by Jenna Brandt
“Are you worried I’m in a hurry to marry, Uncle?”
He chuckled. “Not you, as much as your beau. When Wyatt came here and asked permission to court you, I could see he was ready to get down on one knee if he thought you would accept. He’s smart enough to know you need more time than that, though.”
Grace tilted her head to the side, giving her uncle a curious look. Did he know about her past? Had her father told him and she didn’t know? She decided it didn’t matter. She wasn’t ashamed of her past anymore. If Wyatt believed her, that was all she cared about.
“Wyatt has grown wiser over the years,” Grace confirmed. “He seems to know exactly what I need before I do.”
“Did he tell you where you were going tonight?” Ida asked. “I hope it’s somewhere romantic.”
Grace shook her head. “He said it was going to be a surprise.”
“Well, there are only two restaurants in town, so I’m betting it’s the fancy one,” Nancy said. “If he knows what’s good for him.”
“I think he—”
Ida’s retort was cut off by a knock at the door.
Both girls shouted, “He’s here,” and they giggled as they moved behind Grace to watch her open the door.
Wyatt always looked handsome, but when she opened the door to find him standing on the other side in his best suit, she could hardly take her eyes off of him. The dark blue suit complemented his taupe skin and enhanced the blue specks in his hazel eyes.
“Good evening, Grace,” he said with a smile, causing his dimples to stand out on his cheeks. The familiar feeling of butterflies fluttered in her stomach. For a moment, Grace thought she might faint from the heady feeling his smile created in her. He reached out to take her hand, saying, “You ready to go?”
She placed her hand in his as he guided her out of the house. He took her over to his wagon and helped her up before walking around to the driver’s seat. They made their way into town and dropped the wagon and horse off at the livery. As they started to walk down Main Street, Grace’s curiosity was growing by the minute. They weren’t headed in the direction of either restaurant.
“Where are you taking me?”
“It’s a surprise,” he told her. “You’ll see when we get there.”
When they stopped in front of the butcher shop, Grace was utterly confused. “What are we doing here?”
“Everyone knows that Mrs. Brooks bakes the best pies in all of South Carolina, but she doesn’t have a pie shop—yet. Her husband decided that wasn’t right, and has been in the process of adding on to the butcher shop, so she can have one.”
“I had no idea he was doing that,” Grace stated in surprise.
“No one in town did, but he dropped a hammer on his foot the other day working on it, and had to come into the office. You had already left for the day, so you weren’t there. I asked him how he did it, and he told me. That’s when I had the idea to surprise you with this.”
He knocked on the door and Mrs. Brooks opened it, with Mr. Brooks coming up behind her, bracing himself on a crutch.
“We have everything ready,” the elderly woman said with a kind smile. “Follow us.”
Behind a curtain, there was a new door that led into the other section of the building. As they walked through the threshold, Grace’s breath was taken away by the room. It was filled with fresh flowers, twinkling candles, and a table set for two.
Wyatt guided her over, pulled out her chair, and helped her in it.
“You planned all of this for me?” Grace asked with awe. “I can’t believe it.”
He nodded. “Rather than take payment for helping Mr. Brooks, I asked them if we could plan this, instead.”
“And, of course, we said yes,” Mrs. Brooks chimed in. “We loved the idea of being a part of helping two wonderful young people fall in love.” She placed the first course in front of them, a steak with a baked potato. “Our best cut for our town doctor and his future wife.”
Grace’s eyes widened at the statement, not sure how to respond to it. Luckily, Wyatt handled it for her. “Thank you, Mrs. Brooks.”
“Come now, Mrs. Brooks, let’s give them some time to enjoy their meal.”
She nodded, backing up as she said, “Make sure to save room for my strawberry-rhubarb pie.”
Grace took a sip of her sweet tea. “This was so thoughtful. I can’t believe you went to all this trouble.”
“You’re worth it, Grace. I like doing special things for you.”
