A Precious Inheritance

by Paula Roe

  As Vanessa grabbed the bottle from the warmer and tested it on her skin, Stella reached into her pocket and pulled out the cell phone.

  “Shall I tell her to call back?”

  “No, I’ve been waiting for her call. Can you take Darcy?”

  Once Stella had left the room with the squalling infant, Vanessa wiped her hands on her jeans and swiftly swiped open her phone.

  “Jules. Where are you?”

  “Back in L.A. Has Ann rung you?”

  Vanessa walked out into the play area. “No. What’s happened?”

  “The FBI is searching her office, that’s what! They reckon she’s hiding information about the missing statue. And with Roark missing and unable to corroborate her story, it’s all over the news.”

  “What channel?” Vanessa strode into Stella’s office, clicked on the keyboard and pretty soon she had CNN streaming live on the screen. “Got it.”

  In silence they both watched the news snippet in its entirety.

  “Unbelievable,” Juliet finally breathed down the phone. “I got Dad to give me a few names, but apparently Waverly’s already has some hotshot lawyer on retainer.”

  “Well, with all their problems, I’m not surprised.” Vanessa reached for the mouse and was about to click away, when the next news item caught her eye.

  She froze on the spot as her heart dropped to her toes.

  “Ness? You still there?”

  She swallowed thickly. “Are you seeing this?”

  “What, the arrest of some guy for the theft of D. B. Dunbar’s manuscript?”

  “Yeah.” Again they both lapsed into silence and watched.

  “Wow,” Vanessa breathed when it had finished. “What a mess. So Dunbar’s publicist was behind it?”

  “I think she was just as stunned, judging from her reaction when the press ambushed her.”

  “Did you know the manuscript had been stolen?” Juliet asked.

  “Yes, I saw it on the news when the story broke.”

  “So Chase didn’t tell you?”

  “No,” she said softly, picking up a pen and putting it back into the holder.

  “Hmm.”

  “We’re kind of not speaking at the moment.”

  “Hmm,” Juliet repeated ominously.

  Vanessa frowned. “I know that tone.”

  “And what tone is that?”

  “That ‘tell Juliet all about it’ lawyer one.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “There’s nothing to tell. He… We…” She sighed as the lump in her chest made its way up to her throat. “It was just a thing. Not serious.”

  “He gets you to fly down to Georgia for the weekend to meet the people in his life, you spend a night with him and it’s not serious? Babe, that’s as serious as a heart attack.”

  Vanessa choked back a sudden chuckle. “Serious as…? Where do you get this stuff from?”

  “Been watching a lot of Samuel L. Jackson,” Juliet replied, then Vanessa heard her shuffle a few papers. “That man is so fine. Like your Chase but, you know, a wild and crazy fantasy.”

  “Yeah, well, at this point, mine kinda is, too.”

  Juliet sighed. “You always have the worst luck with men, Ness. First those weird grungy guys in college, then James the jerk, then Dunbar—”

  Vanessa stilled. “What?”

  “D. B. Dunbar. You know, the father of your children?”

  Vanessa swallowed, an automatic denial on her lips. Then, with a sigh she said, “How did you find out?”

  “Oh, I had my suspicions, but didn’t know exactly who,” Juliet said breezily. “I only figured it out after our lunch with Ann. You really should work on your poker face more.”

  “But…”

  “Don’t worry, your secret’s safe, sis. I’m discretion with a capital D.” She paused then added gently, “You’ve never talked about Erin and Heather’s father, and I never pushed you to, either. You always did play your cards close. But if you ever feel the urge to talk—or need any help—I’m here. Okay?”

  Vanessa dragged a hand over her eyes and swallowed the lump welling in her throat. “How did I get such an awesome sister like you?”

  Juliet chuckled. “You must have pleased someone in a previous life. Oh-oh, gotta go. I’ll let you know how Ann’s doing when I know more. Love you.”

