SHAWNA DELACORTE

      has delayed her move to Washington State, staying in the Midwest in order to spend some additional time with family. She still travels as often as time permits, and is looking forward to visiting several new places during the upcoming year while continuing to devote herself to writing full-time. Shawna would appreciate hearing from her readers. She can be reached at 6505 E. Central, Box #300, Wichita, KS 67206-1924.

      To Lola,

      thank you for your valued friendship over the years.

      Contents

      Chapter One

      Chapter Two

      Chapter Three

      Chapter Four

      Chapter Five

      Chapter Six

      Chapter Seven

      Chapter Eight

      Chapter Nine

      Chapter Ten

      Chapter Eleven

      Epilogue

      One

      “She did what?” A shocked Jared Stevens swung his legs off the top of his large oak desk and jumped to his feet.

      “She tore up the letter and threw it at me. Then, before slamming the door in my face, she told me, and I quote here, ‘It will be a cold day in hell before I pay one penny to any member of the Stevens family.’ She also said that any claim by you that her father owed a debt to Stevens Enterprises died when her father died.” Grant Collins stood on the other side of the desk, a sheepish expression marring the attorney’s otherwise dignified persona. “I’ve never had anyone do that before.”

      Jared’s unmistakable anger surrounded his words, matching the irritation that shoved at him. “Just who does she think she is? I want you to—” He stopped and took a calming breath as he ran his hands through his thick dark hair. He narrowed his eyes and wrinkled his brow while turning a thought over in his mind.

      “Never mind. I’ll handle it myself.” His tone of voice said the meeting was over.

      As soon as his attorney left, Jared poured himself a cup of coffee and settled into the large leather chair. He picked up a file folder from the top of his desk, studied the contents for a few minutes while sipping his coffee, then leaned back and closed his eyes. He didn’t have the time or patience for dealing with some old business transaction between his father and Paul Donaldson. The Stevens–Donaldson feud had been going on for three generations. He was tired of it and didn’t care anymore what had started it or why it had escalated. He didn’t have any interest in pursuing the matter with Paul Donaldson’s daughter, either. He only wanted the past due twenty-thousand-dollar promissory note paid off so he could close out the matter. It was business, nothing personal.

      He took a big swallow from his coffee cup. He had never met Kimbra Donaldson, but now it looked as if he would be doing battle with her whether he wanted to or not. The red numerals on his desk clock showed 4:30 p.m. The Donaldson house was only three miles from the Stevens family compound where Jared spent part of each summer since taking over the reins of Stevens Enterprises, even though he maintained a three-bedroom town house in San Francisco where he lived most of the year. The large estate doubled as his business office for a couple of months each summer when he retreated to his home town of Otter Crest on the northern California coast in an attempt to escape the congestion of San Francisco where Stevens Enterprises was headquartered.

      He emitted an audible sigh. The matter of the promissory note had to be resolved as soon as possible so he could put it behind him and get on with real business. And that included the date he had that night with the stunning redhead he had met a week ago at a party thrown by a business associate in San Francisco. A little grin of expectation tugged at the corners of his mouth. It was almost an hour drive into the city, but it would be worth it for the night’s pleasure he anticipated. But first he had to deal with the troublesome issue of Kimbra Donaldson. He placed the file folder in his attaché case, grabbed his car keys from his desktop and headed out the door.

      Kimbra Donaldson had been in the same high school graduating class as his half brother, Terry Stevens. Terry’s mother had been the second of what turned out to be a total of six wives plus numerous mistresses and short-term affairs for Ron Stevens. On many occasions Jared had thought how fortunate it was that his father didn’t have more children by his many wives. When Jared left Otter Crest at the age of eighteen to go to college, Terry and Kimbra were ten-year-olds in elementary school. That had been twenty years ago.

      Terry’s opinion of Kimbra had not been very flattering, but Jared didn’t put much stock in Terry’s opinions. They hadn’t been very close before their father’s death five years ago, and Terry had been an ongoing problem for him ever since he had inherited the task of keeping an irresponsible Terry out of trouble.

      Along with responsibility for Terry, he had also inherited the presidency of Stevens Enterprises. It had been a sobering dash of cold water thrown on his flamboyant social life, yet at the same time a stimulating challenge for someone