“Every time I think you can’t outdo yourself, you surprise me.”
“I want to do that the rest of our lives,” he said, reaching out across the table and squeezing her hand. “If you’ll let me.”
They spent the next hour enjoying their meal while talking about the office and the sharecropping going on at Oak Haven and Fairmore. By the time Mrs. Brooks brought out two slices of pie for dessert, Grace couldn’t believe how much time had passed.
She dipped her fork into the pie and placed the first bite in her mouth. Her eyes widened with astonishment. “This is the best pie I’ve ever tasted.”
“I told you,” Wyatt said with a laugh. “I wasn’t joking.”
Mrs. Brooks was peeking in from around the corner. Grace could tell she was wanting to know what she thought. She gestured the woman over, saying, “This is by far the best pie I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating. You have a true talent, Mrs. Brooks. Once your pie shop is open, you’re going to have a permanent customer in me.”
“You won’t be the only one,” Wyatt promised. “I’m betting there’ll be a line around the block on opening day.”
The elderly woman beamed under the praise. “Thank you.”
They finished their pieces of pie, and said their goodbyes to the Brooks before leaving.
“This was a wonderful evening,” Grace said with a smile, wrapping her arm around his as they started to walk down Main Street. “I don’t think I’ve ever had a better one.”
“I’m glad to hear it. I have to admit; I feel the same.” He stopped walking and turned to face her. “Being with you is the happiest I’ve ever been, Grace.”
She could tell he wanted to kiss her, and she wanted him to. He leaned towards her until his lips brushed across hers in the gentlest of ways. It was a hesitant kiss, more about testing her reaction than showing how he felt. Grace wanted him to know it was okay, that she wasn’t fragile anymore; that he could kiss her like the strong, resilient woman she wanted to be. She wrapped her arms around his neck, letting her fingers tangle in his dark hair. He took the cue, letting the kiss become more passionate. When he finally pulled back, they were both ragged from the intensity of it.
“That was better than I remembered,” Grace said with a sigh.
“That’s because it was five years in the making,” he teased. “There was a lot behind that kiss.”
“I’d like to know if a second one would be as good,” she teased back.
Before he could fulfill her request, though, one of the local boys rushed up to them. “Dr. Hammond, my Pa is waiting at your office, and he’s hurt really bad. Someone said they saw you walk down here earlier, so I came to see if it was true.”
“What happened?” Wyatt asked, as they all took off towards his office.
“Pa was trying to fix the blade of the plow, since we can’t afford a new one. His hand got caught and the blade ran over it. We pressed a towel on it, but it soaked clean through by the time we got here.”
“It’s going to be okay, Timmy. I’ll take care of your Pa,” Wyatt reassured the boy as they reached his office.
Mr. Granton was sitting on the steps, holding his arm against his chest with a towel wrapped around his hand that was now completely crimson. He was pale, and looked like he was in shock.
“Let’s get you inside,” Grace said, moving over to help him up while Wyatt did the same from the other side.
They took him directly over to the examination table. Grace gathered up the needed supplies, wh
ile Wyatt examined the wound. As she came back over to the patient, the sight and smell of all the blood triggered Grace’s memory. Suddenly, she felt like she was right back at the hospital during the war. The horrors of that time came flooding into her mind, causing the room to spin. She braced herself against the edge of the table.
Wyatt glanced over at her. “Are you all right?”
She nodded, trying to pretend she was fine. She pushed off the edge, but as soon as she did it, she regretted it. The room tilted again, and she was afraid she might lose her dinner, if she didn’t get whatever was happening to her under control.
“You look like you’re going to be sick, Grace. Why don’t you go outside and get some air?”
“That’s probably a good idea,” she whispered. “I’ll be right back.”
Grace slipped out of the office and leaned against the wall of the building. She pulled out her handkerchief and dabbed her eyes, trying to fight against the tears that threatened to fall. She leaned her head back against the wall, taking in deep breaths in an effort to steady herself.
