Trusted Fate

by Lara Jones

  Liam walked toward them and instantly read the stress on Grace’s face.

  “Hello, Lily and Grace. I’m glad you both could come in and help us today. Let’s go into the conference room and get comfortable. I hope you don’t mind, but I brought the men you’ve met already back, so you didn’t have to repeat yourself.”

  They walked into the room, and the tension instantly rose. Lily sat very close to Grace to give her whatever support she could.

  “Grace, can you tell me about this Mr. Sparrow and your father?” Liam asked in a gentle voice.

  Grace drew in a shaky breath and clutched her hands tightly in her lap before she raised her head to address Liam.

  “Mr. Sparrow is the leader in our community. He’s also the most ruthless man I’ve ever known. The people know he makes moonshine, but he also does other illegal things, but no one can prove or will do anything about. No one knows how many wives he’s had, but I’ve counted six since I could understand. A few got away from him, but the rest had what he called accidents. What he didn’t say was the accidents were done by his fists and feet. Everybody knew it but turned the other way.”

  Lily reached for Grace’s hand.

  “My granny said he had a black heart and he fed off other people’s pain. She called him a vile sadist.”

  Liam cleared his throat. “Grace, what does your father have to do with this?”

  “He…he made the arrangement for Mr. Sparrow to wed me.”

  “Even though he knew what would happen?” Joe asked.

  Grace’s gaze slipped to his before moving back down to her lap, and she shrugged one shoulder.

  “My father isn’t much better than Mr. Sparrow.”

  “What did he do to you, Grace?”

  Grace couldn’t face these people and tell them the horrifying truth about her father. She ignored Joe’s question and turned to Liam.

  “Mr. Sparrow will come for Lily. It’s only a matter of time.”

  “And what about you?” Adam asked softly.

  “He’ll take me, too. He was bragging to people how he’d have two young wives to take care of his every whim.” She couldn’t prevent the shudder that traipsed through her body. “Now though, if I’m caught, I probably won’t survive the ride home unless he wanted to make an example of me back on the mountain.”

  “Why?” Liam asked.

  “Because she humiliated him,” Lily said. “He won’t forgive that.”

  A ripple of male aggression filled the room.

  Dylan spoke up. “Give us descriptions of both and anyone close to them they might get to do their dirty work.”

  Both Lily and Grace gave them descriptions of five different men—Mr. Sparrow, Grace’s father, and three others.

  “We don’t want you two to worry. We won’t let anything happen to you,” John said and lifted Lily’s hand to kiss her palm. “Liam, if you’re done I’d like to get these ladies home.”

  “Sure. If Dylan or I have any more questions, we’ll get in touch. In the meantime, everyone will be on alert to any strangers.”

  “Before you go, Mora would like everyone in this room over for supper tomorrow night. She doesn’t want to overwhelm Grace, so she’d kept it just the people she’s met so far. Later she’ll introduce her to others.”

  John looked at both women. He smiled when Lily nodded her head, but Grace still looked a little shell-shocked.

  “Sounds fine to us. What can we bring?”

  “Just yourselves. Come at six.”

  “We’ll be there.”

  John walked the women back out to the truck. Joe and Adam stopped him as he was coming around the hood.

  “John, wait up.”

  “What’s up?”

  Adam looked toward the girls in the truck and then at John.

  “We want you to consider having Grace stay with us until this is resolved. Trying to keep track of one woman is difficult. Two would be extremely hard.”

  “I’m not sure that would be a good idea yet. Grace is still trying to settle in, and if you haven’t noticed, she's afraid of men.”

  Joe grunted. “Hell yes, we noticed, but we’ll make sure she’ll get used to us quickly.”

  “I’ll talk this over with Alec and Lily, but I can guarantee it won’t happen for at least a few days.”

  “All right,” Joe said. “When she's ready.” He didn’t know why he felt such a keen disappointment they’d have to wait for her. They’d barely spoken to her and never really saw her face. The fact she was brave enough to come to warn her friend and would have sacrificed herself told him all he needed to know about the type of person she was.

