Grace

by Chris Keniston

  But by the steely-eyed gaze with which DJ stared at the two women seated at the kitchen table, Grace knew exactly what he was thinking. "Dale? You're thinking of helping cops with PTSD."

  DJ nodded, twisted behind him to retrieve the bottle, and without taking a sip picked at the damp label. "Something like that."

  Her cousin Jamie stood at the back door kicking his boots clean. "I think it's a great idea."

  "Me too." Connor scooted around his cousin to hang his hat. "What little I heard."

  "That dirt looks good on you, boy." Sean smiled at his nephew. "When are you going to give up that city job and go home to help your Da?"

  Jamie smiled the same lazy smile all the Farraday men had. "Nope. It's okay for a day in the stables with my favorite cousin—"

  "I thought I was your favorite cousin." DJ bit back a smile.

  Jamie pulled a beer from the fridge and, waving one in the air at Connor, waited until his cousin shook his head at the offer to put the second beer back and twist the top off his own. "I've got a lot of favorite cousins."

  "Charmer, is what he is." Aunt Eileen slid over and on tippy-toe gave her nephew a peck on the cheek. Didn't matter that they weren't related by blood, not even by marriage. To Aunt Eileen, all Farradays were family. "Do you really have to head back tomorrow?"

  Jamie slung an arm around their aunt. "'Fraid so. I'm on the schedule for Thursday night."

  "And if I want to keep my job I need to be back by tomorrow afternoon," Hannah added, "so we'll be up and out of here at first light with the rest of the family."

  "Maybe what we need is a bar here in town," Chase suggested. Several startled heads swiveled around to face him. "Or… maybe not."

  "Actually," Finn moved to sit at the table, "you wouldn't be the first to suggest we need a place to buy a beer or take a turn on the dance floor without driving to Butler Springs."

  "I was actually thinking of a nice restaurant, but I can see where a bar with a dance floor would work."

  Jamie laughed and shook his head. "That'll be the day."

  DJ shrugged. "Never know. Prohibition was repealed a long time ago."

  Just about everyone at the table laughed at that. Not that it would make any difference. The town council was pretty set in their ways.

  "And as long as we're moving people into town," her dad took a seat by Finn, "Chase here is ready to set down roots."

  "Buying a feed store wasn't setting down roots?" Aunt Eileen teased.

  "Well yeah," Finn smiled, "but he can't stay at the B&B forever. We were talking in the barn and it got me thinking." He looked at DJ. "What shape is the old foreman's house in on Adam's property?"

  "The hospital?" Catherine asked. "Or are you thinking the apartment over the clinic?"

  "Wait a minute," DJ leaned forward, with an exaggerated expression of surprise. "Is my fiancée moving out of the apartment and I don't know it?" He was of course teasing. He and everyone else at the table knew damn well that he would be moving in with Becky after the wedding.

  "Hold on." Chase had shifted his attention from person to person as each suggestion was offered, and now held up his hand. "Hospital? Clinic? Do you guys know something I don't?"

  "Relax," Grace said with a grin, "Adam and Ethan's fiancée, Allison, are remodeling an antebellum ranch estate into a hospital for locals. They're leasing the land to ranchers but hadn't decided what to do with the foreman's house."

  Chase's face lit with interest. "Where is it?"

  "Not far from town," DJ said. "But I haven't seen it up close in ages."

  "I'm sure Adam would be happy to let you walk through it," Aunt Eileen chimed in, then turned to Grace. "As a matter of fact, we'll be playing cards tomorrow at the café—"

  "When was that decided?" Grace cut her aunt off. She didn't know what or why, but she smelled an awfully convenient rat.

  "Just recently, dear. But you can pick up the key from Adam then take Chase to look." Smiling like the proverbial cat with a bowl of cream, her aunt turned to Chase. "Don't you think that's an excellent idea?"

  Slightly wide eyed, Chase looked momentarily at Grace and then back at her aunt. "Yes, I'll have to check with Andy—"

  "Oh, Andy is thrilled to have extra work. He'll be fine with it, I can assure you." Aunt Eileen returned her attention to the simmering pot on the stove. "Great idea, Finn."

