Chain of Title (28 page)

After flying into the Pisa airport,
they stayed at a hotel for a few days in the area, enjoying local attractions
and acclimating to the time zone change before driving a few hours south along
the Gold Coast.  Scotty was currently working import-export, he told her, for a
winery next to the Tyrrhenian Sea.

As they drove under a vined
archway wrapped in star jasmine and onto a narrow pathway, the vineyard opened wide.
 Scotty proudly educated her on the history of the winery, the grape harvests,
and the wines produced.  He pointed out the various structures and buildings,
told her their uses, and of the many awards displayed in the main building
where the wine tastings took place.

“This is beautiful, Scotty. 
How long did you say you’ve been here?”

“Oh, you know, four or five
months.  Something like that,” he answered, scratching at his jaw.

“You really seem to like it. 
Do you think you’ll stay awhile?”

“Yeah, I have a feeling I’ll
be hanging around for quite some time.”  He gave his sister a sideways glance. 
“I’m a part owner.”

Shayna’s jaw dropped.  “Get
out!  Are you serious?”  An uncontrollable smile curved onto her face.  Maybe
her brother had finally found a place he could call home.

“It’s a minority interest so don’t
get too excited over there,” he chuckled with enthusiasm, “but it is my little
piece of heaven.”

“Scotty, I’m so happy for
you,” she said warmly.  Shayna felt like she was going to boil over with
excitement.  For the man who had never committed to anything or anyone, this
was a monumental step.

“Thanks, sis.”  He reached
across and patted her knee.  “I know you’re going to be happy here, too.”  The
low knowing tone in his voice and the peculiar expression on his face caused
her stomach to flutter, but she didn’t know why.

“The owner is here now and I
told him I’d introduce you.  He actually lives on the estate next to the vineyards. 
That’s where we’re heading now.”

“Oh.”  Shayna’s eyes creased
in concentration as she processed Scotty’s words through the filter of her
intuitions.  Suddenly, she felt panic knocking.  “Scott Andrew Montgomery, tell
me this is
not
a set up.  You know I’m not interested.”  The sheepish
look on his whiskered face said it all.  “No!  Oh, hell no!  Scott!  Why would
you do that?”

“I really think you two are
going to hit it off.  Just give it a chance.”

Shayna planted her elbow on
the door and began flicking her thumb across her front teeth.  She was fuming
mad.  “So tell me, am I some kind of pawn here?”  Scott looked hurt by the
insinuation.  “Is this your way of getting a bigger share in the winery?”

Scott busted out laughing. 
“You’re not
that
hot, sis,” he said, holding his arm up to protect
himself from her incoming punch.

“Is he a geezer then?”

Now he looked truly
offended.  “Hell, no!  Once was enough for you.”

Her shoulders slumped.  “Jesus,
Scott.  Really?”  She tilted her head at him with disappointment shading her
face.

“Dead or not, I never liked
the guy, sis.  Sorry.  I always thought you deserved better.”

She sighed loudly, leaned her
blonde head back against the headrest, and returned her gaze to the mountains
and the descending sun.  If she didn’t kill her rogue of a brother before this
trip was over, it would be a miracle.

As they rounded a corner, the
buttery colored villa sitting atop a hill came into view, surrounded by cypress
trees that lined the long pathway leading to the three-story structure. 
Something about the picture before her seemed familiar, but she couldn’t place
it.

“It has all the modern
conveniences, sis.  He completely renovated it over the last five years or so.”

“I’m not going to be here long
enough to care, Scott,” Shayna replied coolly.

Scott sighed in frustration. 
“Okay, get the stick out of your ass and just enjoy yourself.  I’m doing this
because I love you and want you happy again.  Like you were before everything
went to hell last year.”

Shayna shook her head. 
“That’s not possible, Scotty.  We’ve talked about this.  You, of all people,
should know better.”  She continued staring out the window, not meeting his
gaze.

The rest of the journey
continued in silence.  Shayna had reasoned with herself that she would be
cordial, since this man was Scotty’s business partner, but then she was getting
out of here as quickly as possible.  Her arm fell away when her door opened.  Scotty
was staring down expectantly at her.  She hadn’t even realized they had
stopped, too lost in her thoughts.

“Come on, sis.  Let’s go
inside.  And be nice—for me, please.”  She nodded with a smirk, getting out of
the car and smoothing out her pale yellow sundress.  Great.  Her dress matched
the house color.  Hopefully, Scotty’s partner wouldn’t think it was a sign of
interest on her part.  Not to worry though, because she intended to make it
clear that she
wasn’t
interested.

“Are you talking to yourself,
sis?”  Shayna waved him off in aggravation.

