Falling for Grace

by Maddie James

  A funny feeling snaked over him all the way to Louisville. It took him a while to shake it. But by the time he’d arrived at his law office, he’d figured out what it was.

  And, he’d figured out what he needed to do about it, too.

  Or, at least he hoped he had it figured out.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Grace Elizabeth Hart, that outfit will never do.”

  Dumbfounded, Gracie looked down at herself and then stared at Amie. What was wrong with her new ivory blouse, made of a replication of hand-spooled Brussels bobbin lace, and her mauve ankle-length skirt?

  “Why?”

  “Because it just won’t, that’s why. This is cocktail party, not a Victorian tea.”

  Gracie scowled. “Whatever are you talking about, Amie? I’m definitely not dressed for an afternoon tea party. This outfit is fine. Now let’s go.”

  “No it’s not. And we’re not leaving until you change.”

  Gracie huffed out a breath and rolled her eyes. She slammed her clutch down on the counter next to her cash register and hands on hips, turned to her friend. “I believe that I’ve been dressing myself for quite some time, and, I believe that I know the appropriate attire to wear to a evening function. My goodness, this is Franklinville, for goodness sake, not New York City.”

  “Well, perhaps you should dress like it’s New York City.”

  What Amie was getting at, Gracie had no clue. Her attire was fine. She’d actually bought it in Boston on her trip a few weeks earlier.

  “It’s a hospital fund-raiser, Amie. It’s the country club. I’ll be fine.”

  Amie glanced at her watch. “We have time. And besides, Constance isn’t here yet. I told her we’d meet her here at the shop. Now go change! I’m sure you have a little black dress up there somewhere. Try that.”

  Not a second later, the bell above the door chimed. In walked Constance. “Let’s go,” Gracie said, grabbing her clutch. She’d had just about all she wanted to listen to about her clothing.

  Constance took one look at her and stopped in her tracks. “Oh, Gracie. That outfit will never do.”

  Resisting the urge to scream, Gracie took two more steps toward the door. “I’m fine. Let’s go.”

  Constance blocked the doorway.

  Gracie stared her in the eyes.

  Amie brought up the rear.

  “The outfit,” Constance said, “has to go.”

  And before she knew it, both Amie and Constance had hooked their arms in hers and were leading her through the store, up the back stair, and into her apartment and bedroom.

  They released her and Gracie plopped on her bed with a humph. “The two of you are crazy,” she muttered while they rifled through her closet. “My skirt and blouse are fine. This is what I’m wearing.”

  Amie popped a little black dress from the closet. “There. This will do nicely.”

  “It’s too short,” Gracie replied, inspecting her nails.

  “It will be lovely,” Constance told her while fishing a pair of black heels from her closet. “These are perfect.”

  Amie went to Gracie’s jewelry box. “The pearls are all you’ll need, honey.” She placed them on the dressing table. “Necklace and earrings. Now, we’ll move along so you can change.” She ushered Constance toward the door. “Toodles!”

  Tossing her a high finger-wave and a mischievous smile, Amie left the bedroom right after Constance. Gracie wasn’t quite sure what in the hell had transpired the past few minutes.

  She glanced down at herself. There was absolutely nothing wrong with how she was dressed. Nothing!

  She was fine.

  Absolutely fine.

  Nothing would convince her otherwise.

  * * * *

  He was about to leave until he caught sight of Gracie.

  The cocktail party to top off a day of fund-raisers for the local hospital was a bit much for him. Besides playing in the golf tournament that afternoon, he’d been up early that morning helping with the pancake breakfast. All in all, he’d had a day of it and was ready to call it a night.

  Until Gracie stepped through the country club doors and changed his mind.

  He couldn’t take his eyes off her.

  And if he’d managed for one second to take his eyes off her, he imagined he’d see every other set of male orbs in the placed glued to her as well.

  But he didn’t risk it. He couldn’t look away.

  Gracie was stunning.

  And he, well, was stunned.

