A Love To Remember

“Yeah, it’s a pain to wear stockings, especially on a hot summer day.”

She looked at him suspiciously and her doubts about his masculinity crept to the forefront of her thoughts. “And how would you know?”

Trey leaned a little farther into her personal space. “You can’t just open up the book of my life and jump to the middle.”

“Autobiography of a Serial Dater wouldn’t be on my reading list anyway,” she quipped.

He chuckled and the sound seemed to magically dissipate the knot that had formed in her stomach the minute she’d gotten in the chauffeured car that afternoon.

“No, this would be The Trials and Tribulations of Being the Youngest Son.”

“You don’t look traumatized.”

“It’s the years of therapy.”

Sasha took a sip of water and returned her attention to Trey’s nice brown lips. Her eyebrow rose slightly as her lips curved into a smile. “Which kind? Shock or psychoanalysis?”

His legs spread out and their knees touched for a moment. Sasha almost spilled her drink as the brief contact sent a shiver throughout her body. It had been a long time since a man’s touch had triggered such an instantaneous reaction. “It’s more like mileage therapy.”

“How does that work?”

“You put a minimum of a hundred miles between you and your closest relative. Only go back home on occasional weekends and move often so that your family can’t find you when they want to drop in unannounced.”

Sasha leaned back in her chair and covered her mouth with her hands. It took a second but the sounds that came out of her throat at first mimicked a croaking frog, but little by little, she opened her mouth and laughed. And the infectiousness of her laughter seemed to spread as Trey joined in the humor and it spread back and fourth until tears sprang into her eyes. She wiped them away and then looked over at him with new, friendlier eyes. “I needed that.”

“Me, too. And I always get uncomfortable when I’m in the room with either a beautiful woman or a pet python.”

“Even if a snake made it into the building, given the average fifty degree temperatures, it would have gone dormant the second it slithered into the ductwork. So I’m going to assume you were referring to me.”

He lowered his gaze from her face and seemed to focus on her chest. Sasha fought the urge to fidget in her chair like a teenager on her first day at school.

“Before I clarify that statement, how did you know about a snake’s body temperature?”

“The same way that I know that wolves in the wild and captivity practice a form monogamous pair bonds between the alpha male and alpha female, yet their domestic canine cousins have moved to the opposite end of the spectrum because of human interference and the lack of a pack family structure.”

He gave her an incredulous look and just as he opened his mouth the executive assistant entered into the room. “Thank you for waiting, Ms. Clayton. Mr. Hawthorn will see you now.”

Sasha stood and began to leave.

“Wait.” Trey stood and blocked her path. His eyes ran up and down her body, letting Sasha know in no uncertain terms that Trey was interested in her in a physical way. “I’d like to finish this conversation.”

“I think this place bills by the second.” She smiled. “I need to go.”

“What about dinner tonight?”

“Are you asking me out on a date?” she calmly questioned, although the palms of her hands had grown damp with the heady rush of excitement brought about by the unfeigned attraction from such a handsome man.

“Dinner at a nice restaurant and if we don’t want the evening to end, coffee at my place.” The way his eyelids lowered and those luscious lips curved upwards in a sexy suggestive grin kindled thoughts of sheets and pillows on the left side of her brain while the right side doused the effect by giving Sasha an instant playback of the conversation Trey was having when he’d entered the room earlier.

She stepped around him, then turned her head slightly to give him a sideways glace. She mustered a convincing indifferent tone. “Don’t take it personally, but I don’t date commitment-phobic bachelors.” Then she walked away, moving from the waiting room as fast as low pumps would allow.

Five minutes later Trey was happy that he was sitting down, gleeful that he’d worn loose pants and downright grateful Sasha Clayton hadn’t turned around as she’d left the room. He couldn’t have turned his eyes away from the woman. Not even a myopic mole could have missed the hard outline of his groin. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat and when that didn’t help, he put the newspaper over his lap.

Ten minutes. He had ten minutes to get the combination of Sasha’s challenging stare and luscious rear end out of his head. Wide brown catlike eyes, rich hazelnut skin on an oval face. Not a perfect face like some of the models he’d dated in the past, but that mix of features and figure that men looked at and dreamed they woke up next to in the morning. Her dark hair looked as thought it was thick like his little sister Regan’s. He wondered about the length. If the constrained tresses would curl at her shoulders or flow over her back. Trey ran a hand roughly across his close-shaven head.

He tried to think about Giselle, the painter and yoga instructor he’d let go three months ago. Her flexibility in bed had added an unexpected spice to their affair. Long slender face, crème caramel complexion and nice curves made a man drop to his knees in prayer, and she would show up at his door with just a phone call. And he could have easily flipped open his cell phone and called her up. However, the problem was he just realized that one glance from Sasha Clayton left him burning hotter than ten nights with any woman of his acquaintance.

Trey sat back in the chair and rubbed his brow as a full grin drew his lips upward. She was opinionated, touchy, feisty, cute and funny. And she’d turned him down. Trey Blackfox, son of one of Georgia’s wealthiest African-American families, head of his own veterinary practice and millionaire bachelor got blown off.

“Trey?”

He looked up to see Gretchen’s wary expression. “Sorry.”

“Mr. Payton will see you now.”

He stood but his mind remained fixated on the image of Sasha Clayton’s perfectly sized backside. It took him twenty paces to get his libido in check and his mind on business. When he exited the waiting area, at least he had his common sense back.

Chapter 3

Sasha’s pen hit the table at the same time her bottom lip dropped. “Excuse me, Mr.…” Sasha blinked owlishly at the attorney. She sat at the head of a long conference table. A half dozen lawyers faced her. The first shock of the meeting was discovering that Uncle Camden had been cremated and his ashes spread over the Atlantic Ocean.

“Greenberg.” The lanky gentleman with deep-set blue eyes and wispy silver hair responded.

“Could you repeat what you just said?”

“Save for a sum of a three million dollars bequeathed to various charitable trusts, two million to his trusted friend and butler, funds set aside for the progeny of his animals, the balance of Camden Ridgestone’s thirty-five-million-dollar estate is yours with a few stipulations, of course.”

Fully aware of the six sets of eyes on her, Sasha slumped in the leather armchair and struggled to keep her breakfast of eggs and croissants from rising up and spilling onto the nicely polished table.

“Are you alright?” another attorney asked.

She shook her head from side to side and honestly replied. “No.”

“Don’t worry. The stipulations are quite simple. You are to take on the duty of caring for the animals, take his seat on a few of the charity beards and you cannot give the fortune away.”

Twenty-five million dollars. The amount swam in front of her eyes as she struggled to comprehend two things. First, how did Uncle Camden have that kind of money? Second, why in the world did he leave it to her? She’d spent half of her life believing that her godfather was a normal researcher with a British accent. It was only after her father and godfather had fought that she had discovered that there had been a lot more to Camden Ridgestone than they’d ever known. Like the fact that his well-to-do family had not completely disowned him. And that Camden had secretly funded her parents’ research expeditions and Sasha’s college education.

“I can see that this comes as a shock.”

Sasha barely suppressed the urge to glare at the white-haired attorney who’d long since given up on covering his receding hairline. The man had a gift for understatements. A hundred questions rose to her lips but Sasha settled on one. “Why?”

“Why?” Mr. Greenberg repeated with a puzzled look.

“Why me?” she croaked.

“Oh, that. Well, there are numerous reasons that are not my place to explain.” He opened a leather portfolio and drew out a sealed envelope. “Camden left you this letter and I believe that it will provide you with answers.”

The attorney slid it across the table in her direction, and then stood along with his colleagues. “We’re just going to give you some time to take this all in. If you need anything, just pick up the phone and one of the secretaries would be happy to help.”

“Thank you.”

“There will be paperwork to sign. The main thing is that you begin your role as caretaker to Camden’s animals. With your permission, I can have someone deliver your things from the hotel to the house.”

“No, thank you. I can do it myself,” Sasha replied as her head began to ache.

When the door closed behind them, she reached over and picked up the envelope, gingerly as if she held a rare specimen. With the corner of her fingernail, she flipped up the unsealed edge and drew out the thick pieces of off-white parchment.

Dearest Sasha,

Her heart gave a squeeze and fresh hot tears flooded into her eyes. Sasha closed the lids and drew in a deep calming breath. She wiped the tears away and forced herself to continue reading.

Don’t panic, and remember to breathe. I’ve always been curious about your incredible dislike of surprises and I’m sure this bequest will be unexpected. But it is for the best. Of all the people in the world I trust, you, your father and your mother are highest on my list. And of all the people that I have loved, you, Sasha, deserve all the riches of the world although you’ve never wanted them. I leave this life without a child or close relatives. I’ve given my life to nature conservation and I’ve tried to be a good person. Now I hope that you will do the same. I leave you the bulk of my possessions. Do with the money what you will, but take care of my animals. All of them have kept me company and given me unconditional love. I could do no less than to leave them in your more than capable hands.

By the time she finished the letter, Sasha’s hands shook. The enormity of the situation hit home as the missive landed on the table. From one hour to the next, she’d become a heiress and a pet owner. She didn’t know which was worse. Her father had taught her to despise the rich. And despite her love of animals, she’d never owned a pet. She’d moved around too much during her childhood.

She looked down at the list and did a quick sum. She was now in possession of a fortune, a dog, cat, an iguana and a pod of tree frogs.

“Just checking in.” Mr. Greenberg stood next to the table.

She opened her eyes and stood. “How long have I been here?”

“A little over half an hour.”

She shifted in her seat as the attorney sat in the chair next to hers. Sasha wasn’t physically tired but mentally she stood on the edge of exhaustion. “I’m sorry.”

“No problem at all, young lady. Did you have a quick rest?”

“I didn’t sleep. My head is still spinning.”

“Well there’s no rush. You have a lot to take in. It’s not every day you inherit millions.”

“What about Uncle Camden’s family? Aren’t they going to argue against this?”

“It’s been taken care of. Your godfather is the poorest member of the Ridgestones and since he cut ties after moving to the U.S. and giving up his British citizenship, they’re not going to say a word.”

“Pardon my ignorance, but how did Uncle Camden amass this fortune?”

“Pet food.”

“Excuse me?”

“Your uncle helped span a small dynasty of high quality, veterinary recommended pet food.”

“I knew he had money, but this…” She shook her head. “I have no idea what to do now.”

“You’ve got plenty of time to figure this out. And until you’re ready to take control, our firm will continue to monitor the estate. The only thing that needs to happen now is that you move into the mansion. He was pretty adamant that you become the primary caretaker of the pets.”

Sasha felt a momentary sense of panic. She’d helped rehabilitate injured wildlife and reintroduced them back into their natural environment, and tracked a pack of hyenas over the African plains. But she’d never taken responsibility of anyone or anything but herself.

“Now, don’t panic.”

She shook her head. “How did you know?”

“I can’t read minds but I’ve seen that look on too many of my clients’ faces not to recognize it. Camden has taken care of everything. In fact, another partner has just finished briefing someone who will be an integral part of your getting settled into your role. Just let me go get him.”

Niggling in the back of her mind grew so that minutes later when the attorney entered the room she was numb to the surprise of seeing Trey Blackfox’s familiar profile.

“Sasha Clayton meet…”

“Trey,” she interrupted.

“You’ve met?”

“In the waiting room,” Trey answered after walking in, pulling back a chair and making himself at home.

Sasha bit the inside of her cheek. The man was the epitome of confidence. And for a moment Sasha felt green with envy. Throw her into a room with a biologist, a den of wild aardvarks or a convicted felon and she could fend for herself. But being in a room with an attractive man left her tongue tied.

“Good. This should make this go a bit smoother. Trey and his veterinary clinic have been retained by the estate to continue in the primary capacity as both the medical care provider of the animals and advice for you.”

She recovered her wits. “Shouldn’t that be my decision? Not that I doubt his expertise.”

“Normally that would be the case, but Mr. Ridge-stone specified that the clinic not only care for the animals but he also provided a generous grant to ensure that they continue to receive the best care. Not to mention that since the clinic is nonprofit and gives free care, your uncle wanted to continue his support after his passing.”

