Grace

(Three Months Later)

For the first time in months, I had nothing to fear. It was as if a giant weight had been lifted from my chest. I could breathe. After Daniel’s case was closed, Ian and I had packed up to spend a week at his father’s house. My parents were invited as well, and had arrived a couple of days ago.

The light breeze blew through my hair as we lounged in a boat on Lake Wylie. There weren’t many people out since it was a weekday. I loved that we had it mostly to ourselves.

“Have you thought about my offer?” Ian asked. He lounged on the seat across from me, hands behind his head. His suntanned skin glistened in the sun and all I wanted to do was run my hands down his body.

Taking a deep breath, I didn’t want to appear too eager. Moving in with him completely was a huge step. “Are you sure it’s what you want?”

“I wouldn’t have asked if I wasn’t sure.”

“What about Reed? He has to agree as well.”

He smiled. “He said as long as you make him biscuits, you can stay there.”

“And Bryce?” I asked.

His grin faded. “Doesn’t look like he’s coming back anytime soon. Besides, I’ve seen the way you act when we stop by your house. I don’t like seeing the fear in your eyes.”

He was right. Every time I’d been back at my house, the memories of that night with Daniel came flooding back. “All I can see is Daniel when I’m there,” I whispered.

His eyes bored into mine. “That’s why you need to just stay with me, at my house. No more going back and forth from mine to yours. It was bound to happen at some point. We can have you moved in before your birthday next week.”

Again, he was right. We both knew it. “Okay,” I gave in. “We can move everything out when we get back. I like your house better anyway.”

A triumphant grin took over his face. He’d been trying to get me to sell my house for weeks now. I remembered the day I fell in love with it and put in an offer; I hated that Daniel was able to taint the joy I had in my house. At least, at Ian’s house, I had him and Ellie. I’d missed riding her all week.

His phone beeped and his grin widened when he read the message.

“What is it?”

After putting it away, he got up and started the boat. “Wade and Brina are at the house. I think everyone’s ready to figure out what we’re doing for dinner.” We were supposed to be getting together with the family later in the evening.

Had the time flown by that quickly? My stomach growled. “I’m down for that. Let’s go.” We didn’t have far to go and when we pulled up to the dock, I could hear my mother’s giggles as she baby-talked with Wade and Brina’s daughter.

Ian tied the boat off and chuckled, as my mother babbled on more.

“She’s in love.”

“At least she’ll be a good grandmother when we have kids.” He held out his hand and my heart fluttered.

“That’s a big assumption, Mr. Chandler. Who says we’re going to have kids?” I stepped onto the dock and he pulled me snug against his body, his heated gaze on mine.

“Me. Don’t worry, we’ll have fun making them too.”

Everything inside of me tingled. “Maybe. I’ll have to think about it.”

“Grace,” my father shouted. He waved at me from the top of the hill. “We need you up here.”

Ian grinned and flourished his arm toward the house. “Go, they need you.”

Brows furrowed, I glared at him. “What’s going on?”

Taking my hand, he kissed it. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Ian ignored my glare, and pulled me up the hill, but my father had already gone inside. When we opened the door, I gasped in surprise. Not only were Glenn, my parents, Wade, and Brina in the living room, but so were Blake, Hadley, and their little girl.

With the biggest grin on her face, Hadley waved and strapped her guitar around her shoulders. “Hey, girl. Haven’t seen you in a while.”

I waved back. “Been busy getting hunted by a killer.”

The room fell silent and Hadley chuckled. “True, but thankfully, you don’t have to worry about that anymore.” She tuned her guitar and smiled at everyone. “I’m sorry to crash the party, but when Ian said you all were going to be in Charlotte, I couldn’t resist.” She winked at me. “He thought it’d be a good early birthday present for you.”

Mouth gaping, I looked up at Ian. “Is she seriously going to sing for me?”

His lips pursed as he tried to hold back a smile. “Just listen.”

Glancing around the room, Hadley strummed her fingers down the guitar strings again. “I have a concert in Charlotte this weekend, and I planned on debuting a new song I wrote. It just so happens, the two people who gave me the inspiration for it are standing in this room today. I thought it’d be nice if they could hear it first, before the world does.”