  When Vanessa hung up, she walked slowly from the office and over to a bunch of toys scattered on the play mat. Jasmine and Megan, Vanessa’s coworkers, had allowed the children out in the yard, but at the first sign of rain they’d be in. As a consequence, the huge room was empty except for the shrapnel of toys, puzzles and various works of art. She smiled at Lola, their work experience girl, who was currently watching a handful of babies in a fenced-off area, Heather and Erin included.

  Three surprises in one day must be some kind of record. Yet despite Ann’s problems and Juliet’s revelation, they both took a backseat to the loss of Dunbar’s manuscript.

  Ahh, that cut. A lot. But as she glanced over at Erin and Heather happily playing away with Lola, her lips curved.

  Life was good. She refused to be unhappy, not when other people—like Ann—had bigger problems, and many more—Sam, Dylan—had their lives taken away far too early. She’d get over the theft of the manuscript, even if imagining some faceless rich thief pawing at those pages made her ill.

  But that brought her back to the loss of Chase.

  The overwhelming ache in her heart caught her breath. Such a small corner, the place where she’d shoved all her disappointment and hurt, but she knew from experience it would all fade in time. Eventually.

  But did it really have to hurt so damn much?

  She determinedly pushed the box of toys back into its spot in the bookcase.

  “Um, Vanessa?” Stella said slowly behind her.

  “Yes?”

  “You’d better look out the window.”

  Vanessa sighed and straightened. “Don’t tell me it’s snowing?”

  “Not exactly.”

  Vanessa frowned at Stella, who had a baby over her shoulder and was grinning like an idiot in the direction of their gated yard. “Are the kids going crazy? Do Jasmine and Megan need a hand?”

  “Just get over here, woman.”

  She sighed, making her way to the huge sliding glass doors to peer out. “So what—”

  Her words froze in her throat, along with her heartbeat.

  A tall, familiar figure stood in the yard, hands in his pockets, next to a row of jittery toddlers, each holding up a piece of cardboard with one letter. All together the sign read:

  I love u, Vanessa.

  Oh. Her throat constricted as she choked down a sob.

  Stella swept the door open and gave Vanessa a gentle shove.

  He stood there in complete silence, the kids’ excited chatter flowing around them, dark storm clouds amassing against a pure blue sky, making this a scary, surreal moment.

  “You called me,” he said.

  “I know.”

  “Three times.”

  “Yes. You were busy.”

  “You didn’t leave a message.”

  “No.”

  His mouth tightened into a remorseful line. “I was going to call you on Monday morning but—”

  “The manuscript was stolen.” She crossed her arms, suppressing a shiver.

  “Yes. And I…” He sighed. “I was angry and frustrated and a little ashamed.”

  Her breath caught. “Of us?”

  “God, no.” His shook his head. “I was ashamed of losing the manuscript, the one thing that meant so much to you—to your girls. It felt like a huge failure.”

  “But it was stolen—not your fault.”

  “Still felt like it.”

  She uncrossed her arms and shoved her hands into her back pockets with a sigh. She’d practiced this moment over and over in her head, in case the opportunity to take him to task ever arose. She’d be haughty and cold, giving him her best death stare, and reducing him
to a groveling, apologetic mess after jumping to that wild conclusion.

  It had been a crazy fantasy, one she conceded would probably never happen. And of course, she’d conveniently ignored her part in their argument, when she’d compared Chase to her father. And now, as the week’s events came crashing back, all that pain coupled with the pinnacle of ecstasy, her righteous anger fizzled out.

  How could she hurt him? Not when he stood before her now, so hesitant and uncertain and surrounded by a sea of chattering, giggly kids, while her colleagues stared in morbid fascination.

  With a thick swallow, she finally found her voice. “I thought…I thought you didn’t want me.”

  Chase’s stomach dropped as he bit back a soft curse. He stared at her, at every feature, every line and hair. The gentle curve of her cheek, the dark eyelashes that framed wide green eyes, her long neck that was so sensitive beneath his lips. How could he have ever thought she was shallow or superficial? He’d had such a good thing and he’d nearly let it slip though his fingers by allowing his past to choke him of a possible future.

