CUPID'S BOW (MADARIS SERIES Book 2)

  Love, Passion and Promise

  An Imprint of the Madaris Publishing Company

  www.madarispublishing.com

  LOVE, PASSION AND PROMISE books are

  published by

  The Madaris Publishing Company P O Box 28267

  Jacksonville, FL 32226

  Cupid’s Bow / Copyright 2008 by Brenda S. Jackson

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher.

  Love, Passion and Promise is a trademark of the Madaris Publishing Company. The Love, Passion and Promise logo is a trademark and registered trademark.

  Printed in the United States of America

  AUTHOR BRENDA JACKSON BRINGS YOU THREE

  UNFORGETTABLE STORIES UNDER HER LOVE, PASSION AND PROMISE IMPRINT

  Acknowledgements

  The Madaris Family and Friends Series

  Special Acknowledgement

  Prologue

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Epilogue

  Special thanks to the love of my life, Gerald Jackson, Sr. who was, and still is, the wind beneath my wings.

  And to my Heavenly Father, who loves me and gives me the talent to write and the desire to reach my full potential.

  THE MADARIS FAMILY AND FRIENDS SERIES

  Tonight and Forever (Justin Madaris)

  Cupid’s Bow (Kyle Garwood, Madaris Friend)

  Whispered Promises (Dex Madaris)

  Eternally Yours (Clayton Madaris)

  One Special Moment (Sterling Hamilton, Madaris Friend)

  Fire and Desire (Trevor Grant, Madaris Friend)

  Truly Everlasting (Felicia Madaris & Trask Maxwell)

  Secret Love (Jake Madaris)

  True Love (Nicholas Chenault, Sterling Hamilton’s brother)

  Surrender (Colonel Ashton Sinclair, Madaris Friend)

  Strictly Business (Gina Grant, Sister of Trevor Grant)

  The Midnight Hour (Sir Drake Warren, Madaris Friend)

  Unfinished Business (Christy Madaris & Alex Maxwell)

  Slow Burn (Slade Madaris)

  Taste of Passion (Luke Madaris)

  Seduced by A Stranger (Sheikh Rasheed Valedon, Madaris Friend)

  Sensual Confessions (Blade Madaris)

  Inseparable (Reese Madaris)

  Courting Justice (Peyton Mahoney & DeAngelo DiMeglio – Friends of the Madaris Family)

  A Madaris Bride for Christmas (Lee Madaris Story)

  A Very Merry Romance (Jonathan & Marilyn Madaris, parents of Justin, Dex, Clayton & Christy)

  Best Laid Plans (Nolan Madaris)

  Follow Your Heart (A Madaris/Catalina Cove Book) (Victoria Madaris)

  ALL THE BOOKS IN THIS SERIES ARE AVAILABLE IN E-BOOKS, PRINT BOOKS AND AUDIO WHEREVER BOOKS ARE SOLD.

  SPECIAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

  The poem “My Love Is Yours” was written by Brenda Jackson.

  This card is perfect. A satisfied smile covered sixteen-year-old Kimara Stafford’s face. She had been standing for the longest time studying the vast display of Valentine’s Day cards, trying to pick out the special one for Kyle Garwood, the son of her parents’ best friends.

  There was no doubt in her mind that she was truly in love with him. She thought of him every waking moment and constantly daydreamed over a picture she had of him.

  She never thought much of the fact that he was eight years older than she was. All she knew and cared about was that she truly loved him and had always loved him, but had kept her feelings a secret.

  Tonight, that would change.

  “Haven’t you picked out a card yet?”

  Kimara turned around to her friend Sandy. She nodded, holding up the card. “I think this one is perfect.” She opened the card and read the verses aloud. “See, it’s just the card to give an older man. It’s not mushy.”

  Sandy nodded in agreement. “When will you give it to him?”