  “Thanks, guys. We’ll see you tomorrow night.”

  Chapter 23

  “Why don’t I stay here while you guys go to Mora’s for dinner?”

  Lily frowned as she turned at the door, and the men glanced at each other.

  “Why?”

  Grace fiddled with a button on her brother’s shirt before looking at John.

  “I don’t fit in, and I’ll feel out of place.”

  “Is this because you agreed to not wear your hat?” Lily asked.

  Grace shrugged. “I’m not used to being around people, especially like this,” she whispered and indicated her head.

  Alec saw the fear she tried to hide and walked toward her.

  “Grace, these people are our friends and now yours. You have nothing to fear from them.”

  “I’ve been…afraid for a long time. I don’t remember a time I have ever felt safe, and that was in a place I knew.”

  “Here you know us, and I hope you know we would never hurt you. You’re safe, honey. Eventually, you’ll see that.”

  “I’ll stay next to you, Grace. I’m still a little nervous, too. I’m new here also,” Lily said and hugged Grace.

  Grace nodded.

  John opened the door for them.

  “We won’t stay long,” he said as they passed.

  Several minutes later they were standing outside and knocking on Mora and her men’s house.

  Mora opened the door, scowling over her shoulder before turning and pasting on a big smile.

  “Hello. Please come in before I kill my fiancé.”

  “Hey, sweetheart, all I said was you should slow down, or you might hurt yourself.”

  “Noooo, you big ape. You said being my age my balance isn’t what it used to be, and I should slow down,” Mora shouted at Dylan, her words getting louder as she spoke.

  John and Alec both coughed to hide their chuckle while Lily and Grace looked on, horrified that a woman was actually yelling at a man.

  Liam came out of the kitchen wiping his hand, shaking his head, and sighing.

  “Dylan, stop picking fights with her.”

  Dylan tried to look shocked and offended with a hand on his chest and eyes wide.

  “What? What did I do?”

  Mora growled and pointed her finger at him.

  “Later, dude, I’ll tell you exactly what you did and how you can make it up to me.”

  Dylan smirked and bowed his head.

  “I look forward to it, sweet cheeks.”

  Mora turned back to their guests.

  “I am so sorry. Dylan doesn’t mean to be an idiot. It’s just part of his nature.”

  “I heard that.”

  Mora rolled her eyes. “Come in.”

  Mora closed the door.

  “Joe and Adam will be here shortly. Why don’t us girls head out the patio and relax?”

  Grace and Lily followed her out the back of the house and onto a brick patio. Several sofas and cushy chairs sat in one area and next to a large outdoor kitchen and grill. Across was a long table and bench seats that could comfortably fit twenty people. Beyond and farther out into the yard were several chairs and a large fire pit.

  Grace had never seen a place quite like this in her whole life. She could spend days out here. If she had an oasis like this, she’d never leave.

  “This is
absolutely wonderful, Mora.”

  Mora grinned. “We spend a lot of time out here. Can I get you some lemonade?”

  Both women nodded.

  “I could live here,” Grace said and blushed.

  Lily clapped her hands and laughed.

  “I was thinking the same thing, Grace.”

  Mora walked to the sofa sitting area and plopped down in one of the chairs.

  “I am so glad you came, Grace. As you can see, we’re outnumbered two to one, so we need all the women we can get.”

  Grace’s gaze raced over the four men standing by the grill.

  “Joe and Adam should be here soon,” Mora said with a twinkle in her eyes that the other women couldn’t see.

  The girls talked until Dylan came through the patio door from the house.

  “Adam and Joe, you both know Lily and Grace.”

  Lily watched as both men’s eyes widened as they took in Grace. She was still wearing the ugly men’s clothes, but the hat was absent so they could see her beautiful face and hair.

  Adam’s breath caught and held as his gaze froze on Grace.

