Chapter 16
Chapter sixteen
Cole
What a fucking day! The sun had faded long ago, my stomach was growling, and everything hurt.
I was more than ready for a hot shower, a cold beer, and some food.
Damn, I could eat a horse right about now.
Instead of spending my lunch break eating, I’d spent it rolling around in the hay with Grace.
Something I absolutely, one hundred and ten percent, did not regret. Not for a second.
I’d spent the last two hours trying to help deliver a calf.
The cow was struggling when Zane found her and nothing we did worked.
Eventually, we managed to save the calf, who was now set up in the barn and relying on being bottle-fed to survive.
His mother hadn’t been so lucky. Even though I knew it was what it was, it didn’t make it any easier.
I pulled the truck to a halt and Rocket bolted toward me.
The guilt smashed into me. Since Grace had strolled into my life upending it, I hadn’t spent as much time with him as I used to.
Before Grace, Rocket and I had our nightly routine down pat.
A cold beer, a wander around the homestead and down to the barn, me yelling for him to stop chasing anything that moved, and then he’d come back, get his treat, and curl up on the end of my bed.
When Grace appeared, my routine changed and so did Rockets.
Throw in Zane and we weren’t used to having people around.
It was normally just us and now it wasn’t.
“Hey, boy,” I greeted as I sank to my knees in the dirt ignoring the groan of my weary bones, and rubbed his head behind his ears.
Rocket nuzzled against me.
“What’s this?” I asked, knowing I sounded ridiculous and he couldn't actually answer. Around his neck was a new bright blue plaid collar. One I hadn’t put there. “Is someone spoiling you?” I continued as Rocket rolled onto his back, legs in the air showing me his tummy.
I rubbed his tummy, unable to help myself from smiling as his tongue lolled from his mouth.
I looked up and noticed the porch lights were on, and someone was sitting in a rocking chair. With a final ruffle of Rocket’s ears, I rose to my feet and started toward the steps.
As I reached the house, I noticed the garden bed, the ones normally filled with weeds were stripped bare.
I stepped into the light and couldn’t resist smiling. “Now there’s a sight worth coming home to,” I exclaimed.
Grace was sitting on the porch wearing a pair of jeans, and a simple black tank top. Her feet were bare, and her hair was piled in a messy knot on top of her head. She wasn’t trying to be sexy, she just was.
“Hey there,” she smiled as I approached.
In her hand was a bottle of beer. “Starting without me I see,” I stated, nodding at her drink.
“I wasn’t sure when you’d be back,” she replied, bringing the bottle to her lips.
“I could really go one of those,” I rumbled as I cataloged her every move.
Grace climbed off the chair and prowled toward me. Without her shoes she somehow felt even smaller. “Me or the beer?” she taunted.
“Both,” I replied without hesitation.
“That can be arranged,” she agreed, lifting her hands to my chest.
I grabbed her wrists, stopping her from touching me only for confusion to wrinkle her brow.
“What the …?”
“Trust me, you don’t want to touch me until I’ve showered.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah. It’s been a day,” I told her.
“Well then, go shower. Are you hungry?” Grace asked innocently, but there was nothing innocent about the way I felt when Grace was this close.
“Starving,” I assured her.
“Good. Dinner’s ready whenever you are,” Grace declared, pushing up on her toes and kissing me so quickly I almost missed it.
“You cooked?” I asked, shocked. I hadn’t expected to come home to a home-cooked dinner. I’d spent the drive back wondering if I had enough bread to make grilled cheese before I passed out.
“I’m not just a pretty face you know,” Grace retorted, opening the front door.
“No you’re not, Grace Hamilton. You’re so much more. Trust me, I know.”
I toed off my boots and stepped inside only to be assaulted by the scent of cheese and tomatoes. I breathed in, my stomach gurgling loudly.
“Go shower, and I’ll heat the rolls,” Grace instructed, and I wasn’t about to argue. It smelt incredible, and the sooner I got out of these filthy pants the sooner I could get into hers.
I peeled off my filthy clothes, dumping them in a pile at the door, and strutted through the living room. Grace ogled my ass as I passed by, and I clenched. When I tossed a glance back over my shoulder, I saw her cheeks burn pink. Busted!
I raced through my shower, making sure I washed all the gunk, grime, and whatever else I had on me before shaving and washing my hair. Grace didn’t need to smell that shit. I stepped onto the bathmat and wrapped a towel around me, then realized something.
Everything was clean.
