Her Forever Hero (Unexpected Heroes)

by Melody Anne

  “I would have loved to have you for a dad,” she said, avoiding the rest of his statement. “Are you hungry? Thirsty? I know this isn’t my place, but I can’t believe I didn’t offer you something the moment you came in.”

  “I know how to find things around this place. Cam is actually pretty organized,” he said before standing. “I think I’ll have coffee and something sweet, if you have it.”

  “I’ll make a fresh pot. I could use some, too. And Cam’s cook just made a Bundt cake that’s the best thing I think I’ve ever eaten.”

  The two walked into the kitchen, and Martin sat at the table while Grace made coffee and pulled the cake from the fridge.

  “I’m going to miss Sally,” Grace told him as the coffee finished percolating and she poured them each a cup. “The creative ways she turns ordinary food into masterpiece dishes is out of this world. She’s spoiled me rotten in a few days’ time. I wish I’d learned how to cook better.” It was just one more disadvantage she’d had in growing up in such a cold home. “My mom wasn’t the milk-and-cookies type,” she said with a brittle laugh. “My dad wasn’t so hot in the kitchen, either.”

  “I know you don’t like to hear this, Grace,” Martin said after she joined him at the table. “But you’re strong enough to know that you’re important. I know your parents have put you through the wringer, but you have to remember that you’re a survivor and what your parents have done or said, or didn’t do or say, doesn’t define who you are.”

  “I was just making a joke, Mr. Whitman. I know that.” Grace wished she had just kept her mouth shut.

  “There are a lot of truths in jokes,” he told her.

  “Sometimes,” she said, then lifted her coffee cup to her mouth to keep herself from saying more. Why did she want to bare her soul to this man? It had always been that way. She blamed his eyes, his beautiful, soulful eyes.

  “I’m not going to push you, Grace. And I know you have Sage, and Spence, and Cam, and even Michael and Jackson. Our family loves you as one of our own. As long as you know that, you’ll always be just fine.”

  “I do know that,” she said, her voice quiet.

  “All right, we’ve gotten that out of the way. Tell me what you’ve been so busy with lately.”

  Grace somehow managed to switch gears, and spent the next fifteen minutes telling him about her event-planning business. It was easy to talk to him because he seemed genuinely interested in what she had to say.

  “. . . so I am locked in to planning Kitty Grier’s wedding. She’s a spoiled socialite who wants her way about everything. I haven’t even met the groom, and most likely won’t until the wedding day. In those circles, the wedding isn’t about the man, it’s all about how much the bride can outdo her so-called best friends’ weddings. I’m not saying I don’t enjoy large weddings. I’m just saying that sometimes it gets a little over-the-top.”

  “I like over-the-top weddings. But the groom most certainly is a part of the ceremony,” Martin said, chortling.

  “Yes, yes, he is,” Grace said with a sigh.

  “You will make a beautiful bride one day, Gracie,” Martin said, taking her hand again.

  “I don’t know if I’ll ever marry. It wasn’t like I had a good example of marriage from my parents.”

  “No, you didn’t, but, oh, how I loved my wife before she left this world. It was far too soon. And I have many friends in beautiful marriages,” he told her. “And just look at how happy your best friend and Spence are right now.”

  “Yes, I’ve never seen Sage so happy, but that’s because Spence puts her on a pedestal. That man would die for her,” Grace said with only the slightest taste of envy on her tongue.

  “I’ve seen a certain person look at you in exactly the same way that Spence looks at Sage,” Martin said with a raised eyebrow.

  Grace didn’t know what to say, and she was saved from having to answer by Cam, who picked that moment to walk through the door.

  “You both went silent awfully fast when I came in,” Cam said, and his lips quirked up at the corners.

  When he gave his dad a hug, then kissed her on the cheek, Grace was shocked to realize that, yes, she wanted him to gaze at her the way Spence did at Sage. How sappy could she get?

