The Inheritance (The Donatelli Series) Read Free Page A

gone public years ago, it was still the Banner family legacy. Edward Banner had kept a sizeable thirty-seven percent of the stock, and he’d asked Blade to do his best to maintain the integrity of the company. Blade’s grandfather didn’t expect him to work for the company, but he did expect him to be a member of the Board of Directors. That was fine with Blade, but the stock wouldn’t be his until he married.
    Before he could grant his grandfather’s dying wish, he had to find himself a wife.

Chapter Two
    B lade had just changed the oil in his Harley when a white cat came racing across the driveway, followed by a shaggy little dog. The cat sailed over the top of the bike, but the dog missed. She knocked the bike over and her front legs landed in the pan of used oil. The pan flipped up and dumped all over the front of the dog. Oil ran down the driveway and soaked into the asphalt, and the front half of the gray and white dog had turned black.
    “Get that mutt out of here,” he yelled at two little boys.
    The older one burst into tears and the little one’s bottom lip stuck out.
    “Mommy just gave her a bath.” the older one said, tears streaming down his face.
    Blade already had oil on his clothes, and he never could stand to see kids cry, so he scooped up the little dog and carried her to the sink in the back of the garage.
    What did people use to wash dogs? “Hey you,” he said to the older boy. “Go into the kitchen and get the dishwashing soap from under the sink.”
    “Mommy uses shampoo,” said the little one.
    “Yeah, well, I don’t think shampoo will cut the oil.” Blade rinsed the spider webs out of the sink, ran some warm water, and lowered the dog into the water. The older kid handed him the soap, which Blade squirted all over the dog. “What’s your name, kid?”
    “Andy,” said the bigger kid, “and this is Jimmy. Is Daisy gonna be okay?”
    “Sure, no problem.” Wrong. He’d used too much soap. The more water he splashed on the dog, the thicker the suds grew, and the dirty oil turned it black until it resembled slimy mud. The little dog got more slippery by the second. Daisy had turned into a swamp creature.
    “Hey, Andy, look in the kitchen for a plastic glass or bowl or something I can use to rinse her. Jimmy, go in the bathroom and bring me a couple towels.”
    “Mommy said we shouldn’t go in anyone’s house without asking her.”
    “This is an emergency.” Mommy would probably kill him when she learned he’d undone that lesson. He pictured some screeching matron coming at him with a rolling pin.
    Both boys ran into the house. Cute kids, if you liked kids.
    He lifted the front of the dog to scrub the chest and tummy and front legs, which had gotten the most oil, and then he lowered her into the water again. The fluffy little pooch looked skinny and pathetic with her fur matted down with black slime. She shook, sending black soapy water and oily bubbles all over him. “Hey, hold still.”
    “What are you doing to my dog?” He couldn’t see the woman, but her voice sounded angry.
    “Trying to wash the oil off. What does it look like I’m doing?”
    “Trying to drown her.”
    He glanced over his shoulder and saw the most stunning women he’d ever set eyes on. She had short, dark brown hair that waved back from her face and dark, flashing eyes. A long-sleeved, red T-shirt outlined magnificent breasts, and tight jeans hugged her lower body. This was Mommy? No mother he’d ever known looked like that.
    “I could use some help here, lady. This is one slippery pooch.”
    She stepped up beside him, took one look at the dog, and asked, “What did you use on her?”
    “Dishwashing soap. It spilled.” She didn’t have to know that he’d used almost half the bottle.
    Andy handed him a plastic bowl and Blade used one hand to scoop the already black water over the dog’s back. The kid’s eyes had grown and he kept shooting fearful looks at the woman. Yep, this was