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“What are you doing in historic downtown?”
Caden cursed under his breath, recalling the tracker his brother had placed on his phone. “None of your damned business. What do you want?”
“A little grouchy, are we?”
Deciding now was not the time for Dalton to get on his last nerve, he said, “Unless there’s a reason for this call, I suggest you call me back later.”
“Oh, there is a reason for it. Big brother asked me to call and inform you of the meeting at Sutton Hills. Don’t ask me what it’s about, because I don’t know. I think his Wonder Woman is going to be there. And he included Hannah.” Hannah had been the family’s housekeeper for years and had grown to become more than that. She was like a part of the Granger family, and he and his brothers simply adored her.
Caden eased into traffic. “What time’s the meeting?”
“As soon as you can get here. Jace and Wonder Woman are on their way. Tonight’s Ladies’ Night at McQueen’s, so I’m missing out on checking out several hot babes. This damned meeting better be good.”
Caden rolled his eyes. “I’m on my way.”
After he clicked off the phone, he couldn’t help wondering about the meeting Jace had called away from the office. Was something going on that made Jace feel they couldn’t have a secure conversation at Granger Aeronautics? Had Shana and her team uncovered another diabolical plot against the company? But then, Dalton had said Hannah would be attending the meeting, so maybe the meeting had nothing to do with the business after all. He would know soon enough. Jeez, he longed for the days when all he had to worry about was his concert-tour schedule.
Deciding he didn’t want to dwell on work problems for the moment, he turned his mind to his own major problem. Shiloh. Regaining her trust wouldn’t be easy, but he was determined to do it.
His goal was to put her back in his life, where she belonged.
Eight
“Welcome to Sutton Hills, Shana.”
Shana smiled over at Jace. “This place is beautiful.”
Jace told her Sutton Hills, the Grangers’ estate, encompassed over two hundred acres near the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and consisted of the most beautiful land anywhere.
As they drove on the long winding road canopied by large oak trees, he pointed out several places of interest. “That’s the equestrian center to your right. Those horses are my father’s pride and joy. And my grandfather felt the same way.”
She looked over at him. “There are so many horses in the pastures.”
Jace chuckled. “Yes. Sutton Hills is considered a horse ranch because of the beautiful Thoroughbreds we have here. A number of them are entered into the major races each year.”
Shana knew that managing the stables alone was a huge undertaking. “Who handles the horses while you’re running Granger Aeronautics?”
“We have a ranch foreman who takes care of that end of things for us. Patrick has been with Sutton Hills for over forty years now, since before I was born. He’ll be retiring next year, and his son Clyde has already been groomed to take his place.”
Shana nodded. She had heard about Sutton Hills. Had even read about it during her research. She’d known it was large, but hadn’t imagined it was this immense.
“Sutton Hills is divided into four major areas,” Jace continued. “My grandparents lived in the main house, which is probably a mile or so from the equestrian center, and it sits on fifty acres of land. It’s two stories and backs up against Mammoth Lake.”
“That’s where you’re staying now? In your grandfather’s home?”
“Yes. If you look through those trees, you’ll be able to see the roof of my parents’ home. After Mom died and Dad went to prison, Granddad closed up the place and brought us to live with him. None of us has been back in that house ever since.”
Shana could understand why they wouldn’t want to return. Through the trees, she saw an outline of the structure’s rooftop. It was huge.
“And over there,” he said, slowing down. “At the mouth of the lake is the boathouse.” Quietly, he added, “That’s the place where my mother was found murdered fifteen years ago. She had two gunshot wounds in her chest.”
Shana did not say a word. She knew Jace had more to say.
He paused a moment, then said, “Dad found her. He went into the boathouse, and one of the first things he saw when he walked in was his gun lying in the middle of the floor. I wish to hell that he hadn’t picked it up—it turned out to be the murder weapon. Then he went toward the back of the boathouse, and that’s when he found Mom, lying on the floor in a pool of blood. He called 911. Within hours, he was arrested for her murder. Since only his fingerprints were found on the gun, he ended up being charged with her murder.”
