Sterling nodded, not knowing what to say but knowing he had to be completely honest with Nicholas Chenault about how he felt. "I started not to come. I didn't want to at first, but now I'm glad I did. I had to close this chapter in my life."

They were still at the hospital and Dr. Thorn had given them the use of his private office to drink some much-needed coffee and to talk.

Nicholas got up and walked over to the window and looked out. "I hope you'll reconsider that, Sterling."

Sterling lifted a dark brow. "Reconsider what?"

"Closing this chapter in your life. How do you think I feel just finding out I have a brother?"

Sterling sat back in his chair. "I don't know. How do you feel?"

Nicholas turned to face him. "Shocked, surprised, betrayed. I felt all those things at first but now I feel glad and overwhelmed. And to think all those years I thought I'd been an only child."

Sterling shrugged and took another sip of coffee before saying, "You were."

"You still haven't forgiven her, have you?" Nicholas asked after a few minutes had pa.s.sed.

Sterling took his hand and rubbed it down his face. "Yes, I've forgiven her."

"Then why do you want to close this chapter in your life? Why not fully open it and get to know Angeline."

Sterling sighed deeply. He wondered how he could make Nicholas understand. Colby was right when she'd said forgiving wasn't so hard, but forgetting was. "It's for the best, Nicholas. I've forgiven her but a part of me won't let go and forget just yet. You don't know what it's been like for me. You don't know all the garbage I had to deal with all those years."

Nicholas came back to the chair across from Sterling and sat down. "I think I have a good idea. Mom told me everything before she got sick. She even told me what she did to you that day in North Carolina when you were only a little boy. And while she was telling me I couldn't believe it. It was like we were talking about two different people. The mother I know and love just could not and would not turn her back on her child. But she convinced me she wasn't the same person then. When she walked out on you and your father she was barely seventeen."

Sterling drew back wearily. "Barely seventeen or not, she was still Chandler's wife and my mother."

"I know that and again I think I understand how you may feel, but I'm asking you to accept her now as she is, a warm and loving person. And accept me as I am, a man who desperately wants to get to know his brother."

Nicholas took a deep breath before continuing. "Don't close this chapter in your life. Give yourself a chance to know the Angeline Chenault that I know, and in time, hopefully you'll be able to forget the pain. And I want you to give yourself a chance to know me. There's more than just you and Angeline involved in this now. There's me."

Nicholas stood. "Have a safe trip back to North Carolina and tell your wife that I send my congratulations. I hope to get the chance to meet her one day."

Sterling nodded. "I'm sure that one day you will." Then he glanced down at his watch. "I've a couple of hours before my plane's ready to take off. How about lunch? I think you need a break from here. Do you know of any place nearby where we can grab a couple of sandwiches and engage in a private conversation?"

"A private conversation about what?" Nicholas asked.

"About you."

Nicholas frowned. "What about me?"

"Some weeks ago Kyle Garwood approached me about a business proposition concerning you and Chenault Electronics. At the time, because of personal reasons, I wanted no part of it. Now I'd like to take another look at it."

Nicholas's mouth tightened. "That's not what this is about, Sterling. That's not what I want from you. I'd much rather have a brother than a business a.s.sociate."

Sterling heard Nicholas's words and felt the truth in them. A tender smile touched his lips. "How would you like to have both?"

Silence settled around the two men as the meaning of Sterling's words became clear. Nicholas returned the smile. "I'd like that."

Colby enjoyed her walk, which covered the vast area of Sterling's property. The trees were a mixture of pine, hickory and oak. She also noticed signs of birch, maple and hemlock. She smiled. Her cla.s.s at school would have loved taking a field trip here during back-to-nature week.

She sniffed the air to smell the fragrance of the camellias, dogwoods and orchids. When she made it to the edge of the property she turned back around and took in her surroundings. The land that belonged to Sterling was beautiful.

In the distance, from where she stood high on one of the smaller mountains, she could see Sterling's home. And not too far away was the older house where he was born, the one Chandler had preferred living in until the day he had died.

Brushing off an old tree stump, she sat down. She had missed Sterling's phone call that morning while she'd been in the shower, and the only message he had left with Mac was that he would be coming home sometime today.

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 pa.s.sed, 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 endors.e.m.e.nt 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 a.s.sumed 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 an anonymous ad he'd placed in selected newspapers around the country."

"What sort of ad?"

Colby hesitated briefly before replying. "He was looking for a woman to be the mother of his child."

At James's confused look, Colby further clarified. "He was looking for a surrogate mother."

"What!" James was no longer able to sit down. And his loud voice penetrated the quiet stillness of the entire mountainside. "Is he crazy? What woman in her right mind would do such a thing?"

Colby forced herself to say the next words. Meeting James's gaze direct, she said, "Me. To save Wingate Cosmetics from a takeover by Morton Industries, I agreed to have Sterling's baby."

Sterling paced back and forth in the cabin of his jet. Takeoff had been delayed due to thunderstorms and he was anxious to get home.

"We've been given the okay to take off now, Mr. Hamilton," John's voice came over the intercom. "It's time to buckle up."

Sterling smiled as he responded. "Thanks, John."

Then he took his seat and strapped himself in. He glanced down at his watch. He had planned on being back in North Carolina hours ago.

A tiny tremble rippled down his spine when he realized just how much he missed Colby and how she had constantly been in his thoughts. And just to think in a few days he would be leaving her to begin filming in Spain. He wondered if she would consider going with him? Then he squashed that idea. Because of everything that had been happening lately, he hadn't spent the time he should have preparing for his next movie, and with Colby there it would be a lost cause. She would definitely be a distraction, one he didn't need. Spielberg had approached him months ago and convinced him he was the ideal man for the part in his next flick; and after reading the script he had agreed. And as with all his movies, he wanted to give this one his very best.

