“Things are pretty much back to normal out at the ranch,” he told Grace. “The men all ask about you most every day, and I decided it was time to take a look for myself and see that you were feeling better.”
That Simon had sent word for him to stop by, that he thought Grace needed to speak with him, was not mentioned, for Joe was a smart man. And mending fences was a job better done with forethought. And today, he knew he had more than a mile of fences to repair before he could once more find peace between himself and his niece.
He leaned forward in his chair, his big hands hanging down between his knees, and his words were slow and precise. “I was wrong, Grace. I didn’t take into account your feelings as I should have. I set Kenny Summers on you without recognizing his failings. He was not a kindly man to begin with, and not until I recognized the darker side of his nature, did I repent heartily of my actions.
“I thought you needed marriage, the stability of a man in your life, perhaps children to fulfill you as a woman, and I interfered where I should not have. I fear that Kenny somehow heard of your inheritance and sought it for himself. For had you married him, the money left to you by your folks would have become his.”
“I didn’t know there was much money left for I assumed it was used up with the funerals and all. And then you took care of me, Uncle Joe. I had no idea there was anything left over until you told Simon before the wedding,” Grace said.
Joe looked into her eyes and his own were dark with the pain of acknowledging his own poor judgment. “Can you ever forgive me, dear child, for my neglect of you? I miss you so dreadfully, your sweet smile and your gentle ways. You’re so much like your mother, and it helped me deal with her loss while you were with me.”
Grace knew that tears were close, and so she spoke quickly, lest she not be able to give him the answer she knew he deserved. “We were both wrong, Uncle Joe. For I was impatient with you and didn’t express my feelings well. I would give much to live over those days I spent with you, but given the circumstances, I can only vow that my future will hold a closer relationship with you.”
Joe caught Simon’s eye. “I’m just thankful that Grace is safe and all is well here,” Joe said.
Grace looked up then at Simon and her smile was warm. “I think we have much to be thankful for, not only my returning health, but the welcome we will be preparing for a new member of our house hold.”
As she spoke, Ethel came out the door and a chuckle was heard from her direction. “Land sakes, I thought the child would never catch on to what’s been happening in her own body. Guess she figured it out finally, Simon.”
And his returned laughter verified her statement. Grace knew she looked smug, for she had held the knowledge deep within her for more than a week or so, recognizing that her body was far from regular in its rhythm, that she had not had a monthly cycle in more than two months, since before things had gone so badly awry. At first she’d blamed it on the illness that had wrought such havoc, and then had begun counting days and weeks and knew that there was more afoot.
Simon grinned at her. “Well, I’d hoped to speak with you without an audience, Grace, but Joe is family, after all, and who better to hear firsthand of our happiness?”
Joe beamed, his chest expanding at the news. “If I’m hearing things aright, I’ll have to say I’m pleased as punch, Simon. And I’m happy for you, Grace, for this is what I knew would complete your life. I was not able to have a family of my own, and when you came to live at my place, I’d hoped you would take the place a daughter might have filled.”
“I’m still available, Uncle Joe,” she said quietly, her hand reaching for his. Their palms met and he curled her fingers within his grasp, his eyes warm upon her face.
“Can we celebrate a bit?” Ethel asked, motioning to the tray she’d carried out, a pitcher of lemonade lined up with four glasses. Lemon cake was set beside them, its glaze glistening moistly, for the tender treat was freshly out of the oven, and she’d sliced it quickly at Simon’s summons.
The cake was soon gone, the lemonade glasses emptied, and with reluctance, Joe took his leave. “I’ll be back soon, and if you don’t mind. I’d like to let the men out at the ranch know of your happiness, Grace. They’ve been most concerned about your welfare, and knowing that things are going well for you will be a bonus.”
“Of course,” she said, her smile tiring, but still brilliant. As Joe took his leave, Simon pulled Grace over, lifting her to his lap and cuddling her close as he set the swing in motion once more.
“Do you remember the day we were married, when we sat here together?” he asked softly, the words whispered against her temple.