Trey chimed in. “In fact we’re naming a new exercise run after your godfather.”

She stared blankly at the two smiling men. Too much, too fast. She’d barely had a chance to adjust to the reality of her godfather’s death. Now she had to deal with an inheritance that was incomprehensible in terms of her responsibilities. “I’m sure that you want to talk about this, but to be honest I can’t think straight right now.”

The attorney waved his hand. “You don’t have to do anything. We’ll be right here when you’re ready to make any actions. My assistant reserved your hotel suite until tomorrow. Jackson has assured us that the house is ready for you.”

“I’m not sure I feel comfortable moving into my uncle’s house,” she admitted.

“I understand, but part of the bequest entails you’re being the animals primary caregiver.”

Uncaring of the extra pair of interested ears that followed their conversation, Sasha made one last attempt to put the brakes on the increasing lack of control she had over the situation. “Not today. I don’t think I can handle anything else.”

The attorney nodded. “The car that picked you up this afternoon will take you back to the hotel.” He stood and gave her another benevolent smile. “Tomorrow, I’ll send someone by the house with the documents that I’ll need you to review and sign.”

Sasha slumped down farther in her seat.

“I’m sorry about your godfather. He was a good man.”

Sasha swung her gaze from the attorney’s retreating shoulders to Trey’s solemn face. “I wish I’d know that he was sick. I would have been here.”

“That would have been the last thing we would have wanted.”

“Did you know that he was dying?”

“Not until I got a call from the hospital. He asked me to continue taking care of his animals and to help you in any way I could after he was gone.”

“I take it that you’re involved with the foundations the attorney mentioned.”

“Yes. So it looks like we’ll be seeing a lot of each other.”

“It would seem so.”

“About what happened in the waiting room,” he started and stopped.

It took her a moment to notice his body language, but she suddenly realized that Trey felt uncomfortable in her presence.

She leaned close, cradled her face in her hands, and gave him a droll stare. “Please, tell me about what happened in the waiting room.”

Trey swallowed. Odds were that the woman across the table wouldn’t fall for the ole sweet charm that he’d been practicing ever since he’d graduated from Pampers to training pants. He’d tried a full smile and the compliments, but he’d gotten tackled before he reached the end zone. Now what did he do? He racked his brain for a quick solution to get himself out of the hole he’d inadvertently dug himself in by coming on to the woman who would be holding the purse strings to the grant money his clinic depended on. The fact that Camden had asked for him to assist his goddaughter was no small favor. Trey wouldn’t betray that kind of trust just because his urge to peel the panty hose from Sasha’s wonderfully formed legs. If he’d been thinking with his head instead of his libido, he would have realized that Sasha was Camden’s goddaughter. He turned his mind back to the present. “I apologize.”

Her face registered surprise at this apology. “For?”

He swore internally; she seemed determined not to make it easy. He placed his hands palms up on the conference table as he considered some way to make their predicament work. “My behavior in the waiting room. I have a tendency to go after what I want. Guess dealing with animal patients has rubbed on me. But, I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable so I promise that I will follow your lead and keep our relationship strictly professional.”

“You’re either not in the habit of apologizing or you’re not used to allowing someone else the upper hand.”

He gave her a sheepish smile. “Does it show?”

“Like swarm of lightning bugs on a hot July night.”

Her look changed from distant to one of warm humor. Her dark eyes sparkled with laughter as Trey leaned closer. That look with her lips upturned and mouth partially open made his fingers itch to touch her face. Made his lips long to taste hers.

Trey swallowed. “Guess I’ll have to work on it. In the meantime, I’ll expect to see Darwin for his checkup in the next two days.”

“Of course.” Sasha stood up from her chair.

Trey stood, came around the table, and stopped by her side. He reached into his wallet and pulled out a business card. “If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call me.”

“Thank you.”

Before he could say anything else, Sasha turned and strolled out of the office. Lionel Ritchie’s song “Two Times A Lady” rolled in his head as he watched her legs. Trey rubbed his brow and grinned. Life just kept getting interesting.

