Millionaire in a Stetson

“Every once in a while, I can see it around the eyes, and the way you purse your lips. He does that when he’s worried.” Katrina considered her for a long moment. “It reminds me that he inherited some things from his father.”

“I really don’t see a resemblance between us,” Niki responded honestly.

She’d searched each of her brothers’ features on more than one occasion, and she’d never been able to identify any similarities.

Katrina eased back down into her chair, gesturing for Niki to take the seat next to her. “It’s more an expression than a specific feature. But don’t tell Reed he looks anything like his father.” She tossed back her hair and took a sip of her wine.

Niki followed suit, letting the warmth of the alcohol flow through her stomach and send an almost instant shot of relaxation into her veins.

“I doubt I’d get the chance,” said Niki. “They never say much about Wilton.”

She hadn’t wanted to pry, and aside from pointing their father out in a couple of pictures, and having initially expressed their complete and utter disbelief that he might have cheated on their mother, both Reed and Caleb had kept their thoughts to themselves.

“They never will,” Katrina said softly, her eyes clouding.

“I take it you know why?”

“I do. It’s complicated. They had a very strained relationship.”

Niki was sorry, if not completely surprised to hear it. There was obvious tension whenever Wilton was mentioned.

“Does it hurt them to have me here?” she couldn’t help but ask.

“What?” Katrina seemed surprised by the question. “No. Of course not. This is your home.”

Niki gave a sad smile at the irony. “It’s not my home. I’m little more than a stranger to you all.”

“No more a stranger than I am,” said Katrina.

“You were born here,” Niki returned. “Your sisters and brothers are here.”

“So are yours.”

“It’s not the same thing.”

The idea that Katrina could ever be considered a stranger to the Jacobs and Terrell families was preposterous. Even if she had spent many years at boarding school in New York City, Katrina had been the youngest Jacobs daughter her entire life. Everybody knew her. Everybody loved her.

“I spend most of my life away from here,” said Katrina, continuing to sip her way through the glass of wine.

Niki was grateful, but she wasn’t buying it. “I appreciate you trying to make me feel better.”

“That’s not what I’m doing. Well, maybe a little bit. It’s obvious something’s wrong. Are you feeling bad because you don’t know much about Wilton?”

“I don’t need to know much.” Niki downplayed her curiosity. She desperately wished she knew more about her father, good or bad.

“The negativity and complexity have nothing to do with you.”

“Whatever it is, I can handle it.” The assertion was out of Niki’s mouth before she realized it put Katrina in an awkward position.

“I’m sorry,” she quickly added. “I didn’t mean—”

“He was a cold, brutal man,” Katrina told her. Her expression somber.

Brutal? “He beat them?”

“By today’s standards, absolutely. But mostly, he was just plain nasty. He worked them into the ground, no empathy, no sympathy. Because of his temper, their mother died of pneumonia.”

Niki had learned earlier that Sasha had died when Reed and Caleb were seventeen.

“The poor woman was so utterly afraid of Wilton, that she never told anyone how sick she was feeling.”

Niki swallowed.

“Reed and Caleb both blamed Wilton for her death. To this day, they say he killed her. Back then, Caleb walked out, while Reed stayed to fight.”

“I had no idea,” Niki whispered, feeling a little numb.

Katrina topped up their glasses. “Of course you didn’t.”

Niki gazed at the dark liquid. She couldn’t help thinking about her own mother, Gabriella’s rather calculating, manipulative character. “Nice genetics I’ve got going here.”

Katrina tossed her blond hair. “The genetics haven’t done Reed any harm, nor Caleb, nor you.”

Niki fought against the urge to confess who she was and what she was doing here. She might not beat anyone, but she certainly wasn’t a very good person.

“My opinion,” said Katrina. “Wilton was a phenomenon. All that bad blood running through his system, but he produced terrific kids. And you’re part of the living proof.”

“I wish I was,” said Niki, her stomach cramping with guilt.

Katrina touched her hand. “You’re looking like Reed again.”

Niki struggled to smooth out her features, but the compassion in Katrina’s eyes was more than she could bear. She had to tell her. She opened her mouth to speak.

“I’m going to make it better,” Katrina vowed, carrying on before Niki had a chance to explain. “Here’s what we’re going to do. I was planning to go through the attic soon, to pick out some of Reed’s things for the new house. You can help me. Who knows what we’ll find out about your heritage up there.”

Niki closed her mouth. It was tempting, so incredibly tempting to learn more about her biological family. But to do that, she’d have to postpone her confession. And that meant Gabriella won again—always a dangerous thing.

Niki gave her better principles one final effort. “I don’t want to invade Reed and Caleb’s privacy. If they’d rather I didn’t—”

“That’s not going to be a problem.” Katrina waved a dismissive hand.

“They don’t seem to want me to know,” Niki added.

“They don’t want to talk about it,” said Katrina. “That doesn’t mean they don’t want you to know. Trust me on this.”

“Trust you on what?” came Reed’s voice as he opened the sliding door.

“Girl talk,” Katrina responded easily. “Niki’s going to help me in the attic.”