The Gilded Cage (6 page)

Jim ran a hand along his jaw. “Okay…” Suddenly his pupils dilated and he angled his head toward Fenn. “I only ever saw one picture of that other boy, but it never occurred to me when Fenn showed up here a few months later that…You don’t think that…” He didn’t finish.

“We’re positive. I have all of the articles and pictures on my phone. I can show you.” Hayden answered his unspoken question.

“I’ve already told you that I’m not him. My father and I have lived here for as long as I can remember,” Fenn argued.

Hayden ignored him. “Mr. Taylor, we were sent here by Emery, Fenn’s brother. It’s crucial that we get him back to Long Island where he can be protected.”

“Protected?” Callie’s brow furrowed as she lifted a cotton swab doused in antiseptic and touched Wes’s mouth. The man didn’t flinch as she tended to him, but he reached up and shackled her wrist—not stopping her, only keeping hold.

“Fenn’s in danger. The original kidnapping all those years ago was orchestrated as a fake ransom situation. The real goal was to kill the twins. An assassin hired two other men to help him with the kidnapping and the murder. Only recently that assassin resurfaced to finish the job. Emery walked away, but barely. Right before the killer died, he confessed another would take his place, and he knew where Fenn was.” Hayden finally turned her focus to Fenn. “It’s how we finally found you. Emery’s friend was able to get some computer files copied from the assassin’s laptop. They had pictures of you, your bull-riding information and school information, even though you grew up here under the name Fenn Smith. The man who raised you never changed your first name.”

“The man who raised me? You mean my
father
?” Fenn bristled and smacked his fist on the table.

“Calm down,” Jim warned.

“No! I’m not listening to this. Jim, you know me. Tell them I’m not some East Coast brat. I’ve been here all my life.” Fenn was on his feet, ignoring the rush of pain in his ankle.

Jim waved a hand, indicating for him to sit back down.

“Fenn, you didn’t come to Walnut Springs until you were eight. No one ever heard where you were from before that. Your father kept his life private. I met him at the local diner and heard he needed work, so he was an easy hire as a ranch hand. But to be honest…Lewis always struck me as off. He didn’t act like a father. For a man whose wife had supposedly died, he seemed awkward with his own child; he didn’t seem to really know what to do with you. Most men have some sort of paternal instincts kick in when they have a child. Lewis was just as lost with you as he was with himself. He was a drifter and never seemed to trust anyone. I always wondered about you, figured you had to take after your mother because you sure as hell didn’t take after like Lewis.”

Hayden pulled out her phone and queued up the photos. “Mr. Taylor, these are pictures of Emery and Fenn. Tell me you don’t honestly believe he’s not Fenn Lockwood.”

Callie abandoned her nurse duties and leaned over her father’s shoulder so she could see the pictures. Her lips parted and she flicked her gaze up to Fenn’s before dropping her focus back to the photos.

“I have to admit, he’s a dead ringer for this other man.”

“Can you run a DNA test?” Callie asked.

Hayden nodded. “Yes, if Fenn is willing to do it.”

With a dark scowl, Jim pointed a finger at him. “Listen to me, boy. You’re gonna take the damn test. If you have another family out there, you need to know. More importantly, they need to know.”

Fenn clenched the edges of the wooden table until his knuckles were white. Did no one understand what he was going through? His whole world was crumbling to dust around him. His belief in who he was as a person was fracturing like cracks across the surface of a mirror. A thousand new faces seemed to be staring back at him, forcing him to consider that the life he had lived up until now was an absolute lie.

“I’ll take the test. But that’s it. I’m not going back with anyone to Long Island. I don’t want whatever is there. My life is
here
.” He got up from the table and then stalked out of the kitchen. Any conversation about him being Fenn Lockwood was over as far as he was concerned.

T
hat went well,” Wes grumbled and touched his wounded, now slightly swollen lip.

“He’s having a tough time accepting the truth,” Hayden countered. “We pretty much ambushed him. Try to think about what he is going through. Everything he knows about his present life is a lie.”