  He’d watched her flip pancakes all morning at Amie’s for the benefit breakfast, while he played waiter and cleaned tables. He’d caught sight of her several times that afternoon serving up drinks and snacks at the concession stand during the golf tourney. But he’d yet had a chance to talk to her today. He wondered if she was still miffed at him.

  But he’d be damned if he’d wait any longer.

  As he slowly made his way toward her, he felt his heart begin a steady thrum in his chest. She was chatting with someone else—he had no clue to whom because his eyes were only for her.

  The black dress...he could only suck in his breath and hold it, and the effect it had on him was mind-boggling. Not that he hadn’t seen women in little black dresses before. He’s seen them hundreds of times.

  But he’d never seen Gracie in a little black dress. He’d never seen any woman do a little black dress justice like she did. It clung to every curve of her tall, lithe dancer’s body and moved with every gesture she made. It was short. Shorter than any other dress he’d ever seen her wear. But not so short it was indecent. It was...

  Just right.

  A single strand of pearls graced her neck. Matching pearl stud earrings pierced her lobes. He grew closer and could see their luster from the overhead lights.

  Perfect.

  Simple, sophisticated, beauty.

  That was Gracie. Simply, Gracie.

  His Gracie.

  It was at that moment he knew that he loved her. Stopping in his tracks, his thoughts didn’t go any further than that. He wouldn’t let them. Not tonight.

  He was simply in love with Gracie Hart. And he didn’t plan to leave her side until she was ready to walk out the door with him tonight.

  * * * *

  Agnes Branson was boring her to tears.

  Gracie tried to stifle the yawn she felt coming on, but still had to hide it behind her fingertips. She had no clue what the woman was saying—although she needed to hear what Agnes was saying. As the hospital fund-raising chairperson, Agnes had been in charge of the day’s events. Gracie nodded and hoped she hadn’t volunteered for some future thing. You never knew with Agnes. She was tricky.

  Exhausted from the day, she wished she’d just skipped this evening affair. She was about to yawn again, planning her means of early escape, when someone touched her elbow. Turning toward the person next to her, Gracie forgot anything about Agnes within the second.

  Carson was at her elbow.

  A delicious looking Carson all decked out in suit and tie, all spit-shined and polished.

  My goodness, she thought, he’s a good-looking man. Her heart did that thing that she’d avoided for so long. It fluttered like crazy. And she let it. Wanted it.

  “Good evening, Gracie,” he said, the words rolling like warm honey off his lips.

  She smiled slightly. “Hi, Carson.”

  He let out a deep sigh and didn’t say anything else for a moment. Gracie waited. “You look very lovely this evening,” he finally said.

  Feeling her cheeks flush, Gracie glanced down at herself, then smiled as she looked Carson in the eyes again. Damn but she hated to admit it—perhaps Amie and Constance were right. “Thank you,” she replied softly. “You’re looking mighty handsome yourself.”

  Carson chuckled. “Thanks.”

  Agnes cleared her throat, calling Gracie’s attention back to the older woman. “Call me about that date in October, Gracie?” she said.

  Nodding, Gracie told her she wo
uld. Finally, the woman left.

  This time it was Gracie who let out the sigh. Looking back to Carson, she said, “I think I just volunteered for something. I have no clue what it was.”

  “Uh-oh. That could be dangerous.” He laughed again and Gracie agreed with him. “May I get you a glass of wine or something?” he offered.

  Gracie glanced toward the bar. “You know, I was thinking earlier about a glass of wine, but I was afraid it might put me right to sleep. I’m suddenly feeling exhausted.”

  “Then how about if we grab a glass of wine and head out of here for a relaxing drive home. I was about to make my exit when I saw you come in.”

  Gracie studied him for a moment. “You were?”

  “Yeah, dead on my feet.”

  “Same here. Why didn’t you go?”

  “Saw you. Thought maybe, hell, thought maybe you’d like to come with me. I’d like a little peace and quiet for a while. How about you?”

  It didn’t take long for Gracie to respond. “Let’s do it.”

