“That’s awful.”
“Yes, it was,” Jace said. “I lost my best friend, and Caden lost his.”
“So what’s the problem now?”
Jace took a few moments to tell her what Caden had told him. Retelling it made Jace realize just what a genuine ass Samuel Timmons had been. “Caden realizes he made a mistake and is determined to get her back.”
“I hope that he does.”
“Me, too.” They were silent again, and then when they came to another traffic light, Jace glanced back over at Shana and said, “Prepare me for your dad. What am I to expect?”
She smiled. “Ben Bradford is an ex-cop who raised his two daughters after the wife he loved with all his heart passed away of pancreatic cancer. Mom knew she was dying, so she prepared us somewhat. She made Jules and me promise to be good girls, and we tried to keep that promise. Dad made it easy by being such a terrific father. He worked during the day while we were in school and made sure he was home at night. At one time he was promoted to detective, but when he saw it was interfering with his time at home, he gave it up and went back to being a street cop. He said money wasn’t everything. It was more important for him to spend quality time with us.”
Jace nodded. “And he never remarried?”
“No. And he never brought a woman home for us to meet, although Jules and I know he was sexually active.”
“How could you and your sister know something like that?”
“Because we found condoms in his dresser drawer once. That’s where he kept extra money for special things like our hair appointments and school trips and stuff like that. As we got older we knew what the condoms were for. I guess he didn’t think when he tossed the packet into that particular drawer. He’d forgotten we went into it from time to time.”
“And now he’s dating Mona, the blind woman.”
“Yes. They’d only known each other a short while, and now he says he’s in love with her.”
“True love. There was a time I didn’t believe in it.”
“Yes,” she said, grinning. “I recall you once saying that.”
“Things have changed, and I hope you don’t find it hard to believe that two people can fall in love quickly, Shana. We’ve known each other a short while, and I know for certain that I’m in love with you.”
“And I’m in love with you,” she said, smiling over at him. “But...”
“But what?”
“I guess I’m overprotective of Dad, yet at the same time I want to see him happy. He deserves it.”
“Then let him be happy.”
Jace pulled the car into Shana’s father’s driveway and killed the ignition. He glanced over at her. “He is expecting us, right?”
Shana smiled. “Yes, he’s expecting us, and please relax, Jace. My father is nothing like Samuel Timmons.”
Jace let out a deep breath before smiling over at her. “Hell, I hope not.”
* * *
“Yes, Sedrick?” Shiloh asked, connecting to the incoming call on her phone.
“Everything is all set for Saturday night. I’ve made dinner plans at the Matador.”
“All right.” The Matador was a very nice restaurant in town.
“Wallace wants to come pick you up. Do you have a problem with that?”
Because he’d asked, she figured he thought that she would. “No, I don’t have a problem with it. I’m looking forward to seeing him again.”
“Great! And like I said, Shiloh, he’s a nice guy. He’ll be there to pick you up at seven.”
“Fine. I’ll be ready.”
She hung up the phone thinking that she sounded more excited than she actually felt. Each time she went into her office and saw those darned white roses on her desk she thought about Caden.
Then why did you keep the darned things? You could have trashed them, her mind mocked. No matter how she felt about Caden, there was no way she could have done such a thing for spite. She was more mature than that. In that case, why did you have Tess tell Caden you were busy when he called? You could have at least thanked him for the flowers.
She knew the answer to that one. The last thing she needed was to hear his voice. That deep, rich, sexy sound always did things to her. She recalled teasing him about his voice changing when they were kids. He took all of her jesting in stride. But then, Caden had always been the most easygoing person she knew. At least he was until he got angry, and then he was the one who’d become spiteful, not only sleeping with other women but also refusing to have anything to do with her. And then for him to say all those awful things to her that night and...
She drew in a deep breath when she felt tears fill her eyes. Why couldn’t she just let go of the pain? Wiping the tears from her eyes, she decided to take a shower and get into bed early. More than anything, she needed a good night’s sleep.
Twelve
Ben Bradford offered Jace his hand as he looked directly into his eyes. “So you’re Jace Granger.” The older man then smiled. “I’m so glad my daughter has finally brought you over for a visit. Come on in. I’ve prepared dinner, so I hope you’re hungry.”
“Yes, sir, I am,” Jace said as he and Shana followed her father through the foyer into a spacious living room. He glanced around at all the framed photographs lining the walls. He walked over to look more closely at Shana in various stages of her growth. One photo was of her on a bicycle with her sister on a tricycle. Another on her graduation day from high school. Then another showed her graduating from college.
“She was a cute little something,” Ben said, chuckling. “Both my daughters were. I’m proud of my girls.”
Jace turned toward the man. “And you have every right to be.” Benjamin Bradford was just as he’d pictured him to be. Tall, ruggedly built and in good shape for a man his age, which he would put in his middle fifties, like his own father.
“Thanks, Dad. What’s for dinner?” Shana asked, turning to head for the kitchen.
Ben chuckled. “Only my child can thank you for a compliment and then beg for food in the same sentence.”
“I wasn’t begging, just asking out of curiosity. It smells good, whatever it is,” Shana said as she walked into the kitchen.
Ben and Jace followed. Ben glanced over at Jace. “So, Jace, I read about that kidnapping attempt in the paper. Glad you came out without a scratch, young man.”
“And I have your daughter to thank for that.”
“Hmm, better not let Dalton hear you say that,” Shana said, sitting down at the kitchen table.
Jace chuckled. “Yeah, I have to give my brother credit as well, but he would not have known I was missing had it not been for Shana and her team.”
Ben was very astute in reading people, and he’d been reading the body language between these two from the moment they had entered his home. His daughter, his finicky daughter where men were concerned, was in love. There was a glow on her face that he’d never seen before. Ever. And he hadn’t missed the looks these two had been giving each other.
He wasn’t surprised Shana hadn’t brought Jace around before now. His daughter had to be sure of things, and for her to bring him now meant her mind was made up. She had finally met a guy she felt was worthy of her affection.
Ben figured these two hadn’t