First Impressions

pressed a hand to her throbbing temple. “So have I,” she murmured.
    “You’ll hear from my lawyer,” Anne told her. Turning on her heel, she glided from the room, exiting gracefully.
    Shane stood beside the desk until she heard the slam of the front door. Bursting into tears, she crumpled into a chair.

Chapter 11
    Vance sat in the one decent chair he had in the living room. Impatiently, he checked his watch. He should have been with Shane ten minutes ago. And would have been, he thought with a glance at the front door, if the phone hadn’t caught him as he’d been leaving the house. Resigned, he listened to the problems listed by the manager of his Washington branch. Though it wasn’t said in words, Vance was aware there was some grumbling in the ranks that the boss had taken a sabbatical.
    “And with the union dispute, the construction on the Wolfe project is three weeks behind schedule,” the manager continued. “I’ve been informed that there will be a delay in delivery of the steel on the Rheinstone site—possibly a lengthy one. I’m sorry to bother you with this, Mr. Banning, but as these two projects are of paramount importance to the firm, particularly with the bids going out on the shopping mall Rheinstone is planning, I felt . . .”
    “Yes, I understand.” Vance cut off what promised to be a detailed explanation. “Put a double shift on the Wolfe project until we’re back on schedule.”
    “A double shift? But—”
    “We contracted for completion by April first,” Vance said mildly. “The increase in payroll will be less than the payment of the penalty clause, or the damage to the firm’s reputation.”
    “Yes, sir.”
    “And have Liebewitz check into the steel delivery. If it’s not taken care of satisfactorily by Monday, I’ll handle it from here.” Picking up a pencil, Vance made a scrawled note on a pad. “As to the Rheinstone bid, I looked it over myself last week. I see no problem.” He scowled at the floor a moment. “Set up a meeting with the department heads for the end of next week. I’ll be in. In the meantime,” he added slowly, “send someone . . . Masterson,” he decided, “up here to scout out locations for a new branch.”
    “New branch? Up there, Mr. Banning?”
    The tone had a smile tugging at his mouth. “Have him concentrate on the Hagerstown area and give me a report. I want a list of viable locations in two weeks.” He checked his watch again. “Is there anything else?”
    “No, sir.”
    “Good. I’ll be in next week.” Without waiting for a reply, Vance broke the connection.
    His last orders, he thought ruefully, would put them into quite a stir. Well, he reflected, Riverton had expanded before; it was going to expand again. For the first time in years, the company was going to bring him some personal happiness. He would be able to settle down with the woman he loved, where he chose to settle down, and still keep a firm rein on his business. If he had to justify the new branch to the board, which he would certainly have to do, he would point out that Hagerstown was the largest city in Maryland. There was also its proximity to Pennsylvania to consider . . . and to West Virginia. Yes, he mused, the expansion could be justified to the board easily enough. His track record would go a long way toward swaying them.
    Rising, Vance shrugged back into his coat. All he had left to do now was to talk to Shane. Not for the first time, he speculated on her reaction. She was bound to be a bit stunned when he told her he wasn’t precisely the unemployed carpenter she had taken him for. And he hadn’t discounted the possibility that she might be angry with him for allowing her to go on believing him to be one. Vance felt a slight tug of apprehension as he stepped out into the cold, clear night.
    There was a stiff breeze whipping in from the west. It sent stiff, dead leaves scattering and smelled faintly of snow. With his mind fully occupied, Vance never noticed the old stag fifty yards to his right, scenting the air and watching him.
    He’d never set out to deceive her, he reminded himself. When they had first met, it had been none of Shane’s business who he was. More, he added thoughtfully, he had simply wanted to shake loose of his company title for a while and be exactly what she had perceived him to be. Had there been any way of knowing she would become more important to him than anything else in his life? Could he have guessed that