A Man's Promise

Jace chuckled. “I thought so, too. However, he seems to find his way back whenever he feels entitled to a free meal.”

“Why should you guys gain all the weight?” Dalton asked. “Besides, I know how to take it off easily.”

Caden figured it had to be some way that was sexual. “So what time did everyone finally go to bed last night?” he asked, grabbing a glass of juice and a bowl of fruit. When he’d retired about ten, Jace, Shana, Dalton and Hannah were still up talking.

“I left around midnight,” Dalton said, sitting down beside Jace and across the table from Caden. “I thought about spending the night when Hannah mentioned she would be preparing a huge meal for breakfast this morning, but then I heard you playing that damned saxophone and figured the best thing to do was haul ass if I wanted to get any sleep.”

Caden took a sip of his orange juice and ignored Dalton’s comment. He hadn’t been able to sleep, and whenever that happened, he would take out his sax and play it for a while. Hannah and Jace never complained, and as far as he was concerned, Dalton didn’t count since he’d moved into his own place last month.

“So, Jace, have you and Shana set a date yet for your wedding?” Caden asked his brother.

Jace smiled. “I’m leaving all that up to her, but I don’t think she wants a huge wedding with the white gown, bridesmaids and a ton of guests and stuff.”

“Hell, I hope not,” Dalton said, chewing on a piece of bacon. “The moment she walks down the aisle, everyone is going to know she’s knocked up. Shit, a pregnant bride is almost as bad as a pregnant nun.”

Caden looked over at Jace. “Just ignore him.”

Jace smiled. “I do. All the time.”

“I hate being talked about,” Dalton said.

“Then keep your damned mouth closed,” Caden suggested.

Dalton had opened his mouth to say something when Hannah stuck her head in the door and said, “Don’t forget your lunch on the way out, Dalton.”

“Thanks, Hannah. I won’t.” Dalton smiled when he saw his two brothers glaring at him. “What?”

“You asked Hannah to fix your lunch?” Jace asked, barely holding back his anger.

“No, she volunteered, and I didn’t want to hurt her feelings by saying she didn’t have to.”

“Yeah, I bet,” Caden said, sipping his juice. He looked at his watch. “I think I’ll head into the office.”

“What’s the rush?” Dalton asked, looking at his own watch.

“I have a meeting this morning with Shelton Fields. I want to see what his products and design department is all about.”

“When you find out, let me know,” Dalton said, chuckling.

“And what’s on your agenda today?” Jace asked Dalton. He knew his brother got bored easily and he wanted to make sure that didn’t happen. A bored Dalton somehow became a womanizing Dalton, and that was the last thing they needed.

Dalton shrugged. “I have a meeting with the guys in the security department. They want to make sure I’m familiar with all the new security gadgets on the market.”

“Heaven help us all,” Caden muttered, rising to his feet.

Dalton smiled. “I heard that.”

“Good.” He stared at Dalton. “And don’t put another damned gadget on my phone or anyplace else without my permission.”

Dalton waved off his words. “Whatever.” As Caden was leaving, Dalton called out, “And you never did say why you were in the historical district yesterday.”

“And I don’t intend to.” Caden threw the comment over his shoulder as he walked out of the dining room.

* * *

Carson hung up the phone and sighed. It had taken some time, but everything Sheppard had asked for had been arranged. She had called on her good friend Roland Summers of the Summers Security Firm and told him what she needed. He thought he had just the right people she was looking for to do what needed to be done. He had access to men who were trained bodyguards, and several of them had served time with Shep and were now respectable, discreet and above reproach. And she made sure Roland understood they had to be ultra-discreet and remain at a safe distance.

She understood Sheppard’s desire to keep his sons safe, but she felt they should be made aware of what was going on. Carson had an uneasy feeling about this, but it was Sheppard’s decision.

She was about to pull a file from the in-box on her desk when her phone rang. Answering the call, she said, “Okay, Brett, what have you got for me?” Brett Holden was the guy she used on occasion as a private investigator.

“Just as you suspected. The email was sent to Sheppard Granger at Delvers from a computer belonging to the Wesconnett library.”

“Thanks for checking.”

“No problem. If you need me to do anything else, let me know.”