  But at the same time, that thought terrified her. Because if he did, she would have to let down the walls of protection around her heart. And Grace didn’t think she could do that—because if she let them down and her heart was broken again, it would never be repaired.

  “I’ve enjoyed the visit, Grace—and tell Sally that her cake was the second-sweetest thing in the house—but I must run,” Martin said. “I have a date.” He stood, then bent down and kissed the cheek opposite the one Cam had just grazed with his lips.

  “Leaving as soon as I get in, Father?” Cam asked.

  “I always want to visit with you, son,” Martin told Cam. “But time is money—for you, at least. Don’t you do anything to my girl.” And then he was gone, leaving his son alone with Grace—exactly where Cam wanted to be.

  “I wonder what he thinks I’ll do to you,” Cam said. Hell, he wouldn’t mind doing all sorts of things to or, better, with her. First and foremost, he’d like nothing more than to carry her upstairs to his room and finally make proper love to her. Those teasing sessions they both seemed so set on were getting a little old, although they were better than nothing.

  “You’ve been known to play less than fair,” Grace told him as she picked at her barely touched slice of cake.

  “You know that man has always loved you, don’t you?”

  Cam sat down and grabbed an extra fork from the table, then took a large bite off her plate. Grace pushed it toward him. She’d lost her appetite.

  “Yes, and I’ve always had a soft spot for him. Your father is a kind and gentle man,” she said, adoration shining in her eyes.

  “He has his grumpy days . . . but not too often.” Cam finished off the cake in no time before getting up and pouring himself a cup of coffee.

  “I can honestly say that I’ve never seen your father in a bad mood. I don’t believe he’s capable of it.”

  “The time my brothers and I decided to make a long rope of his expensive silk ties and climb from the second-story window—I’d say his language was pretty darn harsh,” Cam said, thinking back fondly. The “rope” had broken halfway down, with Cam landing on what would be his very bruised ass.

  “I would have loved to see that,” Grace said, laughing.

  The sound enchanted him. There was nothing quite like it.

  “I need to go and meet with the guys, Gracie. The new barn is going to be done soon and I’m really looking forward to having more horses.”

  “Where are you building it, Cam? It’s not visible from the house.”

  “It’s on the west pasture. There’s great grazing land out there. Come with me so you can see the setup.” He stood up and held out his hand.

  “I have a new client I’m meeting with in two days. I need to pull some things together for that,” she said. “I’ll see it later, maybe when it’s finished.”

  Cam knew a brush-off when he heard one. And he was done with letting her push him away. There was a lot going on in Grace’s life, and whether she wanted to admit to it or not, she needed him. And he was finally unafraid to admit that he needed her, too.

  Maybe their story had ended ten years earlier. But that didn’t mean that they couldn’t begin a new story together. They would never know if they didn’t give it a try. Sure, she wasn’t ready to hear that yet, but Cam was a determined man, and he would get what he wanted out of this even if he had to beg or just steal her time.

  “You have the rest of the night. It won’t take long.” When he didn’t back down, he saw the surrender in her eyes.

  “I need my coat,” she told him.

  After she bundled up, Cam led her outside to his truck, then drove down to the barn. He was happy with the progress. They’d been building for a month, but the walls were
finished and painted, the roof done, and the enormous front doors opened.

  “They still have a lot of work to do on the inside—the stalls need to be finished, for example. The arena is going to be a thing of beauty. My brothers are now thinking of copying me,” Cam said as he led her inside.

  “It’s quiet. They aren’t working now?” she asked as she looked around at the large space.

  “They’re done for the evening. No one can work 24/7, Grace.”

  “There are times I work half that—seven days a week, twelve hours a day. It just depends on how difficult my client at the time is.”

  “Yes, I’ve had cases like that when sleep is considered a luxury item.”

  “Well, this is beautiful, Cam. I remember how you talked about breeding horses when you were young. I figured that was over, now that you’re a studly attorney.”