  Finn shrugged at Grace. DJ smothered a smile. Connor nodded his head and at the center of it all, Chase seemed all too pleased. Grace couldn't help but think that getting this wedding over with and getting herself back to Dallas couldn't happen fast enough.

  ***

  For Chase, the amazing burst of stars was a literal bright spot of driving from the ranch back to town at night. Every evening the clear skies of West Texas turned from deep blue to dark black and the stars sparkled like diamonds on velvet. So many bright lights that the sky almost gleamed white. An incredible sight.

  "You would love it here, Dad." Everything in him wished his father was still around to share this moment. The day his father died, Chase stopped chasing the brass ring. He'd learned everything about business and hard work and dreams from his father. And how one wasn't worth much without the other. "You'd like Grace too."

  The look on her face when that dog knocked her into the cardboard point of sale display was priceless. The reaction when her brothers explained the dog was the stray the whole town had credited with matching her brothers and their mates was twice as memorable. But his favorite of her many faces by far was the dazed expression this afternoon when he'd kissed her. He wouldn't mind seeing what face she'd make if he kissed her again. This time with little chance of interruption.

  The lights of Tuckers Bluff drew closer in the distance, shifting his thoughts to where this place was that Brooks was redoing. Except for the few times he'd driven to the Farraday ranch, he'd not explored out of town. Curiosity almost had him ignoring the turn on the street to the B&B and continuing across the small town and out to find the hospital land, but another part of him was seriously looking forward to seeing it for the first time with Grace. And wasn't that an interesting turn of events? After all these years he'd finally found someone who intrigued him in a million different ways and she was just as eager to get out of town as he was to settle in.

  Pulling into the driveway of the B&B, he took one last look at the stars. The plan had been to call Brooks to talk about the property, but if he recognized the car in front, it looked like the conversation had come to him. Locking the car door out of habit more than necessity, he made his way up the porch steps and into the house. Adam and Meg were nestled on the oversized sofa in the casual living area. Brooks and Toni sat across on the loveseat.

  Meg was the first to spot him and pushed herself upright. "How was the work day at the ranch?"

  "Very informative." He hesitated to interrupt, but really wanted to talk about the house.

  Brooks leaned forward and gestured for Chase to take a seat. "Finn called."

  Chase should have known the brothers would have cleared the way for him.

  "Says you're ready to settle down more permanent like."

  He glanced at Adam and Meg. "Nothing against the B&B—"

  "Of course not. You can't live here forever." Meg pushed to her feet. "Did you leave any room for dessert?"

  Adam turned to his wife. "You're joking?"

  Lifting her hand, palm-out, at Chase, she said, "Never mind, Adam's right. What was I thinking? How about an herbal tea?"

  "That would be great." Chase nodded as Meg gestured to Brooks and Toni.

  "None for me," Brooks said.

  Toni shook her head. "Me neither.”

  "Only three cups coming up then."

  Chase watched Meg leaving the room and wondered if he had ever seen his parents as happy together as the couples in the Farraday family.

  "If you're thinking of staking a claim, she's taken." Only the twinkle in Adam's eyes reassured Chase the comment was made in jest.

>   "Sorry."

  Smiling, Adam waved him off, confirming the comment was only teasing.

  Brooks rested his forearms on his thighs. "The foreman's house is in pretty rough shape. It's been abandoned for decades now."

  "What are your plans for it?"

  "We don't really have any. Toni and I have discussed maybe keeping it for ourselves, but we decided we'd rather build something a little bigger. The other option was using it for doctor's offices or something of the sort if the hospital gets too big or busy, though that seems highly unlikely."

  "So you'd consider selling it?" Now, excitement truly began to rise.

  Nodding, Brooks leaned back again. "Maybe. It's far enough away that everyone would have their privacy, but it's close enough to the main road that we could easily allocate its own boundaries. What are you looking for, five, ten acres?"

  Five. Ten. "Uh, actually I was thinking one would be huge."

  Adam laughed. "I suppose if it were in the city it would be. You sure you wouldn't rather buy something here in town?"

  "Is there anything in town?" Meg came in carrying the customary wooden tray with tea pot and cups.

  "Actually," Chase scooted forward to reach the cups, "I wouldn't mind a nice Victorian like this."

  Adam and Brook’s brows arched like mirrored images.

  "Well, not necessarily this big, but something with architectural interest. What's the Foreman's house like? Brick ranch?"

  "Nope," this time Brooks replied. "That sucker was built a hell of a lot longer ago than that. More craftsman in style."'

  "Really?"

  Brooks smiled. "Really."

  "Would you mind letting me borrow the keys? Go tomorrow sometime and take a look?"

  "That would be hard," Meg said with a smile, shaking her head when Chase's smile slipped. "House doesn't have any locks."

  Settling back next to his wife again, Brooks shook his head at his sister-in-law. "Go take a look, see if you like it and then we'll talk some more."

  "Thanks." Chase resisted the urge to do a fist pump like a stoked teen. For reasons he couldn't explain, buying his own home in this Mayberry look-alike felt more real than anything else he'd done so far. "I think that's already the plan. For Grace to show me where it is."

  "Makes sense," Meg nodded. "If you can see past the problems, I'm sure you'll love it."

  Something in the way his hostess' eyes twinkled told him what she'd just said had nothing to do with housing.

  Chapter Thirteen

  "Four ladies. Read 'em and weep." Eileen spread her cards on the table and scooped in her chips.

  "So explain to me again," Sally May tossed her cards onto the table. "Why did we get a last minute call to meet here this morning?"

  Despite being the only occupied table on this side of the café midway between breakfast and lunch, Eileen leaned forward and lowered her voice. "I wanted an excuse to come into town with Grace."

  "Why? So she could play real estate agent?" Ruth Ann gathered the remaining cards from the table. "I suppose as an attorney she's allowed to do that."

  "We could use a real estate agent in town." Sally May grabbed half the deck to help Ruth Ann shuffle.

  "Oh, for land's sake." Dorothy shook her head. "Y'all have to know this is about the new guy and Grace."

  Ruth Ann stopped shuffling and stared at Eileen. "Did you bet?"

  "Who cares if she's in on the pool?" Dorothy blurted. "What she wants is to keep them close. Or closer."

  "And that abandoned old house seems as good a place as any." Eileen couldn't help but grin. She loved watching her babies fall in love and so far the dog hadn't gotten it wrong.

  "Oh sure," Dorothy cut the deck. "Nothing like dirt, dust, cobwebs and field mice for a romantic setting."

  "Mice?" Ruth Ann stopped mid-deal. "Ugh."

  "Hmm. I hadn't thought about that." Eileen might have been romanticizing the scenario a tad. But Grace and the new hunk in town had spent most of yesterday afternoon alone together and while Eileen got the feeling things were shifting between the pair, she needed more—and fast. There was no telling how long Grace would stay in town and once she was back in Dallas who knew when she'd be back.

  "If you aren't in the betting pool," Ruth Ann dealt the first card, "I don't see why it matters. All the others got together just fine without your help."

  "Not true," Dorothy picked up a card. "Eileen concocted that little-too-sick-to-get-out-of-bed scenario for Ethan."

  Eileen smiled and reached for her cards. "And it worked too."

  "I don't know," Sally May rearranged her cards. "I bet they would have gotten together anyhow. I mean, you can manipulate a lot of things, but you can't control people falling in love."

  Polly of the Cut and Curl came hurrying in the front door. "Mabel Berkner canceled at the last minute."

  "Well what has you in such a rush?" Abbie came to a stop beside the table.

  "Heard Grace is showing the greenhorn the foreman's house out by the new clinic." Polly grinned. "I want to change my bet."

  Abbie put her two fingers together and whistled lightly.

  A carafe of coffee in one hand and a pie plate in the other, Shannon spun around.

  "Bring the notebook," Abbie called out.

  Shannon nodded, turned back around to fill her customer's cup, then set the plate down and ran into the kitchen. Before anyone could blink she was hurrying up to the table. "Who wants in?"

  "You're taking the bets?" Dorothy's eyes widened. "I thought this was Burt's idea?"

  Shannon giggled. "Well, he wanted to get in on the pool and I was the only neutral party available."

  All eyes at the table turned to Abbie. "Hey, if the dog had knocked me into Chase Prescott, I'd bet on him too." Lifting her fists onto her hips, she cast her glance from one card-playing club member to the other. "Well?"

  The four women looked to each other.

  Dorothy shrugged. "Grace. She's too hardheaded."

  "Yep," Sally May nodded. "Grace."

  Ruth Ann shook her head. "Hot Stuff all the way."

  "I'm shifting from Grace to Hot Stuff too," Polly beamed. "I hadn't counted on so many encounters of the close kind."

  "Looks like me, my niece and her future husband are the only three people in town besides Shannon here who haven't placed a bet."

  Shannon smothered a grin.

  "You're kidding?" different voices muttered.

  Shannon shook her head slowly and her grin widened. "Both of them."

  "Well I'll be damned," Eileen leaned back in the chair. "Wonder if either of them is on the dog's side."

  All heads turned to Shannon. Her expression didn't falter. "Don't look at me. Last thing I need is to be tossed in jail for insider trading."

  "I don't think the Securities and Exchange Commission cares about our town's little pool."

  Shannon shrugged, stepped away, and over her shoulder called. "Maybe. Maybe not."

  And maybe, Eileen considered, that sweet matchmaking mutt could pull this one off without any help from her. Then again…

  ***

  "These are fantastic." Andy handed Chase another of the new halters. "Where'd you get the hand roped ones?"

  "Last week a gal came in with them. She looked like she could use the money so I bought them. Hadn't planned on putting them for sale but after talking to Grace—"

  "You two are hitting it off pretty well it seems."

  How did he answer that? Did having enough chemistry between them to self-combust even when the party of the first part had no intention of sticking around with the party of the second part, count as hitting it off pretty well? "All the Farradays have been very helpful."

  "But you do like her?" Andy coaxed.

  Chase hung the last harness and studied Andy a second. Where had all this curiosity about him and Grace come from? "The pool."

  At least Andy had the decency to look embarrassed as recognition dawned. "I know you've been at the ranch quite a bit the last few day
s, but now that you two are going house hunting—"

  "I'm going house hunting. We're not moving in together."

  "Yeah," Andy shifted his feet awkwardly, "but still, if y'all are hitting it off. I mean, it's not like you asked Meg to show you around."

  "I didn't ask Grace either."

  "Oh." Frowning, Andy took a step back. "Then if you don't like her, I don't have to change my bet."

  Another damned if he did and damned if he didn't question. The warning about the expiration date on the milk carton scrolled across his mind. If he gave any hint he liked Grace, he was pretty sure the entire town would not only know it, they'd probably chip in for the reception. On the other hand, if he said he wasn't interested, that too would probably reach Grace's ears within the hour and could annihilate any chance he had of seeing where this thing might go.

  The jingle of the door chime saved him from having to give any response. In the standard West Texas attire of jeans, boots, and button down shirt, Grace entered the store. What he wouldn't give to trade places with those curve-hugging jeans for just an hour… or more.

  "Hey, Miss Grace." Andy bobbed his chin.

  "Hi, Andy. How's your mom's arthritis doing?"

  "Not bad. She cut back on potatoes and her ankles aren't swelling so much."

  "Good. I'm glad it worked. Make sure to tell her I asked about her."

  "Will do." Andy turned to his boss. "I'll take these empty boxes out back."

  "Thanks." Chase redirected his thoughts to the business at hand. "We shouldn't be long."

  "Ready then?" Grace asked.

  "All set." He skirted around her and held the door open. From time to time he'd do that in New York, but more often than not women would reach for the handle before he could. He liked that Grace didn't mind the simple courtesy.

  Walking to the car, Grace waved a hand at his new boots. "Comfortable, aren't they?"

  "Not yet, but I'm told once I break them in, I'll never want to wear anything else."

  Grace chuckled. "That would have to be Sister."

  "It was." He nodded. "Sissy is responsible for the jeans. Told me if I wanted to fit in I'd have to stop looking like I just stepped off a yacht."