Claimed by the Irishman

By Patrice Patterson

Sexy, blue-eyed Patrick MacPherson had been told by his Irish grandfather years ago that it doesn't take rocket science to know when you love someone, you know it instantly in your heart—and Patrick truly believed him.

When he meets the beautiful dark caramel-colored Shaniece Maxwell, for Patrick it's love at first sight. With her heart broken by an unfaithful ex-fiancee, will Patrick be able to convince her to give love a second chance and that he is the only man that she will ever need?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Patrice Patterson
• Release date: Apr 9, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310966781

Book preview

Claimed by the Irishman

Copyright 2015 Patrice Patterson

License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Acknowledgements

This book is a work of fiction. All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. All characters, events, and incidents in this book are a product of the author's imagination.

Chapter One

Twenty-seven year old Shaniece Maxwell took another bite of her grilled salmon as she sat at her mother's kitchen table. She and her mom made it a point to share at least two meals together per week, even though Shaniece had moved out of her mother's home and into her own apartment five years ago.

Shaniece's deep brown eyes slitted in concern as her mother, Delores, spoke into her home phone, then placed her hand over her chest.

Shaniece immediately stood in alarm. Her fifty-one year old mother had had a weak heart, for at least the last decade. She rushed over to the woman who had given birth to her, concern written all over her beautiful face. Mom, are you okay?

Delores Maxwell slowly disconnected the call and closed her eyes, still clutching her chest. She took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself down.

Shaniece quickly took the phone from her Mom's hand. I'm calling 9-1-1.

Delores shook her head and placed her hand over her daughter's. No, no...that won't be necessary this time, Shaniece. I'll be okay. Just give me a few minutes.

Shaniece frowned, still prepared to make the call—in very much the same way she had two years ago when her mother had had a mild heart attack.

She took her mom's arm. Well, what's wrong Mama? Who was that on the telephone?

Delores shook her dark head again. At fifty-one, there was not a gray strand of hair in sight. That was William Broadnax on the phone...you know, my attorney. He wanted to give me a heads up. The woman paused for a moment, a frown marring her face. Apparently Southern Style Occasions is being investigated under suspicions of money laundering activities.

Shaniece grimaced. Southern Style Occasions was the name of the catering business that her mother had started nine years ago. Delores had managed to turn her start-up into an overwhelming success.

Money laundering! That's impossible, Mom. You'd never do anything like that!

Delores nodded head. She would never do anything like that, but apparently her accountant and business manager of the last five years had. Either way, as the business owner, who had signed off on all of the paperwork for her unincorporated company, she'd be directly embroiled in the situation and probably even taken to court.

It seemed to Shaniece, as if her mother would collapse at any moment. The doctors had warned them many times that stressors like this were not good for her weak heart.

Come on, Mom. Let's get you to a seat.

Delores allowed her only child to sit her down. She looked up at her daughter's pretty brown face with despair in her eyes. I don't know what I'm going to do about this, Shaniece.

Her mother may not have known what she was going to do, but Shaniece knew what she had to do. She had to find out the name of the lead prosecutor, and then she would have to go talk to that person—try to reason with them on her mother's behalf. There was no way she could let her innocent mother be dragged through a messy court case. There was a very real chance she wouldn't survive the stress. Just hearing the news of the pending investigation was about to take her out.

Shaniece smiled and looked into her mother's worried eyes. Try not to concern yourself with this too much mom. I will talk to one of the attorneys downtown at my office. I'll come up with some way to handle this. I'll make everything okay.

Shaniece gave her mother a hug. She didn't know how she was going to do it, but she knew like hell that she would find a way. If talking to the prosecutor didn't help, then she wasn't sure what her next step would be—but her mother would not be going into anyone's courthouse to face charges for something that she hadn't known about, and hadn't done. Shaniece was going to make damned sure of that.

CHAPTER 2

A week later, lead state prosecutor, Jordan Cox, smiled at the beautiful caramel-colored woman who sat across from his desk in his private office. He had gotten the details of