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Her simple refusal hit him like a punch to the gut. Rick took the hit, almost recoiling from the impact. From anyone else, he could’ve shaken it off. Not Grace. Ever since he gave in to his feelings for her, she held so much power over him, she could crush him beneath her dainty heel and he’d grunt a sorry for getting in her way.
But Rick was nothing if not stubborn. He’d fight for her now that he had her with the same amount of tenacity as he had when he tried to pretend he wouldn’t be good for her.
There was no one better for Grace, and he’d show her if she let him.
Maria stayed on the walkway, purposely taking her time as she looked through her stack of mail. She tucked her bat under her arm, hugging herself for warmth. It might be warmer lately than previous winters, but it was still December. Forty degrees without a coat was pushing it.
They had to wrap this up. He looked down at the other woman for help. “Maria—”
“I don’t know, Ricky,” she murmured. “Grace hasn’t told me anything yet, either.”
He didn’t know whether to be relieved or not that she was stubbornly refusing to confide in anyone else. It wasn’t just him.
He watched as Maria shivered; unlike his Grace, it had nothing to do with her scare. Rick nodded. “Thanks for everything. I’ve got it from here.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah. Buzz Sly for me, will you? I’ll fix this.” And he would, he vowed. Grace might not want to trust him now, but he’d prove he was worth it—no matter what he had to do. “Let him know that when he’s done with the cat, he doesn’t have to rush here. I’ve got everything under control.”
Maria raised her eyebrows at the mention of the cat, but didn’t say anything as she strode back up the walkway. After climbing the steps, pausing only to tell Grace softly that she’d be in the kitchen if she needed her, Maria went inside of Ophelia, leaving Rick and Grace alone together.
He laid his hands gently on her slender shoulders, desperate to keep the connection between them.
This was important.
“Grace, I know that there’s a lot about you that I don’t know. That’s fine. We’ve only just started this thing. We have all the time in the world to learn everything about each other.” Rick tried not to react when he saw her flinch. He pushed on because he had to. He needed her to talk to him more than he needed his next breath. “I know some. Enough. And, because of that, I’m guessing this has something to do with the reasons you’re hiding out in Hamlet. It’s okay. I’m here to help. We’re in this together. Me and my Tiger. You don’t have to fight this on your own.”
Halfway through his speech, she dropped her gaze to his chest. She didn’t try to get away from him again, and he took that as a good sign. But neither did she speak up.
“If it’s nothing, that’s fine. But I think we both know that you’re made of stronger stuff than that. You wouldn’t let anyone know that it got to you unless it really got to you. Natalie was here, and I’m betting she’s the last one you wanted to fall apart in front of. You can trust me, Grace. I hope you know that—”
She nodded and Rick felt some of the tightness in his chest ease.
“Good. And I trust you. I trust that you know that I’m here for you always. What happened? What’s wrong?”
Before she could say anything—before she even gave any indication that she heard him—Ophelia’s door swung open again. Maria stepped back on the porch, an apologetic grimace twisting her pretty features.
“Mi diaspace. Sorry. I got Sly and he wants to know if Grace needs medical care. There’s a doctor in the next county who’ll be able to see her as a favor to him.”
Maybe that’s what she needed. Rick sure as hell hadn’t been much help.
“What do you think? Wanna take a ride with me out of Hamlet?”
He didn’t know what it was that he said. It was like slapping her out of a daze. Her eyes went wide and she took three careful steps back. “I want to stay here. I’ll… I’ll be fine. You don’t have to worry about me.”
That was the last thing he wanted to hear, mainly because every time he said those same exact words after leaving the military, he knew they were a lie. Concern coupled with helplessness left him furious. He wanted to lash out, punch something, and he reined in that urge.
It wouldn’t help either of them.
But that didn’t mean he was going to keep his mouth shut. “Oh, really? Because—”
There must have been something in the set of his shoulders, the look on his face, something that gave him away. Maria edged closer to them, laying her hand on Rick’s right bicep.
He stopped talking, jerking his head so that he was looking at her instead of Grace. Her pointed stare warned him against continuing down that road.
Huffing, Rick reached up with his left hand, running his fingers through the shaggy length. He didn’t cut it because Grace confessed she loved it like this. There were a lot of things he did because he wanted to make her happy.
Damn it! Why wouldn’t she let him help her?
