Free A Brother's Honor by Brenda Jackson

presence.
    “I think what Shiloh did at the meeting got to him,” Dalton whispered under his breath.
    “You think so?” Jace asked. Personally, he thought so, too. And he had a feeling there was something else going on there but had no idea what. Why was Caden acting so uptight about a woman he hadn’t had any contact with for close to fifteen years?
    “Which office do you get?” Dalton broke into Jace’s thoughts to ask, deciding to leave Caden to whatever thoughts were going through his mind.
    “The one that was Granddad’s. I’m keeping Dad’s office the same way Granddad has kept it all these years. Intact.”
    Richard had always assumed his son would be freed and had kept Sheppard’s office basically as he’d left it. Jace planned to do the same. That was another promise they’d made, the one regarding their father. And it was another he intended to keep.
    “I want to go see Dad.” Dalton broke into Jace’s thoughts.
    Jace looked at Dalton. He noted from the corner of his eyes that Dalton’s statement had also grabbed Caden’s attention.
    “I suggest we all go see him,” Caden said, moving closer to the table. He dropped down in one of the chairs.
    “Sounds like a plan. I’m sure losing Granddad was hard on him,” Jace said, glancing at his watch. “Getting out to visit him today or tomorrow might be difficult with everything that is going on. I’m trying to set up a meeting with Shana Bradford as soon as I can. According to Vidal, if anyone can get us out of the red, she can.”
    * * *
    Shana Bradford smiled up at the man who’d made her coffee. “The coffee is great as usual, Dad.”
    He was the one man she most admired. Widowed, her father had raised her and her sister Jules alone, which hadn’t been easy while working as a policeman defending the streets of Boston. He had retired a few years ago, wanting a quiet life, and had decided to settle in Charlottesville, the place where her parents had first met while attending college.
    Jules had been the first to follow their father to Charlottesville, where she established a private investigating firm. Shana had begun liking the area more each and every time she came to visit and, three years ago, after her breakup with her steady boyfriend, she decided to move her own firm here. She was glad she had. She loved Charlottesville and liked having her family close by again. And she made certain that she carved out time during her busy schedule to drop by to visit her dad and grab a cup of coffee, bring him lunch or show up for dinner.
    She took a sip as she watched her father move around the kitchen. The space wasn’t all that large, but he actually looked lost. That was unusual, since her father generally exuded a strong presence. She immediately read the signs. Something heavy was on his mind.
    “Dad, is there something bothering you?”
    He quickly turned and looked at her, and she immediately noticed that his smile was tentative, nervous. He placed the dish towel on the counter, moved back toward her and sat down with her at the table. “No, there’s nothing bothering me, but there is something that I need to talk to you about.”
    She lifted her brow as she set her coffee cup down. She couldn’t hide the concern in her features. “Okay, what is it?”
    He didn’t say anything for a moment, and then he looked at her and gave her that same smile she’d grown accustomed to over the years while growing up. It was that smile that let her know everything was going to be all right and that he would be there for her, no matter what.
    She waited...and then he released the bombshell by saying, “I’m thinking about remarrying.”
    Shana was glad she had stopped drinking her coffee, because otherwise she would have choked on it. Remarry? Her father? She drew in a deep breath before saying, “I wasn’t aware you were seeing anyone.”
    Had Jules known and just not mentioned it? No, there was no way. That would have been headline news in