A Man's Promise

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.”

“I did, and I do. I fell in love, Dalton. The thought of doing something like that might seem foreign to you, but to some people, it’s a natural way of life.”

“But you haven’t known her long enough. People have hidden secrets and hidden agendas. I figured you were rusty, out of touch with how to handle your business. I should have—”

“Done nothing.” Jace reached out and placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder, leaning in to stare into his eyes, and in a serious tone, he said, “I love her. She loves me. We’re getting married. We’re having a baby. We’re both happy about it. Simply ecstatic. And just think, you’re going to be an uncle. Uncle Dalton.”

Dalton didn’t say anything for a minute, and Jace watched the way his brother’s eyes lit up when Dalton finally pushed all the bullshit from his mind about condoms and his dislike of marriage. A slow smile touched Dalton’s lips. “Uncle Dalton...” he said, as if testing the sound of it.

“The one and only,” Jace said. Thank God. He didn’t know what he’d do if he had another brother like Dalton.

“Private party?” Caden asked, walking over to join them.

“I’m going to be an uncle, man,” Dalton said, sticking his chest out and grinning from ear to ear.

Caden rolled his eyes. “You aren’t the only one.”

Dalton frowned as if just realizing that fact. “But I’m going to be the favorite.” And with that said, he walked off.

Caden shook his head. “You sure he’s really our brother?”

Jace chuckled. “You wonder about that at times, too?”

“Yeah, but there is the undisputed fact that he looks more like the old man than either one of us,” Caden pointed out.

“True,” Jace agreed, glancing over at Shana. He could tell that Hannah liked her already, and he felt good about that because she had disliked his ex-wife, Eve, on sight.

“And speaking of our father, have you told him?”

“Not yet. We’ll talk with the fathers by the end of the week—both hers and mine. Shana’s dad is an ex-cop, so wish me luck. I haven’t met him yet.”

“Fathers can get kind of crazy when you get their daughters pregnant.”

“Thanks for the warning.” Jace paused a moment and then asked, “How did things go today with Shiloh?”

Caden lifted a brow. “How did you know about that?”

“I didn’t really. Just figured you would find her or die trying.”

Caden looked down at the carpeted floor, remembering his meeting with Shiloh. He looked back at his brother. “She’s not as forgiving as I’d hoped, which means I’m going to have to work hard to regain her trust and love.”

“And you will.”

“You sound so sure of that.”

Jace smiled. “I am. You’re a Granger, and our motto is to never give up.”

* * *

Shep waited in one of the private rooms off the prison library. It was a huge room without windows, and he knew meetings were often held in here to determine the fate of inmates, to decide whether they were ready to become productive citizens on the outside.

He drew in a deep breath. Ambrose had told him a few moments ago that his attorney would be arriving any minute and had brought him here to wait. A few years ago, the warden had given permission for Shep to be alone for any meetings with his attorney. That privilege wasn’t given to all prisoners, just those considered trustworthy. Truth be told, since Shep had found favor with both the warden and the governor, a lot of rights and privileges had been extended to him, and he appreciated each and every one of them.

There was a knock on the door, and Shep stood when Ambrose walked in followed by Shep’s attorney. “I understand you need to speak with me, Mr. Granger.”

Shep glanced over at his attorney and smiled. “Glad you could come on such short notice, Carson.” Ambrose left, closing the door behind him.

“For you, anytime.”

Shep truly believed that, which was why he covered the distance separating them, and without saying another word, he reached out and pulled her into his arms. “But I need this first.”

And then he lowered his head and kissed her.

* * *

The kiss was leisurely and long, and as he’d said, he’d needed it. Shep took her mouth with a hunger he always felt when kissing her. He had met Carson Boyett about five years ago when the family of Craig Long, one of the young men he was mentoring, had hired her to represent their son. She had come out to Delvers a few times to visit with Craig, and their paths had crossed since he’d been Craig’s mentor.

The attraction had been immediate, although he’d fought it. She was sharp, intelligent and beautiful, and he was an inmate with nothing to offer her. But she hadn’t cared once they had been honest about their feelings. His father, Richard Granger, had merely raised a brow when he’d told him he was getting rid of his present attorney and replacing him with Carson. After all, as far as Shep was concerned, the man whom Vidal Duncan had recommended had done a piss-poor job while defending him during the trial.