  And Carson didn’t give her long to reconsider. After leading her to the bar and grabbing two glasses of wine, he escorted her out the back and into the parking lot.

  Gracie hadn’t felt this carefree in years.

  * * * *

  Carson didn’t want to go home. The country club sat about seven miles from town on a winding country road. The night was still, stars were bright in the sky, and the temperature was a perfect seventy degrees. As they approached his Corvette, he turned to Gracie.

  “Mind if I put the top down?” It seemed like a perfect night to him but he wasn’t sure if she would like it.

  “Can we drink wine and drive with the top down at the same time?”

  Smiling, he looked at her. “You drink your wine while I put the top down. In fact, take mine. I’m not sure I want it now.”

  He handed Gracie his glass. “This could be a mistake,” she said, taking it and smiling back.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of you.”

  Gracie looked intently into Carson’s eyes and he noticed the puzzled expression there. He knew she was an independent woman who was used to taking care of herself. Why he’d said that to her, he didn’t know. But for some reason, he felt that maybe, just for tonight, she needed to be taken care of. For a fleeting moment, he worried that he’d said the wrong thing.

  “Okay,” she said. “I may have to hold you to that.” She sipped at her glass of wine, hesitated a moment, then tipped it up and drained the glass. “One down.”

  She smiled the broadest smile then and Carson felt his heart do a flip-flop in his chest.

  Turning, he grinned just as broadly, although she couldn’t see it. As he started working on the Corvette, he had the strangest feeling this might be an interesting evening.

  * * * *

  Gracie wasn’t quite sure when she’d felt so relaxed. Wind blowing through her hair, which had long since come loose of its clip, soft music from the stereo, stars twinkling overhead, and the effects of two downed glasses of wine had made her sufficiently mellow.

  They weren’t anywhere near Franklinville, Gracie knew. Carson had suggested it was a nice evening for a drive and she hadn’t protested. In fact, this was quite nice. Extremely nice.

  “I’m glad you suggested this,” she said, her head leaning back against the seat and her eyes closed. “Can we drive for, oh, a thousand miles or so?”

  She heard Carson chuckle. “A thousand miles, huh?”

  “Yeah. I’ll pay for the gas.”

  He didn’t answer and she glanced to her left. He was smiling, looking straight ahead. “I’m glad you’re having a nice time,” he said after a moment.

  “Very nice,” she replied.

  The drove for a while longer. Gracie feared she just might fall asleep, but just as soon as she felt herself falling, they slowed and came to a stop.

  Jerking upright, she looked to her left. “Are we home?”

  Immediately, she knew that was a dumb question.

  “I thought maybe we’d stop and enjoy the stars for a moment,” Carson told her. “I hope that’s okay.”

  Gracie leaned back into her seat, looking up at the stars. Carson had pulled off the road into the entrance of an open field. No trees blocked her view of the sky. “It’s perfect.” Suddenly she didn’t want to go home. She was tired of being either at the shop or at home.

  “You’re looking quite relaxed,” Carson told her.

  Nodding, Gracie closed her eyes. “Ummmm...I am.”

  “So we made a good decision? Ditching the party and taking a drive, I mean?”

  “Ummmm,” Gracie agree. “Excellent decision.”

  She was sure the wine was making her so relaxed but it was possible the company and the night air contributed to the effect.

  “And stopping here? Is that okay?”

  Gracie opened her eyes and looked at Carson. “Yes,” she said softly, “It’s okay.”

  He leaned in closer. “I thought you might still be mad at me.”

  She shook her head. “No. I’m not mad. You were just aggravated at Izzie. I knew that.”

  She could swear he leaned closer. His lips must be only inches away from hers, she thought. “Where is Izzie, by the way? I haven’t seen her the past two days.”

  “I let her stay in Louisville with Kate, her old babysitter, for a couple of days. I knew there was going to be a lot going on here this week.”

  He spoke soft and low and Gracie enjoyed watching his lips move. “Oh,” she replied.