Shana decided not to ask if anyone had been to the boathouse since that tragic day. In all likelihood they had not. Jace told her he’d been sixteen when his mother was killed, Caden fourteen, and Dalton had been about to celebrate his twelfth birthday.
Changing the subject and the somber mood, Jace said, “You’re going to like Hannah, and she’s going to like you.”
Shana smiled. “What makes you so sure of that?”
“Because I like you. Better yet, I love you.”
A warm feeling always stole over Shana whenever he told her that. “How do you think everyone will react once they know about us and the baby?”
Jace chuckled. “My brothers have suspected something for a while, although I’ve never owned up to it. But after that little scene with you during my rescue, there is no doubt in their minds that we are more than business associates.”
Shana grinned sheepishly. “I couldn’t help myself. I was so scared that we wouldn’t find you, and then, when we did, nothing else mattered to me. Certainly not our secret affair.”
“I felt the same way. At that point, I didn’t give a damn who knew about us. And as far as the baby news goes, I think once the shock wears off, my brothers will love the idea of being uncles. Hannah will be beside herself. She’s been hinting at me to settle down, remarry and make babies for years. I told you that she didn’t like Eve.”
“Yes, you told me.” Shana didn’t say anything, but she was tempted to say that after meeting his ex-wife, she could see why Hannah hadn’t liked her.
“Here we are.” Jace pulled into the circular driveway of the largest house Shana had ever seen. The lawn was immaculate, and the architectural structure of the house was breathtaking.
“Jace, it’s beautiful.”
“Thanks. It was built and designed by my great-grandfather. I see Dalton’s and Caden’s cars over there. That means they are here already,” he said, bringing his car to a stop behind Dalton’s two-seater sports car.
After killing the ignition, Jace glanced over at her and smiled. “Ready for us to go tell everyone our good news?”
Shana couldn’t help smiling back over at him. “Yes, I’m ready.”
* * *
“Your email in-box full again, Mr. Granger?”
Sheppard Granger glanced over at Ambrose Cheney, one of the prison guards, and smiled. “Yes, it looks that way. How are your sons doing?”
The two of them exchanged pleasantries for a few minutes before Ambrose moved on. Shep knew that, as prisons went, he’d been pretty damned lucky. When he’d entered the prison system fifteen years ago, he’d been assigned to Glenworth. He had refused to get an attitude about being wrongly convicted or about being sent to Glenworth. Instead, he’d decided to make the best of the situation he was in. While there he had met fellow inmates with the same mind-set...like Luther Thomas, who’d been wrongly convicted of rape. Together, he and Luther had begun programs in prison such as Toastmasters, Leaders of Tomorrow and the GED program. Their efforts had been successful and were recognized by the media and even the governor. And together, he and Luther had helped to turn around the lives of several inmates like Lamar “Striker” Jennings, Quasar Patterson and Stonewall Courson.
Luther was eventually acquitted and was now a minister in Hampton, Virginia. Five years ago, after serving ten years of his sentence and being termed a model employee and a born leader, the governor had approved Sheppard’s transfer to Delvers, a prison that housed low-risk offenders. He worked closely with the warden as a trustee, initiating various projects to ensure that the less-serious offenders didn’t become serious offenders in the future.
He was proud that, so far, all the men whose lives he had helped turn around at both Glenworth and Delvers had stayed on the straight and narrow. They came to visit from time to time now that they were on the outside, and he was proud that they were making positive impacts on their communities. And what he liked more than anything was that, from time to time, when they couldn’t visit, they would send Sheppard an email to let him know where they were and how they were doing. Some had gone back to school, many even to college, and others were business owners—successful men in their communities.
He opened an email from Andrew Logan. Andrew had been in trouble since the age of ten, when stealing had been his favorite pastime. He had been in and out of youth detention as a way of life. Now Andrew had a college degree and worked on the right side of the law as a police detective in Alexandria.
