A Man's Promise

“I heard you, man, but I can’t make you that promise, Sedrick. The only thing I can promise is to never hurt her again. And if you don’t tell me where she is, I will eventually find her. It might take me longer, but I will find her.”

Sedrick must have heard the determination in his voice. “Fine. I’ll tell you where she is.”

“Has she left Charlottesville?”

“No. She has a place in town and has opened a wine shop on Vines Boulevard. The Wine Cellar Boutique. She’s there every day, except for when she’s away on business. But fair warning—you’re the last person she’ll want to see.”

“I’ll just have to deal with that. Thanks.” And then Caden quickly hung up the phone, grabbed his jacket and headed for the door.

Six

Shiloh Timmons glanced around her wine boutique, thinking that everything was coming together nicely. After that huge argument with her mother and the confrontation with Caden, she had thought about leaving Charlottesville and returning to Boston but, in the end, she was glad she had decided to remain in Charlottesville. It was where she wanted to be. Besides, she had already invested a ton of money to get the shop up to her standards. Also, she figured that by living in town she would rarely run into her mother. And as far as Caden was concerned, it would be just a matter of time before he left on another one of his tours.

She’d heard about the deathbed promise he and his brothers had made to their grandfather to take over the running of Granger Aeronautics. Of the three, she could see only Jace being the one to stick it out. Caden was a musician, for heaven’s sake, and a very good one. He had a great following, and it was expected that his recent album would be nominated for another Grammy. And as far as Dalton was concerned, she knew he considered Europe his home and he was probably champing at the bit to return.

“I just love this wine boutique, Ms. Timmons, and I appreciate you hiring me. I know I will enjoy working here.”

Shiloh turned and smiled. The young woman she’d hired to work in the boutique was Tess, a junior at the University of Virginia. Tess was one of four students working for her. They were bright, energetic, dedicated and ready to learn the business. She understood how they felt since she had worked at a wine shop in Boston while attending college. She had learned a lot from the owner, Valerie Motley. Valerie had been more than an employer; she’d been a friend. And she still was. Valerie, whose family owned a winery in Italy on the island of Sicily, had taught her a lot about the business. Shiloh knew that if she could be half the businesswoman that Valerie was, then she would do well herself.

“Thanks, Tess. The next two weeks are going to be busy as we get ready for the grand opening. I’m going to need all hands on deck.”

Excitement spread across Tess’s face. “We know, and we can’t wait. We’re ready to do whatever you need. You do everything with class, Ms. Timmons. Just look at this place.”

Shiloh glanced around again, and she couldn’t help but be filled with pride. She had known this place would be perfect the moment the Realtor had shown it to her, and she couldn’t think of any better way to use the money from the trust fund her grandparents had set up for her. She loved the location—right in the middle of Charlottesville’s gorgeous historical district. The brick streets and sidewalks, the quaint shops, the old-fashioned light posts and the thousands of tourists ready to spend money were the perfect complements to her new business. The patrons could purchase a bottle of wine to take home, or they could sit and enjoy a glass of something special at one of the café tables in front of the shop. The huge overhanging oak trees helped provide shade in the summer and a blanket against the snow in the winter.

Once in a while, she would go outside and look up at the huge sign over the large storefront window. The Wine Cellar Boutique. She’d had the sign custom made to blend in with the shop’s architecture, and just seeing it made her feel that at least she had accomplished one of the things she’d always wanted: to become an entrepreneur. One of her own choosing.

She knew her father had been disappointed that neither she nor Sedrick ever showed any interest in joining his million-dollar retail business. Samuel had ended up reaching out to his brother and nephews. He had brought them into the business. Her uncle Rodney was the complete opposite of his brother, and Shiloh often wondered how the two ever got along.

Shiloh looked out the large front window. It was late August and pretty soon it would be September. Forecasters were predicting a short fall and an early winter. Shiloh hoped they were wrong, especially since the winter being predicted would be colder than usual. She much preferred the fall, when the days were still somewhat warm and the nights were cool. What she loved the most was the changing of the leaves—the colors turned from a bright green to a rusty-red.

Inside the shop, the floors were covered with tile that had been imported from Italy, and she had installed shelves made of rich mahogany wood that held racks and racks of the best-tasting wine available anywhere. Most of the wine had been purchased directly from the vineyards. In addition to the wine, the boutique sold various kinds of cheeses, wineglasses and an assortment of breads that were delivered daily. And for those who preferred enjoying their wine inside, she had a separate seating area complete with Wi-Fi. It wasn’t unusual for patrons to come and sit and sip for a while—some had already become regulars.

Most locals and tourists had been receptive to the new boutique, and business had been booming since day one. Originally, Shiloh thought she and Tess could handle things themselves, but within days she had had to hire Markel, Collette and Donnell.

Her office was located on the second floor, and the cellar below the shop was where all her stock was located. There was also a huge room adjacent to the shop itself that she could use for just about anything, and this week the decorator was busy transforming it into the reception area for her grand opening. Out back was the brick courtyard with a huge water fountain. She would be utilizing that area for the grand opening, as well.

