Authors: Mary Wine
“When is your next historical event?”
Brice didn’t jump, but there was still a tensing of his shoulders. Grace felt a smile creep across her face. It was about time she was the one causing the responses between them. He snapped his head about and caught her in his stare. His lips pressed into a tight line before he grinned.
“Fourth of July weekend. It’ll be twice the size.”
She crossed the patio and took up a seat. Despite the fact that they had her fixed with their eyes, their hands continued to move confidently over the weapons.
“I want to go.”
Jacobs gave her a hard look. “What are you working on, Gracie?”
That was a good question. One Grace intended to find the answer to. It was something she wasn’t going to find roaming about Brice Campbell’s home. “Something familiar.”
Brice raised an eyebrow. “That’s a little cryptic.”
“I have no facts to share at this time.”
Brice pointed at her. “You know, you’re a little too good at shutting out the rest of us humans.”
“Empathy is not that simple,” she countered.
“Fine, try educating me a little on just what you mean by ‘familiar’.”
“Sounds like a plan to me,” Jacobs added.
Regarding her two critics, Grace searched both faces before replying.
“It defies logic. Emotions come in streams that can jump borders or change at the snap of a finger. Forcing it into a clear picture isn’t possible. It has to be endured before it can be understood. More importantly, I am not a clairvoyant empathic.”
“So just what is up at Jennings Mill that has your attention?”
Grace considered that question. “A piece of the puzzle is there, the same piece that was outside in the forest. There are pieces floating around, just waiting for me to connect them.”
Considering the monitor fixed to her ankle, she glared at Jacobs. Understanding crossed his eyes before his jaw set into stubborn determination. Well, maybe it was time the man understood that he wasn’t the only person with determination.
“Whatever is going on, someone thinks it’s worth shooting me to protect. Personally, I’m in the mood to kick over their apple cart.” She stood. “Remaining here forces me to hear it in the distance. So I want to go back to the source or leave. And I do not like wearing this shackle.”
“It’s not coming off, Grace,” Jacobs informed her in a steel-hard voice.
“So decide, one action or another.” Regret stung her, but she couldn’t stand the frustration any longer. She turned around and reentered the house. “But no more sitting still. It’s eating at me.”
“You’re being an ass about the ankle band, Jacobs.”
“Are you in some kind of hurry to see us on our way?”
Brice lifted an eyebrow at Jacobs’s tone. The giant tipped his head and shook it with frustration.
“You’re right, I am being an ass.”
Lifting his gun back into his lap, Brice began a slow polishing of the barrel. A very unpleasant smile crossed his face.
“Just who is that for?”
“Whoever put that hole in her,” Brice informed him. “I think she’s right about going back out to Jennings Mill. Let’s let them take another pass at her.”
An equally unpleasant look crossed Jacobs’s face. The two men locked eyes as they shared a common rage.
“Laying her out as bait could have deadly results.”
“This problem will follow you back to base. You can only watch your back for so long, Jacobs. Out here you’ve got friends to help you trap the rat.”
That was something that could make all the difference. Brice considered the hard nod Jacobs sent him.
“Just what did you have in mind?”
It was amazing how one simple action could bring such relief. Just two seconds and Jacobs had released the lock on her ankle band. Grace couldn’t control the smile that spread across her features as she watched the thing disappear into the man’s pocket.
Maybe it was the easing of tension in their relationship, but with the termination of her restraint, Grace felt her mind shift into sharp focus. It was the first time she had been able to do it since being shot.
Grace simply walked out of the room. She wanted to get the feel of the porch to see if anything was still lingering from the day she had felt the anger aimed at her.
She continued out onto the porch and stood at the rail. She could detect the image that was eluding her. It was here. The image was not very strong however. It was old, and that meant that whoever had been here had not been back. The image was oddly familiar. Almost like a familiar scent that you couldn’t quite place.
Grace dropped to one knee and folded her hands over her upraised one. Everything was shifting off-center again. Pain and fatigue intruded, causing her focus to shatter. Her mind was willing but her body was weak. Disgust bloomed inside her. Setting her teeth, she forced herself to rise to her feet. At least the momentary glimpse confirmed that she was on the mend.
Being able to shut her body out again would return her balance.
Jacobs stood in the kitchen watching Grace. Brice moved up beside him.
“Removing that thing seems to have produced results.”
Jacobs nodded.
“Considering giving her back her boots?”
“Yes, but it wouldn’t be wise,” Jacobs remarked. “Grace has been trained to ignore pain. She’s got more tenacity than any female I’ve ever seen and there is something about this situation that makes me wonder if that isn’t what this perpetrator is betting on.”
“I’m getting the same feeling,” Brice confirmed. “So I’ve called in a little support for backup.”
Jacobs aimed a hard look at him.
“You need an edge, Major. Some faces no one expects to be on the team. This is my county. Let me back you up.”
Jacobs drew in a deep breath. “Fine. As for her boots, that’s your little stunt to smooth over with her. But I’ll give you this little tip, Grace doesn’t like to be caged.”
Jacobs pulled the silver bracelet from his shirt pocket with a grim look on his face. “She hates this, and I hate using it.”
“But I’m not bound by duty, is that it?”
Jacobs dropped the bracelet into his pocket. “You have a choice. I earned her friendship by making sure I give her as much space as duty allows.”
“That almost sounds like you’re rooting for me.”
Jacobs surprised him by grinning. “Maybe. Then again, maybe I’m betting against you.”
“That would be a mistake.”
