A Man's Promise

by Brenda Jackson

  He knew Jace would be spending the night at Shana’s place, especially now that they were engaged and expecting a baby. And with Hannah being away for the weekend, it meant he had Sutton Hills to himself. Whoop-dee-doo.

  He headed for home, knowing that he definitely wouldn’t do things Dalton’s way, but he fully intended to get the woman he loved back—the Caden Granger way.

  * * *

  “Oh, Ben. You’re going to be a grandfather. That’s wonderful. I’m so happy for you.”

  Benjamin Bradford couldn’t help but smile as he glanced across the candlelit table at someone he thought was a very beautiful woman. He and Mona Underwood had met months ago in the produce section of the neighborhood grocery store. He had been a cop on the streets of Boston and had worked for a while as a detective, so he could read people pretty well.

  She had been getting around the store with minimal use of her cane, but he immediately knew she was blind. But that hadn’t stopped him from admiring her beauty or striking up a conversation with her.

  Now several months later, they’d had a number of dates, and she’d met both of his daughters, Shana and Jules—short for Juliet. They liked her, although they wanted him to take things at a reasonable pace. They were protective of him since he hadn’t been involved in a serious relationship since their mother Sharon’s death of pancreatic cancer thirteen years ago. At the time the girls had been in their early teens and they’d needed their dad.

  Ben liked everything about Mona. She had a quiet manner and appreciated life, although one would think life had given her a bad rap. A car accident had rendered her legally blind. Then her husband had left her, married someone else and had given his young bride the child he had denied Mona for years.

  Yet Mona never felt sorry for herself. Instead, she became independent and self-sufficient. She didn’t see her blindness as a handicap. Instead, she saw it as a challenge—a way of life for now, since her doctors felt there was a possibility her sight could return.

  However, it mattered not at all to Ben whether Mona ever regained her sight because, in his heart, he’d already fallen in love with her and intended to make her a part of his life. For always. He’d told her as much, and she was trying to get used to him and his bold assumption that their lives would always be entwined. He was okay with that, because he didn’t intend to go anywhere. He had plenty of time on his hands and couldn’t see using it any other way than spending it with her whenever he could.

  “Thanks, Mona. I’m excited about it. I must admit my girls had me worried for a while. It’s okay to build a career and work hard at it, but at the end of the day, it’s always nice to have someone to come home to.”

  She nodded slowly, hoping he was hinting at their situation.

  Mona was a political-science professor at the University of Virginia and Ben smiled at the thought. He’d always done his duty by voting, but until he had met Mona, he had never discussed politics with anyone. She was well versed in the issues at all levels of government and she had a wealth of knowledge. He loved her intellectual mind and, as far as he was concerned, Mona was still a beauty at fifty-three. He was nine years older at sixty-two and he thought the age difference was perfect.

  He reached across the table and captured her hand in his. “So, did you enjoy dinner tonight?”

  “Yes. I enjoyed it very much.”

  He watched as her features lit up. With her creamy brown skin, expressive dark brown eyes, full glossy lips and cute perky nose, all framed by a mass of short curls that cascaded around her face, he thought she was simply beautiful, totally desirable. The latter was what he’d been fighting now for a few months. Her desirability.

  “I prepared dinner for Shana and Jace the other night and plan to do so again when Jules returns home. Will you come?” he asked.

  She smiled. “It sounds like a family gathering.”

  “It will be. I want to get to know my future son-in-law better. He’s captured my daughter’s heart, that’s for sure. And from the time I spent with him the other night, I can tell he’s what she needs. He’s solid, strong, a man of distinction.”

  “All the qualities you possess.”

  He chuckled, appreciating her compliment. “Thank you. So, getting back to my invitation to dinner. Will you come to dinner?”

  “And you’re sure that your girls won’t mind?”

  He smiled. “Positive. They like you.” And besides that, he thought further, he’d made it clear to his daughters that they had their lives and he had his. They knew he’d loved Sharon, but now it was time for him to enjoy his life with the woman he wanted.

