Page 36 of The Chase
She’d not had a chance to talk to him since. Not…after what had happened at the hospital with Aubrey. That had taken all of her family’s focus for a few days. Greer had made a point of taking care of Ayla for Aubrey. That was what the older woman would be worried about the most—her baby sister. It was really all Greer could do.
Guthrie was staying close to Aubrey’s side. Aubrey would beokay,but someone at the hospital really had tried to kill her. Greer was still wrapping her head around that.
Aubrey was home now, George and Ronnie and all six of their kids were at the ranch, too. Greer had focused on just gettingthrough.She didn’t understand how any of this stuff kept happening to her family. First Gene and Chantal had almost been killed—twice—then Genny had almost been killed by a doctor at the hospital, George and Ronnie and Greer could have been killed in the wreck, and now someone had attacked Aubrey at the hospital where she worked to cover up his decades’ long crimes. Aubrey had gotten really lucky Guthrie had found her when he had.
Everyone was still shaken by all of it.
Guthrie had just carried a slightly protesting Aubrey to his own suite, and tucked her in a few minutes ago. Ayla was hovering over her sister, obviously upset. Greer always hated it when Ayla was upset. She couldn’t help feeling protective over Ayla. Not because Ayla was paralyzed, or anything like that. Itwas just that Ayla was sosweetand trusting Greer half-feared Ayla would get eaten by a rogue gerbil someday.
But…Gunn seemed to be keeping a close eye on Ayla, too. Greer really, really, really hoped her big brother and Ayla would make it official someday soon. They both deserved to behappy.
That…was the truth for all of her siblings and the people they had just rapidly paired off with lately.
Greer would admit—she was a little envious. And…lonely.
That was the only explanation for why she had let Kurt the Toad hold her in her hospital bed—all night long. He’d been there when she’d fallen asleep—and he’d been there when she’d wakened the next morning.
After he’d run Giavonna off somehow the night before. Greer had just watched in amazement as that had happened. Her sister was the most stubborn woman on the planet, and Kurt had out-argued her in almost an instant.
Then he’d looked at Greer and told her she was hisheart,and not allowed to scare him again.
It was his baby, too. That was what she’d told herself when she’d let him stay.
She was weak. Pitiful.
She blamed the hormones, now. It was the only explanation. Hadn’t she already learned her lesson where he was concerned?
But when he’d held her, the world hadn’t seemed so scary. She’d almost feltsafeagain.
And she’d wanted him to hold her all night long.
29
Kurt had beenat the bake sale her mother had organized as a fundraiser. Greer had been there to help take money and she’d looked up—and there he had been. With Bristol and Bronte. Bristol had wanted a Wonkus McBubbles cookie, and Kurt had bought her a box of half a dozen. He was taking to thisdaddything terrifyingly well.
She knew her baby would be safe with him when he had the baby, but…oh, Greer was so darned confused.
Kurt had pulled her to the side of the library parking lot, while her own mother had his girls somehow, and he had kissed Greer senseless. Like he had so many times before that night. And to her shame, she had let him.
Maybe she’d even really wanted him to, actually. Just a little.
The man was such a toad.
He’d promised he’d call her again.
She hadn’t seen him much since the night of the wreck. Something had happened to one of his properties. In Oklahoma, she’d heard. A fire or something. Rumor had it he’d had to go there and deal with authorities or something. It had been arson, she thought someone had said.
She really hoped that was just a rumor.
“You want to talk about what’s going on with you?”
Greer looked at her big brother. She had always thought Grady was one of her most complicated, sensitive, and lovable brothers—even if he didn’t realize that. He was just so…good…at heart. But she knew he was a bit insecure. He always had been. “I am pregnant, the man responsible is probably a toad, and our family has been through a horrible time right now. I need my bestie to help me figure out how to make it better.”
Actually, she had really just come along to see if Genny was right—if something really was going on between Hala and Grady. Greer had thought about it since the barbecue, since what Hala had told her about what Grady had said and done—and it made perfect sense. Hala and Grady were the perfect couple—Greer’s mom had said so, as well.
Greer suspected her mom had been planning for the two of them to get together all along.
The last thing she was going to do was tell Grady that, though. He could be so obstinate at times.