“It’s not a lie,” Callie spoke up, her face flushed. “He’s lived a good life here. A different last name doesn’t mean anything. He’s still the same person.”

A sense of curiosity filled Hayden. She really liked Callie, especially how despite her youth she had a good grasp of understanding people.

“I agree with you.” Hayden drew a fingertip along the rough surface of the wood table. “I just worry that he
feels
like it’s a lie and that exploring his past and any future with his family will feel like a betrayal of the people he’s grown up with.”

Jim exhaled heavily. “He’s part of our family, and he can’t just get rid of us no matter what. If he has other family, that’s wonderful. He won’t ever lose us.”

Inside her chest, Hayden’s heart did a little flip. These people loved Fenn, loved him as much as his family back home did. It was a small comfort to think that he hadn’t been truly alone all these years, suffering in a life that wasn’t his. The Taylor family had claimed him, whether he wanted to admit that or not. He was a part of their lives and for that Hayden was grateful. After everything he’d been through, he deserved to have been loved by such good people.

Callie rested her hands on her father’s shoulders. “Why don’t you both stay here at the house until we convince Fenn to go back with you?”

Hayden opened her mouth. “Oh, we don’t have to—”

Wes cut her off. “Thank you, we’d love to.”

Lowering her brows, Hayden couldn’t conceal the look of surprise she flashed her brother. What was he playing at? Wes always acted through moves and countermoves, as if life was a fascinating game of chess. If he wanted them to stay at the ranch there was definitely some reason; she just wished she knew what it was.

“You look like you could use a shower, Hayden. If you want, you can use mine. I’ve got clothes, too…” Callie’s cheeks pinked as if she seemed to realize she might have sounded rude.

“Thanks.” Hayden offered her new friend a smile, hoping it would reassure her. “That would be great.” She got up from her chair and glanced at Wes. “Will you get our bags from the motel?”

“Yes. I’ll be back soon.” He shook hands with Jim before fishing his keys from his trouser pocket and heading out the door.

“Come on, Hayden. I’ll take you upstairs.” Callie led her up the stairs.

Hayden slid her hand along the smooth walnut banister. “Your house is so beautiful.” Now that Fenn was gone, she was finally able to focus on the home around her. The house was built of a combination of wood and stone, with rich deep earth tones and red walls. The kitchen had light granite countertops and everything about it was warm and inviting. So unlike her own home.

The young woman ahead of her grinned. “My mother designed a lot of it. She died when I was four, but so much of her lives in this house, like she’s still here with me.”

A pang of envy shot through Hayden, stealing her breath for a second. She would never have that closeness with her mother. Not even death had been able to separate Callie from hers. A love like that was powerful. A love like that…Hayden shut her eyes then forced them open. She’d never know that kind of love.

“I’m sorry about your mother. It must have been nice to have one who loved you so much.”

They reached the top of the stairs and Callie paused, her lovely hazel-green eyes bright with that uncanny comprehension.

“You’re not close to your mother?”

A bitter laugh escaped Hayden. “Ha! Definitely not. I’m not close to either of my parents. They’re the very idea of what most people imagine when they think of rich, elitist snobs. They flaunt their wealth and snub their noses at anyone beneath them. But the worst part is their expectations. Wes and I lead very different lives. He broke from our parents’ hold long ago, but as a guy he’s had it easier.”

“And you didn’t?” Callie seemed genuinely interested as they headed down the hall and stopped at a room on the right.

“My idea of a fulfilling life is not to marry one of my father’s golfing buddies and sit on a yacht all day long drinking mimosas and burning my husband’s cash. I’m not going to be some trophy wife. I want to own my own business. Can you imagine what it would be like to start up a business, build it from the ground up and make something that withstands time? I want that. A legacy that I create, something that proves I was here, that I wasn’t a pawn in anyone’s game, that I made a life for myself. I got an MBA for a reason. I’m not crazy for wanting that, right?” Hayden knew she shouldn’t be unburdening her heart to a stranger, but there was something so open and trustworthy about Callie.

The other woman grinned. “I knew you and I would get along. Screw your parents, and live life the way you want to.” Callie winked at her conspiratorially.

