by Lori Whyte
But that probably wasn't the point her sister was trying to make.
"And what should I do? Take the cats back to the vet so she can finish them off? There is nothing wrong with them. They are perfectly healthy." Rachel crossed her arms. Why was Liana being so difficult?
"Find new homes for them." Liana put her hand up when Rachel gasped. "Not all of them, but some. Half maybe."
"They are fine here." How could she suggest such a thing? Hadn't they been disrupted enough already? All they needed was love and Rachel had love to give. It was a win-win. "It isn't like I'm one of those crazy cat ladies they expose on those TV documentaries."
"That's what the kids call you," her sister huffed.
Of course they did. This town and she had never quite meshed. But she couldn't imagine living anywhere else.
"Well, they don't know crazy," Rachel said and held the door open so they could go inside. But Liana hadn't followed her. Her attention was fixed on a man who was stretching in the street. He was wearing a plain gray T-shirt and loose shorts, and he was obviously returning from a jog.
Oh God. How much had he heard? The last thing she wanted was another irritated neighbor.
"Hello," Liana called to him, then punctuated her greeting with a wide smile. "Can you come over for a minute?"
How did she know him? The man had only lived here a few weeks. Rachel's heart thundered as the man pulled off his sunglasses and let his gaze drift from her to her sister. Then he tucked his glasses into the V of his shirt and walked toward them.
No. Walked was too bland a word to describe the way the man crossed the street. His body moved with an athletic grace she had always thought was reserved for felines. And like a cat, he didn't rush to join them, but took his own time to saunter across the gray asphalt separating their houses.
As he drew closer, the details of his face came into focus and Rachel swallowed. Recognition flooded over her. His dark wavy hair was longer now. It went past his ears and curled over the collar of his shirt. His skin was tanned, as it always had been, suggesting he still loved the outdoors. His beautiful brown eyes were trained on her, his eyebrow lifted in an unspoken question.
She wasn't sure what he was asking, but it didn't matter. Grady Randall didn't have the right to ask her questions. Not even silent ones.
"Hello," he said smoothly, as if he hadn't just turned her equilibrium on its ear. "How can I help?"
Good lord, his voice had changed in the years since she'd last seen him. It'd deepened into one of those sexy voices, the kind that could trigger orgasms with a few words. If he'd been her Achilles heel before, he was deadly dangerous to her self-control now. She swallowed and tried to get her tongue to work.
"I'm Liana, and this is my sister Rachel. I saw you at Hearts the other night." Liana extended her hand to Grady, and Rachel wanted to tug her away from the man. She couldn't explain the instinct. They shook hands.
"Right," he smiled. "You are a server there, right?"
Liana nodded. He let go of her sister's hand and turned to Rachel.
She didn't want to give him her hand, but somehow she did it anyway. When his hand engulfed hers, strength and heat emanated from him, triggering ripples of sensual awareness to cascade over her.
"Hello again, Rachel," he murmured. His gaze held hers until her pulse quickened and she went a little weak in the knees.
"You know each other?" Liana asked. "I thought you said you hadn't met him yet."
Her sister was six years her junior, so she probably wouldn't remember the few times Grady had come to their house. Liana had only been ten when everything had fallen apart and he shattered Rachel's heart.
"I didn't know you were back," Rachel said, ignoring the question.
His face softened slightly, like he was relieved she didn't tell him to get lost. That fleeting look was quickly replaced with a shadow of a grin. Suddenly, twenty years seemed to evaporate and she was the geeky girl who'd managed to catch the eye of the bad boy all over again.
No.
She wasn't that girl anymore. She yanked her hand back.
"Sorry. I forgot. I'm covered in dirt." She made a show of rubbing her hand on her filthy shirt before shoving it into the pocket of her shorts. Why had her sister called him over here?
"I like a woman who likes getting dirty," he said with a wink.
Her jaw dropped. Was he flirting with her? No. He couldn't be. She blinked and tried to think of some suitable reply, but Liana captured his attention again.
"I hope you don't mind, but you know how things are in a small town. People talk," Liana said with an unapologetic shrug. "I heard you used to be a police officer in the city."
"I was a private investigator." Even as his body tensed as if poised for action, Grady's gaze caught on Rachel's again, as if gauging her reaction to his career choice. But it made perfect sense. He'd wanted to be in law enforcement his whole life, right up until Jake's arrest. Being a PI was the next best thing. "Has something happened?"
Her sister took a deep breath. "But you must know all the laws, rules and regulations, right?"
This time he didn't say anything, he simply waited for her to continue.
