A Man's Promise

Harris stared at him for a minute and then asked, “What about her skin tone? Eye color? Hair color? Did you notice any of that?”

Dalton had to really think hard about it. “Brown skin. Brown eyes. Brown hair.”

Harris nodded as he jotted the information down. “Notice anything else?”

“She was wearing Amarige.”

Harris looked up. “Excuse me?”

“Her perfume was Amarige. Nice fragrance on a woman, and it smelled super nice on her.”

Harris lifted a brow. “You’re so familiar with fragrances that you can name one?”

Dalton shrugged. “Yes. I guess I can. I’m a bit of an expert.”

Harris chuckled. “I would definitely say that you are.” He leaned back in his chair. “I have a case I’ll be wrapping up over the next week or so, and then I’m on it.”

Dalton smiled. That was what he wanted to hear. He couldn’t wait to see the woman again.

Five

Jace knocked on the closed door.

“Come in.”

He entered the office, locking the door behind him, and his gaze immediately went to the woman sitting behind the desk. Shana Bradford. When he’d hired her almost three months ago, he had been attracted to her from the first. The sexual chemistry between them had been undeniable, and they both knew it. Being the professionals that they were, intent on keeping their relationship strictly business, they had tried ignoring the attraction...until it got the best of them.

They’d been having a secret affair. But now that was about to come to an end. She was pregnant with his child, and he intended to put a wedding ring on her finger.

Her smile was radiant and warmed not only the room but his heart. “Jace, what are you doing here? I left you in bed.”

“I noticed. I thought we both decided to stay away from the office for a few days, clear our heads, get our heart rates back in sync.”

She leaned back in her chair. “You needed to do that more than I did. Did you talk to your dad?”

“Yes, Warden Smallwood let him take my call immediately.”

“And?”

He drew in a slow breath, moving away from the door to stand in front of her desk. “And, unfortunately, he heard about the kidnapping attempt on the news. He was upset. He was glad I was okay and realized how close he could have come to losing me.”

Shana nodded. “I know the feeling.”

Jace didn’t say anything for a second and then added, “And he’s upset about Vidal. He couldn’t believe it. The man had been a family friend for years. Now I’m sure he’s wondering just how far back the man’s treachery went and whether perhaps he could have been involved in my mother’s death.”

Shana sat up straight in her chair. “I hadn’t thought of that.”

“I have,” Jace said. “So have Caden and Dalton. But I don’t think he was.”

Shana lifted a brow. “Why?”

“Vidal said a lot of things while holding that gun on me, convincing me I was about to take my last breath. He had no problems bragging about all his misdeeds—including siphoning funds for the company from right under my grandfather’s nose. He seemed to take great pride in confessing all the things he’d done. If he had killed my mother, he would have bragged about it before killing me.”

Shana thought about what he said. “You might have a point.”

“I do,” he said, coming around her desk, pulling her out of her chair and rubbing a hand over her stomach. “I had planned to tell my brothers about us and the baby today. However, Dalton left for an appointment someplace, and when I walked into Caden’s office, he was dealing with a few issues.”

Jace pulled her into his arms and smiled down at her. “But I can’t wait to tell them, and we’ll do so later today at Sutton Hills.”

* * *

Caden tried to be patient as the phone rang several times. He released a sigh of relief when it was answered. “Dr. Timmons.”

“Sedrick, this is Caden Granger.”

There was a long pause and for a minute Caden thought the call might have been dropped. “Yes, Caden, what can I do for you?”

“I’m trying to locate Shiloh.”

There was another long pause. “Are you?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Caden wondered how much Sedrick knew about the situation and quickly figured he knew all of it since Shiloh and her brother were close. “I need to talk to her. Your mother came to see me today, and she told me everything.”

There was a flow of muttered expletives from the other end of the line that almost burned Caden’s ears. “Mom had no right to do that. I’m surprised that you listened to what she had to say when you wouldn’t listen to Shiloh when she came to see you.” Sedrick’s tone was sarcastic in the extreme.

Caden rubbed a hand down his face. “Yes. I believed things about her that I shouldn’t have. I was wrong.”

“Yes, you were. And you hurt her. Badly.”

Hearing these accusations from Sedrick only reinforced how deeply Caden had wronged Shiloh and how much he needed to correct the mess he’d made. At this point, he couldn’t place the blame entirely on Samuel Timmons and use the man as a scapegoat. He should have believed in Shiloh and trusted her. “I know, Sedrick, and I plan to make things right,” Caden said solemnly.

“Not sure if you can. I just talked with her today. She’s moved on with her life, Caden, and I think you need to just let things be and move on with yours.”

It was on the tip of Caden’s tongue to tell Sedrick that he really didn’t give a royal damn what he thought. But now was not the time for that, especially when the man had information he needed. “I can’t move on, nor can I let things be. If I ignore this situation, it means your father has won. And I refuse to let him continue to call the shots—even from the grave.”

Something he’d said must have resonated with Sedrick because, after a few moments, he said, “I’ll tell you where she is, but you have to promise me something.”

“What is that?”

“That if she asks to be left alone, you do just that and leave her alone.”

Caden knew he couldn’t make such a promise. Even if Shiloh refused to forgive him for the things he’d done, he would not give up on her. He still loved Shiloh and hoped there was a chance that she still loved him.

“Caden?”