“Thank you!” Hayden laughed. “I’m glad someone else agrees.” She giggled, feeling a little more motivated than she had in a long time. Fighting against her parents and their suffocating vision of what her life should be had been crushing her the last several years. She’d tried to talk to Wes about it, but sometimes she got the sense he was consumed by an inner darkness. He rarely let anyone inside his heart. As a boy, losing Fenn had wrought changes in him, long before she’d been born. It was part of why bringing Fenn home was so crucial for her:  restoring him to his family might restore that part of Wes that seemed to have withered and died long ago.

“Here’s my room, it has its own private bathroom. You can shower in here. I’ll lay out some clothes for you. While you’re getting washed up, I’ll ready two rooms.” Callie opened the door to reveal a sunny room with butter yellow walls and a bed with a blue plaid coverlet. Seascape paintings lined the walls.

“Those pieces are lovely. Have you been to the beach a lot?”

“Never, actually.” Callie sighed. “I’ve never left Walnut Springs. I dream about it, though; seeing the ocean, running through the surf and just feeling the water rush over my feet. I painted those because that’s how I want to believe the ocean looks.” She shrugged her shoulders as though embarrassed.

“
You
painted those?” Hayden took a closer look at the oil paintings. “Wow, Callie, you are really talented.”

Callie blushed and shook her head. “Thanks. I was just playing around with different mediums. I had one class in high school. The rest I just figured out by researching some techniques online.”

“Well, nicely done,” Hayden praised. Callie was incredibly talented for so little study in art. “Don’t tell my brother or he’ll try to buy these.”

Callie froze, cheeks turning pink. “He would?”

Hayden bit her lip, hiding a smile. “Oh yeah. He’s obsessed with art. That’s part of how he makes his living. He gets hired by museums and private collectors to study paintings’ provenances and to help when auctions for big items come up, because he’s very good at discerning the quality and value of pieces. He also has an impressive private collection.”

Callie sat down on the edge of the bed, beautiful eyes wide as saucers. “He has real art?” She blanched as though embarrassed. “I mean, he has real works done by famous artists?”

“Yes. He has one Monet, a Renoir, and a few others that are really exquisite.” Hayden ticked them off on her fingers as she announced the artists.

The way Callie’s face lit with joy made Hayden smile. The girl must truly love art. God help her if Wes ever figured that out. She’d be easy prey if he decided to seduce her. After all this craziness with assassins was over with, she and Callie were going to have to sit down and talk about men like Wes. She ought to know what she was getting into if she ever decided to come to Long Island and get involved with the other half of Fenn’s life. The idea made Hayden a little jealous, but she wasn’t the kind of woman to shut Callie out because of green-eyed envy. She was part of Fenn’s life and that meant something to Hayden. And she liked the other woman too much not to want to be friends with her.

“Well, you and I will have to go to the beach, and you can paint from real life rather than pictures.” Hayden said. In some ways, Callie was just as trapped as she was, and they both deserved to be free. A girls-only trip to the beach could be fun.

The other woman’s face fell. “Thanks, but I doubt I’d get to go. What with my dad’s heart condition and losing the ranch, I’ll never get to travel.”

“Losing the ranch?” Hayden’s heart gave a little jerk at the thought that Callie and her father wouldn’t be living in the home her mother had worked so hard to design just for them.

“With Dad’s hospital bills and a few rough years of losing money in the cattle business, we can’t make the mortgage payments. There are only so many ways to rub two nickels together, you know?” She seemed to be unaffected, but as she reached inside a chest of drawers for clothing, her hands trembled.

Hayden reached over and curled her fingers around Callie’s hand and gave it a little squeeze. “Don’t lose hope. Maybe we can help you.”

“You don’t need to.” The other woman said politely as she turned away for a minute to stare out the window that overlooked the ranch’s front drive. Then she turned and with a genuine smile she changed the subject.

“What was Fenn like as a boy? Did he really have a different life there?”

Hayden helped Callie collect towels and clothing before she answered. “He was gone two years before I was born, but I know he was a mischievous kid, like most little boys I imagine. He’s a bit like Emery in the way he walks, the way he moves. Of course, I don’t know how close to Emery he is since I’ve known him all of a half a day.” She shook her head, smiling.

“That’s his twin, right?”

“Yes.” Hayden pursed her lips in thought. “They’re both dominating and egotistical.”

They shared knowing grins and laughed.

“And his parents?”

“Miranda and Elliot Lockwood. Two of the best people I’ve ever met. They defy every stereotype about rich people you could have. Fenn looks just like his mother, but his attitude is just like his father’s.”

Callie was the one who giggled this time. “So his dad must be a handful, then.”

“He is, but he’s also a teddy bear to those he cares about.”

“I’m so glad he had parents like that,” Callie’s tone was a little wistful. “It also made my father sad to think of him so alone. Lewis was nice, but like my dad said, there was something not quite right about him, I guess. That’s what I’ve been told anyway. After Lewis died, Mom and Dad took Fenn in like one of their own and the state’s child services let them. I don’t know how much paperwork was involved. Dad doesn’t talk about it. But he’s always seen Fenn as his own son.”

Hayden leaned back against the bed. “Why does Fenn live in that little trailer? It seems like this house has plenty of room.”

Callie closed the drawers and joined her by the bed. “We have five extra bedrooms here, plenty of space, but Fenn moved out of the house when he turned eighteen. He said he wanted to earn his place on the ranch. So he saved up, bought the Airstream and has been living there ever since.”

“That’s definitely his father’s stubbornness. A surefire Lockwood trait. No one ever tells Elliot Lockwood what to do and he has always believed in earning his way in life.” Hayden bit her lip to keep from smiling. It was fascinating to see how much Fenn was like his family, even though he had not been raised by them.

“Sounds like he really is a Lockwood.” Callie smiled. “I wish I could see him meet his family, but I know it’s not something I should get to see. Well, I’ve bothered you long enough. Why don’t you get showered?” She pointed to the small bathroom at one end of the room.

“Thanks.” Hayden paused by the door. “It was really good to meet you, Callie.”

“Same here.” Callie’s response was a little sad as she stepped outside and left Hayden alone.

As Hayden stripped out of the Valentino dress and her underwear, she mulled over the strange play of events that had led her here and the people she’d met. It was so far from the life and the people she’d grown up around. Aside from the Devereaux family and the Lockwoods, she wasn’t comfortable with her “own kind,” as her parents called themselves. Jim and Callie were wonderful, and knowing that Jim had helped to raise Fenn when his own parents couldn’t eased the pangs in her heart. He’d been in good hands these long years and that would make his parents feel better, if only a little.

After she’d showered, she stepped out and wrapped a towel around her body. She walked into the bedroom and froze. Fenn was lounging against the wall by the bed, holding up her red dress as though scrutinizing it. There was something sinful about the sight of him next to the bed. It made her think of all the things they could do together…She swallowed hard and tried to ignore the flush on her skin.

“How you women fit into these little things is beyond me. This thing barely covers your assets.” He looked at her and grinned. “And I do mean
assets
.”

“Ha, ha. Hands off my Valentino, cowboy.”

“Cowboy?” His raspy chuckle drifted over her skin like velvet. “If you don’t want my hands on your dress, where should I put them?” He made the dress dance around in the air in front of her.

“Hey!” She lunged for the dress and the precarious hold on her towel slipped. Fenn dropped the dress at the same time, reacting instantly to catch her naked body as she dove at him. She squealed as his arms curled around her, his plaid cotton button-up shirt rubbing enticingly against her bare breasts.

“Oh my God! Let go!” She gasped and shoved balled fists at his chest, desperately trying to ignore her body’s reaction.

“Fine. I’ll let go.” He was still smirking as he stared down at her and started to loosen his arms.

A horrifying realization struck just as her own body betrayed her with a heated throb between her thighs. If he let go she’d be completely naked in front of him, and her body was all for that idea.
Traitor
, she thought. Her skin tingled in anticipation of being touched, stroked…