Chapter Twenty-Nine
GRACE AWOKE WITH a start and bolted upright. She clung to the blanket, listening intently for whatever had woken her. She thought she knew every sound her and Reed’s house made. She’d moved back for good two weeks ago, after handling the issues with her last off-Broadway production, which thankfully went smoother than she’d thought. She heard the creak of the stairs, and her heart seized.
“Reed!” she whispered urgently, shaking him by the shoulder. “Reed! Get up! Someone’s in the house!”
He rolled over, and his arm circled her waist. “It’s the wind, baby. Go back to sleep.”
The stairs creaked again, and she grabbed his arm so hard her nails dug into his skin. “Reed! That’s not the wind!”
Whispers came from the hall, and Grace’s pulse raced. She snagged her phone from beside the bed. “I’m calling nine-one-one!” The bedroom door flew open and she shrieked, dropping the phone to the mattress.
All her siblings barreled into the room, laughing hysterically. Reno hugged Amber’s side. “Woof!”
Grace’s hand flew over her racing heart. “Oh my God! What are you doing here? How did you get in?” She looked at Reed, who was lying beside her grinning like a fool. “Ugh! You let them do this?”
“Who am I to stand in the way of tradition?” He blew her a kiss, and she rolled her eyes.
“Hoodie?” Sable said in Reed’s direction.
Reed pointed to the closet. Grace glowered at him, and he chuckled.
“Nat’s play is tomorrow,” Morgyn said, pulling Grace’s arm and dragging her from the bed. “And then there’s the community play.”
Nat had done a fabulous job on the rewrites, and Nana and the girls had done a spectacular job of casting—and expediting—I Ain’t No Cinderella in Grace’s absence. She was excited to see the results of everyone’s hard work.
“And your wedding is right after that,” Amber reminded her.
As if she could ever forget the most anticipated day of her life? Neither she nor Reed wanted to wait to get married, especially since Frank wasn’t doing so well and they wanted him to be at the wedding. They still had a ways to go before all the awkward moments were gone, but Grace was beyond thankful that Frank and Reed would have at least some time to get to know each other.
“And I leave for Paris the next day,” Brindle chimed in. “We have to go tonight.”
Pepper stood by the door in a pair of jeans and cowgirl boots, arms crossed, her golden-brown hair piled up on her head in a messy bun. She’d gotten into town last week, and the girls had dragged Grace’s ass out of bed then, too. We have to! It’s Pep’s first night back!
Pepper lifted her foot to show Grace her boot. “I gave in. There’s no stopping these fools.”
“Grace will probably get pregnant on her honeymoon anyway,” Brindle said. “And then she’ll be locked down tight like Sophie and have to miss our nighttime prowls.”
Grace smiled thinking of having little Reeds running around. She wasn’t ready for that quite yet, but she could love up Sophie and Brett’s precious baby girl. She hadn’t missed her birth after all. Sweet Brenna was born three nights ago, and Grace and Reed were right there waiting to greet her.
Axsel put an arm around Pepper’s shoulder and said, “At last y’all included me this time.” He looked at Reed, who was pulling on a pair of jeans, and said, “I swear, it’s like a vagina club with these chicks.”
Sable came out of the closet and ran her eyes down Grace’s tank top and boy shorts. She tossed her a hoodie and said, “Cute boy shorts, Grace! Put that on.” She turned her attention to Axsel. “If it were a vagina club, you wouldn’t be here. Vagina clubs do their nails and hair and shit. You want to see the firemen’s two a.m. calendar photo shoot as much as the rest of us.”
“Damn right I do,” Axsel said with a big-ass smile.
Grace laughed as she pulled on the hoodie, but she had a feeling no one wanted to see the calendar shoot as much as Sable wanted to get an eyeful of Chet Hudson.
“Maybe I can stay here since my man is ready, willing, and able, and perfectly willing to climb back into our beautiful new bed.” Grace smiled flirtatiously at Reed. “I’m sure Reed won’t want me checking out firefighters anyway.”
“Go, baby. I’m secure in my manhood.” He leaned across the bed and hauled her down, kissing her so hard her entire body flamed. “Besides, I’m meeting you there. There’s a bonfire after the shoot. You. Me. Making out beneath the stars. Be ready.” He swatted her butt and lifted his chin toward Brindle, who was holding up Grace’s cutoffs and the embellished cowgirl boots Morgyn had made for her. “Best get going, pretty girl. You don’t want to miss the Montgomery ruckus.”
Amber offered Grace a hand and pulled her to her feet. “We’ll have fun, Gracie. This is the last time you’ll see the calendar shoot as a single woman.”
“Only in Oak Falls would firemen come from two different towns and do a calendar shoot in the middle of the night,” Pepper said.
As Grace pulled on her cutoffs, surrounded by the people she loved most, her gaze caught on Reed. His loving eyes and boyish grin sent her overjoyed heart into a tailspin as she said, “Exactly, Pep. Only in Oak Falls. And I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
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Two Love in Bloom Worlds Become One!
I am thrilled to share some exciting news with you! The Bradens at Pleasant Hill and the Montgomerys are becoming one magnificent series! In book three, Trails of Love, the Montgomerys and the Bradens are going to be deeply intertwined. For that reason, I am combining the series to make it easier for readers to keep track of characters, weddings, babies, etc. What this means is that after the first two books (Embracing Her Heart and Anything for Love) you will see both worlds in most of the books. Some stories might weigh more heavily in one location than the other, but they are all going to cross over. You’ve met the Montgomerys, now meet the Bradens in Anything for Love, the second book in the Bradens & Montgomerys series.
In Anything for Love…
After Charlotte Sterling loses the last of her family members, she moves to the Colorado Mountains and lives a solitary life. That is, if you only count living, breathing people. As an erotic romance writer, her days are filled with passion and intrigue. She loves her busy, solo life, and she learned early on that real men can’t live up to the fictional heroes she creates—until Beau Braden arrives to do some work at the inn, and for the first time in forever, she’s intrigued by a real man. But Beau lost his first love years ago, and he’s never let go of his guilt over her death. Neither one is looking for an attachment or for a fling. They’ve never fully healed on their own, but together maybe anything is possible.
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A Special Surprise for Fans!
I am part of a fantastic group of romance authors called the Ladies Who Write (LWW), and we have created a fun, sexy world just for you! In EMBRACING HER HEART you heard about LWW and met member Amber Montgomery. In the next book in the Bradens & Montgomerys series, ANYTHING FOR LOVE, you will meet several other fictional members of LWW in a much bigger way, each of whom, along with Amber, will have their own book written by me and the other LWW authors. For more information on our group, and to stay up to date on the release of LWW books, visit and sign up for our .