The Granger brothers left behind their familyâs Virginia estateâand the bad memories it holdsâyears ago. But their dying grandfatherâs request brings them home:to a failing business, a legacy of secrets and a deathbed promise to make things right.
As the eldest brother, attorney Jace Granger is determined to take responsibility for Granger Aeronautics, his familyâs failing business. But the years of mismanagement seem impossible to untangle. As CEO, he hires a consultant to turn the company around. Smart, sexy Shana Bradford is the right person for the jobâand the right woman to turn Jaceâs world upside down.
But the passion between them is jeopardized when old secrets begin to emerge. A woman from Jaceâs past suddenly reappears. And an explosive discovery changes everything Jace thinks he knows about his motherâand his father, who was convicted of her murder.
Jace Granger tried to leave his family history behind once before. But this time he needs to face the pastâ¦or risk losing his future.
Three brothers. One legacy. A lifetime of secrets.
Praise for the novels of
âReaders canât deny that Jackson knows how to bring the heat, and more. Her characters are multidimensional, tantalizing and charming.â
âRT Book Reviews on Texas Wild, 4 ½ stars, Top Pick
âBrenda Jackson is the queen of newly discovered love⦠If thereâs one thing Jackson knows how to do, itâs how to pluck those heartstrings
and stir up some seriously saucy drama.â âBookPage on Inseparable
âThis deliciously sensual romance
ramps up the emotional stakes and the action with a bit of deception and corporate espionage....[S]exy and sizzling.â âLibrary Journal on Intimate Seduction
âJackson does not disappointâ¦
first-class page-turner.â âRT Book Reviews on A Silken Thread, 4 ½ stars, Top Pick
âJackson is a master at writing.â
âPublishers Weekly on Sensual Confessions
To the love of my life, my husband and best friend, Gerald Jackson, Sr.
To everyone who will be joining me
on the 2013 Cruise to Alaska. This one is for you!
To my Heavenly Father
who gave me the gift to write.
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.
Honor one another above yourselves. âRomans 12:10
Prologue
âForeman, has the jury reached a verdict?â the judge asked in the still, quiet courtroom, packed to capacity. The trial of the State of Virginia versus Sheppard Granger had lasted for five weeks, and the eight men and four women had deliberated for sixteen hours.
âYes, we have, Your Honor.â
âWill you hand the verdict form to the court, please?â
Within seconds, the bailiff presented the form to the judge, who took a moment to read the document before handing it in turn to the clerk who faced those in the courtroom.
Sheppard Granger showed no emotion as the clerk began reading what would be his fate. At one point, he was tempted to glance over his shoulder to look at his three young sonsâJace, sixteen; Caden, fourteen; and Dalton, who would be turning twelve in a few days. He hoped and prayed that, no matter what the jury decided, they would believe he was an innocent man. There was no way he would have killed the mother of his beloved sons.
Instead, he listened as the clerk spoke the words... âOf the charge of first degree murder in the death of Sylvia Granger, we, the jury, find Sheppard Granger guilty.â
Sheppard suddenly felt his knees weaken, but he refused to go down, and he refused to glance back at his sons. His father, Richard Granger, would know what to do now. Richard would now become responsible for his grandsons, and he would be there for them since Sheppard would not.
The judge was talking, addressing the court. But whatever he was saying Sheppard couldnât hear for the pounding in his head. As far as Sheppard was concerned, nothing else mattered. Only one thought repeated itself in his head with blinding clarityâhis life as heâd once known it was over.
PART I
We do not remember days; we remember moments.
âAnonymous
Chapter One
Fifteen years later
Hoping it wasnât obvious that he was watching the time, Jace Granger took a sip of his wine and looked straight ahead at the huge clock hanging on the wall, directly above the entrance of the upscale Los Angeles restaurant. Heâd been there for exactly one hour and twelve minutes, and was biting at the bit to call it a night.
He appreciated his friend Alan Carterâs concerns about his solitary life, but blind dates had never been Jaceâs thing, and he had known after the first ten minutes that heâd made a mistake by letting Alan talk him into one tonight. No doubt Angela Farlow was a lookerâhe would give her that, but so far it had been one hell of a night. For starters, she talked too damn much. She had a lot to say...a lot about practically nothing.