Page 106 of Saving Grace

“I’ll drive you to town for work, grab you a new iPhone, okay?”

“Sure.”

I can’t read her expression. She’s not mad. Not upset. She’s emotionless. Far too quiet. I usher her to the kitchen counter, and she settles on a stool. Pouring both of us coffee, I slide hers across the bench to where she sits. She can be angry at me as much as she likes. I will always do what it takes to keep her safe and loved.

“Need me to run any errands after I drop you off and pick up the phone?” I ask, sipping the hot, earthy brown liquid. She blows over her mug, cooling it before testing a sip.

“I’m not sorry for taking care of you, Grace. If anything, I’m annoyed you didn’t tell me this was an ongoing thing. Could’ve smashed it sooner.”

I can’t help the small cheeky smile popping up one corner of my mouth.

Finally, her mug meets the counter, and she holds my gaze. “I wish you had let me figure this out for myself. I understand you’re trying to look out for me, and I appreciate it. I do...” She glances away, sucking in a breath. “I was totally dependent on Joel. That’s where I went wrong last time. I won’t do that again, even if I know—which I do—you’re a good man. It’s something I have to do for myself.”

Stunned, I grip the mug with both hands.

This girl will never cease to impress me. A lesser person would take the first chance to hand their problems over to someone else. Not our Gracie. Head on, she stares down the ugliest situations in the eye and learns from them.Fuck me.

Not even I have the right to say that much of myself.

“I get it. I’ll butt out.” I put the coffee down. “But?—”

She cackles a laugh and turns the mug in her hands as it sits on the counter. “But?”

“If that waste of oxygen so much as lays a fingertip, says one word outta place. I will step in, gorgeous girl.”

Now she stands and rounds the counter, placing her mug beside mine. “No. You will let me handle this, Mackinlay. Whatever the outcome. I’m done being dependent. Period.”

“Yes ma’am.” It’s all I can say.

The fire in her eyes renders me appropriately subdued.Good girl, Gracie.Don’t take anyone’s shit, least of all mine. She walks toward the hallway, heading to ready herself for work, I assume. Her retreating back has me mesmerized. I have no doubt she will handle this just fine.

Now, to rein in my overprotectiveness of her.

Because the last thing I will ever do is make her feel less than.

That was his mistake.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

GRACE

Ifire up Blue and stow the new blue travel cup Mack bought along with my new phone three days ago in the center cup holder. Coffee secure. The weather is getting colder. Mack, Hudson, Harry, and Louisa are busy on the ranch, herding the cows and calves closer to the barns before the wolves find them.

I rub my hands against the cold, pulling my coat tighter before checking my hair in the rearview mirror. If I make it home early enough, I might even have a chance to help feed up in the yards. The prospect of cuddling a sweet little calf is too much. Today is going to drag. All I want to do is return home and get my fill of baby cow cuteness. And Mack, of course.

Huddled up in their jackets, the Rawlins make a fierce posse as they trot away from me, rifles slung over their backs and hats pulled down against the icy winds that have been up for a few days now. Mackinlay taps two fingers to his forehead over the most gorgeous smile as he rides away. I wave at him, returning the smile. The second in time freezes, solidifying this exchange between us into a memory.

Louisa trails the line on her black horse. It’s the first time I have seen her on horseback. She turns back as I pull away from the house and onto the driveway and tips her hat with a smile.

Pretty sure when I grow up, I want to be Louisa Rawlins. Or Ruby Rawlins. Gosh, those two women know exactly who they are. They own it. They have all their ducks in a row. Mine have absconded, died from the cold or ended up someone’s supper, I swear. With only work and Mack in my life, I sometimes feel a little like I’m missing something.

Heavens knows what on earth thatsomethingis.

By the time I hit the gravel road, the Rawlinses are deep into the fields, loping away, heading for another herd. I focus on the road and make town in under an hour. Pulling up to the curb, I kill the engine and down the last of my coffee. The street is relatively quiet for a Thursday. Only a few cars parked outside businesses.

I step out of the car, grabbing up my bag and phone, and lock her up. The wind picks up, and I shiver. Flipping my collar up, I glance up and down the street. A somewhat familiar scent carries on the frigid air. I frown, but don’t find anything amiss, or anything to place the scent. Putting it down to my imagination, I cross the pavement and go inside.

The warm inside air thaws my frozen nose and ears. They burn as blood flow returns. Don meets me at the front desk. “Mornin’, Grace. Cold out this early.”

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