“Will do.” Carson clicked off the phone and said to herself, “Okay, Sheppard, your sons are being guarded. Now what?”

She opened the desk drawer and pulled out a copy of the email Sheppard had given her that day. The person responsible for his wife’s death was still out there and was crazy enough to try to kill again...even after fifteen years.

* * *

Sitting at her desk, Shiloh stared at the huge, beautiful bouquet of flowers delivered to her that morning. She had been totally surprised when Tess had walked into her office carrying them. The card attached had simply said, “Remember my promise.”

She pushed away from her desk, walked to the window and looked out. Caden was not playing fair. He’d sent her a dozen roses. All white. Her favorite. He’d known that and was using it to break her down, and she didn’t want that.

Shiloh glanced back at her desk and wished the bouquet wasn’t so beautiful and that what he’d written on that card hadn’t made her remember his promise. A man’s promise to the woman he claimed to love. When Tess had placed the flowers on her desk and she’d read the card, she had been tempted to tell Tess to keep them because she didn’t want them. But then she figured there was no reason she should not enjoy a dozen beautiful white roses. The bouquet wouldn’t change a thing.

Just like it didn’t matter that she was still plagued with memories of how Caden had looked the day he’d paid her a visit here at the boutique. Why did he still have to look so ruggedly handsome in a smooth sort of way? It didn’t make sense. How could a man look both rugged and smooth? She wasn’t sure, but Caden managed it. And then there was that sexiness he exuded so well. Her heart rate increased whenever she thought about it.

Feeling frustrated, she welcomed the ring of her cell phone, a ring she recognized right away. It was Valerie. Moving away from the window, she went to her desk to answer the phone. “How did you know I needed my mind refreshed?”

She heard her friend laugh. “Not sure. Do you?”

“Desperately. Caden sent me flowers. White roses.”

“Oh, a man after my own heart. He doesn’t plan on giving up without a fight, does he?”

Shiloh nibbled on her bottom lip as she studied her flowers. “I guess not.” Valerie had met Caden and she was the one to encourage Shiloh to go to that concert during the time she was in college. Valerie had been able to see through Samuel right from the start.

“I want to get over him, Val,” she said in a soft voice.

“I’m hearing the words, but I’m not convinced.”

“You should be. I have a date this weekend.”

Valerie laughed. “Any reason you don’t sound excited about it?”

“Probably because it’s a blind date. Actually, that’s not quite correct. Apparently, I’ve met the guy. At least that’s what Sedrick claims. He’s a doctor at the hospital where Sedrick works, and Sedrick swears he introduced us. I don’t remember.”

“Hmm, that’s not good if he wasn’t worth remembering.”

She wasn’t going to tell Valerie she thought the same thing. Instead, she said, “Sedrick says he’s a nice guy, and I’m taking his word for it. Sedrick can be overprotective, and he wouldn’t hook me up with just anyone.”

“Then you should have nothing to worry about. Where are you going, and what are you wearing?”

She told Valerie it would be a double date with her brother and his girlfriend, Cassie, and her and Wallace. Sedrick was selecting the place, and once he told her, she would know what outfit to wear. They spent another ten minutes more talking about how plans were shaping up for the grand opening. Valerie and her husband were arriving from Boston a couple of days early to help out with last-minute details.

After Shiloh ended her phone call with Valerie, she leaned back in her chair and stared at her flowers, remembering the first time Caden had given her white roses. There had been three of them...on her sixteenth birthday. Her father had spies at the high school, namely the principal, Mr. Waverly, and one of the teachers, Mrs. Joyner, who reported back to him on her behavior. Caden had sent the flowers to her best friend at the time, Cindy Brooks, to give to her. You would have thought Cindy had handed her a million dollars that day.

Bringing her thoughts back to the present, she checked the clock on the wall. In a few hours, she had an appointment with Nannette Gaither, the woman coordinating Charlottesville’s annual Live-It-Up Ball to benefit cancer research. Shiloh was on the committee that met every two weeks, but since the event was next month, they were getting together more regularly.

She and Nannette had attended high school together, and instead of moving away for college, Nannette had remained in Charlottesville and attended college here. She was engaged to marry Vance Clayburn, a wealthy businessman who’d moved to town a few years ago. Shiloh had never met the man, but it was rumored that he was old enough to be Nannette’s father.

Deciding she had been held up in her office long enough, Shiloh stood and was headed toward the door to go check on things below when the phone on her desk rang. Tess was transferring a call that had come in through the boutique.

She went back to her desk and picked up the phone. “Yes, Tess?”

“A Mr. Caden Granger is on the line and wants to speak with you.”

Shiloh drew in a deep breath. She should take the call and at least thank him for the flowers, but then she thought better of it. The last thing she wanted to do was encourage Caden. If he thought he was breaking down her defenses, he would continue with this, and she preferred that he didn’t.

“Tell Mr. Granger that I’m busy, Tess.”

“Okay, I’ll tell him.”

Tess hung up on her end, and Shiloh hung up on hers. If Caden thought he would get close to her with a bouquet of flowers, he was sadly mistaken.

* * *

Caden held the phone in his hand a full minute before hanging it up. Shiloh had told her employee to tell him she was busy. That was fine. He wouldn’t push for now, but he damn well wouldn’t give up. He knew all about the grand opening of her boutique next weekend, and he intended to attend.

He glanced toward the door when he heard the knock. “Come in,” he called out and then wished he hadn’t when Dalton walked in. “What do you want, Dalton?”

Dalton smiled as he plopped down on the chair across from his desk. “Still in a bad mood, I see.”

“What do you want, Dalton? Some of us have work to do.”

“So do I,” Dalton countered. “I just came from that meeting with those Security guys, and you wouldn’t believe some of the technical shit they have now. Trying it out, I felt like a regular James Bond. And just so you know, you don’t have to tell me why you were in the historical district yesterday.”

“I don’t?” Caden asked, staring hard at his brother.

“No, you don’t. I was able to backtrack all the places you went yesterday with the tracker I put on your phone.” A huge smile spread across Dalton’s lips. “Why didn’t you tell me Shiloh owns a wine shop?”

“Does she?”

“I’m sure you know that she does. So tell me, what’s the real deal with you and Shiloh? And don’t tell me there isn’t one. All it will do is keep me digging.”

Caden leaned back in his chair and built a steeple with his fingers while staring at his brother. “Has it ever occurred to you that it’s not any of your business?”

Dalton continued to smile. “Yes, that did occur to me, but I dismissed it as a crazy idea.”

“And why would you do that?”

“Because you’re the middle child, and I promised Dad I would keep an eye out for you, so everything you do is my business, Caden.”

“Bullshit. But two can play your silly little game. Where were you yesterday? On the way out, I asked Brandy to let you know I was leaving the office, and she mentioned you hadn’t returned from your appointment with a private investigator. Why were you meeting with a P.I.?”

Caden watched the expression on his brother’s face, and it was apparent he didn’t like being the one in the hot seat. In fact, Caden noticed that Dalton actually seemed to be squirming.

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

No doubt it will be damned interesting, Caden thought, keeping an eye on Dalton. “Try me.”

Dalton was silent for a minute, then he said, “I hired a private investigator to find a woman for me. I met her in a nightclub, and she left without telling me who she was and how to contact her.”

“And you hired a P.I. to find her?”

“Yes.”

Caden couldn’t help but chuckle. “You’re right. I don’t believe you.”

Eleven

Shana grinned over at Jace. They were on their way to her father’s home, and he’d gotten quiet all of a sudden. “If I didn’t know any better, I would think you were nervous, Jace.”

He took his eyes off the road when he brought the car to a stop at a traffic light. “I am. It’s not every day I meet the father of a woman and tell him I got his daughter pregnant and ask for her hand in marriage in the same meeting.”

Shana smiled. “Take it easy. Dad’s a swell guy. Besides, he’s wanted grandkids for the longest time...as well as a son-in-law. Now he’ll get both. But you better be glad my sister, Jules, is out of town and won’t be here. She would give you a hard time just for the hell of it.”

She paused a moment and then said, “Your family seems to have taken the news well. Except maybe for Dalton. It was obvious he was kind of put out about it.”