My towel was fluffy and smelt like fresh linen.
The sink was spotless. The toilet paper had been restocked.
“Holy fuck,” I gasped, shocked. Grace had cleaned my bathroom.
I dried my hair before wrapping the towel around my waist and spraying on some deodorant.
This woman was something else. I hurried, getting ready before slipping out of the bathroom across the hall into my bedroom and pulling on some sweats and a T-shirt.
Suddenly I wasn’t aching, and the exhaustion of the day had evaporated.
I strode into the kitchen to find Grace bent over, ass in the air taking a tray out of the oven. My palm itched to smack her ass, but the last thing I wanted was for her to get burned.
“Something smells amazing in here,” I commented, burying my hands in my pockets and trying to stop myself from giving in to temptation.
“It’s nothing special,” Grace brushed off as she set the tray on the counter.
All I could see was perfectly golden bubbling cheese. My mouth watered. “Is that …?”
“Lasagna,” Grace finished. “It’s nothing special really,” she added, taking off her oven mitts and tossing them on the counter.
I wasn’t about to let her get away with playing it down. She’d cooked for me. She’d gone shopping so she could cook for me. She was getting all the praise and gratitude she deserved.
I crowded her against the sink, my arms holding onto the counter caging her in. “It is special. You made it,” I pointed out.
“It might be terrible.”
“It won’t be.”
“How do you know? I’m not the best cook. Georgia …”
I didn’t give her a chance to finish her sentence. Instead, I sealed my lips over hers in a bruising kiss. What started out as a simple kiss escalated quickly. I ground myself against her, my sweatpants giving me no restraint. Grace wound her arms around me and dragged her fingers through my hair.
By the time we came up for air, my cock was as hard as a lead pipe and I was ready to have her for dinner.
“Wow!”
“Thanks for dinner,” I offered, moving back and giving her some room.
Grace brought her fingers to her swollen lips. “You’re welcome,” she murmured no doubt the thoughts in her head were on something other than the pan of steaming pasta.
“What can I do to help?” I offered.
As much as I wanted to lay her out and feast on her, that would have to wait. If Grace put time and effort into cooking for me, then I was going to eat it. Besides, I was actually starving for real food too.
“If you could organize drinks, I’ll grab the salad and we’re good to go. Is Zane joining us?” Grace asked as she started serving.
“Not tonight. He was going into town to get a few things and said he’d stop at Dusty Boots for a steak,” I confirmed.
“Oh.”
The smile slipped from Grace’s face, and I was tempted to call Zane and tell him to get his ass back here.
“It’s fine. There’ll be plenty left for him tomorrow then,” she corrected, pasting the cheer back on.
A few minutes later and we were sitting at the table, my plate full of creamy, cheesy pasta, homemade rolls, and fresh salad and I was considering dropping to my knee and begging this woman to marry me. If this was what I got to come home to each day, sign me up.
It was so domestic. A home-cooked meal. A simple conversation about our day. Everything felt so normal. Almost like it was meant to be.
“So, Georgia and Gabriella are doing okay, then?” I asked, hoping they were. I was getting used to having Grace around but if her sisters needed her, I’d have to learn to share. I wouldn’t like it, in fact, I’d probably turn into a miserable, moody bastard, but I’d have to deal.
“They’re fine. They’ve been doing it a while, so they’ve pretty much got it down pat,” Grace explained but she didn’t seem thrilled about it.
“What’s up?”
“What do you mean?”
“You just told me about the B&B doing well and your sisters having it all under control, but you left something out,” I called her out.
“No, I didn’t,” Grace deflected.
“You did. Maybe it wasn’t something that happened or something they said, but there’s definitely something you’re not saying, Grace. What is it? Talk to me,” I encouraged, setting aside my fork and reaching for her hand.
“Honestly, it’s nothing. I’m just being silly.” Grace tried to wave away my concerns, but I wasn’t having it.
“Nope. You’re not being silly. If something’s eating you, then I want to know,” I told her.
“What if it’s you eating me?” Grace countered, and I knew exactly what she was trying to do.
She was trying to change the subject by putting sex on the table.
Normally that was a challenge I was more than willing to run with, but seeing how dull her eyes were, we had to deal with this first. Orgasms could wait.
“Grace,” my voice was low and full of warning.
“It’s nothing. We should finish our dinner before it gets cold,” Grace suggested, stabbing a piece of tomato with her fork.
“Grace, what’s going on in that pretty head of yours?” I pressed, reaching up and tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear.