His Inherited Wife

by Barbara McMahon

  Jase drove into the parking garage and pulled into his space. In only moments he was in the elevator for the office. He could always lose himself in work. The contingent in Vancouver had recovered, so he could finalize plans to make that trip again. And he wanted to review Shannon’s plans with Harvey, hoping Harv would be able to act as the sounding board on new ideas. They should discuss hiring more female operatives who could relate to the women clients they were now wooing.

  His office was dark, lit only by the light from other buildings. No one worked on Saturday nights, he thought as he flipped on the overhead lights and moved to the desk. No one but a man trying to forget an armful of femininity that had his blood heating up like nothing ever had before.

  Take care of Shannon, Alan had asked. Not, make a move on my wife.

  Widow, Jase corrected. He sat in his chair, but didn’t touch the stacks of paper. Instead, he leaned back and considered the situation. He had been intrigued with Shannon since the first day she joined the firm. There was no use speculating on what would have happened if he’d asked her out that first day; years had gone by. He’d opened the west coast office, expanded the company, trained operatives and developed new techniques to keep people safe in these unsafe times. Nothing was the same as it had been six years ago.

  What would happen if he asked her out now?

  He frowned. Alan hadn’t been dead six months yet. It was too early for Shannon to be interested in another man. Hell, she might never be interested in him.

  But he wanted to be there when she began to date again. He wouldn’t wait around this time; instead he’d be the first man to take her out—when she was ready.

  How would he know that? From her response to his kiss, he might think she was ready now. But wasn’t it too soon? Did he have the patience to wait?

  He sat up and pulled a thick folder over, opening it. He had work to do. When the time was right, he’d trust his instincts. Until then, patience would be cultivated.

  Shannon entered the office Monday morning with some trepidation. She wasn’t sure what to say to Jase when she saw him. Should she ignore the kiss? She hadn’t been able to do so during the weekend. It had dominated her thoughts all day Sunday, and was at the forefront of her mind right now.

  “Good morning,” Harvey greeted her as she passed him in the hall.

  “Good morning. What’s up?”

  “If you have time this morning, Jase wanted you to bring me up to speed on the new direction you are going with the women’s safety program. I’d like to get as much info as I can before he gets back.”

  “Gets back?”

  “He left for Vancouver earlier this morning.”

  Shannon hadn’t known he was leaving. Had he said something that she missed Saturday night? No, she would have remembered.

  Had he made these plans after dinner at her place?

  “Let me put my things down and check my calendar. As soon as I have some free time, we can review what I have,” she said, a bit miffed Jase had gone without a word to her. And that he was assigning others to her project without her input. She wasn’t sure Harvey Winters was the man she wanted backing her. She rather thought a promotion for Maryellen would work better.

  She called Maryellen when she reached her desk.

  “Where’s Jase?”

  “He left for Vancouver. He’s going to meet with that group that got sick when he was up there before.”

  “Is he calling in?” Shannon asked.

  “I’m sure he will. Do you need me to reach him? He’s at the airport now. The flight doesn’t take off until ten.”

  “I have his cell number, I’ll call him.”

  Shannon closed her door and punched in the numbers for his cell phone.

  “Pembrooke,” his deep voice responded.

  “Shannon here,” she said, annoyed to feel the involuntary quickening of her heart at the sound of his voice.

  “Problems?” he asked.

  “I thought we were partners. When you gave the okay for me to develop a line of security features and training for women, I expected to be treated as an equal. You have the direction of the company in mind, but I have certain expectations in this particular line and want to do what I want.”

  “And that is a problem how?”

  “Harvey.”

  “You don’t want him working with you?”

  “Jase, I should have been consulted. Actually I planned to talk to you about promoting Maryellen to help me with this. I think we would show more confidence in our product and services with women showing other women how to stay safe than we would having some man in confusing the issue.”

  “Confusing the issue,” he repeated slowly.

  “I don’t want clients to think the training and equipment is only viable because some guy is involved.”

  “Ah. It is my company, and I’m a guy.”

  “It’s our company and I’m not.”

  “I know that,” he muttered.

  She gripped the phone harder. Should she say something about the kiss? Or had it been only a moment’s aberration, quickly forgotten? She didn’t want to make more of it than it warranted. To her it was a big deal. To a man like Jase it probably was one in a long line.

  “Look, Shannon, if you feel Maryellen is the better choice, tell Harvey. But I think you could actually use them both and hire a few more people as this project takes off. I don’t want to pull staff from other projects, so we’re expanding here. Get who you think you need. Have Harvey be the in-house man. If Maryellen takes the job, train her in the security methods and have her be one of your reps. This is your baby, you handle it as you see fit.”

  “Thank you, Jase,” she said, warmed at the confidence he evidenced in her. Alan had pooh-poohed the entire idea. Jase let her take the idea and run with it—as she saw fit!

  “How long are you planning to be in Vancouver?” she asked.

  “A few days. Don’t take my secretary without getting me another one,” he said.

  “We’ll manage here while you’re gone. A sudden trip, isn’t it?”

  The hesitation on the other end told her what she wanted to know—he wasn’t as immune to their kiss as she’d thought.