She nodded, leaning against him fully, feeling the warmth of his body and the security of his arms sheltering her. “Umm…I was happy then, Simon. But not nearly as filled with joy as I am now. Then I was a girl, now I’m a woman. Then I was but a bride, and now I’m a wife. Your wife, and that satisfies me beyond all measure.”
He held her slender form securely, his head bowing to press kisses upon her forehead and the soft line of her cheek. “I love you, Grace. More than any woman has ever been loved, I love you.”
She was content, and in her contentment, she nestled against him, caught up in his embrace, secure in his love.
“You make me happy, Grace,” he said simply.
“My mama used to tell me that each of us is responsible for finding our own happiness in life. You’re happy with me because you choose to be so, Simon. You made that choice many months ago, when you asked me to marry you. And you’ve set your course ever since. It’s no surprise that you’ve found contentment with me.”
“More than that, Grace. More than contentment, more than the happiness we’ve found holds us together. For we share a bond that is rare. We are joined in such a way that no evil can harm us, no outside force can rend the bond between us.”
Now she spoke again, and before him a doorway stood open, for she offered him words he had not expected to hear. “I’ve not been much of a wife to you for a long time, Simon. I’ve failed you in that department of late, and it’s time to make up for my failings. I want you to know that my arms ache to hold you and my body is empty without the knowledge of your love to sustain me. I need you, Simon. Perhaps more than at any time during our marriage.”
He felt the darkness that lived within him shatter and begin to fade, as the light of Grace’s smile was his once more. When he would have caught her up in an embrace, she stopped him, her hand on his chest, her fingers holding him in place. For she was not finished and he called on patience to infuse him.
Her words were a whisper. “Knowing that we will have a child has helped to dissolve the cage I’ve lived in for so long. I want to come out, into your arms and into your heart.”
His hands gripped hers and he held them against his chest, there where his heart pounded so rapidly. “You’ve always been in my heart, dear one. But if you feel you can offer yourself to me as a wife, if the time has come for that to happen between us, you know that I am more than ready.”
He lifted her then, rose with her in his arms and carried her within the house, up the stairs and into their bedroom. Lowering himself to the side of the mattress, he held her closely, his embrace a warmth and security she seemed to welcome. She looked up at him and the light of love offered and accepted shone between them. In mere moments he took her clothing from her and helped her slide her sleeping gown over her head, placing her gently in the center of the bed, tugging a sheet up to cover her, as if he knew and understood her need for modesty.
Twilight filled the room, and but for the single candle he’d lit, lit so smoothly she had not been aware of his intent, it was shadowed in the room. The darkness fell swiftly as it was wont to do and Grace watched as Simon rose from the bed. He dropped his clothing to the floor, undressing quickly, then came to her and bent to the candle on the table beside the bed. “Shall I blow it out? Or leave it lit, Grace?”
She scooted down, h
er head on the pillow, her body beneath the sheet. “So long as the curtain is drawn over the window, leave the candle lit. I truly don’t mind if all of our imperfections are exposed by candlelight, for surely the glow will soften and make us appear perfect, each to the other.”
“You are perfect to my eyes,” he said, slipping beneath the sheet to hold her in his arms.
“Have I ever told you how handsome I thought you were, the first day we met?” she asked with a smile, recalling that day.
“No, but we have all night, sweetheart. You go on ahead and let me know just what you thought of me.”
She met his smile and pushed against his shoulder with a closed fist. “I fear I’ll make you too proud if you find out how much you appealed to the feminine part of me that day. Your shoulders were so broad, your hair so dark, your arms so strong as you held me there on the ground by the side of the road. It was as if you were my hero, my very own knight come to the rescue. And I absolutely basked in the warmth you offered me.”
Simon remembered, and his words were soft. “I thought that even with the marks on your skin, your torn clothing and the violence done you that day, you were the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. I knew I wanted you as I’d never wanted another girl in my life. That somehow I would teach you to care for me and would pray for the day I might make you my wife.”
She laughed and brushed her kiss against his hand. “It seems we were on the same track then, from the very first, Simon. For it wasn’t long until I knew you were the most important man ever to cross my path, that I was willing to live my life at your side, if you would but ask me.”
