Page 13 of His Saving Grace

Jake said something else and then he laughed. He tossed his arm over his brother’s shoulder and leaned in, as if about to impart some big secret. Mason bent his head. Whatever Jake confided caused the two of them to laugh again. A few more steps and then Jake punched Mason hard in the shoulder and took off at a run.

Mason smiled, rubbing his arm where his brother had slugged him, but refused to take the bait. He continued to the house at a more sedate pace.

His limp was way more pronounced today and his features tightened every time he put his weight on his right leg. His overcompensation with his left leg jarred his gait. The whole thing would have been prevented if he used the cane she was almost sure he had hidden somewhere.

Not that she was looking that closely or anything.

Jake raced up the porch steps. He spotted Grace kneeling next to the wooden flower box and came to a sliding halt. He smiled, his most charming, dimpled smile—the kind that could easily cause an avalanche of dropping panties across Northern California—and doffed his hat.

“Miss Grace, I didn’t see you there.”

Grace stood, brushing her dirty hands on her denim capri pants. “Hello, Jake.”

Jake looked back over his shoulder and then back at her. His smile morphed into what could only be described as a shit-eating grin.

He grabbed her hand, and Grace frowned. She tried to pull it out of his grasp, because it was filthy. She’d been weeding the potted plants and herbs on the porch and there was dirt under her nails. He refused to relinquish his grip and instead lifted her hand to his lips.

Jake bent his head and pressed a kiss to the back of her knuckles. Grace caught sight of Mason, who had just stomped up the porch steps, over Jake’s shoulder. Gone was the carefree Mason from a few moments ago. His brows were drawn together in a fierce, and rather intimidating, scowl, his piercing blue Callahan gaze narrowed on them.

A sliver of self-consciousness slid under her skin. Even though she and Jake were doing nothing wrong, heat pulsed in her cheeks. She pulled her hand out of Jake’s grip, resisted the urge to fan her flaming face, and turned back to the flower boxes. Mason’s gaze burned into her back.

“Why don’t you join us for lunch?” Jake patted her shoulder.

She turned around and smiled, but shook her head. “Thank you, but I can’t.”

“Are you sure? I’m pretty persuasive and rather irresistible, you know?” He wagged his eyebrows at her.

She laughed. “And humble, too, I can see.” He was all of the above—but mostly irresistible—and there was absolutely no way she’d admit it. His ego didn’t need the boost.

The porch door slammed. She turned. Mason was gone.

Jake indicated the door with his hand. “Shall we?”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea, Jake.”

“Well, too bad, because I think it’s the best idea in the world.”

Jake didn’t give her a chance to resist. He just grabbed her hand and turned, striding to the door. He pulled it open and held it for her and, with little choice, she breezed by him into the kitchen. The air conditioning was on and she sighed at the comforting cool air. Tank raced over to Grace and leaned against her leg.

The dog’s tongue hung out of her mouth in the most adorable way. Against Grace’s wishes and common sense, Tank—who in their right mind would have named this girl Tank? —had wiggled her fluffy butt right into Grace’s heart. She reached down and rubbed Tank right behind her ear. Tank’s tail took up a double time beat against the floor.

Maybe I’ll get a dog when I find somewhere to settle down. Her heart squeezed, shriveled a little. She ached at the thought of leaving this place, this family, which was not good. Not good at all.

It’s only because they’ve been so nice, and this is the first place to feel like a real home. It’s all shiny and new, but it won’t last long. It never does.

Eloise looked over at her from where she was cutting vegetables for the midday meal and smiled. Grace gave her a tiny smile back and hurried over to the sink to scrub her hands. Tank huffed out a breath, almost like a sigh, and wandered out of the kitchen.

Grace flipped on the water and squirted a pump of soap into her hands. The dirt under her nails was stubborn, and it took a few minutes before she felt they were clean enough for her to handle food. She reached for a dish towel and the back of her neck prickled.

Mason was here. Something about him compelled her, and it not only flustered her, it also scared the crap out of her. She didn’t want to be attracted to any of them, for their sake, as much as hers.

And she most definitely didn’t want to be drawn to Mason.

She turned to find him standing in the doorway to the kitchen, his gaze trained on her. Again. She was starting to feel like a laboratory rat.

Deciding to ignore him, she sidled up to Eloise and grabbed another knife. She reached for a red, ripe tomato and began to cut it into bite-sized pieces for the salad. Eloise always insisted there be a salad with the family meals, although Grace was pretty sure the men wouldn’t miss the leafy greens if they were gone. They were meat-and-potatoes kind of guys.

The clomp of boots on the back porch had her eyeing the back door. And she wasn’t the only one. Everyone in the kitchen had turned their attention that way.