  “The best dreams are those we discover when we’re young. People give up on those only if they give up on themselves.”

  “Sometimes we’re foolish to try to recapture our youth,” she countered.

  “There’s a difference between reliving our youth and ensuring that we keep alive the dreams we’ve always had,” he said as they entered the waiting area of the arena, the only part that was finished.

  Beautiful teak hardwood floors led up to a large river-rock fireplace centered on the back wall. A bar was set up in the corner, and two couches and a recliner surrounded the fireplace.

  “Are you planning on living in here?” she asked with a laugh.

  Cam hit a button and the fire leapt to life, instantly heating the area and drawing Grace into it.

  “Every stable needs a comfortable lounge for customers to relax in,” he said.

  When he looked at her profile, the flames from the fire casting a glow on her lovely face, he felt his heart warm, too. “You are so beautiful, Grace, that it takes my breath away,” he whispered, making her turn and look at him.

  The moment stretched on for several seconds, both of them lost in a river of emotions. He took a step toward her, needing to feel her in his arms.

  “Not now, Cam,” she said, and her panic was evident.

  He knew she was pulling back because it was too much. Sex she could almost handle. It was emotional intimacy that she couldn’t deal with.

  He stopped only inches from her. “You’ve protected yourself for so long that you won’t allow good things to happen. If you would just quit fighting me, you’d see that we’re supposed to be together.”

  “I don’t want this,” she whispered as he reached for her and pulled her to him.

  “I can’t stop it.”

  Talking hadn’t been getting them anywhere. Although his words couldn’t make her believe the love he had for her, she wouldn’t be able to deny it in his touch, his kiss.

  The smallest contact with her lips had him floating; his body always responded instantly to her touch, smell, taste. It didn’t matter how much lost time there was between them. It didn’t matter if either of them fought it. What they had together was too powerful to deny.

  She held back for only a moment and then wrapped her arms around him and clung for dear life, clearly needing him as much as he needed her. She might not be telling him what she wanted in words, but she was telling him with her body. Cam knew she couldn’t lie to him while in his arms.

  When they were young, they’d fumbled with their youthful passions, each learning how to please one another. They weren’t kids anymore, and the way they kissed right now showed that.

  But it wasn’t just passion that Cam felt—his heart was also melting just a little bit more. Each time he was with Grace, at each intimate moment they shared, he gave a little bit more of his heart to her.

  If she ever allowed him to—when she allowed him to—he would give it all. There had never been anyone else but Grace. Yes, he’d had other girlfriends. But Grace was the only girl who’d ever truly had him.

  His thoughts spooked him just a bit, and he pulled back, unable to breathe. He cupped her cheek and decided he wouldn’t allow this to scare him. And he also wouldn’t allow her to turn away. He was shaken, but she looked absolutely terrified.

  “Do you really understand what you do to me, Grace?”

  Her face lost all color as she gazed wide-eyed at him. “I’m not trying to do anything,” she murmured.

  “That’s the thing, though, Gracie. You don’t have to try,” he said, almost choking up with emotion. “Just being with you sends my world spinning.”

  “Cam, we’ve been over a long time—too long to renew this.”

  “But we didn’t get to finish—we didn’t get our closure. Maybe this will all fade, but right now I don’t want to let you go.”

  “Some wounds can’t ever heal, Cam.” She tried to pull away from him, and this time he yielded.

  “I want to be with you, and if I thought it was over for you, I would let you go, no matter how painful that might be,” he said to her back. She stopped walking but didn’t turn around. “But you do want me, Grace. You’re just too afraid to admit that. It’s a losing battle. The sooner you accept that fact, the easier both of our lives will be.”

  She was quiet for several moments and he wondered if she was going to just walk out or if she’d respond to him. Finally, she turned, her face composed, but there was still a spark in her eyes.

  “You hurt me once and now you want to control me. I don’t consider either of those things acceptable, Cam. So, yes, I do want you—I’ve always wanted you. But I can resist the urges of my body because I value myself and I won’t be fooled by any more men.”