Walking up to the villa, she
felt a warmth and coziness from the lush fertile landscape all around them, the
trickling fountain and the vibrant hanging baskets dotting the home.  It calmed
her, and she took a deep breath and relaxed.  She would be just fine.

When they arrived at the
front door, Scott let himself in without even knocking, as if he owned the
place.  It surprised Shayna, but she guessed they must be good friends and not
just cold business partners.

“Just wait here.  I’ll go get
him,” Scott said, with barely restrained excitement, leaving her alone in the
living room.

Shayna circled around the
expansive area running her gray eyes over every detail.  The living room was
composed of two adjacent spaces connected by a wide arched opening with twisted
columns at each side.  In the center of one room, there was a comfortable
sitting area with sofas in neutral upholstered tones and leather armchairs
anchored by a stone fireplace.  The other side of the room was a long enclosed veranda
with stunning views of the hillsides.

Shayna moved closer to the bank
of windows and glimpsed an orange sliver of the Tyrrhenian Sea glinting
brightly in the dipping sun.  The beautiful multicolored gardens popped to life
when the landscape lighting flicked on, bathing everything in warm glowing
waves.  Then she caught sight of the pool further down and the potted plants
and loungers shadowed by indirect lighting.  Everything about this place was so
soothing and relaxing.  She turned slowly, her eyes cataloging every detail,
and looked back at the warm interior.  Whoever designed and decorated this big
open space did an excellent job of making it inviting and intimate with the ambient
lighting and calming color palette.

The sound of a car driving
away interrupted her musings and she moved quickly to glance out a front
window.  Her mouth fell open.  What the hell?  Scotty was driving away!  He had
just left her without a word in a strange house with a man she hadn’t even met
yet.  She huffed indignantly and immediately reached into her bag, muttering
expletives and digging for her cell phone.  When she got her hands on him,
Scott Montgomery would never meddle in her life again.  Suddenly, she froze as
a heated charge skittered across her skin, lifting goose bumps across her body.

“Hello, gorgeous.”

Then she heard the crash of
her phone on the travertine tile followed by the heavy thud of her bag.

How
long was she going to stand like a statue with her back to him?  “Breathe,
Shay.  It’s real.”  He pushed off the doorframe where he had been leaning,
watching her search for her phone and cursing Scotty.  A small grin tugged at
one corner of his mouth.  Here he was telling her this was real when it felt
like a dream to him.  One he’d had over and over.  He inched closer, as if she
was a scared animal, not wanting to frighten her off.  “Please turn around,
Shay.  I need to see you.”

His eyes traced her form from
head to toe, coveting her, worshipping her.  Since watching her from an
upstairs window when she stepped out of the car, his heart had been tattooing
his chest.  She just got to him.  Did it for him like no other woman ever had. 
Her hair was longer, still layered, and her dress hugged the wonderland
underneath it—a body the gods surely made for him alone.  She looked thinner. 
Scotty had warned him that she had been having a rough time, had nose-dived,
but seemed to be coming back around.  As she started to pivot toward him, he
held his breath.

What would he see in her
eyes?

Sean inhaled sharply when her
large, stormy gray eyes locked with his.  The mixture of elation, confusion,
and anger played precariously across her gorgeous face, but the connection was
still there.  It hit him the instant their eyes met, and gave him hope.

She watched him warily,
scanning him from head to toe, clearly trying to piece the puzzle together. 
Then she slapped him hard across the face, snapping his head to the side.  The
burning sting was instant and unexpected, but he kept his hands in his front
pockets, jaw flexing and tensing.  Lifting his lids, he slowly and deliberately
brought his face and eyes back to hers.  If she thought he was going to back
down, she was sadly mistaken.  There was only one possible ending and he wasn’t
settling for anything else.  He would let her say what she needed to say, do
what she needed to do, and then it was his turn.

“Why did you do this to me?” 
Tears swelled in her eyes but she pulled them back.  “Why did you call my
brother instead of
me
?”  She huffed and shook her head in disbelief. 
“You left me and then let me believe you were dead!  All this time!  You knew
I’d find out what happened in Mexico,” she said angrily, fisting her hand to
her heart.  Shayna’s face twisted in anguish as she stepped closer to him and
narrowed her eyes.  “You’re the reason Scotty was coming back to see me. 
Right?  He was reporting to you.  You knew exactly what I was going through,
didn’t you?”  Sean nodded faintly.  “Why didn’t
you
come back?  Huh?  Were
you too busy running your fucking winery!”

“I had to heal, Shay.  I
wasn’t that far from dead when they evac-ed us out.”

Her pink lips twitched.  “There
were other survivors?”  He nodded solemnly.  “Were you in a coma?”

He hesitated.  “No.”

“Hands broken?”

