His Inherited Wife

by Barbara McMahon

  “You could have stayed in D.C. Alan was right to send Pembrooke as far away as he could once he started dating you.”

  “What are you talking about now?”

  “From the moment you started seeing Alan, he worried you’d turn to a younger man. Surely you knew that? Though I will say you played your cards well. He was as besotted with you the day he died as he was when he first married you. Did you expect then to have him die so soon? He was decades older than you. Too bad there wasn’t more you could have taken from the estate.”

  “Stop it, Dean. I’m not listening to this. Do not call again.”

  “Too busy with Jase, huh? Alan was right to get him away. Look how fast you went after him after Alan died,” he said again.

  “Goodbye, Dean.” Shannon hung up the phone. How dare he keep calling her and making insinuations. She’d been a loving and loyal wife to Alan.

  She frowned. Granted, she’d always felt an awkwardness around Jase after she and Alan began dating. And now she was so aware of the man, she could hardly keep two thoughts in her mind. But there had never been anything between them while she was married to Alan.

  Still, she now suspected that she was one of the reasons Jase had left to open an office in California; because she was dating Alan instead of him.

  But had Alan been jealous of Jase? Had he suspected her of being interested in his partner?

  Shannon was horrified. No, Dean had made it all up to upset her.

  She rose and went to Jase’s office. The door was open so she peeked inside. He sat at his desk, the stack of papers even larger than earlier.

  “Got a minute?” she asked.

  “Sure. What’s up?”

  “I just had another call from Dean. He said Alan sent you to California to get you away from me.”

  Jase didn’t say anything, just looked at her.

  “Is it true?”

  He looked at the folders on his desk. “We decided it could possibly be beneficial to open a West Coast office,” he said slowly.

  “Just at the moment when Alan and I became engaged?” she pushed.

  “The timing seemed right.”

  “Did Alan suggest it?”

  He met her eyes, then nodded once.

  “Because?”

  “We wanted to expand the business.”

  Shannon stepped closer to the desk. “Is that the only reason?”

  “The only one that mattered.”

  “So Dean was right. Alan didn’t trust me.” She sat on the visitor’s chair, looking back on her marriage that she’d thought was so perfect.

  “Alan trusted you.”

  “Don’t lie.”

  Anger flashed briefly in Jase’s eyes. “I never lie,” he said with steely determination.

  “So why did you set up the West Coast office at that particular time?”

  “Leave it, Shannon. What does it matter? We established the office here and it did even better than the Washington one.”

  “Why then?” she insisted.

  For a moment she thought he wouldn’t answer, but then he made up his mind.

  “It wasn’t that Alan didn’t trust you. He just wanted you to himself, without competition, he said.”

  “What, he was afraid you and I would start an affair or something? He didn’t know me at all if he thought that.”

  “Or me, unless you think I would do something like that?” he asked.

  “Of course not. I never even knew you were thinking of asking me out. You never gave a clue.”

  “Or you didn’t pick up on them, and Alan did.”

  “What?”

  “Look, it’s past history. He wanted a clear field. He was my friend, so I left.”

  “I can’t believe he didn’t trust me,” she repeated.

  “It wasn’t that.”

  “Of course it was. And now Dean thinks the minute Alan died, I took off to be with you. Oh Lord, don’t let him find out I’m staying at your apartment!”

  “Staying is the key word. A temporary arrangement until your apartment is habitable again. Alan knew you loved him, Shannon.”

  “But did he know me? I never thought he shouldn’t see his friends because he might fall for one of the women. How could he have thought that of me?”

  “Cut him some slack, Shannon,” Jase said. “You were almost thirty years younger than he was. Of course he was going to feel insecure when younger men came around. In the normal way of things, like draws to like.”

  “You thought I married him for his money. Did everyone think that?”

  “Alan didn’t, and he’s the only one who counted.”

  She wasn’t sure how she felt, deflated, depressed. She knew why Dean disliked her so much; he’d never thought she’d loved his brother. And deliberately or not, Alan had fed that concept by removing all competition as if Shannon couldn’t be trusted to be faithful if any younger men were around.

  Suddenly she looked at Jase, anger growing. “That’s why most of the operatives in Washington were Alan’s age. Or female. He really didn’t trust me.”

  “Most were older because they had the experience we wanted. Don’t let Dean’s comments color the past. You and Alan were happy, remember that.”

  “That’s why you only came to visit twice in six years. Alan always came here—and usually alone.”

  Jase shrugged. “He knew I was floored when you started dating him. He must have picked up on my interest and thought that out of sight would be out of mind.”

  “Did it work?”

  “What do you think?”

  Shannon was shaken by his answer. She wished she knew for sure. Wished she knew how she felt especially in light of this latest twist. She couldn’t get beyond the fact that Alan had not trusted in her love.

  “I think I’m going home now,” she said, rising.

  “Wait five minutes and I’ll drive you.”

  “Actually, I’m going to walk. I need some time to myself to deal with this.”

  “It’s not as big a deal as you’re making it. He loved you very much. He just had trouble believing you loved him back in the same way because of the age difference.”

