Lost Love Found
Page 10
Neither of them moved. They wound up playing a childish game of Stare Down until finally, Seth bit out yet another long string of curses. “Jake had no right!”
“He’s desperate to help you.”
Help him? Seth scowled at her. There was no helping him. With every day that passed and every therapist that came and went, the angrier he became, because nothing happened. Nothing. The doctors’ diagnoses were wrong.
“You can’t.” He jerked his head toward the door. “Don’t let it hit you on the way out. Better yet, do.”
Dust mites floated through the air as she stood there wearing an expression so pitying he wanted to hurl something at her again.
Tall and athletic, Grace still had a natural beauty. Her strength showed in the way her shoulders were squared and braced. The way her chin jutted in determination.
He’d kissed that chin. Run his hands over her body and listened as she sighed, loving the sound and loving her despite the way she’d immediately pull away and establish distance between them. He should’ve realized she didn’t feel the same about him, should’ve known something was wrong before he’d made a fool of himself.
“I understand your anger at being paralyzed, Seth. I’d be angry, too.”
He laughed, unable to quell the bitterness. What a line, that. How could she possibly understand? Had she ever had to ask for help to take a leak? Endured the indignity of having an audience present for the sole purpose of making sure he didn’t fall off the pot the first time he was able to actually use a toilet instead of a bedpan? No one understood.
“You don’t understand so don’t pretend you do. You want to move and you move. You want to walk and you walk. I don’t.”
“I’m here to help you fix that.”
He searched for something else to throw. Not at her, just something to take the edge off. “I don’t want you here! You couldn’t wait to get out of town ten years ago, but at least you did us both a favor and left before I did something stupid like ask to marry you!”
“I’m sorry,” she murmured, her eyes avoiding his. “I should’ve handled things between us better, but I didn’t want to hurt you and I—I wanted to go to college.”
“I never would’ve asked you not to go and you know it. You had a choice, Grace. Two scholarships—a school here where we could’ve seen each other or a school back east. You made your decision. You left in the middle of the night and ran, as fast and as far as you could, dragging Brent behind you.”
“You wouldn’t listen to me,” she argued. “Things were going too fast. I tried to tell you that—”
He ran a hand over his face. “Any slower and molasses would’ve beaten us in a race. You made your point. You wanted away from me,” he said. “Now I want away from you. You’re not welcome here, Grace. Get out of my house, off my ranch and don’t come back.”
Grace flinched at his words but didn’t say anything. Instead of leaving, she approached his hospital bed, making her way through the minefield of books, plastic plates and ranching magazines. Now, there was a kicker. He could read about ranching, but he’d never again be able to do the physical labor he loved so much.
“You have to deal with this,” she said, nodding to indicate his legs. “Lying here is getting you nowhere, and I can’t leave you like this if for no other reason than what we once meant to each other.”
“And what was that?” Seth injected a cruelness into his tone that belied all acknowledgment of their past. He slid his gaze over her again, hoping, praying, she’d go scurrying from the room the way his sister-in-law, Maura, always did. Not Grace though. No, she simply lifted her chin another notch, making him grit his teeth so hard pain shot up to his temple.
He couldn’t take his eyes off her, though. Mostly because he was beginning to notice new things about her. Like how her chest rose and fell with her breathing, how she was too thin for her height and her clothes were baggy, as though the weight loss was recent. Shadows stained the skin beneath her green eyes and she looked tired and drawn. Even a bit brittle. As if a good strong wind would make those board-straight shoulders of hers snap.
Had she worried about coming to Montana and facing him after what she’d done? Heaven above, he couldn’t help but think she’d never have had the courage to return had he been healthy and whole and the man he’d once been.
He stared at her chest and the fullness there, not giving a rat’s ass if he offended her or made her uncomfortable, as it always had in the past. Problem was instead of intimidating her, the sight nearly undid him.
“You’re fired.”
“You can’t fire someone you didn’t hire.”
Her voice was husky and rich, tart, like warm, mulled cider on a fall night.
“I’m staying, Seth, and you’d better get used to having me around. The sooner the better.”
She followed her brassy warning with a shrug, but the movement was stiff, and now that she stood within reaching distance, he saw a slight quiver to her hands. The twitch of a muscle near her too full lips. Maybe she was nervous about facing him. He hoped so, anyway. God knew he had little else to hope for anymore.
“I will make you a deal, though…if you’re interested.” She propped her hands on her hips, widened her stance.
He almost laughed at the sight. Almost. Because like it or not, he was curious as to what she was offering.
“What deal?”
“I’ll leave…if you can beat me at arm wrestling.”
Then he did laugh. “You can do better than that, Grace,” he murmured, relishing the dark flush that stole over her cheeks at his tone.
Her wide, full mouth pursed. “Arm wrestling is a matter of strength. If you can beat me at that, you should be able to handle your wheelchair fairly well. I’ll let Jake know, and maybe if you’re lucky, he’ll back off on wanting you in therapy. Unless you’re afraid to lose.”