His brow furrowed.  “No.”

“Vocal chords damaged?”

He swallowed the irritation. 
“No.”

“But you never tried to
contact me.  Ease my mind.  Stop the grief, stop the pain.”  Shayna looked at
him incredulously.  “And yet, you spent all kinds of time with my brother,
getting to know him.  Well enough to let him buy into your business.”  She
closed her eyes and sighed sadly.  He felt his insides shred when she lifted
her sad, broken eyes up to his.

“Am I really that easy to leave? 
It’s not like it’s the first time someone who supposedly loved me walked away...and
stayed
away.  Of course, you know all about that, and yet you still left
me behind.”

“I
had
to leave,
Shay.  You know that.”

“You didn’t
have
to
stay away!  How could you do that?”

He just wanted to touch her,
show her how he felt.  But it was obvious that would be a bad idea right now.  “Leaving
you was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”

“Good!  I hope it hurt like
hell!  I hope it felt like you were pulled inside out and stomped on,” she said
through clenched teeth, pausing and holding his gaze.  “Just like me,” she
hissed through the tears threatening to fall.  She backed away from him,
composing herself, looking at him as if he were a stranger.

“How long have you been
healed
,
Sean?  How long have you been here,” she passed her eyes around the room, “befriending
my brother, and forgetting about me—until now.  How long have you
knowingly
let me suffer?”

His chest felt like it was in
a vice grip.  “I thought you were better off without me,” he said soberly.

“Answer my question,” she
said undeterred.

He exhaled in frustration
knowing that he had been an idiot not to expect her fury.  “Almost six
months.”  Her eyes widened, nostrils flared.  “I was in a hospital for six
weeks.  Part of it was rehab.  When it was over, I came back here.  This is
where my mother was from.  This was her family’s estate and vineyards.”  He
paused.  “My legacy.”

One tear slipped free and
raced down her cheek as she nodded in apparent understanding.  “The fresco at
Gaetano’s.”

“Yes.  My parents had a local
artist paint it at the restaurant, using an old photo.”

Shayna closed her eyes again,
inhaling deeply, before turning solemnly to pick up her phone and bag from the
floor.

A slice of panic cut through Sean. 
“What are you doing, Shay?” he asked with more confidence than he felt.

“I’m calling my brother to
pick me up.  I’m leaving,” she said despondently.

Before she could put the call
through, Sean swiped the phone from her hand and threw it across the room,
shattering it against a plaster wall.  That might’ve been over the top, but he
was operating on instinct right now.  Then he tossed her bag on a nearby bench. 
“You’re not going anywhere.  There’s too much to say.”  He looked longingly at
her.  “And we’re not over.”

Shayna’s brows raised and she
spat out hot air.  “You think you get to decide that?  You really think you get
to decide
when
to leave and
when
to come back?  I’m just supposed
to be available when you say?  When it suits you?  Is that how it works in your
world, Sean?”  She stepped closer to him, her stare fierce.  “Do you have any
idea what it was like for me?  Huh?  Dealing with the aftermath of Frank’s
choices—
and
yours
:  burying Danielle’s father; the media
scrutiny.  Pretending to the authorities and everyone else that I didn’t know
who killed Frank.  Pretending that I didn’t have a clue who rescued my daughter
from those animals!  Not to mention, believing you were dead!”  She gulped air
and expelled it quickly.  Her eyes narrowed and she shook her head deliberately
as she stepped back.  “No.  You don’t get to decide whether we’re over or not. 
I do
,” she said indignantly, her palm landing squarely on her chest.

He remained silent for a few
moments, searching her eyes, reading her body language.  He could see and feel
her anguish, anger, and fear.  Fear that he would leave her again.  She was in
fight or flight mode right now, and he needed to keep her fighting—for them.  This
moment could easily fork either way with drastically different consequences,
and he needed to take her back in time so they could work their way forward.

“Why me?” he asked quietly,
hands back in his pockets.

The question clearly threw
her off course, as intended.  Her lashes fluttered, her eyes creased and she
stammered as she processed the simple question.  Sean could see Shayna
struggling to hold her impenetrable stance while trying to grasp what he was
asking.

“What are you asking me?” she
questioned warily.

He inched closer to her and
she didn’t back away.  “Why did you forgive me?” he said simply, without
pretense.  She exhaled sharply.  “Why me and no one else?”  She ran her fingers
through her silky blonde hair, rubbing at the back of her neck and looking
away.  “Why, Shay?” he whispered, moving closer to her.

She stood still for a few
moments, appearing to be deep in thought and then she lifted her eyes to his
only to look away once again.  “Because you’re the only reason I still have
Danielle.”  Her voice was strong, but her body betrayed her.

He pressed closer.  “Why
else?”