  “Hello, Grace.”

  “Hi.” Grace nodded and looked shyly away.

  Dylan smacked his tongs against the grill.

  “Hey, the steaks are about done. Let’s get everything on the table.”

  The girls stood and moved off into the kitchen to grab bowls and utensils.

  Lily enjoyed spending time with Mora and her men. It was fascinating to see them interact with each other. Dylan and Mora always seemed to be bickering, but you could practically feel the love they had for each other.

  The food was terrific, and Mora brought up subjects Grace could talk about, so they had a lively conversation between the three.

  Alec and John hustled her and Grace out when Lily showed signs of getting tired. It amazed her how in tune they were with every move she made.

  Lily lay between the men tired from the day and their lovemaking but couldn’t shut down her overactive mind. She watched Adam and Joe watch Grace that night, and although she thought it was wonderful to see they cared about her friend, she didn’t know if or when Grace would ever be ready for a relationship such as the one she had.

  “Baby, stop thinking so hard.”

  Lily turned to Alec.

  “I can’t help it, Alec. I’m worried about her.”

  He tucked her back closer to his chest.

  "Is it about Mr. Sparrow?”

  “Yes, a little, but also Joe and Adam.”

  “They would never hurt her, baby.”

  “I know. Grace is just emotionally fragile right now.”

  “She’ll get better. Give it time. I think you both need a project. John and I were talking about putting in a patio like Dylan, Liam, and Mora have, and we’d like you guys to design it.”

  Lily twisted around to see his face better.

  “I wouldn’t know the first thing about doing something like that, Alec.”

  “John and I want you to tell us what you would like out there. We have a large yard but have never done anything about it. We’ve already got a big space at the back edge for your garden, but we still have a lot of ground. We’d like to utilize the space better. We saw how much you enjoyed Mora’s patio.”

  Lily turned to face Alec. “Oh, Alec, I do, but I like the patio you have. Don’t change it for me.”

  Alec swept a finger down her cheek.

  “For one thing it’s our patio, and if it makes you happy it’s worth it.”

  Lily smiled and raised a hand to caress his cheek. “You both are so good to me.”

  “I really wish you both would be good to me and let me sleep,” John grumbled from his side of the bed.

  Lily giggled and pressed her face against Alec’s chest to dull the sound.

  “You got it, buddy,” Alec said, smiling. He kissed the top of her head. “Night, baby girl.”

  “Night, Alec.”

  Chapter 24

  The next day, Alec, Lily, and Grace pulled up outside of a country seed store. The women wanted to buy some seed for a garden Lily wanted to start. Lily talked nonstop about what she had planned, and Grace got excited about the garden and helping Lily start it.

  Grace was enthralled with the things they had in the store. Some of them she recognized, but most she didn’t. She ignored the people that were staring at her. She knew she looked different in her baggy clothes and hat on, but she was finding it challenging to dress differently. Lily said to give it time. She would change when she felt more comfortable.

  Lily had wandered off to look for a few tools and left Grace standing in front of a tall shelf looking at packets of seeds. When she walked back, Grace stood frozen. From Grace’s posture, she could tell something was wrong. Lily silently cried out. “Grace?”

  Grace spun around to face Lily.

  “What’s wrong?” Lily knew something was really wrong. Grace’s face was pale, and her body was stiff.

  Grace shook her head and bit her lip.

  “Tell me?” Lily whispered.

  “No…not now. Are you about done?”

  Lily frowned then looked around and moved a few steps to see who’d been talking, trying to figure out what had upset Grace, and noticed Joe and the man that owned the store.

  Both men had turned when they heard Lily’s call for Grace.

  Joe knew instantly that Grace had heard them talk. From the whispers and tones of the women’s voices, he knew she hadn’t listened to all of it and was upset. He wanted to kick himself. The last thing he wanted was to hurt Grace. He had finally come to terms with the feelings she brought out in him and stopped fighting the need.

  Joe took a step their way when Alec came through the door.

