His look was so full of tenderness that Janine had to lower her eyes and swallow back a rush of tears. Gramps had been her salvation, too. He’d taken her in after the sudden deaths of her parents, raised her with a gentle hand and loved her enough to allow her to be herself. It must’ve been difficult for him to have a six-year-old girl unexpectedly thrust into his life, but he’d never complained.

“My only son died far too young,” Anton said slowly, painfully.

“I’m sorry,” Zachary murmured.

The genuine compassion Janine heard in his voice surprised her. And it definitely pleased her. Zach’s respect and affection for her grandfather won her immediate approval—even if the man didn’t seem likely to ever feel anything so positive toward her.

“For many years I mourned the loss of my son and his wife,” Anton continued, his voice gaining strength. “I’ve worked all my life, built an empire that stretches across these fifty states, and in the process have become a wealthy man.”

Janine studied her grandfather closely. He was rarely this serious. He wasn’t one to list his accomplishments, and she wondered at his strange mood.

“When Zach brought his business into the area, I saw in him a rare gift, one that comes along seldom in this life. It’s said that there are men who make things happen, those who watch things happen and those who wonder what happened. Zachary is a man who makes things happen. In many ways, the two of us are alike. That’s one of the primary reasons I decided to approach him with a proposal to merge our companies.”

“I’m honored that you should think so, sir.”

“Sir,” Anton repeated softly and chuckled. He raised his hand, motioning for the waiter. “You haven’t called me that in six months, and there’s no reason to start again now.”

The waiter returned with a bottle of expensive champagne. Soon glasses were poured and set before them.

“Now,” Anton continued, “as I said earlier, I have the two people I love most in this world together with me for the first time, and I don’t mind telling you, it feels good.” He raised his glass. “To happiness.”

“Happiness,” Janine echoed, sipping her champagne.

Her eyes met Zach’s above the crystal flute and she saw a glint of admiration. If she were dining on it, she’d starve—to quote a favorite expression of her grandfather’s—but it was just enough for her to know that he’d think more kindly of her because of her love for Anton.

Her grandfather chuckled and whispered something in his native tongue, a German dialect from the old country. Over the years she’d picked up a smattering of the language, but when she’d repeated a few phrases to a college German professor, he’d barely recognized the words. Gramps paused and his smile lingered on Janine, then went to Zach. Whatever Gramps was muttering appeared to please him. His blue eyes fairly twinkled with delight.

“And now,” he said, setting his glass aside, “I have an important announcement to make.”