And you’re Ms. Barnes Colton.”

“Call me Selina.”

Jace glanced past her and gestured toward the crowd of Colton Oil workers. “I’m so sorry that this has happened to you all. It’s awful.”

They all nodded their thanks. Introductions out of the way, Selina drew Ainsley, Rafe and Asher out of earshot of any possible eavesdroppers and filled Ainsley in on the events she’d missed while she was out of the office.

“As if Colton Oil PR wasn’t difficult enough already, this is a nightmare. How am I supposed to spin these stories? I’m still getting calls from media outlets asking for confirmation that Ace Colton was switched at birth.”

“You haven’t answered the question, right?” Asher asked.

She shook her head. “I’m continuing to give them the official company line that it’s a private family matter.”

Ainsley used her appeasing attorney smile.

“You’re doing a wonderful job, Selina, even in these tough circumstances. Payne will be so proud of the work you’ve done when we get the chance to tell him about it.”

Asher was impressed, both that Ainsley’s voice didn’t break when she referred to their dad and that Selina appeared to be softening, at least for a moment.

“Even so,” Selina said, pursing her lips, “it’s only right that the quote ‘There’s no such thing as bad publicity’ is attributed to P. T. Barnum, of Barnum & Bailey Circus fame. This is a circus, minus the big top. The quote’s wrong, too. This publicity is downright destructive to our brand.”

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