“You don’t look so good. I think being away from me has been hard on you.”
She jerked straight up, the frightening sound of Elijah’s voice causing her blood to run cold. “What are you doing here?”
“What do you think. I’m here for you, Grace.” He moved up the steps until he was only a few feet away. “You thought you could run away from me, but you should know, there’s nowhere you can hide from me. I’ll always find you.”
“You should leave, before I call out for help,” she threatened.
“I wouldn’t do that because I promise, if you do something that stupid, the first bullet,” he patted his pistol in the holster at his side, “is going straight through that doctor you’ve been kissing.”
Grace froze; the thought of something happening to Wyatt caused her to keep from screaming. “I don’t understand why you’re here. Why can’t you understand, there’s nothing romantic between us?”
“There was something, Grace. You spent so much time by my bedside. I know you care.”
“I took care of you because you were injured, just like I did with hundreds of other soldiers.”
“No, it wasn’t like that,” he said, closing the distance between them and grabbing her roughly by the arm. He pulled her off the porch and dragged her around the corner of the building. “We belong together, Grace,” he shouted at her, “and I’m not going to let anyone come between us, especially not some doctor you now fancy. I have a good mind to go in there and kill him right now to make sure you know how serious I am about you being mine.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Grace pleaded, dropping her handkerchief on the ground and placing her hands on Elijah’s chest. “If you let him be, I’ll go with you anywhere you want. We can start over somewhere else, and we can be together, just like you want.” She was willing to sacrifice herself, if it meant Wyatt would be safe. She loved him too much to let Elijah kill him.
“You finally sound like you’re making sense,” Elijah said, relaxing a bit. “We need to go before he comes looking for you.”
As Elijah dragged her towards the livery, she accepted the fact she was never going to see Wyatt again. Just knowing she was keeping him safe was enough to make her glad for the choice she was making. She was protecting the man she loved, and now she would have to live with what it was going to cost her.
Chapter 12
Wyatt wiped his brow, exhausted from finishing up the last of the stitches in Mr. Granton’s hand. “I’m going to give you a salve for the wound. It will help to keep it from infecting, as well as manage the pain. I also want you to change the bandage twice a day.”
Mr. Granton nodded. “Thank you, Doc, I really appreciate you helping me like this. I know you were on a date with Miss Grace, and I’m sorry I interrupted it.”
“It’s okay. We know emergencies happen.” Realizing he hadn’t seen Grace since she went outside, Wyatt added, “If you’ll excuse me, I should go check on her.”
Wyatt exited his office, but to his surprise, Grace was nowhere to be found. It was too far of a walk for her to head back to Oak Haven. Besides, he was certain she wouldn’t have gone anywhere without telling him first. He walked down the steps, looking for any clues that might tell him where she went. Around the corner, he saw a piece of cloth in the dirt. He picked it up and turned it over in his hand. In the corner, GA was embroidered. This was Grace’s handkerchief, but where was she? He started to inspect the area, and immediately recognized there were two sets of boot prints. One was small and delicate, most likely Grace’s, and the other one was bigger and heavier, a man, who from the looks of the scuffle marks, struggled with Grace.
Wyatt tried to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat, but his mouth had gone dry from the fear he felt in the pit of his stomach. Something happened to Grace, and it wasn’t good.
“Is everything okay, Doc?” he heard Timmy ask from behind him.
“I don’t think so.” He spun around with Grace’s handkerchief in his hand.
“Is that Miss Grace’s?” the boy asked, a look of worry in his eyes.
Wyatt nodded, too afraid to speak about what he thought might have happened to her.
“Did that man do something to her?”
“What man, Timmy?”
“He was a blond fella I’ve never seen around town. He had a gun on his hip, and he looked angry. Miss Grace seemed to know him, and he calmed down after talking to her. When she went willingly with him, I thought she knew him.”