“You should know Dalton by now. Dalton is Dalton,” Jace said as the car moved forward again. “The thought of my having unprotected sex was beyond his comprehension.”

“You didn’t tell him what happened?”

Jace shook his head. “No. It’s none of his business. Let him think whatever he wants, which is Dalton’s way.”

“Caden seemed preoccupied with something last night. Is everything all right with his band?”

“Yes, everything is fine with the band. It’s an issue concerning Shiloh Timmons.”

Shana’s brow bunched. “Timmons? Where do I know that name from?”

“Probably from seeing it in the listings of all our shareholders. Samuel Timmons was her father, but he died several months ago. All his shares in the company went to Sandra Timmons, her mother. In our board meeting a few months ago, when Titus Freeman tried to take over Granger Aeronautics, Shiloh saved the day by casting her mother’s votes our way.”

“That was pretty darned nice of her.”

“Yes, it was. Without those votes going our way, we would have been prevented from running the company the way my grandfather wanted us to.” He paused a moment and then said, “If Samuel Timmons had been alive, he would have voted with Freeman and, to this day, I don’t understand what happened.”

She looked over at him. “What happened about what?”

“My parents’ relationship with the Timmonses. They used to be close friends, and we all did things together...which is why their son, Sedrick, and I were close while growing up, and why Shiloh and Caden were close. But after my mother was killed, they, like everyone else, were convinced my father was guilty. They even testified at Dad’s trial about overhearing one of my parents’ arguments when Dad threatened to kill Mom.”

Jace paused a moment and then said, “Caden, Dalton and I overheard a similar argument. The night before Mom died. But we knew he was upset with her and that it was an idle threat.”

“Even when she was murdered the next day?”

“Yes. We were confused about a lot of things, but I think, deep down, none of us really thought Dad was capable of killing Mom.”

“Not even in the heat of passion like the prosecutors claimed?”

“Not even then. We knew Dad. As far as I’m concerned, the Timmonses should have known him equally well, and that he’d made an idle threat. It seemed as if for some reason Samuel Timmons wanted everyone to think Dad was capable of killing Mom.”

He paused again and then said, “And then after Dad was sentenced, the Timmonses and some of the other neighbors—the country-club gang—treated my brothers and me like we had the bubonic plague. They refused to let any of their kids associate with us.”

“That’s awful.”

“Yes, it was,” Jace said. “I lost my best friend, and Caden lost his.”

“So what’s the problem now?”

Jace took a few moments to tell her what Caden had told him. Retelling it made Jace realize just what a genuine ass Samuel Timmons had been. “Caden realizes he made a mistake and is determined to get her back.”

“I hope that he does.”

“Me, too.” They were silent again, and then when they came to another traffic light, Jace glanced back over at Shana and said, “Prepare me for your dad. What am I to expect?”

She smiled. “Ben Bradford is an ex-cop who raised his two daughters after the wife he loved with all his heart passed away of pancreatic cancer. Mom knew she was dying, so she prepared us somewhat. She made Jules and me promise to be good girls, and we tried to keep that promise. Dad made it easy by being such a terrific father. He worked during the day while we were in school and made sure he was home at night. At one time he was promoted to detective, but when he saw it was interfering with his time at home, he gave it up and went back to being a street cop. He said money wasn’t everything. It was more important for him to spend quality time with us.”

Jace nodded. “And he never remarried?”

“No. And he never brought a woman home for us to meet, although Jules and I know he was sexually active.”

“How could you and your sister know something like that?”

“Because we found condoms in his dresser drawer once. That’s where he kept extra money for special things like our hair appointments and school trips and stuff like that. As we got older we knew what the condoms were for. I guess he didn’t think when he tossed the packet into that particular drawer. He’d forgotten we went into it from time to time.”

“And now he’s dating Mona, the blind woman.”

“Yes. They’d only known each other a short while, and now he says he’s in love with her.”

“True love. There was a time I didn’t believe in it.”

“Yes,” she said, grinning. “I recall you once saying that.”

“Things have changed, and I hope you don’t find it hard to believe that two people can fall in love quickly, Shana. We’ve known each other a short while, and I know for certain that I’m in love with you.”

