Ellie agreed. "I know. I just wish I knew what the hell was going on."
"How about we all go into the living room, and I'll make some coffee. We can try to come up with a plan from there." Vinia shooed them out of the kitchen.
Logan turned on the television while Ellie strolled around and examined all the family pictures. She stopped at one of Vinia. "Is this your dad?"
Colton nodded. "It is."
"You look like him."
"He sure does," Vinia confirmed as she carried a tray in. "And he's as good a man as his father ever was."
"What happened to him?"
The brothers all looked at her before they looked at each other. Ellie regretted the question. "I'm so sorry. It's none of my business."
Vinia sighed. "No, it's a fair question. My husband was falsely accused of something he didn't do, and by being in the wrong place at the wrong time, it cost him his life."
Ellie empathised. "I know that feeling." She told them about the tabloids after she had been fired. "Anyone can say anything nowadays, and someone is going to believe it."
"The person they replaced you with on the soaps is nowhere near as good."
"I haven't even paid any attention."
"She didn't start until after you and Cole went up the mountain. Her name is Nita or something like that. I had never seen her before."
Ellie met Colton's eyes before she turned to Vinia. "Did you say Nita?"
"Yeah, they did one of those little things, the part of so and so will now be played by, when she took over."
"Mama, do you have any of the new episodes recorded?" Colton grabbed the remote from Logan.
"Of course I do. I record it every day."
Colton flipped to the DVR and hit play. Fury rose in Ellie as Nita's smiling face beamed from the screen.
Chapter Twenty-One: Answers Unravel
Colton Hale
The betrayal that Colton read on Ellie's face just about yanked his heart out of his chest. He moved behind her and put a hand on her shoulder to show he was there for her. She pressed against him and held on to his hand, and his heart skipped a beat at the absolute trust she put in him.
"I don't understand." Ellie's eyes never wavered from the screen. "How could she have taken my place? She never even told me she wanted to be an actress."
"I would say it could be nothing, except for the fact that she's here in town and in cahoots with the guy that kidnapped you. I'm not sure how you feel about it, but I think it's time we paid her a visit." Colton had his doubts about whether or not Nita was still at the resort, but there was only one way to find out. If she had any sense, she would have fled as soon as Phil told her what happened.
She spun around to look at him. "Let's go."
Vinia held up her hand. "Not without giving us a game plan so we know when to move in if things go wrong." His brothers all agreed.
Tyson rubbed his face. "Whatever this lady is up to, she's putting our ranch up against the resort. We have to be careful how we act out there because there are too many cameras sitting out on the road just waiting to video someone doing something stupid."
Logan pointed at Colton. "Don't do something stupid."
Colton snorted as he went and grabbed Ellie's jacket. "I suddenly feel like some kind of public service announcement. The woman is staying in Suite 504. If we're not back in an hour, come in hard. She's either not there anymore if the guy in the barn tipped her off, or in the least, she won't expect Ellie to just come knocking."
Ellie still looked like she was in a daze. "Nita had this all planned out, and I played right into her little scheme. She arranged to make me afraid to be home, and then she arranged for me to go off the grid while she moved in to take over my character. None of it makes sense." She looked up at Colton. "She was my best friend."
"And sometimes, unfortunately, those turn out to be the worst friends." Vinia pulled her into a hug. "Oh, honey. After what happened to us, the nature of people no longer surprises me. Our entire community turned on us with no proof after they murdered my husband. Sometimes it's just a dark spot on a soul that festers until it takes over."