My heart stopped when she smiled at me and Ian.

“It’s called Aimed at My Heart, dedicated to you both. I hope you like it.”

Ian tilted my chin toward him and tears fell down my cheeks. “This is amazing,” I cried, looking up at him.

He kissed me gently. “Happy early birthday, buttercup.”

“Bringing Hadley here and having our own song is the best gift anyone could ever give me.”

“That’s not all I got you,” he murmured, holding me tight. “Your other gift might take a while to get ready. I’ll give it to you when the time’s right. For now, I hope you like our song.”

When someone said that time moved by fast, they weren’t kidding. One day, I was moving into Ian’s house and the next, six months had passed. Ian had started working again, which meant a few lonely nights here and there. I didn’t mind. It was his job and I respected that. Most of the time, when he got home, if I didn’t ask questions, he wouldn’t tell. I figured it was best to leave the details of his job to himself, not unless he needed to talk about it.

I was busy making biscuits when the back door opened and Reed walked in, closing his eyes as he breathed in the air. Snow fell from his jacket to the floor. It was April and we’d just gotten five inches.

“Homemade biscuits. How did you know that’s what I wanted?” He tossed his jacket onto the back of a kitchen chair.

I pulled the biscuits out of the oven and set them on the counter. “You always want them,” I said, laughing. “But I get the rest of the strawberry jam. I forgot to get more at the store.”

With a sly grin, Reed rushed to the refrigerator and pulled out the remnants of the strawberry jam. “Sounds like a personal problem. Looks like you’ll have to do without.”

I lifted the pan of biscuits. “So help me God, if you don’t put down the jam, I’ll throw these in the trash. Which is a shame, as they’re still warm.” We stared each other down and I slowly lowered the pan near the trashcan. “I won’t ever make them for you again,” I added.

Reed winked and slid the jam across the counter. “Geez, woman, you know I’m kidding. It looked like you needed a laugh.”

“And you were obviously looking for an ass whoopin’,” Ian announced, strolling into the kitchen. He had his cowboy hat on with a flannel shirt, jeans, and boots. He knew I loved it when he wore his hat.

Squealing, I set the biscuits down and jumped in his arms. “I didn’t know you were getting back so early.” He was supposed to be gone for four days and it’d only been two.

Reed grabbed two biscuits and sighed. “Looks like I need to disappear for a while. Make sure I’m out of hearing range before you two . . .” He waved his hand in the air. “You know what I mean.”

Ian squeezed me tight. “That’ll have to come later. Right now, there’s somewhere I want to take you.”

I looked down at my jeans and green sweatshirt. “Am I okay to go in this?”

He handed me my jacket off the back of my chair. “You look great.”

We walked outside and the snow crunched beneath my boots. “Where are we going?” Opening my door, he grinned mischievously. “Never mind. I know you’re not going to tell me.”

He winked. “It’s about time you learned.”

Ian was all about surprises. He loved to keep me on my toes . . . and in the dark. We rode down the road, all the way through downtown Jackson, and toward one of the entrances to the Grand Teton National Forest. There were lots of private ranches and a couple of smaller hotels out there.

It just so happened, we turned down a small, paved road with a sign that read Meadow Creek Lodge. I hadn’t heard or seen anything on it since it closed after Snow Creek Resort put them out of business. We pulled up to the front, and of course, the parking lot was vacant.

“What are we doing here?”

All Ian did was smile and get out of the truck. I opened my door and slid out, taking in the view. Meadow Creek wasn’t as large as the other hotels I’d worked at. It looked like a large log cabin with a barn out back, nestled on a large pond with flower gardens all around. People used to plan their weddings there because the grounds were so beautiful, especially when the flowers were in bloom. Taking my hand, Ian led me inside. The doors were unlocked, which made no sense.

Inside, the fountain sprayed water and everything smelled new. The lights were on around the desk, and behind it hung a painting. I recognized the signature in the corner. “That’s one of Mya’s paintings. What’s it doing here?”