  “If you’re sure...”

  His hand tightened on hers. “Positive. I’ll give you sufficient notice in terms of the date. I’m just waiting for Jules to come back to town. You never know with her and those cases she works,” he said of his daughter, who owned a private-investigation firm.

  “Where is she now?” Mona asked.

  “Last we talked, she was skipping through Montana.” He paused a moment, then said, “There is another matter I’d like to talk to you about.”

  She lifted an arched brow. “Oh? What?”

  “A trip. How would you like to go with me to New York to see a Broadway play? We can stay a few days and enjoy ourselves and the city.”

  She didn’t say anything as he watched her features, knowing what he was asking of her. Taking her away from Charlottesville meant removing her from her comfort zone. He knew she had very particular ways to deal with her blindness. Her clothes were coded for easy identification, and she used what she called her “magic wand” to get around so as not to bump into anything. And whenever they went out, he would arrange her plated food so that she knew where everything was. If she were to accept the offer, it would mean her total dependency on him for the entire time they were gone.

  “New York?” she asked softly.

  “Yes, New York. I figured we could stay for a few days.” He was letting her know this trip wouldn’t be a day trip like the time he’d taken her to the beach or driven her into D.C. He was talking about them staying overnight. Together.

  He watched her features, saw the indecisiveness and knew she was thinking of all the reasons she shouldn’t go. He gently tightened his hand on hers. “Trust me to take care of you, Mona. Trust me to never hurt you.”

  He watched her beautiful, strong, dark brown eyes fill with tears as she asked, “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  “Positive,” he replied quickly. He reached up and wiped a tear that tracked down her cheek. “It will be okay, baby. You’ll see. Just trust me,” he whispered.

  She nodded slowly and then said, “I do trust you. Okay, I will go to New York with you.”

  Ben let out the breath he’d been holding, doubting that Mona had any idea about just how happy she had made him at that moment.

  Seventeen

  Shiloh glanced around the room at the attendees who were there for the grand opening of her wine boutique. The place was packed, but she had been prepared. She and her staff had worked tirelessly for the past weeks finalizing last-minute details in preparation for tonight.

  Valerie had arrived a week ago, and she’d been a godsend, helping out wherever she was needed. And then, two days ago, Valerie’s husband, Jack, had arrived, surprising Shiloh with additional wines from Valerie’s family’s vineyard in Italy. The wine had been a gift from Valerie’s grandparents.

  Shiloh smiled when she saw Jack sneak his wife a kiss and thought more than once that the couple had such a touching relationship, the kind she’d always wanted for herself and Caden.

  Caden.

  Why had her mind conjured him right then? It had been a week ago tonight since she had seen him and his family at the Matador. Luckily, Wallace hadn’t seemed bothered by Dalton’s revelation that she and Caden once shared a serious relationship. On the drive back to her place, he hadn’t even brought it up. In fact, she’d been somewhat annoyed with how he’d carried on and on
about what a big fan of Caden’s music he was. He’d even had the gall to suggest that if she ran into Caden again, she might get his autograph for him—if she didn’t mind. Sedrick had said Wallace was a nice guy, but as far as she was concerned, he was being way too nice.

  When he’d walked her to her door, Wallace hadn’t asked for another date; however, he had indicated he would attend her grand opening tonight. And when he’d placed a chaste kiss on her lips, she hadn’t felt a thing. Not even the tiniest spike in her pulse. He had called once this week when he’d been on break at the hospital, and because she’d been busy, the conversation had been short. He hadn’t called again, and she hated to admit it, but she hadn’t thought of him since.

  Until tonight.

  And only because Valerie had mentioned she was dying to meet Wallace. But Shiloh knew her friend. Although Valerie claimed she was being neutral when it came to her love life, Shiloh knew Valerie had a soft spot in her heart for Caden. It had everything to do with the time Caden had been on his European tour and had dropped by the Rizollis’ vineyard and had ended up spending a couple of nights. Valerie’s family loved him and had made Caden an honorary son.