He eased her closer, not wanting to frighten her with the ardor he kept under control, but needing her warmth. “I’ve come to appreciate the Blackwoods more and more in the past weeks and months. They seem to feel that they’re a part of our little family, Grace.”
“They will be almost like grandparents to our child, won’t they?” she asked.
“Indeed, our baby will have relatives aplenty, for Ethel has plans already for claiming him or her as a grandbaby, and your uncle will be on hand, I’ll guarantee. Along with my parents and the Blackwoods, you’ll have family in every nook and cranny of your life, Grace.”
“I can’t tell you how that makes me feel. For when my parents died and I was left alone, with but my uncle to help me, I felt so lost, bereft perhaps. As if I were walking a solitary path, for Uncle Joe and I barely had time to form any sort of relationship before things began to happen and we were torn apart.”
“You’ll never be alone again, I promise you.” And as if he would seal that promise with more than kisses, he pushed her gently to her back and rose over her, his body covering hers with the warmth of a man set on being a husband in every sense of the word.
She looked up at him with no trace of fear in her eyes, no sense of apprehension in her touch as she held him in a close embrace. “I asked the doctor about this, Simon, and he assured me that making love with my husband would not harm our child in any way. So long as you are careful and don’t get…rambunctious, is the word he used, then all should be well.”
“Rambunctious, he said? Well, I’ll do my best to be circumspect and formal in this endeavor, ma’am.”
His teasing tones made her laugh for she knew the depths of Simon’s passion, the desire for fulfillment he was capable of arousing in her body, and she did not fear his careless use of her.
“It seems I’ve been waiting for this longer than I could bear. I’ve wanted to take you, fill you with my need and give you pleasure again.”
She laughed up at him, her eyes alight, and he thought again of how very blessed he was to have her here. In his life and in his bed.
He leaned closer to her, holding himself from her body a bit, for he would not make her feel trapped by the weight of his form. His mouth was drawn to the lips beneath his, the silken skin of her face and throat, and the promise of curves that drew his eyes with such audacity. For she knew well how to tempt him, and as he watched, she slipped her fingers between her buttons and undid the bodice of her gown, exposing the rounding of her breasts to his gaze.
She was as needy as he, it seemed, for she showed every sign of wanting this joining, of craving the touch of his body against and within her own. Her legs parted and she made room for him, scooting her gown higher, so that his flesh touched hers, his manhood pressed for entry against the soft folds that hid the feminine part of her.
“I should have shaved again,” he murmured, knowing he would leave marks on her fragile skin.
“I like to feel your whiskers. It lets me know you’re a man and you need me. I want you to always need me in just this way, Simon.” She curved against him, and he knew a moment of hesitation as he would have slipped within her silken sheath, had he not shifted just a bit.
“Simon…I don’t want to wait,” she whispered.
“Are you sure? You’ll tell me if—”
Her words overrode his, her voice certain and sure. “Simon. Just love me. Now, before I burst with wanting you.”
And so he did, with all the skill his masculine body could call forth. Tenderly, carefully, lest he bring her a moment of discomfort, he loved her. His hands held her close, his mouth somehow found her breasts, even as his lower body sought out the depths of her most tender places. And she lifted to him, her soft cries and sighs of pleasure rising as music to his ears. They loved as if they had never known such bliss, such happiness before, and perhaps it was so, for a new depth of joy overshadowed all that had come to pass before this time.
And when at last the candle guttered in its holder, when the moon had risen and shed its light into the room where two lovers slept, there was a peaceful hush that filled the room, indeed the whole house. For Simon and Grace had overcome obstacles and diversity and had faced harsh circumstances with a unity of spirit that seemed rare and beautiful. And so, they slept, perhaps to dream. Simon of the woman he held, Grace recalling the memory of the day he had come to her rescue, saving her from further harm.
For surely he had saved her that day, claimed her as his own. And as he’d told her later on, he’d devoted himself to the task he’d undertaken—that of saving Grace.
ISBN: 978-1-4592-0583-3
SAVING GRACE
Copyright (c) 2011 by Carolyn Davidson
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*Edgewood, Texas
**Montana Mavericks
+Colorado Confidential
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Saving Grace Page 19
