“I—”
“I—”
They started simultaneously, then both stopped. Draven gestured her to go ahead.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t understand. But the minute I thought about Marly in that pervert’s hands, I knew what you meant about priorities. I was wrong. You were right. You did what was necessary.”
She thought she saw surprise flicker across his face. “What? No one’s ever apologized to you before?”
“Most often,” he said mildly, “no one has the nerve to do anything that would bring on the need to apologize to me.”
It wasn’t said with arrogance, but was a simple statement of fact. And she supposed it was true.
“Haven’t dealt with a lot of mothers?”
His mouth quirked. “Only my own. And I was usually the one apologizing to her.”
He didn’t seem angry. In fact, he seemed almost amused. Which surprised her. And encouraged her. Unless of course he’d simply decided she was only worth laughing at for her naiveté.
Nervous at that idea, her fingers began to trace circles on the glossy tabletop.
“You deal in ugliness so often,” she said softly. “How do you stay sane?”
And suddenly the amusement was gone. He leaned forward. Reached out. Put his hand over hers, stopping her fingers. And her breath. She stared at the table as if her life depended on memorizing the rich grain of the wood. And then she felt his other hand gently lift her chin, making her look at him. And there was an intensity in his green eyes she’d never seen before.
“Because,” he said, just as softly, “sometimes, if I’m lucky, there’s also beauty. And goodness. And courage.”
The sweet gentleness of those words from this tough, fierce man rocked her to the core. She couldn’t think at all, no words, no response came to her. So she simply stared at him, drinking in the expression on his face, in his eyes, before she even had a name for what was there.
“I’m no prize, Grace. I’ve got a lot of rough edges.” He took in an audible breath. “I never thought there could be a woman tough enough to handle what I do and the life it demands.”
“I’ve never let difficulties stop me,” she said, aware of the breathy tone of her voice, but unable to stop it.
“I know.” He hesitated, then went on. “I talked to Marly. She’s okay with it. With…us. And she promised not to be such a…pain, if we promised to listen to her.”
Us. We.
Grace thought she’d never heard anything so wonderful as those simple two-letter words.
Draven swallowed as if his throat were tight. And Grace realized with a little shock that he, too, was nervous.
“I’ve never done this. I don’t… I can’t… This romantic thing…”
The thought of Draven nervous, and about this, somehow gave her the last bit of courage she needed.
“Do you want to know what’s romantic to me?” she asked. “It’s a man who does things to make your life easier. It’s a man who fixes things so you don’t have to. A man who doesn’t need to be waited on, who doesn’t expect me to be something I’m not. Or not be what I am. That’s romantic.”
His expression changed as she spoke, the nervous edge disappearing from his voice. And slowly, he began to smile.
“I can do that,” he said when she stopped.
“I know,” she said.
It wasn’t until much later, after they’d worked out the details, that he groaned out load as some unexpected thought obviously hit him.
“What?” Grace asked, still a little stunned at how much thought he’d put into a future for them. The three of them.
“I just realized,” he said as if the thought were a painful one. “We’re going to be stuck with a Redstone wedding.”
She blinked. “Redstone weddings are…different?”
“Redstone weddings,” he intoned gloomily, “are overwhelming.”
Grace laughed. She couldn’t help herself. “I’ll protect you,” she joked.
Draven went very still, and the look that came over his face then was one of wonder. “And you know something?” he said softly. “I’ll let you.”
And Grace knew then that the legendary John Draven, the man she would soon tie herself to forever, had just done the most heroic thing of his life.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-6791-0
SECOND-CHANCE HERO
Copyright © 2005 by Janice Davis Smith
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*Trinity Street West
*Trinity Street West
*Trinity Street West
*Trinity Street West
*Trinity Street West
*Trinity Street West
†Redstone, Incorporated
†Redstone, Incorporated
†Redstone, Incorporated
†Redstone, Incorporated
†Redstone, Incorporated
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