“Hotel management thought it’d look good there.”

I waved my hand around the lobby. “Hotel management? The place has been closed for over a year.”

He nodded. “True, but this place used to be the hot ticket. And it looks like it will be again.”

“Ian, what’s going on?” Instead of answering me, he walked over to the front desk and picked up a large envelope.

He handed it to me and smiled. “Remember a few months ago, when Hadley came to sing to you?”

I slipped my finger through the top of the envelope. “Yeah.”

His gaze landed on the envelope. “This is the birthday present I’d referred to on that day.”

Heart racing, I pulled out the papers and inside was the deed to the hotel . . . in my name. I closed my eyes and squeezed them tight, only to open them back up to see the same thing. I shook my head. “I can’t accept this. It’s too much. I told you I didn’t want your money.”

Ian gently took the envelope from my shaking hand. “It’s not just from me, Grace. The hotel went under and the owners didn’t have the funds to keep it going. In the end, they sold it to my father. And he trusts that we can make it great again. For the past couple of months, I’ve been here with contractors, updating and getting it ready.”

It all clicked into place. “Are you trying to say you’ve been here, instead of working for the FBI?”

“Well, that depends on how you look at things. This is work,” he said with a grin. “I want to help you. We can do it together. I’ll still do my duty with the FBI, but I wanted to do this first. You’ll make a fantastic hotel owner. I know you can do this.”

Tears fell down my face. “I don’t know what to say. It’s amazing.”

“All you have to say is yes.” Taking my hand, he led me outside. The barn was freshly painted and open and airy. Although, the hotel never kept animals in there; they’d used it as one of the venues for weddings and parties. And now, there was a beautiful, chocolate-brown horse with the shiniest coat I’d ever seen, standing inside with a large, red ribbon wrapped around his neck. Ian walked over to him and patted his back. “He’s yours too. I mean, that is, if you accept.”

I slapped a hand over my mouth. “Oh my God, he’s beautiful. Thank you.” I ran a hand slowly down the horse’s face. He bumped me with his nose and sniffed me. “What’s his name?”

“Hawk,” he replied. “I thought it was time you had your own horse. He’ll be good to you.”

“Why are you doing this?” I cried. “These gifts are amazing. I wish I could give you a fraction of what you’ve given me.”

“You can. Accept the hotel and bring life back to it. I think you can be happy here. You said it yourself, you don’t belong at the job you’re at. I think this is it . . . here.” He waved around the grounds and pointed at the gardens surrounding the lake. “Think of all the people who’ll want to get married here. It’ll be a new beginning, a new adventure.”

I wanted to scream my joy from the rooftops. It was all too good to be true.

“What do you say, buttercup? Think you can accept the challenge?”

I took one last look around. I’d never been so sure about anything in my life. “Yes,” I shouted happily. “Let’s do this.”

Picking me up in his arms, Ian swung me around, both of us laughing. He set me down and the world spun around me. “There’s one more thing.”

I closed my eyes, ready for everything to stop spinning. “What?” I said, giggling.

“I want you to promise me something.”

“Anything.” I rubbed my hands over my face. The spinning finally stopped.

When I opened my eyes, Ian was on his knees, holding a black, velvet box. “When you reopen this place, I want our wedding to be the first one planned here. I want you to be my wife, Grace.” He opened the box, but I couldn’t even look at the ring. I was too mesmerized by the sheer look of love on his face. “Is that something you can promise me?”

Falling to my knees in front of him, I grabbed his cheeks and kissed him. “How can I say no to that?” I kissed him again. “My answer’s yes. Yes, to everything.”

We fell to the ground and I straddled his waist. He slid the diamond ring on my finger and squeezed my hand. “Plans are already in motion for a guest house to be built on the ranch grounds. That way, Reed can have his own place and we’ll have the main house.”

The ring glittered on my finger. “So, you just knew I’d say yes?”

“I hoped you would.” He winked and flipped me over on my back. “Now you’re stuck with me for the rest of your life.”

“It’s a good problem to have.”