"Well, you see," Liana said, "it's my understanding a person can only own a maximum of three—"
"Liana," Rachel interrupted. "Don't—"
"Cats," her sister continued, ignoring her.
"Cats?" His eyebrow rose again. Then he glanced down. Jupiter was rubbing his jaw against his knee, over and over and over again. A low rumble of a purr broke the silence that followed Grady's question.
That cat never took to strangers. Well, until today he never had. But at this moment, he was sucking up to the man like he had stocks in a catnip business.
"Jupiter. Stop that," Rachel said in a hushed command.
"It's okay," he said as he knelt to rub the cat behind the ear. "Is he yours?"
"Yes," the women said in unison.
"Along with five others. And that's if you don't count all the ones she's babysitting." Liana clicked her tongue in disapproval. "Which comes back to why I called you over here. She can't have six—no, wait, I forgot about the new one. Seven,”—she shot a frown toward Rachel—"seven cats. That's against the bylaw, right?"
His gaze bounced between them, and seemed to take everything in—Liana's condemnation, Rachel's sudden worry. But that had been his job, right? Reading people? Observing? She crossed her arms.
"The bylaws are different in each municipality," he said as he stood. Grady cleared his throat. "And most of them aren't typically enforced unless someone complains. Law enforcement usually has enough to deal with, without being called out to confiscate cats that are well-cared for." He eyed Rachel. "They are well-cared for, right?"
She scowled. How could he suggest she would abuse an animal? He knew her better than that. She swallowed as memories of just how well they'd once known each other fluttered through her mind. "Of course they are."
"Yes," the traitor admitted grudgingly. "They're fine, but all she does is scoop cat shit and vacuum. She doesn't have a damned life. Everyone has started calling her a crazy cat lady."
"Liana," Rachel snapped at her sister. Heat flooded her cheeks. "We're sorry to bother you, Mr. Ran—"
"Call me Grady," he said.
He was right, of course. They knew too much about one another to revert to formalities, no matter how much she desperately needed to distance herself from him.
Two vehicles arrived and parked in front of his house, drawing their attention for a moment. Good. Now he would leave and her life could return to normal again. The first door opened—
Oh God. His brothers were here.
Mason climbed out of a sports car. He narrowed his eyes as if studying her, like her presence there didn't make sense. He'd done the same thing the first time Grady showed up at Betty's Diner holding her hand. Her stomach clenched. Then he nodded toward her, indicating he'd recognized her. Aiden and Drew jumped out of a beat-up pickup t
ruck. Aiden, the only Randall she'd kept in touch with over the years, waved, while Drew merely glanced in their direction before turning his eyes back to the cell phone in his hand. She nodded toward the men on the other side of the street.
"We won't take up any more of your time," Rachel said.
She scooped Jupiter from the ground. A hint of cologne rose from his fur. It must have been Grady. It smelled… good. Really good. She brushed her cheek against his head. No wonder the cat had been mauling the man.
"Yes, thank you," Liana said. Her tone wasn't nearly as pleasant now that he hadn't sided with her about the cats. "It was nice to finally meet you." Her sister's gaze flitted between the brothers. "Now that we've met, I hope you won't be a stranger."
Grady nodded and his attention settled on Rachel again. "The pleasure was mine."
She just nodded. Words were impossible and her legs had turned mushy. And he seemed to see it all. All she wanted to do was run inside and hide from his too knowing looks. She needed to stay away from him. Far, far away.
Then he turned on his heel and strolled away.
Thank God.
Her ears were ringing and her heart was pounding. How had she not heard that he'd moved back to Sanctuary Lake? She knew all of the Randalls—well, except Jake—had returned for their sister Viv's funeral, but no one specifically mentioned Grady. No one said he'd stayed.
Liana's scream ripped through the air.
Jupiter jerked at the sound and jumped out of her arms in a blur of orange. From the corner of her eye, another small form shot out in the other direction. Was that Thomasina, Mrs. Golder's cat?
"Oh my God, oh my God," Liana murmured and pointed at the step.
Rachel leaned forward and peered at the strange cylindrical object. Some part of her registered the sound of running footsteps. Grady was at their side in an instant, and his brothers were coming too.
Rachel cocked her head to the side to get a different angle. "Is that…?"
"A severed finger," Grady said.
The other Randalls arrived in time to hear his pronouncement.
"A human finger. On the front step." Liana wobbled, then her whole body collapsed.
One of the Randall brothers moved with a speed Rachel thought only existed in movies and grabbed her sister before she hit the ground.
To keep reading Grady and Rachel's story, visit my website for a list of retailers where you can buy it: loriwhyte.com/forgive-me!