  “I can’t believe I’ve been such an idiot,” he muttered.

  “And I can’t believe I accused you of being like my father. You’re nothing alike.” She glanced over at his kid-and-card sign, her eyes lingering, face softening before she came back to him. “But if you don’t kiss me now, I will never forgive you.”

  Chase’s heart plunged sickeningly for a nanosecond then when she gave him a gentle smile, it began to thump hard and fast.

  He moved swiftly and with purpose, his eyes fixed on her as he demolished the space separating them. Then his hands were on her arms, her soft sweater and warm skin beneath heating his frozen fingers, her wide smile sending a flicker of desire into his belly.

  With a soft groan he leaned down and finally kissed her.

  Her sweet breath, familiar scent, yielding lips all swept him up on a tide of emotion, and he pressed closer, desperate to feel her body against his.

  He vaguely heard clapping and cheering, and then Vanessa gently broke away, a blush staining her cheeks as she gave a small self-conscious laugh and glanced shyly at their enthusiastic audience.

  Despite her embarrassment, a smile curved her lips.

  “Vanessa, you…you see me,” he whispered fiercely, gently placing his forehead on hers. “Everything.” His eyes locked onto hers, blue on green. “I can’t remember the last time I’ve shared so much with someone. Apart from Mitch, no one knows my real story. It’s—” he dragged in a breath “—scary.”

  “I know.” She placed her palms on his chest and everything leapt.

  “Remember when you told me we weren’t that different?” he said.

  “Yes.”

  “You were right.”

  He let the silence envelope them, the seconds ticking away until he added, “I don’t like to talk about the past.”

  He could feel the loaded weight of her scrutiny yet she said nothing.

  “There were six of them, three jocks and their girlfriends.” His mouth curled in remembrance. “I still remember their names even after all these years. They teased and tormented me every single day in high school. I was not a particularly attractive guy, nor was I articulate. My strength was my brain. A brain I used to great effect when I got my first job out of college. With Rushford Investments.”

  He drew a hand over his eyes as the bitter memories tumbled before he finally let them go. “I worked under a guy called Mason Keating. He was brilliant and I absorbed all his advice as gospel, followed his investments, emulated his practices. He was like a god to me.”

  “But something happened.”

  “He ripped off his investors, tried to lie his way out of it then ended up skipping the country. Of course, the company quickly covered it up and struck deals with the investors to keep them from talking. It was never in the papers.”

  And Chase had walked away, disillusioned and deeply wounded from the experience.

  “Every time I feel myself dwelling on the past, I thank God for it. Because if it weren’t for that awful broken road, I’d never have met you. Kids?” He turned and nodded at the ones still left, and they obediently turned over their cards:

  aMrry me

  Vanessa stilled, closing her eyes to savor the moment, the unbelievable burst of hope that began to spread slowly through her veins. When she opened them again, Chase’s frowning countenance, threaded with an unfamiliar wariness, forced her breath back into her lungs.

  “Say something,” he muttered.

  “You spelled ‘marry’ wrong.”

  With a frown he spun to his little accomplices, but they’d had enough and chose that moment to break ranks, rushing around in the misty rain with peals of delight.

  “Brats,” he muttered not unkindly.

  She made a halfhearted attempt to hide her grin with her hand, but quickly gave up. “Yeah, kids are unpredictable like that.”

  His gaze darkened. “I missed you.”

  She inhaled a deep, chilly breath, swallowing as her eyes welled up again.

  “I missed you, too. Even though I called you a bunch of bad names in my head.”

  “Yeah, I probably deserved it for overreacting.”

  “You did. And I called myself a few, too.”

  “And I think you deserve this.” From the bag at his feet he pulled out a package. Her heart stilled for one second then began to soar in surprised disbelief.

  Dunbar’s manuscript.

  “Oh, Chase. This is… It’s…” She stood there like a complete fool, staring blankly at him while her emotions ran riot. “I thought it was stolen!”