The third floor of the building was a private floor where her living quarters were located. Right now, the two bedrooms, the one-and-a-half baths, the living room and the eat-in kitchen unit were all she needed. There was another huge room on that floor, and if she ever felt the need for more space, all she had to do was knock down a wall.

She glanced at her watch. She was expecting her accountant any minute. “Tess, I’m going down to the cellar to finish taking inventory. I’m expecting my accountant anytime now. Send him downstairs when he arrives.”

“Okay, I sure will.”

* * *

Caden walked into the Wine Cellar Boutique and glanced around. Nice. Classy. But then, he didn’t expect anything owned by Shiloh to be any other way. The place was busy, but her employees were very efficient. Most appeared to be college age, and they were serving and greeting customers, referring to many by their first names. Instead of getting in line to buy something, he approached a young woman who was watering one of the huge plants.

“Excuse me, miss. I’m looking for Shiloh Timmons.”

A huge smile touched the young woman’s lips. “Welcome to the Wine Boutique, and I’m Tess. Ms. Timmons is expecting you.”

Caden seriously doubted that. “All right.”

“She asked me to send you downstairs to the cellar. The elevator is just over there to your right.”

“Thanks.” Caden turned toward the elevator, passing a huge display of wineglasses that were stacked in the shape of a pyramid that went all the way up to the ceiling. He stepped on the elevator and braced himself for what Shiloh would say when she saw him. Regardless of what Tess had said, he was not the person Shiloh was expecting.

The elevator ride took a few moments, and when he stepped out of it, he glanced around and immediately saw that the place was huge. The fresh smell of paint permeated the air. Hearing the sounds of shuffling papers, he moved in that direction. Rounding the corner, he saw her.

He paused and stared. Her back was to him and she was leaning over a huge crate, counting the contents. Dressed in a silky blue blouse, a black pencil skirt with a slit in the back and black high heels, she presented a picture that he couldn’t help but appreciate. There was no doubt that Shiloh was a beautiful and desirable woman. Although their relationship had been built on more than just physical attraction, he would be the first to admit that the physical had been good. Damned good. But what he’d loved most about her was her bubbly and lovable spirit—something that shone through even when she had a tyrant for a father. But Samuel was dead, and Caden could blame only himself for being the one who’d now broken that spirit.

As he studied her further, he saw she had put her hair up. It swirled into an elegant chignon at the nape of her neck. She usually wore her hair up in the summer, when the July heat began getting to her. She had always preferred cold weather to hot, and he had always enjoyed keeping her warm during those cold nights when he’d visited her in Boston.

She straightened, and he watched as she flipped through the papers on her clipboard.

Figuring that now was as good a time as any to make his presence known, he said, “Hello, Shiloh.”

Seven

Shiloh spun around, recognizing Caden’s voice immediately. And he stood there in her cellar as if he had every right to be there. The shock of seeing him was replaced with anger, and she raised her chin and narrowed her gaze while trying to ignore how good he looked in his business suit. When he performed he wore casual attire—a nice shirt with either jeans or slacks. Seeing him standing there looking as if he had stepped off the pages of a GQ magazine almost took her breath away. Almost...but not quite.

And why did he look more handsome than ever? His neatly trimmed beard might have something to do with it. Did he have to look so sexy standing there and staring at her with those gorgeous light brown eyes of his? And his nutmeg-colored features appeared creamy smooth against the whiteness of his dress shirt.

“What are you doing here, Caden?” Her tone was sharp, and she meant for it to be.

“I came to see you.”

Her eyebrows shot up. He had to be joking. “Why would you do that when you told me just last month that you couldn’t stand the sight of me?”

“I was wrong, and I came to apologize, Shiloh. I said a lot of things that night that I had no business saying. I know the truth now, and I should have listened to what you had been trying to tell me.”

She wondered who’d told him anything, but it truly didn’t matter. “Yes, you should have listened to what I had to say, but you didn’t. Not only that, you showed me how much faith and trust you had in me, Caden. A whole lot less than I had in you.”

“What was I supposed to think, Shiloh?”

It infuriated her that he would have to ask. “That nothing short of death could have kept me from marrying you that weekend. But you didn’t think about that. You thought I would lie around on the beach with another man. So much for what you thought of my character.”

“But there were pictures, and when I tried calling, a man answered the phone. Of course, I now know all of it was arranged by your father.”

“And that made you believe the worst about me?”

He didn’t say anything for a minute and then said, “I was wrong. I’m apologizing. Like I said, I thought—”

“I know what you thought. I get it. Now, will you please leave?”

He shook his head at that request. “And I know about the baby. Our baby,” he said instead. “I wish I could have been there with you,” he said softly.

A pain sliced through her heart. Caden was forcing her to remember a period in her life that had been so painful. She didn’t want to recall that she had wanted him there. The pain of broken bones had been bad enough, but then to be told she had lost their child had been an agony no one should go through. Even now, an ache still remained inside of her. And she often wondered if her child had survived whether it would have been a boy or a girl. It would not have mattered to her. She would have been a better parent to that child than her parents had ever been to her.