Now Shep wondered how much of everything was merely a well-thought-out plan to make sure he was the one to serve time for Sylvia’s murder. He couldn’t help but have his suspicions, especially after what had been discovered about Vidal. It hurt him deeply that a man his family had trusted—whom he had trusted—could have been so evil. The thought of what the man had done to Jace literally soured his stomach just thinking about it and, at the same time, it brought fear to his bones at the thought that things weren’t over yet. Not if he believed that email he’d just received.

Recalling that email and the reason he’d sent for Carson made him break off the kiss. He then drew in a deep breath and licked his lips. “Thanks—like I said, I needed that.”

She smiled and licked her lips, as well. “And like I said, for you, anytime.”

And he knew she meant it. Carson was ten years younger than Shep and a divorcée who had ended her marriage to an abusive husband and fought hard to become her own woman by putting herself through college and law school. She wasn’t afraid of hard work, fighting for what she believed in or standing up for those she loved. He felt honored to be in that number.

Although they had been involved now for close to four years, she seemed okay with dating a man locked up behind prison walls with fifteen more years to go before he would be freed. She often mentioned the chance of a parole, but because of the way his sentence had been handed down, he had to make at least eighteen of the thirty years before any idea of parole could be entertained.

Shep also knew Ambrose always allowed them more private time than strictly permitted, thus giving them the opportunity to engage in conjugal visits if they so desired. But as tempted as he’d been to do so, Shep hadn’t taken advantage of that. Carson deserved more than a quickie based on lust. He intended to make sure she got what she deserved, even if it meant that they both had to wait another three years to get it. She’d always told him she would wait because she loved him. And he knew with every bone in his body that he loved her.

He hadn’t told his sons about her and figured one day he would get around to doing so. He and Carson had talked about it and both decided to keep the relationship between them quiet until they decided the time was right to share it. His life was pretty much an open book, and he preferred having Carson as the one part of his life he could keep private. She was everything he could possibly want, and he knew she was everything in a woman he’d never truly had.

Even when he thought he’d loved Sylvia, it hadn’t felt like this. And he had stopped loving his wife a year or two after Dalton was born—when he’d found out about her first affair. By the time she’d died there had been many others. But he had remained with her for the sake of his sons.

“When Ambrose called, he sounded serious,” Carson said, breaking into his thoughts. “What is it, Sheppard?”

Her comment once again reminded him of why he had summoned her. He took her hand in his and led her over to the table where the two of them could sit down. “This came in through my email account,” he said, pulling out the paper he’d printed and handing it to her.

She scanned it quickly and then glanced up at him. “I can have it checked out, but I’m sure you know, chances are the IP address is probably from a public computer, one found in the library or someplace of that nature.”

He nodded. “I know.”

“And I assume you’re going to take this person’s threat seriously?”

“What else can I do, Carson?”

She didn’t say anything for a moment before reaching over and placing her hand over his. “You can let your sons know what’s going on, Shep. Let them know about this threat so they can be mindful and watchful. They are adults, and you can’t protect them forever.”

Shep drew in a sharp breath. “I know, but right now, they are all I have. A part of me almost died inside when I heard what happened to Jace.”

“And you still think Vidal Duncan might have had something to do with your wife’s murder?”

“Hell, the thought crossed my mind when I first heard about it. He’d had an affair with my son’s wife, so why shouldn’t I believe he was having an affair with mine? But after talking to Jace about everything Vidal said while he held Jace at gunpoint, I’m not so sure. Jace is convinced the two incidents aren’t connected, and if that’s true, then the person who killed Sylvia is still out there.”

“That’s why I want to push for a new investigation and—”

“No, Carson. I can’t risk it if it means I could lose my sons.”

Carson didn’t say anything. “So what do you want me to do, Shep?”

“Hire someone to watch my sons.”

“Without them knowing?”

“Yes. That means the person has to be good. My sons are sharp, and I don’t want them to suspect anything.”

“Are you sure that’s what you want?”

“Yes, and I want you to arrange everything for me. Will you do that?”

A smile touched her lips and she leaned over and placed a light kiss on his. “Like I always say, Sheppard Granger. For you, anything.”