  “Nice turnout, and it’s still early yet.”

  Shiloh turned at the sound of Sedrick’s voice. Once the Grangers had shown up at their table at the Matador, it hadn’t taken her brother long to figure out why she’d been acting so strange when they’d first arrived. Although Wallace hadn’t said anything about Dalton’s comment, Sedrick had said plenty in private to her and none of it nice. He thought Dalton’s comment had been out of line and had been made intentionally to make Wallace feel uncomfortable. Shiloh didn’t doubt that was true, but she had explained to Sedrick that she had more to do with her time than try to figure out Dalton Granger’s motives.

  She smiled up at her brother. “Hopefully, that’s a good sign. I’m glad Uncle Rodney was able to make it.” Her uncle, her father’s younger brother, ran the Timmons retail empire on the West Coast.

  “I am, too. It’s always good seeing him. I spent the last thirty minutes talking to him. I wasn’t aware that he’d been ill.”

  Neither had Shiloh. The last time she’d seen him was at their father’s funeral. He had looked pretty fit then. “What’s wrong?”

  “Skin cancer, which doesn’t surprise me since we know how he loves to hang out in the sun on that yacht of his.”

  “But he’s okay now?”

  “He said he was. He underwent surgery followed by radiation, and his doctors told him everything went well.”

  Shiloh nodded as she took a sip of her wine. She and Sedrick owed a lot to their uncle Rodney. Their paternal grandparents had set up trust funds for all of their grandchildren, and when Shiloh and Sedrick hadn’t shown any signs of wanting to take part in the family business, and had chosen other careers, Samuel had tried to take away the trust fund in protest. But Uncle Rodney wouldn’t let him. He defied his brother and stood behind her and Sedrick, saying that they had a right to do whatever they wanted with their lives without having their trust funds held over their heads as blackmail.

  For years, the brothers stopped speaking and Rodney Timmons expanded the family business in California. But the death of one of Uncle Rodney’s sons a few years ago brought about a reconciliation between the brothers. And, according to her mother, Uncle Rodney had flown in several times to visit Samuel when he’d become ill.

  Shiloh glanced around the room. “Where’s Wallace?” She hadn’t asked about Cassie, because Shiloh knew she would be arriving later.

  “An emergency came up at the hospital, and he had to cancel his appearance here tonight. Do you really care?”

  She knew Sedrick was still upset about the incident at dinner last week. He’d felt that she could have done more. Just what he figured she could have done, she wasn’t sure. She had spoken up and quickly explained that her relationship with Caden had ended a long time ago.

  “You might not believe this, but I like Wallace. He’s a nice guy.”

  “But nice guys finish last, right? Or sometimes not at all.”

  She wondered why her brother was in such a funky mood and figured he must have had a tough day at work. “You could have warned me that Mom was coming.”

  Sedrick froze while taking a sip of wine and gazed up at her over the glass. “Mom’s here?”

  From his reaction, it was evident he was unaware that their mother was attending. “Yes. She’s outside in the courtyard talking to the Greenes.”

  He frowned. “The Greenes are here?”

  He sounded surprised.

  “Do you really think they would miss an opportunity to campaign for their son? And I expect him to show up at some point tonight.”

  Michael and Yolanda Greene had been close friends of their parents, and their oldest son, Ivan, was running for mayor. Shiloh never got to know Ivan growing up since he was a good thirteen years older than she was. But she had known his sisters, Kerrie and Deidra. The one thing she remembered more than anything was that Kerrie and Sedrick used to have a thing for each other back in the day. In fact, they had dated through most of their senior year of high school. She’d almost forgotten about that.

  “Do you keep up with Kerrie Greene?”

  Her question surprised Sedrick, and from the look on his face, she knew immediately that he kept up with Kerrie. Why? If she recalled, Kerrie had dumped him the first year she’d left to attend a university in Florida.

