Bone Deep
Page 22
“Hugh sure didn’t,” Kat said wryly.
Of course, she hadn’t known Hugh as well as she’d thought she did, either.
She eventually persuaded Joan to go home, and agreed that she’d take a day or two off work. “I’m not feeling too sharp,” she admitted. “Besides, who knows whether the police are done with me?”
“What’s a shame is that I don’t suppose whoever buys Annika’s house will want to keep her garden up.” Joan shook her head and said, “I’ll call in the morning.”
Kat must have dozed, because when she opened her eyes Grant sat in the chair Joan had earlier occupied. He’d tugged his tie loose and rolled the cuffs of his shirt to expose hard muscle and sinew. He looked weary, but he was watching her.
“How are you?”
“I’m not too bad.” She tried to smile. “Considering.”
“Yeah.” He squeezed his eyes shut momentarily. “Damn. I’m going to have nightmares about today for a long time.”
“I never dreamed that you’d find me.”
“You knew I was focusing on a couple of possibilities. Ms. Lindstrom was one of them.”
He told her about the past couple of hours. “I’m on administrative leave for now,” he said. When he saw her indignation, he raised one hand. “Calm down. It’s routine. Nobody is arguing that I shouldn’t have pulled that trigger.”
“I should hope,” Kat muttered, and subsided.
He smiled and stood so that he could gently run his knuckles over her cheek. “Head hurt?”
“Yes.” She rested her face against his hand.
He traced her lips with the broad pad of his thumb. “You called me crazy.”
Kat gave a small laugh, and winced at the way it jolted her head. “That’s funny, because one of the first things I thought when Annika started talking is that now I knew what crazy really looked like.”
He kept looking at her, his eyes dark and serious. “Did you mean it?”
“That you shouldn’t throw your career away for me? Of course I meant it.”
His hand had slid around to the back of her neck and was kneading. It felt unbelievably good.
“I’ve wondered if I wasn’t crazy,” he murmured. “Taking one look at you all those years ago and going down for the count. Waiting, when I had no idea whether you’d ever feel the same.”
“I think,” she said with difficulty, “I always did. You must have suspected.”
“Yeah, once in a while our eyes would meet and I’d see something.” He paused. “Kat, you said ‘I love you.’”
“Yes,” she whispered. “Of course I do.”
“I know taking a chance on me can’t be easy for you.”
She felt her mouth curving. An absurdly giddy feeling swelled inside her. “Don’t be silly. I’m not so dumb I don’t recognize steadfast and faithful when I see it.”
He grinned, but ruefully. “You make me sound about as exciting as a Saint Bernard.”
“You are very sexy, and you know it.” She reached for his free hand, which came between the bars of the railing and clasped hers, strong and warm and reassuring. “But I’ve got to tell you, steadfast and faithful really, really work for me.”
Grant nodded. “I can see why that might be.”
“Are you, um, planning to stay in Fern Bluff?”
“Yeah,” he said, his voice deep and slow. “I like it here. You’re here, and you have a business.” He paused. “Unless you’re disgusted with the gossip and want to move. Your call, honey.”
“I love my nursery and…I guess I have more friends than I realized. You said that, didn’t you? Carol Scammell called to tell me how many people are worried about me. I think she meant it.” She took a deep breath and said in a rush, “But I’ll sell the nursery and move with you if that’s what you’d prefer.”
Grant stared at her for the longest time, unblinking. Finally he released her hand and fiddled with the bed rail until he managed to lower it. Then he sat on the edge of the mattress and bent down until his lips brushed hers. It was the softest kiss she’d ever experienced. She lifted upward, wanting to deepen it.
“Thank you,” he said, in a voice that sounded shaken. He lifted his head again. “I need you to know that I never believed you could have killed Hugh.” A smile touched his mouth. “Even if it is in you to murder slugs.”
“I wouldn’t really blame you if you did wonder,” Kat admitted. “I don’t like to think it, but you almost had to. That isn’t why I sent you away, you know.”
“Yeah.” He kissed her again. “I finally figured that out. You hurt me, though, Kat. You’re going to have to learn to trust me.”
The knowledge welled up in her. She had to try twice before she could say “I do.” Her voice shook. “I do, Grant. And I love you.”
“You’ll marry me?”
“Yes. Oh, yes!”
He made a rough, growly sound and abruptly kissed her with serious purpose. His teeth found her lower lip and his tongue plunged deep in her mouth once, twice. But he was the one to ease back. “You don’t need this. You’ve already got the headache of the century.” He only smiled at her squeak of protest. “We’ve got plenty of time, love. I’m going to sit right here tonight. I’m not going to leave you. And tomorrow we’re going to think about putting both our houses on the market and buying one that’ll be ours. We’ll get a wedding license.”
Suddenly, she wanted to laugh. “Are you in a hurry?”
His answering grin wiped the exhaustion and tension from his face. “Seems to me,” he said, “that I’ve waited long enough. What do you think?”
“I think,” she said softly, “that you’ve been very, very patient. And I love you.” The laugh bubbling inside her began to transmute into tears. Abruptly she flung her arms around his neck and held on hard. “Just…don’t ever leave me, Grant.”
“Never,” he murmured. “Never.” And he kissed her again.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-8846-5BONE DEEP
Copyright © 2011 by Janice Kay Johnson
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