  Kimara smiled dreamily. “Tonight. He’s flying in from Massachusetts, where he’s attending grad school at Harvard. My parents and I are going to the Garwoods’ for dinner. Kyle’s grandfather will be there too.”

  “It must be nice to have a crush on a twenty-four- year-old man.”

  “I don’t have a crush on Kyle,” Kimara murmured softly. “What I feel for him is true love-- the real thing-- and not some puppy-love or teenage hero- worship stuff.”

  She grabbed Sandy’s arm and pulled her toward the checkout counter. “Come on, let’s go. I want to look my best when I see Kyle tonight.”

  Later that evening, after Kimara and her parents arrived at the Garwoods’ home, Kyle walked in with a beautiful woman at his side. He introduced her to everyone as his fiancée, and went on to announce they would be getting married the following year on Valentine’s Day.

  Everyone was so busy congratulating the couple that no one noticed Kimara’s stricken face, the tears gathering in her eyes, or the huge envelope she’d been holding being discreetly dropped in the wastebasket, just moments before she quietly slipped from the room.

  No one noticed, except Kyle’s grandfather.

  Ten years later

  “What stipulation!”

  Kyle Garwood V’s voice did nothing to hide the anger he felt as he towered over the man sitting behind the huge mahogany desk. “I think you had better explain just what you’re talking about.”

  Mason Long straightened in his chair. “It was your grandfather’s wishes that the terms of his will be followed. He has stipulated that in order for you to inherit the entire Garwood fortune, you must marry within sixty days of his death.”

  Kyle gave him a piercing glare, one known to stop men dead in their tracks. “If this is a joke, Mason, I’m not laughing.”

  Mason nervously patted the top of his head. “It’s not a joke,” he said with a wry grimace. “If you refuse to follow through with the conditions set forth, a hefty bulk of the Garwood fortune will be divided among your grandfather’s favorite charities. The only companies you’ll have exclusive control over are those left to you by your father.”

  Kyle turned away from the attorney and walked over to the window. Frustrated creases angled in toward the corners of his eyes. Leave it to his grandfather to pull one over on him, even at the end. Taking a deep breath, he let his gaze stare out the window at the view before him. Downtown Atlanta, a metropolis of streets filled with honking cars, curious sounds and huge glass skyscrapers. The city had been the home of the Garwoods for nearly one hundred years.

  The family had settled in Atlanta not long after the first Kyle Garwood began working as a young chemist alongside Booker T. Washington at Tuskegee Institute. While there, Garwood developed a formula that had basically revolutionized the black hair industry. As a result, Garwood Hair Products were introduced, and Garwood Industries founded. From there they had expanded into black cosmetics and later clothing and entertainment. There weren’t too many money-making ventures Garwood Industries had not touched, making the Garwoods one of the wealthiest black families in America.

  Kyle turned around. “Why did he do it?”

  Mason leaned back in his chair. “Because he knew you would never marry by choice, so he decided to force you into it.”

  “He was right. I would never marry by choice,” Kyle said, remembering the reason why. Nine years ago he’d been engaged to be married on Valentine’s Day, but had called it off after
finding his fiancée in bed with another man the day before the wedding. He swore after that he would never be fool enough to trust his love to another woman again. And that was one vow he planned on keeping.

  Mason leaned back as far as his comfortable chair permitted, and studied Kyle. He had been his grandfather’s attorney for the past five years, and had been appalled over the conditions his client had ordered to be added to his will just months before his fatal heart attack. Kyle represented the fifth generation of Garwoods, and had a reputation for three things: good looks, being irresistible to women, and money. Not necessarily in that order, but when you were a Garwood, the order of things didn’t matter.

  Kyle stood well over six feet tall, had broad shoulders, and was considered by many to be extremely handsome. His sable eyes, short curly black hair, and velvety copper skin were the trademark of the Garwood men and were known to melt the heart of even the most resistant female. At the age of thirty-four, he had a reputation of being one of America’s most eligible black bachelors.

