Katherine's mother died on a Saturday, six weeks later.

Despite her father's insistence that she remain until things were settled, as soon as the funeral was over, Katherine was on the first flight back to New York. There was nothing left for her in Charleston, and neither her father not her sisters needed her.

Upon her return, Katherine's first phone call was to Laura Stevens, her agent. The sooner she got back on the modeling circuit, the better. Thankfully Laura had something for her in Milan, Italy, the following week.

It was a challenging week. She had lost some weight which the designers loved. The consensus was the thinner the model, the better the clothes were featured. The work was just what she needed to forget about her mother and Alistair for a while.

Katherine had spent the last ten years running away from home and all that it represented, and that had defined her. Now that she didn't need to run, she wasn't sure about anything. She had lost her mother, who was her past, and she had lost Alistair, who had been her present, but what was her future?

Was it Alistair? Was it her career? Was it a one-bedroom walk-up with twenty cats?

After Milan, she headed to London to attend a production meeting for the show she hosted. It was a ghost hunter show. It featured a group of ghost hunters who traveled all over England investigating haunted houses and buildings. Katherine played the skeptic and was always ready with an eye roll when they found something. The viewers seemed to love it.

The only issue that crept up from time to time was the crew's desire to investigate the Earl of Pennington's estate in Kent, which belonged to Alistair Stevens and his family. It had almost been a go eight years earlier, but a family emergency had canceled the investigation, and it had never seemed to be an option after that.

"What about Hardd House in Kent? Do you think the Earl of Pennington would be up for it?" Robert Gore, the head investigator, asked as if reading Katherine's mind.

"It's worth a shot. Katherine, what are your thoughts?" KiKi Mann, the head of production, turned to her.

Katherine shrugged. "We can ask, but they've always put us off in the past, insisting that the house isn't haunted."

"That's just the reason we should investigate there. Can you imagine if we caught something!" Robert insisted, practically drooling.

"I'd like to catch the young earl, if you get what I mean," Susie Baker smiled at the thought.

"We get what you mean," J.D, the cameraman, shook his head. Susie was the youngest at twenty-three, and she was always looking for Mr. Perfect.

"You can talk to your agent. She's the aunt of the young earl, isn't she?" J.D. questioned Katherine.

"No, I cannot," Katherine shook her head. "If you want permission, you need to make an official ask through the proper channels. The Stevens are very particular about such things." They were sticklers for a contract, and she didn't want it to come across as if she was taking advantage of a friendship.

"You're no help!" Robert pouted as he leaned back in his seat.

"If you want it, schedule it first, then the others around it. Having a wide-open schedule will help. The family is very busy and travels quite a bit. If you allow them to name the date, it might go better than it has in the past." Katherine was unsure of why she was giving advice on the matter. It was the last thing she wanted to do. Wasn't it? She had to admit she would love to see the house.

They discussed it for a few minutes more, but Katherine remained silent, knowing she shouldn't have said anything in the first place. The meeting lasted another hour then she was off to the airport to fly back to New York.

Katherine had been away for almost a month, but now it was time to meet with her mother's lawyer and have the will read. As a beneficiary, she had to be present, and her father was chomping at the bit. She couldn't put him off any longer.

She was amazed that she had stood up to him for as long as she had.

*******

Two days later, Katherine stepped out of the hired car and looked at the massive skyscraper in front of her. She was dreading seeing her family again.

Katherine didn't realize how elegant she looked with her hair neatly coiled and her loose-flowing linen pantsuit. She was wearing three-inch platform sandals, which made her tower over almost everyone around her.

She entered the cool lobby of the building, pushed her sunglasses on her head, and slung her large leather handbag over her shoulder. She knew she was going to the office on the twentieth floor, and she was so busy trying to read the plaque next to the elevator to see what the lawyer's name was that she didn't pay enough attention when the time came to enter the elevator which caused her to walk into a hard wall of muscle.

She looked up as she was spun around by her elbows and saw Alistair looking down at her without a trace of his usual grin as he stepped backward and out of the elevator.

