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He stared at Ashley in stunned surprise. “What’s going on here?”
Cord smiled, hugging her close. “My wife and I are back together, and we’re expecting a son in about three weeks.”
Dan’s skin held a distinct pallor. “It’s your baby?”
Ashley couldn’t prevent the gasp that escaped. “Who else’s would it be?”
“I’m sorry,” Dan muttered. “I didn’t mean to upset you, Ashley. Everybody knew you and Cord hadn’t been able to have children, and then there was talk that you and—” He stopped midsentence. “Forget it. Obviously it wasn’t true.”
“You mean that rumor Sheila spread about me and Greg Ferris?”
She noticed a shadow in Cord’s eyes before her glance flicked to Dan who had the grace to look sheepish. “I don’t remember. Maybe.”
“Besides Cord and me, she’s done Greg and Bonnie a terrible injustice. Especially when he was the one instrumental in getting Cord and me back together. For the record, I conceived our baby right before Cord and I separated. The doctor said we made medical history.”
“That’s wonderful!” Emily ejaculated, clearly thrilled by the news. It warmed Ashley’s heart, but she could tell Cord was upset.
He rose to his imposing height. “We were hoping you would be happy for us, Dan, but that isn’t the reason we’re here.” With his powerful legs slightly apart he said, “We’ve been friends too many years for our association to end like this. How come it took Sheila to tell me that you had resigned? If there were serious problems, why didn’t you unload to me before I checked into the hospital?”
Ashley noticed that he couldn’t look Cord in the eye. Something was terribly wrong.
“I thought it would be better this way.”
Cord shook his head. “Not better for the company surely. The fact is, before too much longer, the board will be voting you in as the new CEO.”
Dan looked up at him, dazed. “Sheila’s never going to let that happen.”
His dark brows quirked. “Obviously you know something that I don’t.”
Ashley could tell that Dan was squirming inwardly. “Cord—” he began, then hesitated, but there was a wealth of pain mixed with anguish in that one word.
“You don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to. It can keep. But I’m letting you know… Sheila is on her way out and she doesn’t have a choice.”
Dan grimaced. “The only way that could happen is if you voted against her.”
“That’s right.”
Now it was Dan’s turn to stand up. “But I don’t understand. I thought—” He paused again and scratched his head. “Your dad—”
“I don’t want to talk about my father,” Cord interrupted, his mouth twisting unpleasantly. “You know the old saying. You can’t choose your relatives. Sheila’s never been good for the company.”
At this point Ashley got up from the couch and put her arm through Cord’s. “She has hurt a lot of people in the past, including Cord’s mother. She’s still trying to come between Cord and me. We’re not going to let it happen again.”
For that show of loyalty, Cord bestowed a kiss on her temple. “It’s time we all closed ranks on Sheila, Dan. It’s going to take a little planning and strategy, but we can do it.
“Why don’t you stay out of the office until the end of the week? On Monday we’ll both show up for work as usual. When she asks you what you’re doing there, you can tell her the truth. That you changed your mind. That’s all she needs to know.
“We’ll proceed as normal until it’s time to give her her walking papers. Think about it and phone me befor
e the weekend is over. Right now my wife is swaying on her feet. I need to get her to bed.”
Cord spoke the truth. Since Sheila’s visit, Ashley had been on an emotional roller coaster and was truly exhausted.
The older couple walked them to the door. “I’ll call you,” Dan agreed at last.
“Bless you for coming over tonight,” Emily added. “As for you, Ashley, Cord’s right. You’re about ready to topple.”
“I’ll take care of her.”