  “And he wanted to make sure nothing tested that love, so he’d never know for sure. Did he worry every day we were married? Did my telling him I loved him mean nothing to him? It is a big deal, Jase. To me, at least.”

  Shannon left, only stopping by her office to get her coat and purse. The foundations of her marriage had been shaken. And she wasn’t sure how to deal with the hurt. Alan was no longer around to confront. She had to accept the fact he had never fully trusted in her love. What a bitter thing to swallow when he was gone and couldn’t be reassured. Her heart ached for his uncertainty. She wished she had known. Could she have done something further to convince him?

  Jase watched her walk away. Dammit, Alan, he thought. You should have had more faith in Shannon. And in me.

  He rose and walked to the window, staring sightlessly at the view. Alan had definitely sensed Jase’s interest. He had out and out told him he was worried Shannon would grow tired of an older man and look at a younger one more her age. He couldn’t help the other men who might come into her life, but he could deal with Jase. Either he could leave Washington, or Alan was quitting the firm.

  “I never would have risked our friendship in that way,” Jase murmured. He’d been attracted to their new secretary from the first day. But he hadn’t known her long, nor had the bond with her been as strong as the one he had with Alan. Alan had been an integral part of the firm. It would not be the success it was today without him. So Jase had walked away without saying a word to Shannon, and left Alan to the young girl who loved him.

  Jase thought back to those first weeks in San Francisco. Twice he’d almost said to forget it, and headed back to Virginia to see if he could interest Shannon in a younger man. But he owed Alan too much. And as time moved on, he’d thought he’d got over his infatuation with her, and strengthened his friendship with A
lan.

  Alan had mentioned Shannon from time to time, to point out how happy they were, and that Jase had been wrong to attribute mercenary motives to her. Even Jase had seen that when year after year Shannon had appeared happy in her marriage.

  Now that happiness was tarnished.

  Alan should have trusted her. And if it hadn’t worked out, he would have known he’d given it his best shot.

  Had Alan feared Shannon’s leaving every day? From what Jase knew of Shannon, she was too loyal for that.

  Jase hoped he didn’t come out on the wrong end of the stick in this situation. Could he say or do anything to make her feel better? The disillusioned look on her face when she left tore at his heart. Blast Dean to kingdom come. Why did he persist in bothering her? Maybe Jase should have a talk with the man himself, and make a few things clear.

  The first being, that Dean must leave Shannon alone. Most of the damage had been done already, however. But if Jase could keep him from calling her again, or sending detectives, it would be worth it.

  He’d made a special effort over the last couple of weeks to stay away from her. The kisses had been almost more than he could stand, and they were not enough. He wanted more. He wanted Shannon in every way a man wanted a woman. He didn’t lie, as he’d told her, so that was the reason for a counter question, rather than answering hers. Let her think what she would. He wasn’t ready to tell her how much he wanted her. She was too skittish. He was worried their kisses would cause her to run in the other direction, so he was trying to cool things down a bit. Take it slowly.

  But Vancouver would give them a chance to be away from the office, away from daily routines, and spend time together. It was also during Thanksgiving. The first since Alan died. He didn’t want her to give into sad memories. Being in a foreign country, the holiday wouldn’t be observed. He hoped the trip would help her get through the day without sadness.

  For Christmas, he wondered if she’d consider going with him to Cancun.

  “Dreamer,” he said, pushing away from the window. He was heading for home. He wanted to be there when she arrived.

  CHAPTER TEN

  SHANNON WALKED BRISKLY trying to erase the anger that churned inside her. She couldn’t believe Alan had doubted her. He was as bad as his brother. Had Dean’s poisoned ideas taken root and grown in Alan’s mind? She was furious with the facts she’d just learned. Angry and sad. How awful if her husband lived in fear every day of their marriage that it was the last she’d be there. She couldn’t imagine how that would affect a person.

  She was almost as angry with Jase. How dared he meekly leave as if the idea Alan feared had any basis in truth? Both she and Jase were honorable people and would never have done anything underhanded. It was another slap from Alan to both of them. She was frankly amazed that Jase had given in. She would have expected him to stand up and tell Alan to take his idea and shove it. And then storm from the office.

  San Francisco is a city of hills. By the time Shannon had climbed California Street, she was out of breath. She was within blocks of the apartment, and didn’t feel any calmer. Instead of heading home, she went to the park near Grace Cathedral and sat on one of the benches. The afternoon sun lingered, but the air was cool. She shivered slightly, knowing the sun would be setting before long and the temperatures would really turn cold.

  The most frustrating aspect of the entire situation was that she couldn’t do anything about it. Alan had lived and died believing what he believed. She could be angry at Jase, but when she thought about it, he’d done a gallant thing by leaving the field wide open for his partner and friend. She would stay mad at Dean, on general principles if nothing else. He hadn’t liked her before, and she knew nothing would ever change that. It was not something she would let bother her.

  Gradually her anger faded. Only the sorrow for Alan remained. How had she been so blind she had missed that distrust? She thought back over their years together. Most of their friends had been Alan’s, older married couples who had been his friends for years. She’d kept two or three close girlfriends, but she and Alan together rarely did anything with them. At the time Shannon had thought it normal for a new wife to blend in with her husband’s life. Especially when it had been established.

