Page 3 of His Saving Grace

“She was already named when I got her. She belonged to one of the guys that was…” Mason’s words trailed off into nothing, and something flickered in his eyes. And then it was gone. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter.”

Eloise rubbed Tank’s belly one last time and then stood. She faced both Grace and Mason, the dog still sprawled between them. She smiled at Grace and then turned to her son. Her lips pursed at the hard stare he had leveled at Grace. “For goodness’ sake, Mason. What has gotten into you?”

Mason shifted his gaze away from her to look at his mother. Grace sucked in a silent breath, tension leaking from her now that his intense blue eyes were off her. Mason didn’t comment, just raised a dark eyebrow at his mother.

The older woman sighed. If exasperation could be defined by a single sound, that would be it. She placed her hand on Grace’s shoulder and gave a reassuring squeeze. A little more of Grace’s tension melted away. “Mason, this is Grace. Grace, my eldest son, Mason.”

“Yeah, I already got that. What I want to know is, who is she? Why is she here?” He crossed his arms over his massive chest. The fabric of his tee shirt pulled tight over his biceps. Heat prickled across her skin and she forced her gaze away. She shouldn’t be ogling the man in front of his mother.

Yeah, because that’s what you should be worried about? You shouldn’t be ogling him, period. No matter how ogle-worthy he is, he is so far off limits, you couldn’t even see him if you had binoculars.

“Mason Calvin Callahan, where are your manners? Is that any way to talk?” Eloise swatted at his elbow. His biceps rippled as he dropped his arms to his sides. This new vibe wasn’t any less intimidating.

“I…I’m Mrs. Calla…Callahan’s…” Grace couldn’t seem to get the words out. For some reason, her mouth had dried up, flustering her even more.

“Is the stutter a normal thing?”

“Mason.” Eloise’s eyes widened, and she reached out and grabbed his arm. Her knuckles were white, meaning she was squeezing his arm pretty damn hard. He didn’t even flinch.

Grace cleared her throat, pushing her unease down into her gut. “No, it’s not a normal thing,” she said, happy her voice finally decided to cooperate. The words came out normal this time, if somewhat breathy. “I’m Mrs. Callahan’s assistant.”

He snorted. “Like my mother needs any assistance.”

Grace’s gaze darted to the woman in question and then back to her son. What could she possibly say? She knew how ridiculous it sounded. Eloise Callahan was a vibrant, capable woman. Grace wasn’t fooled. The only reason Eloise had hired her was because Grace had reeked of desperation.

“Grace, can you give us a minute?” Eloise turned to her with a kind smile.

Grace nodded, all too happy to get the hell off the porch. And out of Mason Callahan’s trajectory. She hurried past them and the dog, Mason’s gaze boring into her all the while. The pressure of his stare weighed on her until the moment the front door closed behind her.

The urge to turn, peek through the window, get one last look at Mason, clawed at her insides, but she sank back against the door instead. She wouldn’t do it. She wouldn’t look. She didn’t care. Her skin was sweaty, and she used the front of her shirt like a fan. She wished she could blame the California summer heat.

What the hell?She hadn’t had a physical reaction to someone like that…well, ever. The whole thing had thrown her. But it didn’t matter, because she wouldn’t be here long, anyway. She just needed to avoid him, and any pesky questions he might think up, until she was ready to leave.

She mentally counted the small stash of cash she had hidden in the guest house. Damn it. She needed to work here for at least a couple more months in order to have enough to get her through the winter. Hopefully, Mason wouldn’t be staying long. She refused to let him catch her in a lie.