One Special Moment - Brenda Jackson [78]
She was pulled out of her thoughts when in the distance she heard someone call her name. She lifted a surprised brow when she recognized James’s tall form. She stood and began walking down the mountain toward him. When she got closer she saw the angry and intense look on his face.
“James? What is it? What’s the matter?”
“I want the truth, Colby. I want to know the real reason you married Sterling Hamilton.”
Chapter 20
Colby turned away from James and let out a long, shaky breath while she nervously ran a hand through her thick hair. “I don’t know what you’re asking me, James.”
He gently turned her around to face him. “Don’t you? If not, then let me explain things. I received a visit from Homer Morton of Morton Industries, and he’s made some serious accusations. He’s claiming his company tried to take over Wingate Cosmetics and in retaliation, Hamilton purchased a number of controlling shares of stock in his company and has placed them in your name.”
Colby shrugged. “So, what’s wrong with that? Sterling didn’t do anything illegal did he?”
James frowned. “No, but I’d like to know how Sterling knew about the Morton Industries takeover attempt when I didn’t, and why he purchased those shares of stock for you. What’s he getting out of all of this?”
When Colby didn’t answer, James took her hand in his. “We’ve never kept secrets before, Colby. I need to know the truth. Morton is not a happy camper. There’s no telling how far he may take this, and I need to be prepared. He thinks I worked some deal with Hamilton and married you off to him to save Wingate Cosmetics. You and I know that’s not true, but others may see it that way. So you have to tell me why you and Hamilton got married.”
Colby looked at James before giving him a nervous little smile. “I married Sterling because I love him.”
James nodded gravely. “I believe that. Now why did he marry you?”
Colby’s eyes slid from James and she released her hands from his. “You don’t think he could love me?”
“I’m not saying that and you know it. To be quite honest with you, I was totally convinced Hamilton loved you. But now…”
“Yes?”
“But now I don’t know what to believe. I keep playing my conversations with Hamilton over and over in my mind, and I suddenly realized that at no time has he actually admitted to me that he loved you. He just acted like he did, and very convincingly I might add. And that’s what worries me. I’m not sure if his actions were sincere or if it was playacting on his part.”
Total silence surrounded brother and sister. After a few minutes had passed, Colby said, “Okay, I’ll tell you everything, but please try to keep an open mind about what I’m telling you.”
When James didn’t say anything Colby went over and sat back down on her tree stump. “You may as well make yourself comfortable on that one,” she said to James, indicating the other stump across from her. “This may take a while.”
After James had taken a seat she started with her story. “I didn’t meet Sterling in Richmond two months ago like I told you I had. I first met him barely a month ago. And I wish I could still claim it was love at first sight, but I can’t. We were both on a mission, although they were totally different missions.”
“What sort of missions?”
Colby took a deep breath before continuing. “For the first time I wanted to do something for Wingate Cosmetics and saw my chance. I flew to California in hopes that I could convince Sterling to do an endorsement for your new cologne, Awesome. I’d written to him with my proposal, so when he sent word through his attorney that he wanted to meet with me, I assumed it was about that.”
“But it wasn’t?”
“No, there was some sort of mix-up.”
James frowned. “What kind of mix-up?”
With a soft sigh, Colby reached out and brushed a piece of fallen leaf off her shorts. Then she looked up at her brother. “He thought I had come to answer