“And I’m in love with you,” she said, smiling over at him. “But...”

“But what?”

“I guess I’m overprotective of Dad, yet at the same time I want to see him happy. He deserves it.”

“Then let him be happy.”

Jace pulled the car into Shana’s father’s driveway and killed the ignition. He glanced over at her. “He is expecting us, right?”

Shana smiled. “Yes, he’s expecting us, and please relax, Jace. My father is nothing like Samuel Timmons.”

Jace let out a deep breath before smiling over at her. “Hell, I hope not.”

* * *

“Yes, Sedrick?” Shiloh asked, connecting to the incoming call on her phone.

“Everything is all set for Saturday night. I’ve made dinner plans at the Matador.”

“All right.” The Matador was a very nice restaurant in town.

“Wallace wants to come pick you up. Do you have a problem with that?”

Because he’d asked, she figured he thought that she would. “No, I don’t have a problem with it. I’m looking forward to seeing him again.”

“Great! And like I said, Shiloh, he’s a nice guy. He’ll be there to pick you up at seven.”

“Fine. I’ll be ready.”

She hung up the phone thinking that she sounded more excited than she actually felt. Each time she went into her office and saw those darned white roses on her desk she thought about Caden.

Then why did you keep the darned things? You could have trashed them, her mind mocked. No matter how she felt about Caden, there was no way she could have done such a thing for spite. She was more mature than that. In that case, why did you have Tess tell Caden you were busy when he called? You could have at least thanked him for the flowers.

She knew the answer to that one. The last thing she needed was to hear his voice. That deep, rich, sexy sound always did things to her. She recalled teasing him about his voice changing when they were kids. He took all of her jesting in stride. But then, Caden had always been the most easygoing person she knew. At least he was until he got angry, and then he was the one who’d become spiteful, not only sleeping with other women but also refusing to have anything to do with her. And then for him to say all those awful things to her that night and...

She drew in a deep breath when she felt tears fill her eyes. Why couldn’t she just let go of the pain? Wiping the tears from her eyes, she decided to take a shower and get into bed early. More than anything, she needed a good night’s sleep.

Twelve

Ben Bradford offered Jace his hand as he looked directly into his eyes. “So you’re Jace Granger.” The older man then smiled. “I’m so glad my daughter has finally brought you over for a visit. Come on in. I’ve prepared dinner, so I hope you’re hungry.”

“Yes, sir, I am,” Jace said as he and Shana followed her father through the foyer into a spacious living room. He glanced around at all the framed photographs lining the walls. He walked over to look more closely at Shana in various stages of her growth. One photo was of her on a bicycle with her sister on a tricycle. Another on her graduation day from high school. Then another showed her graduating from college.

“She was a cute little something,” Ben said, chuckling. “Both my daughters were. I’m proud of my girls.”

Jace turned toward the man. “And you have every right to be.” Benjamin Bradford was just as he’d pictured him to be. Tall, ruggedly built and in good shape for a man his age, which he would put in his middle fifties, like his own father.

“Thanks, Dad. What’s for dinner?” Shana asked, turning to head for the kitchen.

Ben chuckled. “Only my child can thank you for a compliment and then beg for food in the same sentence.”

“I wasn’t begging, just asking out of curiosity. It smells good, whatever it is,” Shana said as she walked into the kitchen.

Ben and Jace followed. Ben glanced over at Jace. “So, Jace, I read about that kidnapping attempt in the paper. Glad you came out without a scratch, young man.”

“And I have your daughter to thank for that.”

“Hmm, better not let Dalton hear you say that,” Shana said, sitting down at the kitchen table.

Jace chuckled. “Yeah, I have to give my brother credit as well, but he would not have known I was missing had it not been for Shana and her team.”

Ben was very astute in reading people, and he’d been reading the body language between these two from the moment they had entered his home. His daughter, his finicky daughter where men were concerned, was in love. There was a glow on her face that he’d never seen before. Ever. And he hadn’t missed the looks these two had been giving each other.

He wasn’t surprised Shana hadn’t brought Jace around before now. His daughter had to be sure of things, and for her to bring him now meant her mind was made up. She had finally met a guy she felt was worthy of her affection.