A Man's Promise. Brenda Jackson
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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.
And she had cried every night for Caden to come, refusing to believe her father when he’d said he’d contacted Caden. Her father had told her that Caden didn’t want her and that he couldn’t have cared less about her pregnancy.
“What about you, Shiloh? It’s been four years. If you had so much faith in me, why didn’t you contact me and tell me about the baby?”
His