Free What a Woman Wants by Brenda Jackson

this evening.”
    Faith sighed. “Don’t tell me you’re still out shopping.”
    “Yes, but I’m headed back to the beach house now.”
    “All right, hang tight. I’ll be there in a minute.” Faith then clicked off the phone and looked over at Shane. “Well, grocery shopping must come to an end for now. It was nice meeting you, Shane.”
    “Trust me when I say the pleasure was mine, Faith. Take care, and I hope you enjoy the remainder of your stay on the island.”
    She smiled. “And I hope you enjoy the rest of yours as well.”
    Gripping the handle of the buggy firmly in her hand, she pushed it past him and toward the checkout counter. And unlike the last time she had left a male in the produce section staring at her, she knew Shane Masters was one she wouldn’t be forgetting any time soon.

8
    Faith’s instincts had
been right. Adrianna Ross-Fuller was the type of person who was able to blend in well and get along with just about anybody, even someone who could be as standoffish as Shannon. Adrianna had even suggested they call her Anna like her family and friends did.
    Not that Faith wanted to brag, but dinner had been great, and now they were sitting outside on the screened porch watching the waves from the ocean while sipping wine.
    A shiver ran through her. She couldn’t keep her mind off Shane Masters. He had certainly been dominating her thoughts—even while she’d been cooking, which was another first. In the kitchen, the ingredients she would be using had always been foremost as she went about preparing what she wanted to be a mouthwatering meal. But for the two hours she’d spent in the kitchen, the only mouthwatering thing she could think about was Shane Masters.
    “So, Anna, your grandmother’s side of the family actually owned land on this island? Back in the day?” Monique asked, reclaiming Faith’s attention to the conversation going on.
    Anna smiled. “Yes, that’s how I got the beach house. Part of this new subdivision was built on land my family owned and later sold to the developers.” Anna was proud of her family’s history. It was history that had been shared with her since becoming an acknowledged member of the family.
    “Hilton Head is home to Mitchellville, organized in 1862 as one of the first settlements of free blacks in this country,” Anna continued. “In fact, before the developers came, most of the sea islands, since the eighteen hundreds, were the home of free black men who formed a number of communities. These communities consisted of farmers, basket weavers, and fishnet makers. During that time the Gullah culture was still preserved,” she added.
    Monique lifted a brow. “What’s Gullah?”
    Anna smiled. “The Gullah was a strong group of African Americans, many of whom were born on the sea islands like Hilton Head, who spoke the Gullah dialect. My family did manage to retain possession of one island, Glendale Shores. It’s where my paternal grandfather was born and is across the water a ways from here. All of us have agreed not to sell out, although developers have tried twisting our arms to do so. But that’s before they came up against my uncle, Randolph Fuller. Once they do, then they—”
    “Whoa, wait a minute,” Shannon interrupted. “Are you saying
the
Randolph Fuller is a relative of yours?”
    Anna smiled proudly. “Yes, he’s my uncle, my father’s brother. Do you know him?”
    Shannon shook her head, grinning. “No, but I’ve heard of him. Who hasn’t? He is and always has been an attorney extraordinaire. I used to hear my parents sing his praises all the time. He’s made history several times by winning a number of high-profile cases.”
    Anna looked pleased. “Yes, he has.”
    “You’re part Vietnamese, right?” Faith asked. She thought Anna was simply beautiful with her medium brown skin, almond eyes, and mane of long, gorgeous black hair.
    Anna took a sip of her wine before answering. “Yes, my father fought in the Vietnam War