  “Why would you ask me that?”

  And why don’t you just give me a simple yes or no? Shiloh thought. Instead, she shrugged. “Just curious. I remembered the two of you used to be hot and heavy at one time.”

  “Like you and Caden?”

  Why was he trying to switch things on her? “If I recall, Caden and I were never hot and heavy in high school. Dad made sure of that.” She took a sip of her wine and asked, “So where does Kerrie live now?”

  “Texas.”

  “I wonder how you know that.”

  Sedrick gave her an annoying look. “Because I’ve asked her parents about her from time to time.”

  Shiloh wondered if that was all he had done and was about to ask as much when that feeling, a sudden increase of her pulse, alerted her to the fact that Caden was in the building. She was about to glance around when Sedrick leaned close to her and said, “Maybe I should be asking if you’re keeping up with Caden Granger, because he definitely seems to be keeping up with you.”

  * * *

  Caden grabbed a glass of wine from the tray of a passing waitress and took a sip as he glanced around. It didn’t take but a second for him to spot Shiloh across the room, where she stood talking to her brother. She glanced over and caught his gaze. He could tell by her expression she wasn’t exactly happy to see him. Oh, well.

  He took another sip of his wine, thinking she looked absolutely stunning in a formfitting dress that looked as if it had been specially made for her body. She was definitely the most beautiful woman present. And, as usual, that sensuous undercurrent neither of them could deny was at full throttle, messing with his senses, emitting an electrical charge that he could feel all the way across the room. She was still holding his gaze, and he knew she had to feel the same thing whether she wanted to or not.

  Caden believed that the special link they’d always shared would be what would reunite them. And that was what Dalton couldn’t understand. The connection he and Shiloh shared was more than physical. It was as emotional as it could get and had always been that way. Samuel Timmons hadn’t understood it, either. Caden knew he had hurt her, and now only he could erase the pain he’d caused. It would take time, so he needed to be patient with her. It would also take persistence on his part, because he intended for Shiloh to see he wasn’t going anywhere. The bottom line was that he loved her. Always had and always would.

  “Excuse me?”

  He gazed at a woman who’d stepped in front of him, blocking his line of vision to Shiloh. “Yes?”


  “You may not remember me, but we went to high school together. I’m Nannette Gaither, and this is my fiancé, Vance Clayburn.”

  Caden recognized Nannette. It had been years, but he immediately recalled that after the trial, the Gaithers, who were from old money and were one of the wealthiest families in Charlottesville, had forbidden their children from associating with him and his brothers. However, before the trial, just like the Timmonses, the Gaithers had been good friends of his parents.

  He glanced at the man by Nannette’s side. Had she just introduced him as her fiancé? The man looked old enough to be her father. “I do remember you, Nannette,” he said, offering her his hand. “And it’s nice meeting you, Vance.” He offered the man his hand, as well.

  The man flashed a perfect, white-toothed smile, and it suddenly hit Caden that he’d seen the man before.When? Where? Had he once been an associate of his father? His grandfather?

  “Your face looks familiar, Vance. Have we met before?”

  The smile slid from Vance’s face. “Don’t see how that’s possible. I just moved to Charlottesville a few years ago.”

  “Vance owns several huge industrial firms around the country,” Nannette said, tooting her fiancé’s horn and beaming with pride. “Charlottesville was lucky when he chose our town as a location for one of his factories. That was two years ago and it has boosted our local economy tremendously.”

  Caden nodded as he took a sip of his wine, thinking that was all very nice; however, he was sure that his and Vance Clayburn’s paths had crossed before at some point. And it had to have been years ago. If it wasn’t here in Charlottesville, then where?

  “I just love your music and know you have an extensive following, Caden,” Nannette enthused. “I’m going to suggest to Shiloh that she ask you to be our entertainment headliner for the fundraiser this year.”

  “Shiloh?”