This ebook is part 3 of Lynn Bradley's Jordan-McKeon Love Stories Trilogy.
Ben and Mikie come to the conclusion that they are finally rid of Adam Carpenter. Unfortunately things are not as they seem and Adam again attempts to ruin their marriage and business.
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Excerpt:
It was a beautiful Wednesday afternoon in the middle of June.
She was sitting in the big leather chair looking out of the office window across the bay. She could see one of the tourist boats, coming back from its trip to the grim island prison of Alcatraz. She let her mind drift back to the first time she had come to the city. It all seemed two lifetimes away now. Her father had asked her to come to San Francisco to open a new office for him. In the first week she was here, she had done the whole tourist bit. Seeing all the sights, visiting the recommended places and eating in the best restaurants. She had been like a schoolgirl away from her parents for the first time. She had been in awe of the city. It was unlike any other she had been to. When she first saw the office building in which she now sat, was empty she immediately bought it and claimed this very office as her own. From here she could see the bay. The most awe inspiring view was of the expanse of Golden Gate Bridge. Next to that was the building across the square. The Jordan Security building. She smiled as she thought of Ben sitting in his identical chair. She had grown used to the sights and sounds of the big city and knew she would miss it. But she also missed the tranquillity of her real home, Millbank Hall.
Millbank, situated in northern England, was the ancestral home of the McKeon family. Her father Earl Henry McKeon was the Sixteenth Earl of Borders. Her mother Countess Margaret was originally from the south of the country but had fallen under the Millbank spell as soon as she had seen the huge house. Almost everyone Mikie knew had fallen under the same spell. Including Ben. It was Ben's idea to live there. He had decided that it was time to hand the business over to the children and take semi-retirement. Mikie remembered the smile on his face when she agreed. The children were old enough to look after things and she was very happy to go back to Millbank.
The eldest of the children, Kate was thirty five. Ben's daughter from a relationship he had in high school. He had found out about her by chance two years earlier when he was in New York on business. Abby, Kate's mother, died of Motor Neurone Disease. Ben had been very happy to discover he had a daughter, son-in-law and three grandchildren. Mikie was also happy that Kate had been found. They were all now very much a part of the family. Kate helped to run the charity organisations Mikie had set up for young people. Her husband Peter, an accountant, was now the Financial Director of Jordan/McKeon, U.S. Division.
Mikie had brought four children of her own into the marriage. Her son Brett and daughter Alesha were now twenty six. They had both married the previous April.
Alesha, or Ali as she preferred, and her husband David were entrusted with running the San Francisco Offices of Jordan/McKeon Enterprises. They had taken over the running of both businesses as ducks take to water. They followed the lead of their parents by helping each other to sort out any problems.
Mikie was extremely proud of her two eldest children. Their father had drowned before they were born so she had brought them up with the help of her own parents.
Her daughter Tamara was now studying Medicine at Oxford University in England.
Mikie had married Jack Stanmore a year after arriving in San Francisco. It was not a match made in heaven. Jack had had a number of affairs, much to the disgust of Ben who was his business partner and best friend. When Mikie gave birth to twins Tamara and Greg, she thought it would make Jack settle down. Unfortunately, Greg had been born with Downs Syndrome. This made Jack worse. He idolised Tara but would have little to do with Greg. This drove the wedge between Mikie and Jack to breaking point and he left her when the twins were four years old. Ben had tried to console her. Mikie realised that he was in love with her but would do nothing about it as he was in a relationship. She had returned to England to spend time at home.
When Jack died from Cancer, Ben travelled to England to find her. Within days, he had told her how he felt. How he had felt since the first time he met her. Mikie also admitted her true feelings. They married and now, even after twelve years, they were still very much in love with each other. This fact sometimes embarrassed Ali as they could act like a couple of love-sick teenagers.
Just after they married, Mikie found she was pregnant and was elated when Jessica had been born. She found motherhood, this time, very difficult and suffered a bout of depression which almost destroyed the happiness she had found with Ben.
Tom, their youngest son, was born two years later. There were complications following his birth and Mikie had to undergo an emergency hysterectomy. Ben took over looking after Tom while she recovered. He doted on all of his children, accepting Mikie's older children as his own without question.
Ben had helped her through Cancer. He had thought he would lose her as she was so ill, but she came through. Mikie was grateful that he had the strength to help her. She knew Jack would have left her to fight on her own.