He shifted in his seat and thought of his meeting with Nicholas. Everything had gone well and after the two of them had placed a conference call to Kyle and Jake, it was basically a done deal that Chenault would get the financial backing it needed to do further research.

Sterling's thoughts slipped back to Colby as he relaxed in his seat. He would be in North Carolina in an hour or so. He couldn't wait to hold her in his arms, and he couldn't wait to make love to her again.

He smiled. He liked everything about her. She was a person who wasn't afraid to tell him exactly what she thought. And he knew the more time he spent with her, he was trodding farther and farther onto dangerous ground. If the truth be known, he kind of liked the idea of someone being there for him to hold at night, someone he could wake up with in the mornings, and like now, someone who would be there at home waiting for him when he returned.

He had never wanted those things from a woman. And he had never really thought about those things. Before Colby came into his life, he had prided himself on being Hollywood's leading bad boy. Although he knew he had won universal respect because of his talent as an actor, he'd never complained about the media labeling him the man who razzled and bed-dazzled the women. And he certainly had never given any thought to ever falling in love.

Until now.

Now he could clearly see how he could easily fall in love with Colby. He could see just how he could want her in his life forever. Already she was constantly in his thoughts, his dreams, and he missed her like crazy when they were apart. He smiled when he thought about her ability to arouse a s.e.xual hunger in him that was mind-boggling. And for a man who had never taken any of his past s.e.xual encounters seriously, that realization was downright scary.

He tried to shift his thoughts from Colby and concentrate on the activity happening outside the plane's window. But he couldn't. All he could think about was the time he had spent with her in Barbados. During those seven days, something had happened to him. Somehow after years of feeling alone and empty, Colby had filled a deep need within him. It was a need he hadn't known existed.

For so long he honestly hadn't had a clue what love was, at least not the kind of love a man had for a woman. In fact, he never thought he was capable of that kind of love. He knew how much Kyle loved Kimara and it completely astounded him because he knew it was an all-consuming kind of love. He figured that must have been the kind of love Chandler had felt for Angeline. And knowing that, he had never wanted to experience that kind of love. He had decided to stick with the kind of love he knew about, the kind of love he felt safe and comfortable with. And that was the kind of love between a parent and a child. Chandler had been the perfect teacher of that kind of love.

He took a deep, shaky breath upon suddenly realizing that with Colby he wanted that other kind of love; the kind he had avoided for so long.

"What have you done to me, Colby?" he whispered quietly. But soon after he'd asked the question of himself, he immediately knew the answer. He knew at that very moment, beyond a shadow of a doubt, whether he wanted to or not, he had fallen in love with her.

"Ah, h.e.l.l, this wasn't supposed to happen," he muttered to himself, tightening his hands into fists. He was never supposed to fall in love. He was supposed to spend the rest of his life without any emotional attachment to a woman. But in her own way, Colby had broken down his resolve and had bombarded him with all kinds of emotions. They were emotions he had never felt before, and more importantly, they were emotions he couldn't deny any longer.

Colby had snuggled her way into his heart.

"James, please be reasonable. It's like you haven't listened to anything I've said. You're refusing to listen. I've told you I have no intention of honoring that contract."

"But Hamilton doesn't know that, Colby. He thinks you'll be out of his life within twelve months after his child is born. And no matter what you want, he'll get his way because he has your signature on a legal doc.u.ment to make sure he does."

"But things can change before then. I'm hoping he'll want to keep me here with him and our child."

James pulled his sister in his arms. "Oh, Colby, I hope that will happen, too, but that may not be the case. You know of Hamilton's reputation. And although he wants a baby, I doubt he's ready to change his lifestyle and permanently become a married man. Right now all you are to him is a means to an end."

"No, that's not true. We had a wonderful time together in Barbados. He likes having me around, James. I just know it. One day he's going to realize that both he and the baby will need me."

"Don't get your hopes up on that, honey. Just because a man enjoys sleeping with a woman doesn't mean he's ready for a permanent relationship with her. Sterling's name has always been connected with numerous women and that may not change although he's married to you now. You may need to prepare yourself for that."

Colby stiffened. "How can you say such a thing?"

"Because from what you've just told me, you and Hamilton don't have a real marriage. At least not in the real sense of what the inst.i.tution of marriage is supposed to represent. The only thing binding between the two of you is a contract-a contract he expects you to abide by. The only thing the two of you share is a business deal."

All it took was a look at the expression on Colby's face to let James know his words had hurt her. He reached out and pulled her to him. "I've sheltered you from so much, Colby, and maybe that's where I made my mistake. It's time you see things as they really are. Let me help you get out of this before it's too late. Once you get pregnant from him, Hamilton will demand his child. We need to consult my attorneys right away. Hopefully they'll be able to come up with some-"

Colby pushed herself away from James. "No. I won't leave him. Please try and understand that I have to do this, and not just for Wingate Cosmetics. I have to do this for me and for Sterling. He needs me, James. I know you think that sounds crazy, but deep in my heart I believe that. There's never been a woman in Sterling's life to really love him, believe in him, appreciate him, and trust him completely. And I want to be that woman."

"Colby, baby, listen to me for just-"

"No, James. I don't need you to try and protect me anymore. I have to handle this on my own. I want my time with Sterling. I have to believe that in the end, I can and that I will make a difference."

"And what if you don't? What if he still wants to send you away after your child is born? Just how will you handle that?"

"I refuse to even consider that possibility."

"You love him that much, Colby?"

She met her brother's probing gaze. "Yes. I love him that much. It's hard to explain, but I believe Sterling and I met the way we did for a reason. And I'm asking that you stay out of it and let me handle things. Promise me you'll let me work out things between me and Sterling on my own."