Like most of the other emails he’d opened so far, Andrew’s reported that he had heard the reports on the radio and television about Jace. Although they’d never met Jace, they knew Jace was his son. They had all written because they knew Sheppard would be upset and feeling useless since he couldn’t do anything to help his son while he was in prison. They all said how glad they were that Jace had been rescued before anything bad had gone down during the kidnapping.
Shep drew in a deep breath, thinking that no one was gladder about that than he was. If anything had happened to Jace or any of his three sons, Shep didn’t know what he would do. Thank heavens, the FBI had gotten there in time, and he appreciated Dalton for putting that tracker on Jace’s phone.
At the end of the email, Shep tried not to get emotional when he read what Andrew had written:
Mr. Granger, a lot of the guys whose lives you touched at both Glenworth and Delvers got together this past weekend at my place. We went to a ball game then came back here for chips and beer. Matthew Fontane was here, and since he was the last one released from Delvers, he brought us up to date on everyone and assured us you were doing well...at least as well as can be expected under the circumstances. We all know you’ve been given a raw deal, being an innocent man in prison and all. And I hope this doesn’t sound selfish, but we all agreed that we thank God that you were at Glenworth and Delvers for us. We all know that if it hadn’t been for you making us see the light, the majority of us would still be serving time. Now, you of all people know I’m not a religious man...as much as Reverend Luther Thomas wishes otherwise...but we believe there was a reason you were sent to prison. Because someone knew you were needed for the six guys who’d lost their way. So, although you may have lost time with your three sons while being locked up, we all want you to know that you’ve gained six others. And one day, when you’re finally found innocent and released from prison, we’re going to make sure all nine of your sons get together and give you the biggest homecoming party ever.
Shep leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes for a second. He’d done what any other human would have done for those guys. They’d been young, foolish and like Andrew had said...lost. But he’d looked beyond their tough and rough exteriors and had seen guys who’d been denied love and affection, attention and a chance to succeed. Some even had the attitude that the world owed them something. He would be the first to admit it hadn’t been easy getting through to some of them, and Andrew and Matthew had been two of the hardest.
He opened his eyes and chuckled. But then, Courson and Striker had been real badasses, too. In the end, he’d gotten through to them and was proud they were back on the outside as productive citizens.
Shep went through several more emails before coming to one with a sender name he didn’t recognize. He started to delete it, but something about the subject line—Suggest You Read This—aroused his curiosity, so he clicked on it.
Granger. You don’t know me, but I know you. If I were you, I would make sure your sons don’t get it into their heads to prove your innocence. Something tragic could happen.
Breath was snatched from Shep’s lungs, and for a moment he found it difficult to breathe. Once he got his breathing under control, he looked at the sender’s email address and frowned. Again. He didn’t recognize the name and figured it had been sent from a public computer.
When he saw Ambrose making his rounds across the room, Shep called out to him. He’d grown close to Ambrose, who, in his middle forties, was a hard worker, a dedicated and fair prison guard, and a family man with a wife and two sons who were the same age Caden and Dalton had been when Sheppard had gone off to prison.
“Yes, Mr. Granger? You need something?”
Shep nodded. “I need to get in touch with my attorney right away.”
Ambrose lifted a brow. “Is something wrong?”
“Yes.” Shep slid his chair out of the way and motioned for Ambrose to take a look at the email that he still had up on the computer screen.
He watched as Ambrose’s eyes sharpened to a steel-blue. “Holy Toledo! I’ll contact your attorney right away.”
Nine
“Hannah, I’d like you to meet Shana Bradford.”
The first thing Shana thought was that the older woman was beautiful, although it was obvious that she didn’t flaunt it. According to Jace, Hannah was in her early seventies, yet her skin was smooth with very few wrinkles. Her hair was pulled back in a knot, but Shana knew when she wore it down and around her shoulders it would frame her face dramatically. Another thing Shana noticed was that her eyes were sharp, intuitive and perceptive. They had to be if she’d raised these three Granger boys. She bet they had been a handful.
“It’s nice meeting you, Ms. Bradford.”
Shana smiled. “Same here, and please call me Shana. Is it okay for me to call you Hannah?”
