Page 76 of His Saving Grace

He drove up to the main buildings and a streak of lightning lit up the sky, quickly followed by a roaring clap of thunder. The hair on his arms stood on end. It’s just a storm, nothing more. But the ominous feeling in the pit of his stomach refused to go away. He pulled the truck into the garage.

“You sure you’re okay?” Jake looked at him with a frown.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” He got out of the truck and slammed the door. Without waiting for his brother, he strode over to the garage door.

The heavy raindrops hit the ground hard. Little rivers had already formed in the dirt, water rushing every which way. He peered at the house, the lights glowing warmly in the gloomy distance. His gaze strayed to the guest house. He could only see a corner of it from this angle. There were no windows visible, so he had no idea if Grace was there or not.

Not that it mattered. He was tracking her down and they were going to talk. She’d done most of the talking last night. Now it was his turn. He had things to say, and she was damn well going to listen.

He glanced at the sky. Getting soaked was at the bottom of his list of things to do, so it looked like he might be here for a while. He glanced back at the guesthouse but, of course, nothing had changed. The angle was still crap and he had no idea if she was even there.

What if she’s gone?

The idea sent icy fingers skating up his spine. His gut clenched. She wouldn’t leave without saying anything. Would she?

Shit, she might. He’d been a huge prick yesterday. She’d confessed something terrible, and he’d been so angry on her behalf that, in the moment, he hadn’t thought about how painful it was for her to admit everything. To say the words out loud, to relive those horrible memories. She’d been hurting, and he’d walked away. Could he blame her if she’d packed up and left?

Not that it mattered, because if she disappeared, he was going after her. No matter where she went, he would find her. And when he did, he would tell her he understood why she’d kept everything a secret, and he wasn’t holding any of it against her. He was also going to be very clear that, if they were going to be in a relationship, there would be no more secrets. They would start with a clean slate.

Jake came up beside him, stared out at the rain for a couple of seconds, and then looked over at him. The unusually serious look on his face meant he was about to start in on the Grace stuff again.

Knowing his little brother could never resist a challenge, he raised an eyebrow and indicated the house with a jerk of his head.

Jake grinned. “If I win, you’ve got to tell me what stupid thing you said to Grace. Inquiring minds and all of that.” He wagged his eyebrows.

Mason ignored him. He wasn’t telling anybody anything, at least until he spoke with Grace. And the fact that the little shit thought he was going to win was laughable.

“One… two…” Jake took off before he got to three.

Mason swore and raced after the cheater. He dashed in the direction of the house, the rain stinging his skin, soaking him through. His thigh ached, a combination of the weather and the sprint. He pushed through, gaining on his brother. Jake leaped onto the porch ahead of him and threw his weight against the front door. It slammed into the wall and he tore on through.

Mason vaulted onto the porch. Jake had left the door open, so he barged on through, but skidded to a stop in the foyer. His mother would slaughter him if he tracked mud through the house. Seemed like Jake had a death wish because he’d left muddy footprints all over the floor.

“Get back here, you cheating little bastard.” Mason toed off his muddy boots. He stood dripping in the foyer, debating on whether or not he should risk his mother’s wrath and go in search of a towel. Ultimately, he decided it was worth the risk, given the alternative was to stand in the hallway until someone happened to come by and take pity on him.

He pulled off his soggy socks and rushed up the stairs. He headed for the bathroom, trying to drip as little as possible. Jake stuck his head out of his bedroom door.

“I won,” he said, his voice an annoying, sing-songy taunt. “Now you’ve got to tell me what I want to know.”

“Don’t count on it, dipshit.” Mason pushed Jake’s head back through the bedroom door on his way by. He couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face.

It was good to be home.

Chapter 18

Gracedashedtowardthe guest house, the close, humid air clinging to her like a second skin. The frizzle in the air hinted that the storm was going to break any minute, and she preferred not to get soaked.

So far, her no-more-hiding plan was progressing nicely. Her talk with Eloise had been terrifying. And tearful. But instead of tossing her out, or getting angry, Eloise had taken Grace in her arms and told her she was sorry for what Grace had suffered. Grace had lost it then, clinging to the woman and sobbing. Sobbing for everything she’d lost, for how stupid she’d been, for how scared she was now. Eloise had cooed and fussed and comforted. Even after Grace had confessed her growing feelings for Mason.

Once she’d gotten herself under control, she and Eloise had come up with a plan. The first step—get rid of the black dye in her hair. It was a symbol of her no longer wanting to hide. It had meant hours in a salon chair, but it was done. She’d lost a few inches of length, but her hair was back to the golden blonde it had been for most of her life. Well, except for that rebellious phase in high school where she’d been a redhead—of the Ronald McDonald variety. She refused to acknowledge that particular phase.

She climbed onto the porch just as the sky opened up, sending huge raindrops to splatter on the ground. Perfect timing. The roar of the downpour hitting the roof drowned out everything.

The rain had always reminded her of renewal. A new beginning. The world cleansing itself so it could start over. The idea hit so close to home, she couldn’t help but smile.

A streak of lightning split the sky, sending a prickle of unease across her shoulders. Thunder clapped so loud, it vibrated in her bones.

Yeah, so, that’s not a good sign now, is it?She ignored the ominous feeling the storm stirred up, turning and unlocking the door. She stepped over the threshold and closed the door behind her. Unease settled over her like a shroud, heavy and dark. She dropped her shopping bags and flipped on the light. Everything was exactly as she’d left it. Shrugging it off as jitters, she turned to pick up her bags.