  “It was. But then it turned up on my desk last night.”

  She frowned. “How?”

  “No idea. Apparently I have an anonymous donor who urged me to return the manuscript to ‘the rightful owners.’ You know anything about that?”

  She shook her head. “No. I don’t know anyone with that kind of money or connections. My father might, but he’d never knowingly purchase stolen goods.” She paused then said slowly, “I’m sure Ann would know a few people who…ah…skirt the fine line of the law but none who know me. And no one’s ever connected me to Dunbar, let alone the girls… Well, except my sister, but she would’ve told me if she’d done something like this.”

  Chase sighed, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Okay, so—”

  “Hang on. That means someone out there knows about the girls.” She gripped his arm. “What if they’re planning on doing something else? Like blackmail?”

  “Do you honestly think they’d give me Dunbar’s manuscript to return, then turn around and blackmail you? When you don’t even have any money?”

  “That’s not the point. What if they go to the press? Or camp out at the school?”

  “Then we’ll get security,” he said. “Or cut them off by drafting a press release. We can also move to France or Sydney where I have a couple of properties.” His mouth curved. “I even have a private Caribbean island if you prefer.”

  “I don’t want to run away.”

  “We’re not. We’ll just be taking sensible precautions until the attention moves on to someone else.”

  “But what if—”

  “What if nothing happens? What if you’re worrying for nothing?” His face twisted. “Vanessa, sweetheart, you’re killing me here. Do you want to keep stressing about what-ifs or do you want to give me your answer to my question?”

  “What—” Oh. His strained expression, a mix of doubt and dreaded anticipation, did her in. But there was one last thing she had to know.

  “We don’t have to get married, you know. Because I know how you feel about it, and how it can complicate things…”

  “Vanessa.” He took her cold hands in his, warming them up. “I want us to be a family. You, me, the girls.” His mouth curved into a sexy grin. “Maybe a few more later. And that’s a commitment—no, a promise. It means I want it—us—to work. And if here is where you want t
o be—” he swept out a hand to encompass the building “—I promise I’ll make it work.”

  “You’d commute?”

  He shrugged. “I do most business via the internet or phone anyway. I’m hardly in my office.”

  Vanessa shook her head. “But you’d be giving up—”

  “Not much. I’d be gaining so much more.” Vanessa followed his gaze to the glass doors, to where Lola was standing with Heather in her arms, and watched his expression soften.

  Her heart gave a joyful jolt. “It’s not going to change you? Us?”

  “Not unless we want it to.” As she paused, he added with a smile, “I swear, I will let you know if you start acting all crazy on me.”

  “Like buying expensive manuscripts then giving them away?”

  His eyes creased. “I’m not giving it away if it’s staying in the family, right?”

  She felt the grin crack her face as a breathtaking wave of happiness filled every corner of her soul.

  “Then yes, Chase. I will ‘amrry’ you.”

  His unfettered look of joy, the blinding smile combined with those amazing eyes, sent her heart soaring. He was finally hers. Every intense, complicated, gorgeous, passionate inch of him. So she kissed him again, just because she could.

  “Ah, Vanessa?” Chase murmured against her mouth. “I’m not complaining, but you do know we have witnesses?”

  “Oh.” When she broke off, his chuckle against her lips sent a tremble of happiness from head to toe.

  “Hey, you two!”

  “Hey, Stella,” Chase called back, his gaze still locked on Vanessa.

  “Hey, yourself. You ever gonna come in out of the cold?”

  He stared deep into her eyes, that fiercely intelligent blue gaze seeing everything, uncovering every doubt and fear until love swelled up, filling every corner of her heart. “I already have.”

  “You’re crazy, you know that?” Stella grumbled.

  “Yeah,” Chase murmured. When Vanessa suppressed a shiver, he opened his coat, pulled her against his chest and wrapped her inside with him.

  The play of soft wool tempered the hard, warm planes of muscle underneath and she breathed him in, unable to get enough of the moment. “But where are we going to live?”