"Katherine," was all he said.

Katherine went to reach for him, but the door closed, separating them. She tried to push the open button, but it was too late. She was already zooming upwards.

Had it been her imagination? Had she wanted to see him so desperately that she had turned a total stranger into him? No, he had said her name.

It had shaken her so much that she took a few minutes before entering the office with the name Bryce Stevens next to it. At least that explained why Alistair had been in the building.

The big question was how and when had Bryce Stevens become her mother's lawyer.

She entered the quiet oasis and gave her name to the receptionist, who escorted her into a conference room where her father, three sisters, and Bryce Stevens were sitting around a large table.

"I apologize for being late. I ran into someone I knew in the lobby." Katherine smiled politely at the table as she gracefully slipped into a chair. She was still so upset by her run-in with Alistair that she missed her father's frown and her sister's open-mouthed stares.

"Katherine," Bryce greeted.

"Mr. Stevens." Katherine nodded in his direction. He was a handsome man, just like his son. His dark hair had turned grey, but his blue eyes were just as shocking.

"Shall we begin? This will be short. The terms are clear and well-defined. Bryce looked down at a set of papers in front of him.

"Yes. I'm sorry that Katherine was late, and we have already taken up so much of your time." George said with a soothing smile at Bryce.

Katherine had been less than five minutes late, and she'd bet that Bryce knew whom she had run into in the lobby.

Bryce looked up from his papers and blankly stared at George until his smile faded, and he cleared his throat as if he was suddenly tense and uncomfortable. It was a fantastic sight, and Katherine was forced to look down at her hands to keep from smiling.

Bryce looked down at his papers and began to read in a dry voice.

Katherine felt all the color leave her face and then rush back as he heard the terms of the will. It appeared that her mother had ensured that Katherine was well cared for and protected even after she was gone.

"Are there any questions?" Bryce asked, leaning back in his chair and looking at everyone around the table. What he was thinking was a mystery.

Katherine's father's face had turned a disturbing shade of red. It was so red it was almost purple, and her sisters looked from one to the other, confused by it all, but it was clear to Katherine. She had the house and the money. She had everything.

"I was her husband! The husband always inherits!" George blustered, standing up and slamming his hands on the table. Everyone but Bryce jumped.

George turned to Katherine and pointed at her. "This is her fault. She influenced her mother, who was so ill she wasn't in her right mind." He turned sharply to Bryce. "You helped them. You're in it for the money, Stevens! Is Katherine giving you a cut?"

Katherine gave an unladylike snort at the thought and covered it with a cough. To someone like Bryce Stevens, Dora's will was a pittance.

"You may, of course, contest it, but I promise you it would be a waste of time and money. Mrs. Randolph was seen by a physiologist and found to be of sound mind when the will was made. Katherine had no inkling of what was in the will, nor did I have contact with Katherine during the drafting of this will." Bryce reached into a folder on the desk next to him, and he pulled out what Katherine guessed was an additional copy of the will and slid it across the table toward George.

"You'll need this to contest." Bryce leaned back in his chair.

"This isn't finished!" George grabbed the will and stormed out of the office, and a heavy silence descended.

"What does this all mean?" Jessie asked, speaking for all the girls.

"Nothing much will change for the three of you. You will continue to keep your allowance. The only difference will be that instead of going to your father when you want something, you will go to Katherine or someone she designates to oversee the estate." Bryce's voice was calm as he watched the girls looking at each other.

"Katherine?" Jillian asked, unsure. Not only was she now in charge of the family money, but looking as she did, she seemed a stranger to them.

"Don't worry about it, Jillian. Why don't you three catch up with Dad? I'll let you know when I figure it all out. All right?"

The girls looked at each other and then nodded as they stood.

"Thank you. Mr. Stevens," Jessie said before she led the way out of the conference room.

Katherine turned to Bryce. "Can we talk?"

"We can, but I'll give you a few moments to collect your thoughts before we begin," he said before standing and leaving her alone in the large empty room.