  “I won’t marry, Mason.”

  “I think you should give it some consideration, Kyle. Just think of what you could stand to lose if you don’t.”

  “I’m wealthy in my own right, I don’t need my grandfather’s money,” Kyle snapped.

  “That may be true, but there’s never been anyone other than a Garwood in complete control of Garwood Industries. Are you willing to give up what’s rightfully yours?”

  Kyle turned back to the window, knowing the answer to Mason’s question without really thinking about it. He breathed in deeply, trying to get his rising anger under control. He had vowed years before to never let his grandfather bully him into anything, especially marriage. However, he would not let the old man get the best of him. If he needed a wife to inherit what was rightfully his, then so be it. He would marry a woman to adhere to the conditions in the will. Then, within a reasonable time, the marriage would be dissolved. Of course, he would make sure the woman received a nice settlement for her trouble.

  A mocking grin touched Kyle’s lips. He would contact his own attorney immediately. Afterward, he would contact Splendor Ray, the model he was currently seeing. Splendor wasn’t wife material, but she would do for a quick marriage followed by an even quicker divorce. Quickies were her specialty.

  “All right, Mason, I’ll be married within the allotted time. The woman I plan to marry is presently out of the country and won’t--”

  “There are more conditions to the will,” Mason cut in.

  Kyle gave him a hard look. “What else is there?”

  Mason straightened in his seat and plunged forward. “Your grandfather has chosen the woman for you to marry.”

  “He did what!”

  Mason cleared his throat. “I said he’s chosen the woman he wants you to marry, the woman he wants to continue the Garwood line. The conditions in his will not only stipulate that you must marry within sixty days of his death, but it names the woman he wants you to marry, and that the two of you must conceive a child within six months of your wedding night.”

  A look of disbelief and rage was evident in Kyle’s features. Muscles twitched in his jaw and his hands tightened into fists at his sides. Of all the idiotic things he’d ever heard. The old coot had gone too far this time. Way too far. While alive, Kyle Garwood III had thrived on trying to run his grandson’s life just as much as he’d thrived on running the family empire. The older man had had a reputation of being a corporate gambler, one willing to take a chance on just about anything, especially if he thought Garwood Industries would profit in the end.

  Kyle couldn’t help wondering if his grandfather had been so desperate for him to settle down and produce an heir that he’d been willing to risk the entire family fortune on such a proposition-- correction-- stipulation? Kyle distractedly patted the top of his head, already knowing the answer to his questions. Yes, his grandfather would take such a gamble. He would do just about anything to make sure his only grandchild had an heir to pass the company down to someday. Even if it meant forcing him into a loveless marriage. The idea was crazy, and Kyle had no intention of going along with anything so preposterous.

  “I won’t do it.”

  Mason shrugged at Kyle’s outburst. “If you decide not to follow through with your grandfather’s wishes, I’ll have no choice but to enforce the terms of the will.”

  “I’ll have it nullified and have my grandfather declared incompetent at the time it was written,” Kyle threatened, his anger reaching the boiling point.

  “That wouldn’t be a good idea, Kyle,” Mason cautioned. “Just think of what a move such as that will do to Garwood stock. Surely you don’t want to jeopardize the current position of your own companies, and those of your father’s that were given to you. Besides, no one will think your grandfather’s request odd. He’d made it public numerous times that he wanted his only grandson to settle down, get married, and produce an heir. People will view this only as his last effort to make sure that you do so.”

  Kyle’s gaze again found the view outside the window. A ray of sunshine shone in the midday sky and bathed the area with dazzling light. However, the situation for him appeared bleak.

  “Who is she?” he asked in a curt tone. “Just who is this paragon who found such favor in his eyes?”

  Mason cleared his throat. “I understand you’ve known her for quite a while. Your grandfather was extremely fond of her. She’s a young lady by the name of Kimara Stafford.”

  Kyle turned to face Mason. A look of incredulity on his face. “Kimara Stafford! Chubs?”