  “Should have been done earlier, but they all got sick, remember?”

  “I do. Have a good flight. Bring home a huge contract,” she said, feeling lighter than she had when she arrived at work.

  October

  It was late by the time Shannon left the office. The last six weeks had been so hectic, she sometimes didn’t know which way was up. But she felt alive as she never had before. The new branch of women’s security was already showing sales. After polishing and fine-tuning their offerings, they’d done seminars to all the women’s groups they could book over the last two weeks and orders were pouring in.

  She’d hired two women with police backgrounds to work with Maryellen, who had been delighted with the promotion. They’d all come up to speed together, driven by Harvey Winters, who turned out to be a drill sergeant in disguise. He’d pushed and yelled at them all until they were as proficient in the various techniques of defense as they could be on such short training. Contrary to her initial reaction, Shannon recognized a team player when she saw one, and now considered Harv one of the valued members of their team.

  Of Jase, she’d seen very little. He was still traveling more than she’d expected, only in the office a day or two at a time, and then gone again. Their dinner had been forgotten. And only sometimes just before she fell asleep at night did she think of that kiss.

  He’d finished the presentation in Vancouver, getting the contract they’d angled for. A couple of days in the office and he’d been off to Brussels, stopping in Washington on his way back. Another day in the office and he’d left for the Far East, with stops in Hong Kong and Tokyo as well as some down time in Hawaii.

  Shannon hadn’t even thought about taking a vacation. She’d taken time off with Alan’s last illness, but with the new line she was
in charge of, she had too much to do to consider taking a few days off. So she wasn’t jealous of Jase’s time in Hawaii—except to wonder who he was spending it with.

  Maryellen appeared in the doorway, her eyes wide. She’d hired her own replacement, though she still helped out as Pam came up to speed with running Jase’s office.

  “Shannon, there are two detectives here to see you,” she said.

  “Show them in.” They’d had several calls from various precincts in the city asking about their new program. They had printed brochures that were available to anyone who wanted them. She hoped to eventually offer an overview to all law enforcement agencies interested, but they already had a backlog from the seminars of the last couple of weeks.

  The two men entered, both wearing dark suits. Shannon smiled and rose, offering her hand.

  “I’m Shannon Morris. What can I do for you?”

  One man flipped open a notebook. “You are the widow of Alan Morris of Leeburg, Virginia?”

  She realized this was probably not going to be a request to discuss the company’s new services.

  “That’s right. Please, have a seat.” She sat quickly, her knees suddenly weak. “What’s this about?”

  The second man pulled out a folded sheet of paper from his pocket and opened it, handing it to her, printed side out.

  “Do you know anything about the items of jewelry listed here?”

  Shannon took the sheet and scanned it. Her jewelry was listed. Not every piece, but the more valuable items Alan had given her over the years.

  “These are mine,” she said quietly. She had a complete list with her insurance papers, but she recognized the descriptions.

  “Can you prove ownership?” the first detective asked.

  “I don’t know how to prove ownership beyond saying my husband gave me these for various special occasions. They’ve been insured on our account for years. How does any woman prove ownership of gifts from her husband?” Shannon asked.

  The men looked at each other.

  “Dean wants them back, doesn’t he?” she asked.

  “Dean Morris reported them missing from the family vault and suggested you might know where they were,” one said carefully.

  “They aren’t missing, they were gifts to me from my husband,” Shannon reiterated. “He was Dean’s brother. Alan is dead and Dean is trying to recover every dime my husband spent from their family trust. But Alan did nothing wrong. He was as entitled to use the money and property as Dean. Does his wife have to show ownership of the jewelry he’s given her over the years?”

  Shannon was getting more than tired of Dean and his subtle harassment. She needed to find a way to stop him. How dare he imply she’d stolen the jewelry!

  She rose. “I have nothing further to say. You may tell Dean I can account for the jewelry and I intend to keep it. As gifts from my late husband, the pieces mean a great deal to me.”

  “He claims the items were missing, possibly stolen,” the detective said.

  “Then he’d better file a report. And then I’ll sue him from one end of the country to the next for harassment and defamation. I did not steal anything. My husband gave me these items and I have no intention of giving them up to his brother now that he’s dead.”

  “Is there a problem?” Jase asked, standing in the doorway. Maryellen hovered just behind him.

  The detectives rose and turned. “You are?” one of them asked.

  “Jason Pembrooke, Shannon’s business partner. What seems to be the problem?”

  “Dean is accusing me of theft,” Shannon said, so angry she was surprised her voice didn’t waver. “He says I stole some of the Morris family jewelry.” She snatched up the listing and held it out.

  Jase walked over and took it, looking at the items listed.

  “Before his death, Alan Morris was my partner in this firm. His wife inherited his shares when he died. Alan was also my friend,” Jase said, handing the paper back to the detective. “He often told me of special surprises he had for Shannon. I remember the diamond earrings.” He looked at Shannon. “For your fifth wedding anniversary, I think.”

  She nodded.

  “Just trying to get the facts of the matter,” the detective said.