After a few moments, she
finally focused her tormented eyes on his.  “Because I loved you too much to
lose you,” she said pointedly.  Before he could respond, she uttered with a
sigh, “But I lost you anyway.”  Shayna locked her arms tightly around herself
and stepped away, staring dejectedly out a window that overlooked a lush
garden.

Sean swallowed the urge to
take her in his arms and instead said, “If you feel any guilt about what I did,
you shouldn’t.  It was my choice, right or wrong.”

“It was wrong,” she said
quickly and decisively.  “You should have made a different choice.  You
could
have made a different choice.  But you didn’t.  And now you have to live with
that.”  She shook her head regretfully.  “What you did hurt so many people,
Sean.  My daughter doesn’t have a father anymore.  I know that Frank’s choices
put Danielle in that horrifying situation, but I also know he would never have
intentionally done anything that would harm her.  He loved her more than
anything.”  Shayna breathed deeply before releasing her burden.  “The guilt I
feel isn’t what you think it is.  Not anymore.”

She fell silent, as she
appeared to be watching the past in front of her.  Sean moved in closer,
standing behind her.  “What could you possibly have to feel guilty about,
Shay?”

She remained silent for a few
beats.

“I don’t want to say it out
loud.  It’s bad enough that I think it,” she said weakly.

“You need to get rid of it,
Shay.  You need to say it.”  He decided it was time to take a chance and he slipped
his arms around hers, wrapping her loosely against him.  She didn’t fight him
and he could feel her body relax a bit.  He whispered next to her ear, “You can
tell me.”  Then he lightly brushed his lips across the shell of her ear,
noticing the slow rise and fall of her lashes along with the subtle hitch in
her breath.  However, he could still feel the tension and internal struggle in
her body.

“I feel like,” she chewed
anxiously at her lip and then sighed, “he deserved it,” she said with a
whisper, closing her eyes and dragging in a pained, ragged breath.  “Not
because of what he did to me, but because of what almost happened to Danielle
and,” she paused, “for dragging you into it and causing you to leave, for
killing you—
almost
killing you in Mexico.  I blame him for so much.” 
She shuddered.  “And I can’t get what you said out of my head.  If we’d never
met...I wouldn’t have my daughter right now.  It makes me sick every time I
think about how different the ending would’ve been, if not for you, and your
friends.”  Tears streamed down her face, and Sean gently wiped them away.  When
he felt the fight leave her body and she leaned into him, he turned her,
pressing her against his chest.  Shayna burrowed against him, arms gliding
around his back, squeezing him so tightly he smiled in relief and gratitude.

Nuzzling against her sweet-smelling
hair, he said tenderly, “If you can forgive me,” he held her tighter, “then you
have to be able to forgive yourself, Shay.  They’re just thoughts.  You’re not
even the one who did anything wrong.”

He caressed her arms and
back.  She felt so good—like home.  He sighed contentedly, cradling her head
and tugging her even closer.  When her body completely relaxed against his, he
began.

“I didn’t come back because I
believed you were better off without me.  I didn’t really think you could
forgive me, that you should forgive me.”  He paused, inhaling her sweet scent. 
“I got Scotty here on false pretenses in the beginning—a job opening, that
ultimately worked into a real opportunity—for both of us.  I liked him the
moment I met him at Jack’s that time.  Remember?”  Shayna nodded against his
chest and he kissed the top of her head.  “Sometimes you meet people and
there’s an instant connection.  You just know it’s going to work.”  His thumb skimmed
across her cheek.  “We know something about that, don’t we?”  They snuggled
closer to one another.  “I was vague but explained what I could to Scotty.  He
was really pissed at first, but eventually came around and agreed to be my
stand-in, to visit you every month.  Even though I didn’t think I deserved you,
I had to be a part of your life somehow.  Scotty did that for me.”

“What changed your mind?  Why
am I here now?”

He sighed and squeezed his
arms tighter around her.  “I’m selfish.  I didn’t want to do it anymore.”

“Do what?”

“Any of this...without you.” 
He waited a few moments, soaking up the warmth from her body melding against
his.  “Obviously, I knew your plans, so I had Scotty bring you to me.  I
decided it was time to find out if you really had forgiven me, or if you
hadn’t, if there was any way you could.”  He eased back to assess Shayna
seriously for a few moments.  “You really have, haven’t you?”  She nodded
solemnly.

Sean drew in a deep breath.  “I
am sorry, Shay.”  He paused and gently pushed the hair back from her eyes.  “But
I’m only sorry that what I did hurt you and Danielle.”  She blinked back her
tears, nodding quickly.  “I’m two different people, Shay.  When I’m in mission
mode, I’m like a machine.  The things I do and say—”