  His house, his friends, his life. Had Shannon simply become lost in Alan?

  A gust of wind made her shiver. Rising, she turned toward Jase’s apartment and started walking. This time the brisk pace was to get warm.

  Shannon let herself into the apartment a few minutes later, pausing near the door and listening for Jase.

  “I’m in the kitchen,” he called out.

  She hung up her coat and headed for that room.

  He was looking in a phone directory. Glancing up, he pointed to an item on the page. “I thought we could order Italian food from Giovanni’s. What would you like?”

  “I can cook dinner,” she said. In fact she’d relish the chance to get her mind off the recent revelation.

  “I thought you could use a break, some pampering.”

  She looked at him. “Are you all right? Guys never think women need pampering.”

  He shrugged. “You had bad news, so why not let me make dinner for us?”

  “I’d rather go out,” she said perversely.

  “Sounds good to me—saves cleaning up anyway. I’m ready if you are.”

  Now that he offered, she felt like saying no, and staying home. Although going out might be best. Maybe she needed to get out into a crowd so she could forget for a little while.

  “I’ll wash my hands and be ready myself.”

  The small Italian restaurant in North Beach was almost empty. So much for being in a crowd. They got a table near the front and soon ordered. Jase looked at her when the waiter left.

  “Did your walk home do you any good?” he asked.

  “It helped me see that no matter what the truth of the situation was, I can’t change it. I’m still mad at Alan and you, but I’ll get over it.”

  “Mad at me? Why? I didn’t do anything.”

  “You left because he asked you to. Why didn’t you stand up for yourself? You know you would never have made a play for me if I was married to Alan. He insulted you as well as me.”

  “It was time to expand,” Jase said. “Ever been to Vancouver?”

  She shook her head. “Changing the subject?”

  “Yes. It seems to me we’ve done with the other topic. You’ll like Vancouver, it reminds me a lot of San Francisco—clean, near the water, friendly people. And there’s a large Asian community. The men we’ll be meeting with on Thursday are originally from Hong Kong, and relocated to Vancouver before the Chinese took over from the British.”

  “Is my position in the firm a made-up one?” Shannon asked, wondering if the new project was as a result of Alan’s edict to “take care of Shannon.”

  Jase’s eyes narrowed slightly in anger. “I’m not the bad guy here. And I certainly wouldn’t make up some job just to keep you occupied. There’s enough work and money coming in that I could pay you to stay away from the firm. You had a good idea with the women’s safety issue and it’s proving to be a good direction for us to take. How can you ask if it’s a made-up job?”

  “I think I’m feeling insecure about everything learning what I did today.”

  “Shannon.”

  She looked at him.

  “You are a competent, insightful professional. You are making a contribution to the company. When I can, I’ll buy you out. Or you can stay. The choice is yours.”

  For an instant, Shannon wondered what Alan would have thought. He’d have had an opinion for sure. But as Jase said, the choice was hers. Every choice hereafter was hers.

  “Okay, then. Tell me more about Vancouver.”

  Jase told her about the hotel he liked, right on the bay. How he spend hours in Stanley Park, running, or enjoying the beauty so close to the downtown area of the city. When he moved the topic of conversation onto the business side of things,
he was amused to see her light up. She’d been interested in Vancouver, but seemed to thrive on discussing the challenges of the company.

  Alan had made mistakes with Shannon. One had been holding her back to an administrative role when she had such good ideas to grow the company. Another had been to doubt her loyalty and fidelity.

  Jase wasn’t going to make the same mistakes. He wanted her, no mistake, but if he couldn’t have her, he still wanted her to live up to all her potential, to grow, flourish and find happiness.

  Damn, he was starting to sound like he was bidding her goodbye.

  “We’ll fly up to Vancouver on Tuesday, meet with them on Wednesday and Thursday, then I thought we’d stay a few more days so you can see that part of British Columbia. It’s beautiful country.”

  “That’s Thanksgiving week, did you know?”

  He nodded. “I’m not much on holidays.”

  “Where’s your family?”

  “My grandparents died before I moved here. Holidays don’t mean as much without family.”

  She studied him for a moment. “So you joined the military when you were young. I bet it became your family for a while. Then you used to spend holidays with Alan, didn’t you? That changed after we married.”

  “I was in San Francisco by then,” he shrugged, not wanting to get into that again.

  The waiter arrived with their steaming plates, arranging them with a flourish at their places. He poured some red wine, checked to make sure everything was satisfactory and left.

  Jase didn’t want Shannon delving too closely into his reasons for leaving D.C. He wasn’t sure Alan hadn’t been the smart one in the group after all.

  “I know you probably used to have the traditional Thanksgiving feast, but will you mind being in Canada instead?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “I think you arranged it. The first holiday without a loved one is hard. I remember from when my aunt died. You knew I lived with her growing up, didn’t you?”

  He nodded. He’d gotten a lot of information from Alan over the years. “Your parents never married and your mother left you with her sister when you were about six, right?”