“I wouldn’t lose.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
She meant it. She actually had the nerve to stand there and taunt him. He sucked in a sharp breath as the red-blooded male in him staggered. Grace was strong, no doubt about it, but he was still bigger, broader, with more than thirty years of ranch life under his belt and enough anger to self-combust. “You’ll leave?”
“With bells on.”
CONTINUE READING HEALING HER COWBOY OR FIND NEW WORKS BY CLICKING THE LINKS BELOW. THANK YOU AND HAPPY READING!
MONTANA SECRETS SERIES
HEALING HER COWBOY
IT HAD TO BE YOU
HERS TO KEEP
MILLION DOLLAR STANDOFF
HIS CHRISTMAS WISH
THEIR SECRET SON
THE SEASIDE SISTERS SERIES:
THE LAST GOODBYE
LATTES AND LULLABYES
MAP OF DREAMS
WORTH THE RISK
LOST LOVE FOUND
TAMING THE TULANES SERIES:
SMALL TOWN SCANDAL
THEIR SECRET BARGAIN
CROSSING THE LINE
THE NANNY’S SECRET
SOMEONE TO TRUST
THE STONE RIVER SERIES:
WORTH THE WAIT
NOT BY SIGHT
THROUGH THE VALLEY
LEAD ME NOT
CHRISTMAS AT HOLLY WOOD
THEIR CHRISTMAS MIRACLE
SECOND CHANCES
SMALL TOWN SCANDALS SERIES
BRODY’S REDEMPTION
FALLING FOR HER BOSS
WITH THIS MAN
SECRET SANTA SERIES:
SECRET SANTA
SECRET SANTA II: A CHRISTMAS TO REMEMBER
MORE TITLES COMING SOON!
For more information about Kay Lyons, please visit her website at www.kaylyonsauthor.com. You can also find her at the following:
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About the Author
Kay Lyons always wanted to be a writer, ever since the age of seven or eight when she copied the pictures out of a Charlie Brown book and rewrote the story because she didn’t like the plot. Through the years her stories have changed but one characteristic stayed true— they were all romances. Each and every one of her manuscripts included a love story.
Published in 2005 with Harlequin Enterprises, Kay’s first release was a national bestseller. Kay has also been a HOLT Medallion, Book Buyers Best and RITA Award nominee. Look for her most recent novels with Kindred Spirits Publishing.
For more information regarding her work, please visit Kay at the following:
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FAQ
FAQ ABOUT THE SEASIDE SISTERS SERIES:
* * *
Is Carolina Cove a real place?
Carolina Cove is purely fictional; however, it is loosely based on one of my favorite places—Kure Beach, North Carolina. Kure Beach is home to a wonderful pier, a pavilion for special events, swings facing the Atlantic, pelicans Pete and George, coffee shops, restaurants, and more. It’s also close to the North Carolina Aquarium, Carolina Beach, and Wilmington.
* * *
What about the other places mentioned in the series?
Carolina Cove is fictionally located near Carolina Beach, just like Kure Beach. Also featured in the stories are: Wilmington, Bald Head Island, Southport, Wrightsville Beach, and areas in and around Wilmington, North Carolina.
* * *
Can I stay at the Carolina Cove Inn?
While Carolina Cove and the Carolina Cove Inn are purely fictional, there are plenty of motels and rentals in the area to enjoy.
* * *
But the pier is real?
Yes! And it has quite a history. Be sure to check out the Kure Beach Pier Cam for a view of Kure Beach and the Atlantic. And story note: much of the series was written while sitting in my car parked near the pavilion facing the pier. What can I say? There’s just something about the beach, right?
* * *
What about the restaurants and coffee shops and places you’ve mentioned in the series?
London’s Lattes is based on two of my favorite local coffee shops in Kure Beach and Carolina Beach. Are there more? Yes, plenty. But those two shops I know well because I’ve visited fairly often while writing these stories. Neither of them on their own was perfect for what I had in mind for London’s, however, so I basically combined the two and ta-da! London’s Lattes was born. But, no, if you go into either of them, you won’t find London’s exact business. Isn’t fiction wonderful?
* * *
Where is Frankie’s/Ace’s Garage located?
Once again, fiction. :) There is no garage by the ballfields in Kure Beach.
* * *
Why make up a city? Why not use Kure Beach?
One of the best things about writing fiction is that when a story appears a certain way, you can write it just that way. Carolina Cove and the Cohen family appeared to me in story form and while Kure Beach IS one of my favorite places, I had to change some things to better fit my series as well as steer far away from any real-life persons/families for obvious reasons. Doing so, that meant also changing the name of the city, etc. But, that said, you will find a slew of similarities in the fictional city and the real one. :)
* * *
Doesn’t the pier house at Kure Beach close over the winter?
Yes, it does. But in Carolina Cove the pier house needed to stay open a weeeee bit longer so I adjusted the fictional closing date to accommodate the story. It’s the magic of writing!
* * *
Where is the dream catcher mailbox?
Unfortunately the dream catcher mailbox is pure fiction and an idea taken from a “beach mailbox” I visited once many years ago.
* * *
Did you go to Bald Head Island?
Yes! Bald Head Island is a beautiful place to explore and I can’t wait to go again.