Wyatt let out a frustrated growl, hating the fact that something happened to Grace right under his nose. He couldn’t prove it was the man who attacked her during the war, but his gut told him it was.
“Did I do something wrong? Should I have gotten you?”
“It’s not your fault. You didn’t know any better,” Wyatt said, ruffling the boy’s hair. “I need you to do me a favor, Timmy. I need you to take your horse and go get Nathan Maddox. Tell him it’s an emergency and I need him to meet me at the livery right away.”
“Yes, Doc, I’ll go right now.”
Wyatt poked his head in the office and told Mr. Granton what was going on, asking him to lock up after he left. If the man planned to get away with Grace quickly, he would need a horse. He hoped that someone at the livery might know which direction they went in. Wyatt sprinted over, knowing every moment was precious when it came to finding Grace safe and sound. He would never be able to live with himself if something should happen to her.
The livery worker was rubbing the side of his head and glancing around in bewilderment when Wyatt arrived.
“What’s wrong?” he asked the young man. “Did something happen to you?”
He nodded. “I saw a stranger dragging Miss Grace in here. She looked scared, so I asked what was going on. He told me to stay out of their business. He demanded a horse. I could tell Miss Grace didn’t want to go with him, so I tried to keep him from taking off with her. I told him we didn’t have any to rent right now. The next thing I know, he picked up a rock and swung it at me. I just woke up a couple of moments ago on the ground.”
Wyatt inspected the injury. “You should be fine. The wound isn’t very deep.”
“Thanks, Doc, but I’m more worried about Miss Grace than myself right now. That man was no good, and he had no business being with her.”
“You’re right, Matthew, and I’m going to do whatever I can to find them and make sure she is okay. I was hoping you would know which way they went.”
“Sorry, Doc, like I said, he knocked me out, probably so I couldn’t tell anyone. I never even saw the man in town until he showed up here tonight.”
“I don’t think anyone did. I think he was slinking around, spying on Grace, for who knows how long before he decided to finally make his presence known.”
All the times Grace felt like someone was watching her or following her came to mind. She hadn’t been paranoid; it was her i
nstincts trying to warn her. He had dismissed them, thinking she was only reacting to pain from the past. He should have listened to her and taken it seriously. If Wyatt had found him before tonight, he could have stopped the monster from taking the woman he loved.
“What are you going to do?” Matthew asked with concern. “Miss Grace has always been kind to me. I don’t want anything bad to happen to her.”
“Neither do I,” Wyatt said, moving to inspect the ground around the livery. He wished he could involve the sheriff, but he knew that he was sick with influenza. He didn’t have time to send someone to get the sheriff in Chapmin. He was going to have to find Grace on his own. “How many horses were brought in and out today?”
“Not that many; just two earlier this morning. Come to think of it, I wonder if he took one of the horses while I was knocked out.”
Matthew checked the stalls, then came trotting back. “He did. Stella is missing.”
“Can you tell the difference between hoof prints?” Wyatt asked with hope.
“Not usually,” Matthew said, coming to kneel down next to Wyatt, “but Stella had a hoof injury a couple of years ago, and we’ve had to shoe her differently ever since. Her hoof mark isn’t quite a full ‘U’ like normal ones.” He pointed to a set that were heading west. “Those are hers.”
“Then I know where I need to go. Can you get my horse ready?”
“Right away, Doc, and please bring Miss Grace back safe.”
“I won’t rest until I do.”
“And neither will we,” he heard Nathan say from beside him.
“She’s family,” Davis added, “And we always take care of family.”
Chapter 13
Every bump pushed Grace further against Elijah’s body, making his proximity radiate through her. She wished she could jump off the horse right now, but she had no idea where she was. It wouldn’t help her, though, if she ended up wandering around in the middle of nowhere. She’d probably die from exposure before she ever found help. Her only option was to wait for the right time when she could escape into a town; if and when they passed by one.