Hannah beamed. “It certainly is. I just found out about the meeting a couple of hours ago, but that still gave me time to prepare refreshments. Oatmeal cookies and my special fruit punch.”
“You shouldn’t have gone to any trouble,” Shana said.
“Yeah, Hannah, you shouldn’t have,” Dalton said, chewing on his fourth cookie.
Jace rolled his eyes. “And he’s still stuffing his mouth as he speaks.” He then looked over at Caden, who was standing at the window looking out. He seemed preoccupied with something. He had greeted them when they’d first arrived, but he now had eased back into his own little world. Jace had noticed that same behavior earlier today, as well. Caden had quickly left the office without telling anyone where he’d gone. Jace figured he’d gone looking for Shiloh. If he’d found her, how had it gone?
“I hope this meeting is important, Jace. I have a hot date.” Okay, so he was lying through his teeth, Dalton thought, since he really didn’t have a hot date. But he planned to hit that club just in case his mystery lady showed up again tonight. That was a long shot, but when you were desperate, what else could you do?
“No problem. We can get started since we’re all here,” Jace said, breaking into Dalton’s thoughts. “If we can get you away from the cookie platter and the punch bowl. And, Caden?”
Caden glanced up upon hearing his name. “Yes?”
“We’re ready for the meeting to start.”
“Oh, all right.” He then strolled over to sit on the sofa beside Hannah.
Jace glanced over at Dalton, who merely shrugged and sent a silent message. Don’t know what’s going on with Caden, so don’t ask me.
“Jace, has something bad happened?” Hannah asked in a soft, concerned voice, gently rubbing her hands together. Caden reached out and took them in his.
“No, Hannah, nothing bad has happened,” Jace said in a reassuring tone. “In fact, I called this meeting to share some good news for a change.”
He smiled up at Shana, who was standing beside him. “As you know, Shana was hired to fix the problems at Granger Aeronautics. Well, she’s done a lot more than that. She’s fixed things with me, too—namely, my heart. I’ve fallen in love with her, and Shana and I are getting married.”
“Married?”
“Married?”
“Married?”
All three—Hannah, Dalton and Caden—echoed one another at once.
Jace chuckled at the three shocked faces. He and Shana had evidently hidden the depth of their relationship pretty well. “Yes, married. But that’s not all.”
“Damn, what else is there?” Dalton asked, walking over to the liquor cabinet. He needed a drink. When had things gotten this serious between them? He’d figured they were probably sleeping together, although around the office they were decorously discreet. But marriage? Who in his right mind still did that these days?
“We’re expecting a baby in the spring.”
“Holy shit!” Dalton swung around so quickly that he dropped the whiskey decanter from his hand. He had to act fast to keep it from crashing to the floor.
Hannah let out a huge, joyous cheer, and Caden just sat there, staring at his brother, a surprised smile on his face.
* * *
“It’s a little late to ask, but do you have a problem using condoms?” Dalton asked Jace, when he was able to pull him aside for a little private conversation. Shana and Hannah were across the room sitting on the sofa while Hannah showed her pictures of Jace as a child that were in one of the family albums. Caden had excused himself to step outside to take a phone call from his agent.
Jace lifted a brow. “Why would you think that?”
Dalton rolled his eyes. “Wonder Woman is pregnant. There are ways to prevent such things, and the use of a condom is one of them. Don’t you know it’s like an American Express card? You should never leave home without one.”
Jace fought hard to keep from grinning because he knew Dalton was so damned serious. There was no need to explain their birth-control methods to his baby brother. The fact was that he and Shana had decided not to use condoms since she was on the pill. However, she’d gotten pregnant at some point during the two weeks she’d been on antibiotics for flulike symptoms, which had rendered the pill less effective.
“It was an accident, Dalton. It happens sometimes.”
“But it shouldn’t. Not to a Granger. We don’t get women pregnant. We enjoy them and move on to the next.”
“That’s your way, not mine.”
“Haven’t you learned anything after being married to Evil Eve? Getting married is bad enough, and now a baby. Jeez. I offered to give you pointers when I first detected you were hot for Wonder Woman, but you claimed you had your shit together.”