  “I think if you have the police in Washington check, you’ll find that Shannon did not have access to the Morris family accounts or vault. Any item taken from there had to be taken by Alan or Dean. If a man wishes to give his wife a present, he’s entitled.”

  “That changes things a bit,” one of the detectives said, glancing at his partner.

  “Maybe,” said the other. “We know where to find you if we need to talk to you again,” he said to Shannon.

  They left and Jase thanked Maryellen for getting him before he closed the office door.

  “I am so angry I could spit!” Shannon said, pacing from behind her desk. “How dare Dean accuse me of stealing anything! Alan gave me every one of those pieces of his own free will. The necklace was the last thing he gave me. He knew by then his days were numbered and he felt I could sell it if I needed quick cash. But I won’t. I cherish everything he gave me. And neither will I meekly return the pieces to Dean!”

  Jase leaned against the door, watching her pace the small office. “I know he gave you some of those, and if you said he gave you all, I believe you. Check with your attorney again. It may be that some of the jewelry wasn’t Alan’s to give away, but was on loan. If that’s the slant Dean’s taking, you should be prepared to deal with it.”

  She stopped and glared at Jase. “Whose side are you on?”

  “Yours, always,” he said softly.

  She resumed pacing. “I’m so mad at Dean. Why can’t he leave me alone? I have nothing for him.”

  “I always thought the man had a fanatical interest in things, rather than family. He seems to want everything Alan ever took, money or jewelry, returned to the family trust. You need to consult with your attorney again to see how much he really is entitled to have returned, if anything,” Jase advised.

  “Alan wouldn’t have given me something if he hadn’t been sure it was within the scope of the trust. He knew Dean didn’t like me. He would have protected me,” she insisted.

  “I believe you, but it won’t hurt to double check.”

  She stopped pacing and looked at him. “I didn’t know you were back.”

  “I barely walked in before Maryellen told me to get over here because there was an emergency. Seems to me you were handling it fine without me.”

  “Maybe. Thanks for running to the rescue.”

  He didn’t respond. Shannon looked at him. New lines bracketed his mouth. He looked tired.

  “You should go home and get some rest,” she said. She could study him all day, and never get tired of it. She moved back behind her desk.

  “I thought I’d catch up with the mail, first,” he said.

  “You have been gone a while.” Five weeks and two days, but who was counting? Except for those brief forays into the office between trips, he’d been out of the country most of that time.

  “I always travel a lot.” Jase turned and opened the door. He paused and looked back at her. “Aside from visits from the cops, how are you doing?”

  “Fine. When you are caught up, we can have a discussion of the women’s division. I think you’ll be pleased with the grounds we’ve covered.”

  Jase nodded and headed for his own office. He almost proposed she tell him now what she’d been doing, and not only at work. He wanted to know every aspect about her life. Did she like living in San Francisco? What did she do in her time off?

  And especially, was she making friends?

  He’d promised Alan he’d watch out for Shannon. He’d backed away after that kiss but a commitment was made and he’d honor it. And dreaming about another kiss or even more had nothing to do with things. Not yet, anyway.

  Jase sat behind his desk a moment later, looking at the neat stacks of mail, reports and folders Maryellen had plac
ed on the surface. He had closed the door and now took advantage of the silence to lean back in the chair. He was tired. To keep unwanted thoughts at bay, however, he pushed himself. Nights were the hardest. If he wasn’t dog-tired when he fell into bed, he’d remember. Memories of Shannon’s sweet scent, her soft skin, the feel of her lips against his drove him crazy.

  He had to decide—take advantage of her while she was still vulnerable from Alan’s death to push for a closer relationship. Or do the honorable thing and leave her alone.

  The recent trip had been his attempt to leave her alone. Out of sight, out of mind. Only it hadn’t worked that way. He could sit at dinner in a crowded restaurant and picture her sitting next to him. Be riding in a cab through a busy city street, and imagine her making comments about the scenery.

  Dammit, he had it bad. He pulled his phone closer and looked up a number.

  “Salina? Jase Pembrooke. How have you been?…I’ve been out of town lately, but I’m back for a while. Which leads me to my call, are you available for dinner Saturday night?”

  Time to get his life back on track, find some female companionship and stop thinking about his partner’s widow all the time.

  Shannon took a long time to calm down from the visit by the police. She wanted to have a cool head when speaking with her attorney. Though at one point, she actually lifted the phone to call Dean and tell him to stop bothering her. But her rational mind took over and she resisted.

  By late afternoon she’d spoken with Mr. Smythe directly. He was going to get a complete copy of the Morris Family Trust and examine it to see if there were any areas Shannon should be concerned about. He had reassured her that his initial take on the situation was that her husband had known the ins and outs and would never have put her in an awkward situation.

  Before leaving for home, she tidied her desk. Staring out the window, she looked at the lights on nearby offices gleaming in the growing twilight. The days were getting shorter, the air colder. Soon she’d be leaving work in the darkness. In fact, if she didn’t leave soon today it would be dark.

  But she hesitated. It wasn’t that she didn’t like her apartment. It was fine. Not quite home yet, but she thought that would take time.