  Kyle’s thoughts immediately fell on the woman his grandfather had chosen for him to marry and get pregnant. He couldn’t help but remember the sweet but otherwise forgettable kid who used to follow him around. The Garwoods and Staffords were neighbors and the two families had been very close for nearly a hundred years. In fact, both his and Kimara’s parents had been killed when a private plane his father was piloting had crashed en route to the Garwood-Stafford retreat in the mountains of North Carolina, following a Morehouse vs. Howard football game in D.C.

  Kyle had known Kimara Stafford from the day she was born, and the one thing he remembered above all else was that she loved to eat and as a result she’d had a weight problem. He would never forget how the overweight girl, who had been given the nickname Chubs, preferred remaining inside the house, shoving Twinkies and chocolate bars down her throat, to playing outside. He saw very little of her when he got older except for summers, when he came home from college. The last time he had seen her was at their parents’ funerals eight years earlier. At the age of eighteen, she still had been the non-slim, non-trim Kim. He could just imagine how she looked now.

  “I will not marry Kimara Stafford.”

  “I suggest you think about this before you make a decision.”

  “There’s nothing to think about. Has she been told about my grandfather’s ridiculous request?”

  “Yes, I spoke with her yesterday after the funeral services.”

  Kyle frowned. He didn’t recall seeing anyone who fit Kimara Stafford’s description at the funeral. “You didn’t waste any time telling her, did you, Mason?” he sneered.

  “I was merely carrying out your grandfather’s orders. He requested that the terms of the will be explained to the two of you separately, as soon as possible, preferably with her first.”

  “And what was her reaction?” Kyle asked.

  “She handled the news better than I expected. She thought the world of your grandfather and felt that although she didn’t agree with what he did, she understood why he did it.”

  “What do you mean she understood? Are you implying that she wants to go along with my grandfather’s stupid plan?”

  “No, Kyle. I’m not implying anything. There are no added incentives for Miss Stafford to marry you. Inheriting Stafford Publishing upon her parents’ death made her a wealthy lady in her own right. Also, your grandfather left her a sizable trust, among
other things, with no conditions attached. I got the distinct impression that Miss Stafford doesn’t want to marry you any more than you want to marry her.”

  Kyle let out a sigh of relief. However, Mason’s words didn’t sit too well with him. What did he mean that Kimara Stafford didn’t want to marry him? Just who did she think she was anyway? He not wanting to marry her was one thing, she not wanting to marry him was another.

  “So the heiress of Stafford Publishing thinks she can afford to be picky?”

  “And with good reason. Not long after her parents’ death, under the recommendation of your grandfather she turned the running of Stafford Publishing over to a very capable CEO, who has done an outstanding job. The company is second in the nation behind Johnson Publishing. She worked at Stafford Publishing for a while after college, and then decided to venture into other things. Miss Stafford is the co-owner of the Golden Flame Catering Services.”

  “A catering service? For some reason, that doesn’t surprise me. She always had a fondness for food.”

  Mason raised his eyes toward the ceiling. “The Golden Flame is a very successful business here in Atlanta, Kyle. I might add that it’s been the recipient of numerous cooking awards and rave reviews. Since you spend most of your time in New York, you’re probably not aware of that.”

  “You’re right,” he replied coldly. “I’m not. And it sounds to me like Miss Stafford is an extremely busy woman. Too busy for a rebellious husband and a screaming baby. Since neither she nor I have any desire to marry or become parents, I’m positive our lawyers can come up with some suitable solution where we’ll all be happy.”

  “Kyle, I don’t think you fully understand,” Mason spoke quickly. “Please feel free to consult your own attorney, but trust me, the will is airtight. There’s nothing anyone can do. Your grandfather made absolutely sure of that. If you’re not married to Miss Stafford within sixty days, and if she’s not pregnant within six months of your wedding night, I have no choice but to enforce the terms of the will.”