  “So, it is okay if I kiss you?”

  The question came out of the blue. Gracie leaned a little closer and was about to answer when his lips captured hers.

  It was a sweet, intoxicating kiss and just the thing to put Gracie over the edge. At the point their lips made contact, she melted, feeling herself leaning closer into Carson.

  His hands gently cupped her face as his lips softly caressed, slowly raking over them in a determined manner. And Gracie was just as determined to give back what she was getting.

  So she did.

  All too quickly, he pulled away and Gracie discovered she didn’t like him not kissing her.

  “Well,” she said, opening her eyes to look at him. He was still just inches away, looking back into her face. “That was a kiss.”

  He grinned. “Yes. That was a kiss.”

  Settling back in her seat, she asked softly, “Why did you kiss me?”

  “Because it felt right,” he murmured. “And you looked damned kissable.”

  “Must be the wine,” she mumbled. She hadn’t felt kissable in some time.

  “No, it wasn’t the wine,” he said, leaning closer again. “It was just you.”

  Then he did it again.

  Gracie felt lost in the feel of his lips on hers. Soft and firm, they moved over hers. She opened hers slightly and his tongue slipped inside her mouth to tango with hers, gentle, easy thrusts mixed with tender kisses. The kiss deepened and Carson moved his hands to her hair, threading his fingers through her tresses as he held her.

  Gracie let out a quick breath as his lips left hers and began to trail down her check to her neck. She arched her neck a bit, allowing him access as he lowered his kisses toward her collarbone.

  She liked him doing that. Way too much.

  Nothing she’d ever experienced had felt better. Carson’s lips on her neck, planting kisses up and down, made her want to let him devour her. Let him...

  “Carson,” she breathed.

  His kisses slowed and she tilted her face back down to look at him. “We should stop,” she said.

  He studied her face, peering deeply into her eyes. Suddenly, she was afraid of what she saw in his eyes. She didn’t want to think about it. Didn’t want to know what was going on in that head of his behind his eyes.

  “I don’t want to do anything that you don’t want me to,” he said softly.

  She nodded, still looking into his eyes. “I need...I need to stop,
to think.”

  One corner of his mouth turned up into a grin. “To think?”

  “I can’t think when you’re kissing me like that.”

  “You’re not supposed to,” he answered, smiling fully now.

  There was something going on with him and Gracie wasn’t sure what it was. It scared her a little.

  “Maybe we should head back?”

  The look on his face scared her even more. She wanted to be here with him, just like this, kissing him. And she didn’t. The thing was, she didn’t know how to convey that to him. She was certain he thought she was giving him the brush-off.

  “If you want to, Gracie, then that’s what we’ll do.”

  She glanced away, looking out over the field. “I don’t know what I want,” she whispered, so softly she barely heard it herself. She had no clue whether he heard her.

  Turning back to him then, she said, “Yes, I think we should go home now. Please, I hope you understand.”

  Carson nodded, his facing growing serious. Reaching out, he touched her cheek with the backs of his fingers. “I’m not sure I do,” he whispered. “But maybe, in time, I will.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  I don’t know what I want.

  Carson had heard the words, barely spoken, as they came from Gracie’s lips two nights earlier. She’d avoided him since then and he hadn’t pushed the issue. All he could think about, however, was Gracie’s lips and how much he had enjoyed kissing them.

  She was confused, he thought, and if the truth be known, so was he. He knew why he was confused—he’d vowed not to get involved with anyone until Izzie was older and both their lives were back on track. Until he felt safe again and could trust himself in a relationship with another woman.

  Since Marci, he was damned untrusting. He just had no desire to feel again what he’d felt when Marci had left both of them, ripping their lives apart. He never wanted to experience that hopelessness again.

  He wished he knew what was going on in Gracie’s head. He wished he knew about her past, what happened with the man whose picture still sat on her bedside table. The one who had died.

  Even more, he wanted to know how that man’s death affected her life now, for he had a distinct feeling that it did.