Two days after getting on a transcontinental flight, four hours since finding out that she’d become an instant millionaire and thirty minutes after leaving the law office, Sasha gasped aloud as the car pulled into a circular brick driveway. The seat belt sat forgotten in her hand as she took in the marble fountain, trimmed hedges and pristine lawn.

Sasha slowly exited the back of the luxury sedan with her mouth agape to greet her final shock of the day. “Uncle Camden lived here?”

The English Tudor seemed to come out of a Beatrix Potter novel. The brown-brick style open windows, nine-foot doors and exquisite masonry set it apart from all else. The home—no, she shook her head—the mansion would have fit perfectly in the North Lake District of England.

“Yes, ma’am.”

Sasha’s attention shifted and her mouth closed as she focused on Jackson’s response. “Let’s make a deal. How about you never call me miss or ma’am and I won’t call you Jeeves?”

She watched as his bushy eyebrows rose and his brows jumped from flat to deep crested waves.

“As you wish,” he replied and then turned away to open the trunk.

Sasha stared at his back and half of her wanted to give up and scream. The other half ached to run for the nearest airport. However, she took a third option and surprised herself.

“As I wish?” She took a step closer and jabbed the man’s shoulder with her outstretched finger. “As I wish?” Her voice rose slightly. “If I could I’d be back on the Malay Peninsula observing tapirs foraging for food. I’d have my uncle back.” Tears popped out of her eyes. “That’s what I wish.” She sniffed. “And since I can’t have that, I’d just like to have a tissue, please.”

His expression softened and from out of nowhere a handkerchief appeared in Jackson’s hand. “I apologize. Camden’s loss has affected me more than I realized.”

“I didn’t even know that Uncle Camden was a millionaire. Sure as heck never dreamed that he’d leave this to me.”

“I know that Miss—Sasha. He told me of his plans months ago.”

“If that’s true, then why the attitude?”

“Because every creature in that house, the future of the foundation in Camden’s name depends on you. And for those pets to be properly cared for, you need to be here and not on the next flight to Singapore.”

The tide of anger, which had a few moments ago rushed in, rushed out just as quickly. “You overheard my conversation with the attorneys?”

Jackson’s look of offence couldn’t be mistaken. “I assure you that I’ve been called many things, but an eavesdropper has never been one of them.” He paused. “Your tickets were delivered to the hotel. I picked them up at the front desk.”

Sasha looked down at the driveway then back to Jackson. She’d been on the receiving end of so many apologies that day that she’d lost count. “I’m sorry.”

“Apology accepted. Now I think we can continue our conversation inside. It’s a might bit nippy out here.”

As they crossed the threshold, Sasha opened her mouth to ask another question, but something big and furry rubbed against her leg. She looked down to see the high-flung tail and the wide body of a long-haired-crème-colored cat as it pranced out of the room. She watched as a small dog with a leash in its mouth trotted slowly past her and dropped the leash at Jackson’s feet. “Looks like someone needs a walk. If you’ll excuse me.”

The man left her standing alone under a two-story entrance foyer hung with a crystal chandelier that could have been plucked out of Buckingham Palace. While she tried to take some of the day’s events in, the glasses of iced tea she’d drunk at lunch hit her bladder less than a heartbeat later. All previous issues disappeared. Sasha did a complete 360-degree turn and her eyes sought the cat as it lay curled up on a carpet. “Know where the bathroom is?”

Chapter 4

“I love you more, hummingbird,” she repeated once again before hearing the tattletale click on the other end of the line. Barbara Clayton hung up the phone and walked outside the three-bedroom cottage she’d called home for the past decade. Her first instinct was to find her husband and tell him about Sasha’s phone call. But her second thoughts won out. Turning left, she exited the walled garden and started down the worn path that would take her to the beach.

Memories rode the wind. She recalled their university days. When Camden, Arthur and she had long talks in the university library about migratory birds and human encroachment on the national forests. Always short on money, and big on ideas, they’d talked about saving animals. Barbara sat on a flat rock, curled her legs up, and hugged them to her chest. Resting her head atop her knees she stared at the ocean as the salty twang brushed across her cheeks. Minutes or hours passed as she sat immersed in her memories until a shadow crossed her face.