Hold On To Me (Welcome To Redemption)

by Netzel, Stacey Joy

  She smiled. “You cut the grass at six-fifteen on a Saturday? Better be prepared for some complaints on that.”

  He lifted one shoulder and arm to wipe the sweat beaded on his sun-kissed brow. “I changed the mower blades, so I didn’t start cutting until after eight. I’m not completely clueless, you know.”

  “Aw, someone’s still cranky,” she observed with a cheerful grin. “Maybe this will help.”

  He frowned until she pulled a white bag from her pack and tossed it over. He caught it, his eyes brightening. “Is this what I think it is?”

  “Yes. Better?”

  “Yes.” The matter of fact statement lost its effectiveness when his teeth flashed with a smile. He set the bag on his lap and started to open it, only to look at his hands, stained with dark oil and grease. “Crap.”

  Jenny moved forward and took the bag back.

  “Hey—that’s mine, woman.”

  His fingers locked around her wrist, gentle yet firm, keeping her next to the mower only so long as she consented to stay. She didn’t mind his unthreatening grip since she’d had no plans of going anywhere. Little tingles of awareness squiggled up her arm while she reached into the bag to pinch off a chunk of gooey pastry with her free hand. Then she leaned forward to feed him a bite.

  Those brown eyes darkened as he opened his mouth for the treat. She wasn’t quite brave enough to let him suck the icing from her fingers, so she pulled her hand back to lick the sticky sweetness off herself.

  His eyes tracked her movements. After a soft rumbling groan, he lifted his gaze to hers and released her wrist.

  “You, ah, mind leaving the bag on my counter? The sliding doors are unlocked.”

  She did her best to hide her confusion over the contradiction between his smoldering look and the implied dismissal of his words. “Want some more?”

  A short laugh burst from his lips. “Yes, I want more—a lot more. But I can’t handle more right now. Not out here.”

  Heat spread through her whole body at his confirmation of being equally affected by the sensual exchange. Yeah, she definitely wanted to experience waking up with him. She’d tease the grumpiness right out of him. Or love it away.

  Love?

  Her heart banged against her ribs and kept thumping as she backed toward his apartment. She was so not going anywhere near the L word. Not just yet. Good thing she had some time to regroup before he drove her out to the Dolinski’s.

  “Um...I’m going to go get a few things done at my place before I change for the farm. Meet you downstairs by one forty-five?”

  “Yeah,” he confirmed, his gaze raking down her body.

  Flustered, she spun and strode across the lawn. The mower’s engine didn’t rev up again until she’d almost reached Grant’s first floor apartment, but by the time she snuck a glance over her shoulder, he’d shifted back into gear and driven away.

  Whew. She could use a cold glass of water. Or a cold shower. Things were heating up, and though she’d wanted to kiss him again—and more—acting on that attraction was a whole other matter. Roy had been her first and only in the sex department. She hadn’t dated in years. Heck, she hadn’t even flirted in years.

  What was considered normal? Did she need to wait for Grant to make the next move...or could she kiss him? He looked at her like she was one of Carrie’s cinnamon rolls, but he hadn’t even tried to put his lips anywhere near hers since the night before the incident with Roy. They’d spent plenty of time together; had had a great week watching TV each night, going for walks, and even made dinner together a couple times.

  So why hadn’t he followed up on one of those lingering, pulse-revving looks? Should she just come out and ask him what the problem was, or would that be too forward? Did he feel safe with the flirting, but considered her too damaged with too much baggage?

  Her fingers clenched, crumpling the top of the bag. She wasn’t damaged. And she’d gotten rid of her baggage on Tuesday. Her own personal Independence Day. Maybe she should seize that spirit and just go for it. Maybe Grant was waiting for her to make the next move.

  The flip-flop of her stomach could’ve been anxiety or excitement. Whichever, she took a deep breath and figured she’d better quit daydreaming while standing two steps inside his apartment. Moving forward to leave the bag on his kitchen counter, she spotted a coffee cup and a paperback on the table. Curious as to his reading preferences, she sidestepped and flipped the book over. The sight of the familiar cover sparked a grin.

  Moonlight Encounter, by Katelynn Meadows.

  Grant Walker read romance? No way.

  Then it dawned on her that he’d probably found the book from when she loaned it to Frank and simply meant to return it to her. That explanation was much more likely.

  Thumbing through, she saw her note to Frank marked a place about three quarters of the way through and hesitated. Last she and Frank had talked before he went on vacation, he hadn’t even started this one.

  Jenny surveyed the table, taking in the crumbs on the smooth wooden surface and a quarter inch of cold coffee in the bottom of the mug. Her examination extended to the rest of the apartment, noting bare walls and shelves where Frank’s things had been. She was going to have to side with the evidence.

  Grant was reading a romance novel. Katelyn Meadows, a.k.a. Lindy Spalding, would love it if she knew.

  Jenny placed the cinnamon roll bag smack dab on top the book and continued upstairs to her own apartment. See what he’d have to say about that when she met up with him for the ride he’d insisted on giving her out to the Dolinski farm.

  After unloading her dishwasher, sweeping and running the vacuum, and a quick scrub of the bathroom, she tossed her work T-shirt into the laundry and put on a fresh one. A sweatshirt joined her purse and camera in her canvas tote bag, and then she skipped down the stairs to find Grant waiting by the door.

  Moisture darkened his hair to almost black, suggesting he’d showered before changing into a clean T-shirt and jeans. The warm, spicy scent that enveloped her senses when she passed him on the way outside confirmed it.

  “Look at you bright-eyed and smiley.” He tugged on her bouncy ponytail. “No danger of you falling asleep today, is there?”

  Thinking about how she’d slept through more than half the movie at the theater the other day, she rolled her eyes as he drew even with her on the sidewalk. “You’re never going to let me live that down, are you?”

  “You used me as a pillow on our second date.”

  Second date? Were they dating? “Did we have a first?”

  “Did we have a first?” he repeated, giving her an offended look as he held his hand over his chest as if she’d wounded him. “I bought dinner and we watched Tim Allen.”

  And you kissed me.

  “You bought yourself dinner and then felt sorry for me,” she argued.

  His expression turned serious. “I’ve never felt sorry for you, Jenny.”

  “Good.” The statement made her feel better, but she wanted to keep the mood light, so she reached up to rub the solid shoulder she’d fallen asleep on Tuesday afternoon. “And I got news for you—you’re a little firm to be considered a pillow.”

  He held open his passenger side door for her. “You complaining?”

  “Not at all.” She gave him a sassy grin as she got in the car. “I like you hard.”

  He caught the door mid-swing. “Excuse me?”

  Yeah, excuse me? Jenny pulled the handle from his grasp and slammed the door shut. When he grinned at her through the window, she covered her hot face with one hand and waved him away with the other. Had she really just said that? And oh, God, he was going to get in on the other side now.

  The driver’s door opened, and the car dipped with Grant’s weight. The moment she heard him clear his throat, she held up her hand.

  “Don’t you say one word,” she warned.

  “Oh, come on,” he protested, laughter in his voice.

  “Not one word.”

  “Do
you have any idea how hard it’s going to be?”

  “Now, or later?” Her own humor surfaced and a giggle erupted before she could stop it.

  “All day.” He started the car and shook his head with a rueful grin. “All damn day.”

  It took everything she had to keep her gaze trained front and center, and then on their way out of town, he reached over and threaded his fingers through hers. Her heart warmed when he lifted their hands to press his lips to the back of hers.

  “You’re cute when you’re excited.”

  She almost said, About you being hard? But despite her enjoyment of the sexy flirting that’d resulted from her first accidental slip, she couldn’t bring herself to spill the evocative words on purpose. Time to be serious.

  “I’ve never been on a horse before, so I’m a little nervous, too. Have you ever ridden?”

  He gave her hand a squeeze. “The only horsepower I’ve ever cared about is under the hood of my car.”

  “You’re such a guy.”

  “Now that sounded like a complaint.”

  “Nope.” No complaints from her unless he didn’t kiss her again by the end of the day. With the way things were going, she didn’t think that was going to be an issue.

  Grant turned onto the lane that led to June and Ed Dolinski’s farm and parked in front of the red barn, next to a black vehicle.

  “Looks like Tara’s already here,” Jenny said. She was out of the car and almost to the barn by the time Grant caught up and walked inside with her. Joy and Tara were standing in front of a bay horse secured by ropes in the middle of the barn aisle. Nervousness surged to the forefront at the sight of the large, beautiful animal.

  “Hey, Jenny,” Joy greeted.

  Tara turned around, her long hair swishing about her shoulders as she dropped her hand from the horse’s nose. When she caught sight of Grant, her smile dimmed. “Hi, Jenny. Grant.”

  After introducing Grant to Joy, they exchanged a few pleasantries while Jenny set her bag on a bale of hay next to a room with saddles stacked on posts sticking out from the wall and bridles hanging from hooks.

  “What time should I be back to pick you up?” Grant asked.

  Tara glanced between them. “I can give you a ride home if that’s easier.”

  “I don’t mind,” he insisted when Jenny met his gaze. “Maybe I’ll catch you in action.”

  “In that case, add an extra half hour to whatever time you were thinking,” she told Joy with a self-conscious laugh.

  “I’d say about five, if that’s not too late?” Joy asked her and Tara. “I was hoping we could visit a little, too.”

  Grant grimaced. “Girl talk...so, five-thirty?”

  Joy and Jenny laughed; Tara smiled.

  “Perfect,” Joy confirmed.

  Grant motioned Jenny back toward the door with a little jerk of his head. “Can I talk to you for a quick sec?”

  She followed him outside, and once out of sight of the other girls, he turned to face her.

  “What’s up?” she asked.

  He cast a cautious glance around the barnyard before crooking his finger for her to come closer. His secretive demeanor made her wonder what the heck was going on, and she snuck her own furtive glance as she moved forward. There was no one around. Nothing looked out of the ordinary.

  “What is it?”

  She turned back to face him as Grant leaned in, and she caught her automatic reflexive jerk backward. His lips curved into a grin seconds before settling on hers. Closing her eyes, she relished the warmth of his mouth, and a moment later, willingly parting her lips with the first sweep of his tongue. He slid one hand into her hair at the nape of her neck while the other settled at her curve of her waist.

  As the kiss deepened, she lifted her arms around his neck, raising on her tiptoes to press full against him. A low moan rumbled in his chest, and his arms closed around her. His lips and tongue caressed hers, coaxing a response and sparking desire like she hadn’t experienced in so very long. The press of her sensitive breasts against his unyielding chest started that throb of arousal deep inside.

  Wrapped in a world of wonderful sensation, she clung to him even as he brought the kiss to an end.

  “Well, hell,” he murmured in a husky tone. “That backfired.”

  “How so?” Jenny braced her hand against his chest to support her weak knees.

  He brushed a stray strand of hair from her face before resting his forearm on her shoulder. “That was supposed to give you something to think about while I’m gone, but all it did was get me worked up.”

  Palm still pressed to his chest, she noted his rapid heartbeat, felt the synchronized beat in her own body, and admitted with a suddenly shy smile, “That’s not all it did.”

  His brown eyes darkened even more as they took in her flushed cheeks. He rubbed his thumb over the racing pulse point near her collar bone, and a smile curved his mouth. “Good. Because I’ve been wanting to do that since Tuesday.”

  Feeling a bit bolder after the kiss, she suggested, “Next time don’t wait so long.”

  The smile became a grin. He drew her forward for a brief, firm press of his lips, and then abruptly broke contact and departed with a brisk, “I’ll be back by five-thirty.”

  After he’d driven away, she turned for the barn and found the other two women at the doorway watching her. Her face heated, but wiping the foolish grin off her face proved impossible.

  “Someone’s got it bad,” Joy said, grinning with her.

  “I’m that obvious?”

  “Well, yeah, but I was talking about him.”

  The redhead spoke over her shoulder on her way back into the barn, and Jenny drew even with Tara on her way inside.

  “He sure seems like he’s changed,” Tara commented.

  Jenny cast her a sideways look. “Changed from what? And why doesn’t Charlie like him? He’s not friends with Roy anymore.”

  Surprise drew the other woman’s dark eyebrows together. “You know about their past connection?”

  “He told me. But that was years ago.”

  They joined Joy, who was brushing the horse tied in the aisle. Tara reached out to stroke the animal’s neck. “Charlie’s touchy about anything to do with Annabel, and he’ll always believe Roy’s responsible. Maybe Grant and Roy being friends years ago isn’t much of a link, but it’s still there.”

  Jenny purposely ignored the first half of the explanation and focused on the second. “But Grant had nothing to do with what happened to your sister. He didn’t even live here when it happened.”

  “I didn’t say it was rational.” A shrug shifted her dark hair across her shoulders. “That’s just Charlie being Charlie. He’s going to be protective of anyone he figures needs it. Right now, it’s you. Before Wes came to town, it was me. Heck, he even did his best to chase Wes away.”

  “He was a little intimidating the other day outside the courthouse. But it seemed like he and Grant came to an understanding.”

  “They did.” Tara picked up a brush and put it in Jenny’s hand. “Charlie told him he’d kick his ass if he hurt you.”

  Jenny frowned. She moved forward and let the horse sniff her before rubbing a hand up and down its soft nose. Was that why Grant had been distant all week?

  But no, he hadn’t been distant, he just hadn’t kissed her. Until a few minutes ago when he’d rocked her world. Now, she was more confused than ever. “That’s not what Grant said.”

  “What guy is going to admit someone else threatened to kick his ass?” Joy pointed out as she left them to the grooming and went to get a second horse from its stall. “Especially to the woman he likes?”

  “I’m with her on that one,” Tara said.

  Jenny was saved from responding when Joy called to her, “Let Tara brush Prince and come help me down here with Chester.”

  She gave the bay in front of her one last rub, and then headed down the aisle. Chester was a chestnut gelding with four white legs and a blaze down the cent
er of his nose.

  “This is who you’re going to ride,” Joy told her. “He’s a big boy, but very gentle. I thought we’d see how things went in the arena for a little bit, then Grandpa has a short riding trail through the woods if you’re up for it.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  Joy gave her some basic lessons in horse care, and showed her how to put on a saddle and bridle while Tara, who’d ridden with Joy back in high school, saddled Prince. Joy’s black mare was named Grace.

  Outside in the arena, pulling herself up into the saddle for the first time was a little intimidating, but Jenny found working with the horse beforehand helped raise her comfort level. She and Chester spent some time riding in circles, alternating between walking and trotting. The first half circle of the enclosure had her bouncing hard in the saddle, her teeth jarring with every step the chestnut took. But then she found the rhythm and started to move with the horse.

  After a few more rounds, Joy declared her a natural, and they all mounted up to ride the trail.

  Jenny patted the chestnut’s neck on their way down the lane. “You’re the natural, boy, not me. Thanks for being so good.”

  She looked up to see her two companions twisted around in their saddles. The grins on their faces made her feel like an idiot.

  “Don’t be so quick to discount yourself,” Joy said, easing her embarrassment. “You’re already talking to your horse. That’s a pretty natural thing to do.”

  “I used to walk down to the pasture when I was sure...well, when I could,” she amended. “I talked to the horses all the time.”

  “Animals are the best listeners,” Tara said.

  “So true,” their host agreed. “God, I can’t tell you how many nights back in high school I spent in the barn crying over some boy. In fact, I really missed them when I left for nursing school.”

  “The horses or the boys?” Tara teased.

  “The horses. Definitely,” Joy confirmed with a laugh. “It’s nice to be back.”

  By the time they returned to the barn and put the horses away, Jenny felt like she’d been friends with two women for years. She hadn’t realized what she’d been missing.