  Alec put his phone in his pocket after talking to John just outside. It was amazing to him how much Lily had changed their lives for the better even when it made them edgy when they were away from her, and they couldn’t be with her. Phone calls between them always helped calm them enough to go back to work. He wondered if they would ever get over it.

  “Oh, hey Joe, Tom. Have you seen my girls in here?”

  Tom looked at Joe’s face and then back to Alec and pointed in the direction he’d heard their voices.

  “Thanks.” Alec turned and walked down an aisle until he found the girls huddled together. A frown darkened his face at the expressions on their faces. “What’s wrong?”

  Grace gripped her hands together tightly and shook her head back and forth frantically with a plea to let it go in her eyes.

  Alec looked at Lily and bit back the questions he had then when she shook her head also but looked confused and very concerned. But later he’d find out.

  “Are you ready to go?”

  Both nodded and walked behind him down the aisle.

  Grace caught the sight of Joe standing at the counter with the older gentleman with his gaze locked on her and panicked.

  “I’m going to go to the truck.”

  “Can you wait for m—”

  Lily placed a hand on Alec’s arm and shook her head.

  “Let her go.”

  Alec looked down at Lily’s anxious face.

  “All right, Grace. It’s unlocked. We’ll be right there.”

  Lily hugged Alec around his waist. “I’ll explain later.” Lily turned back to the heated discussion going on between Joe and Grace, worried. Lily didn’t think Grace was strong enough to deal with anything like that right now.

  Lily looked up at Alec to see his frown as he witnessed the situation between the two and relaxed. Alec was looking out for Grace also.

  Alec nodded and watched as Joe tried to talk to Grace, but she pulled away from him and hurried for the door.

  Grace turned quickly and ignored Joe’s curse word and his attempt to get her attention. She’d almost made it to the door when a hand wrapped around her arm stopped her.

  “Just hold up there, Grace. I want to explain…”

  Grace p
ulled hard against his restraint.

  “You don’t have to explain anything. Please let me go.”

  “No. Please listen…”

  Grace yanked hard, bruising her arm, but finally was free of him.

  “Just leave me alone!”

  He watched, frustrated, as she scurried out the door.

  “Goddammit,” he cursed at himself. He heard a commotion outside and rushed out.

  Grace was helping Ricky put cans back into the wagon that had turned over.

  Grace knelt on the ground and turned the wagon upright.

  “Hey, it’s going to be all right. Can you tell me what your name is?”

  Ricky used his sleeve to wipe the tears off his face and then his nose.

  “Ricky. My name’s Ricky. Spelled R-i-c-k-y. My wagon fell.”

  Grace’s heart twisted as the tears filled the young man’s eyes.

  “I know, honey, but we’ll fix it. It’s nice to meet you, Ricky. My name’s Grace.”

  Ricky looked confused for a second when she held her hand out, and then a smile pulled at his lips. She was treating him like a big person. No one had ever done that before. He gripped her hand and shook it vigorously a few times.

  Grace bit back a flinch and continued to pick up the cans.

  “Wow, Ricky, you’ve got a lot of cans here. What do you do with them?”

  “I turn them in for money.”

  Surprised, Grace looked up at Ricky.

  “Really. How do you do that?”

  “Each can is worth five cents. I take them to the grocery, and they give me money for them.”

  “That’s great. Where do you find the cans?”

  “Everywhere. People throw them out of their cars even.”

  Grace chuckled. “Isn’t that silly? Why would they do that if they knew they were worth money?”

  Ricky shrugged. “They don’t care for five cents.”

  “I think you’re the smart one, Ricky. You have a great business going here.”

  “Business?” he asked, confused.

  “Sure. You’ve made it your job to pick up cans, and you make money from it. It’s a great idea.”

  Ricky smiled broadly. “I have a business.”

  “Yes, you do,” Grace said as she placed the last can in the wagon. “It was nice to meet you, Ricky.” Grace held out her hand again.