It had taken a week, but Grace was very good at waiting. And watching. Listening to the slight sounds of the house, she sifted out the sound of Brice lowering his body weight into one of the porch chairs. The scent of oil drifted in on the evening breeze. Brice Campbell would be working on his black-powder gun for the better part of the next hour.
She was completely aware of the man. Healing had a side effect. Her body was once again yearning for his. It was much harder to ignore now that she’d felt him inside of her.
Turning down the hallway, Grace considered the master bedroom. Her heart actually increased its rate before she even crossed the threshold.
Standing in the doorway, she could feel him everywhere. A delicate shudder moved over her skin. It was so very odd the way her body could feel him. She moved her gaze over the bed. He had never brought a woman here. No, only his scent lingered in the room. Grace straightened. Her boots caught her eye. Lined up neatly next to the bedside table.
Only she didn’t sleep in this bed. She reached forward and jerked them off the floor. Her boots didn’t belong here and neither did she.
She walked slowly to the doorway and slipped out of the room. She had achieved her first goal. Now she had one more to go. She was going for a walk tonight.
Grace slipped out the window and melted into the tree line. She stretched and pulled fresh air into her lungs. The night sounds fell on her ears and she took time to watch the stars. Her legs protested a bit at the pace she set but she didn’t slack it. Her body had weakened in the last month and she needed to build back that endurance.
Training her body was normal, and she desperately needed the plain, harsh reality of her life to intrude. Too many thoughts surrounded her. Too many emotions.
Closing her eyes, she tried to focus her mind. This was what she wanted—the night and its blissful harmony. Her body rejected it. Her skin longed for the warmth of human touch. Her breasts lifted and the nipples tightened as the memory of Brice’s scent filled her.
She was wasting their time together.
But the question was, would it only become harder if she took advantage of the moment?
Grace dropped to a knee at the edge of the light. Brice was still polishing his gun on the back porch. His hands were smooth and steady as he moved a polishing cloth over his gun. His eyes were trained on the task with relaxed enjoyment.
Heat surfaced in her face as she watched him. Why Brice Campbell? Men looked her over regularly. A few even made the mistake of touching her. So why couldn’t her body dismiss this sheriff as easily? She had to find the cause because it was extremely unlikely she would ever set foot on Brice Campbell’s mountain again. Jacobs seemed willing to give her the weekend to poke around up at Jennings Mill, but Grace wasn’t fool enough to think it would go any further. Besides the true issue was Turvel.
Jacobs’s C.O. had to be in agreement or they wouldn’t be going. Period.
Grace pushed back to a standing position. She intended to find out just what was up at that mill.
Striding forward, she walked right out of the darkness. Brice tensed as she appeared. He was half out of his chair before he recognized her. Grace wasn’t a fool. If he’d been cleaning a modern rifle she’d never have surprised him. But the opportunity to push Brice off-balance, even momentarily, was too tempting to resist.
“Nice night for a hike.”
Grace didn’t need to be empathic to feel the aggression coming off him. She could actually taste it. She let a grin show on her face as she marched past Brice. The man was too sure of himself and she would deny him.
She made it just one step into the hallway when his footfall landed right behind her. Grace spun on her heel only to find herself facing his shoulder. Brice bent down and swept her into his arms. He surged back to his full height so fast her head swam in response. A heavy hand landed a solid smack on her bottom before it settled into a tight grasp on her flesh.
Rage exploded inside her, but her options were severely limited in the tight hallway. The second Brice cleared the next doorway she pushed away from him and found her body airborne. She bounced in a tangle of limbs before realizing that it was the master bed that she’d been tossed onto.
“It’s a nice night for a lot of things, Gracie. Like taking any challenge you feel like flinging at me.”
He pulled his gun from the waistband of his jeans and set it onto the fireplace mantel.
Maybe it was the fact that she worked with a giant, but Grace had somehow forgotten just how large a man Brice really was. He filled the room completely, forcing a sense of vulnerability to cross her body. Tossing a challenge down at his feet had been rash, because the man in front of her was far too happy to accept.
“You started it by taking my boots. I am not your house cat.”
She kept her eyes glued to him, waiting for him to lower his guard by concentrating on the conversation.
“Are you sure about that? You do purr when I pet you.”
Grace almost made it past his grasp. She dove under his reach but he flipped and caught her body while his own rolled back onto the surface of the bed. The mattress bounced under their tussle. His scent filled her head as he rolled completely over her.
But he didn’t stop on top of her body this time. Instead, he rolled onto his back and clamped his ankles around her own while his hands settled onto her bottom. Her face ended on top of his chest. Grace thrust her hands down and pushed away from him. With his hands firmly gripping her bottom, her back curled up giving barely a foot of separation.
“The idea of having you in my bed has kept me awake every night you’ve been under my roof, Gracie.”
“That’s what Jacobs calls me.”
Brice slowly smoothed his hands along her back. “Point taken.”
He smelled so good. And his body felt even better. She spread out her fingers over the wall of his chest and each one of her fingertips felt the pulse of life. Her breath escaped her lungs in a harsh gasp as her stomach clearly felt the rising proof of his passion.
“You might find I can follow direction rather well, if you’d take the time to voice your wishes.” Unhooking his ankles, Brice released his grip on her legs. She pulled her knees up and they slipped over the sides of his hips. A groan escaped his lips as he pressed his throbbing erection into the soft center of her body.
“What do you want me to do, Grace?” His voice was a deep, dark tone of temptation.
She shivered with anticipation.
What was he doing to her? Grace pushed away from his chest to find herself sitting atop his hips. The hard staff of his sex pressed against flesh that was suddenly begging for more attention. Her clothes were too tight, too hot. She tugged at the collar of her shirt as the heat rose even higher.