  With that, she stalked out of the barn. His house wasn’t far, so he allowed her to go—for now.

  Cam sat in his office across from Axel and Bryson as they looked through the security footage and all the notes Cam had collected in the last month.

  “I’m about ready to punch through a freaking wall, I’m getting so damn frustrated,” Axel said as he swept his hand across the table in front of him and scattered several papers.

  “We’re getting closer. I feel it,” Bryson told his friend, the calmer one of the group.

  “Dammit, I feel like we’re right there but we just can’t find that final piece of the puzzle,” Cam said.

  “What about the lead in Chicago?” Bryson asked.

  “I’m still working on that one. I think that’s going to be our big break,” Cam told them.

  “What name did you find?”

  “It’s not a name. It’s a business. But what I don’t get is how it can possibly connect to Grace,” Cam told them.

  “If it’s come up several times, then there’s got to be a connection. You know neither of us believes in coincidence in our line of work,” Bryson said.

  “Neither do I. All I know is that the person setting Grace up isn’t stupid and they know her well. They know her spending habits, what she likes, what charities she donates to, everything,” Cam said with a sigh.

  “Well, that’s how most counterfeiters are. They don’t go into this stupidly. They want to get away with it. So we just have to keep on digging until we find the final pieces to the puzzle,” Axel declared, calming down as he gathered the papers he’d just scattered.

  “I’m meeting next week with Maverick, a buddy of mine who has a knack for tracking people down. He’s done several off-the-books things for me in the past. I have a feeling he’s going to find something we’ve all been missing,” Bryson announced to the group.

  “Good. Then we’re all on the same page. The cameras are up and working at Grace’s new place, and I have tracking on the car. If she ever figures out any of this, we are all dead. I just think it’s fair to warn you,” Cam said.

  “Yep. We have no doubt about it,” Axel said with a laugh. “Life was easier before I got married, though, ’cause if my wife finds out, I’ll be moving in with you.”

  Although he was chuckling, they all knew his wife would be furious. When Axel had been assigned to babysit El
la, she’d been livid, and had fought him every step of the way. She wouldn’t take too lightly to him now spying on a good friend of hers.

  “I’ll try my hardest to keep us all out of the hot seat,” Cam said.

  “Good. ’Cause Misty would put me in the dog house,” Bryson told them. “Still, she would be even more upset if something did happen to Grace. The women have all become a lot closer as they’ve wrangled us in over the years.”

  “Yeah, I think you were doing a hell of a lot more chasing of your wife than she was of you,” Cam said.

  “Hey. Isn’t there a code of men or something that you’re not supposed to say something like that?” Bryson reminded him.

  “Yeah. I guess there is, but I’ll tell ya, I’ve been chasing after Grace ever since she moved back to town and it’s not doing me a hell of a lot of good.”

  “Then maybe you need to chase a little harder,” Axel told him.

  “Yeah, if I do it any harder, I’m going to be behind bars for harassment,” Cam said with a laugh.

  “Maybe you can be there together,” Axel added with a wink.

  “With some handcuffs,” Bryson said with a leer.

  “Okay, this meeting is officially over. You two aren’t any help at all,” Cam said, rolling his eyes.

  “Hey! We aren’t getting paid for this,” Bryson reminded him. “So our only enjoyment is making you squirm.”

  “I’ll remember this the next time either of you ask for a favor,” Cam said with a pointed look.

  “And you know we’ll be the first ones here,” Bryson said.

  That was a fact. No matter how much the men ribbed one another, they would give up their lives for a friend. It was why Cam knew he was never alone. That was something money could never buy.

  People passed by in a blur as Grace waited in the hospital lobby for Sage to come out. Too much quiet time allowed her mind to wander. That wasn’t good. Because it reminded her that it had been three days since she’d seen or talked with Cam. Three days, which meant three nights—three very, very long nights.