Chapter Twelve
At five o’clock, Savannah locked the door of the shop, turned the sign over to ‘closed’, and pulled the shade down, then headed back toward the office. She wanted to look through some websites to order more for the shop.
Just as she flipped the lights off, someone knocked on the door.
“I’m sorry, we’re closed,” she called out.
“Vanna? It’s me. I want to talk for a few minutes.”
She sighed hearing Kirk’s voice but then she realized he was just the man she wanted to talk to. She walked to the door, unlocked it, and pulled it open.
“Come in, Kirk.”
She almost laughed at the look on his face. He seemed surprised that she was letting him inside. He entered the shop, walked toward the counter and leaned against it.
“Could you give me my phone back?” She held her hand out.
“Your phone? Why would I have your phone?”
Savannah rolled her eyes. Had he always been such a liar?
“I know you had it, so where is it now?”
“I don’t know—”
“Stop! Just stop. You do know.”
“Just why would I take it?” He folded his arms, and she wanted to wipe the smirk off his face.
“I’m not sure you intended to take it, but when you saw the opportunity, you went for it. You told Grady I didn’t want to talk to him,” she snapped.
“When would I have told him that?”
“Do not act like you don’t know what I’m talking about. You answered my phone when you saw it was him calling.”
“He told you I said that?” Kirk shook his head. “He’s lying.”
“ He doesn’t lie.”
“Vanna, come on. Why would I take your phone?” He reached for her hand, and she slapped at him.
“Stop it. I don’t love you and you don’t love me. You just don’t want to see me happy for some reason. I never realized how vindictive you could be when you see someone happy without you! I deserve to be after all I’ve been through. I lost a child too, Kirk. It wasn’t just you. I love Grady and you probably ruined any chance we had of being together.” She sniffed as a tear rolled down her cheek. “You need to leave and never, under any circumstances—” She stopped, and sighed when another knock sounded on the door. “For God’s sake,” she muttered. She walked toward it, pulled the shade over to see Grady standing outside and she leaned her forehead against the door. “Of course, he would show up,” she murmured.
Savannah looked back at Kirk, then grinned. This should be good. She opened the door.
“Savannah, can we talk?”
“No, you can’t,” Kirk said from behind her, and she watched Grady’s eyes widen then he clenched his jaw and stared at Kirk.
“You” Grady pointed at him. “need the shit kicked out of you and I’m just the man to do it.”
When Kirk laughed, Savannah moved out of the way because she had never seen Grady as angry as he was right now.
“Come in, Grady.” She motioned for him to come in. He entered the store, and she almost burst out laughing when Kirk turned pale and backed up.
“What the fuck are you doing here? And don’t pull that bullshit of trying to make me think you and Savannah are together. You probably messed up the best thing in my life because, like a fool, I let my emotions take over and believed you. You won’t do it again.”
Savannah looked at Grady. “The best thing in your life?”
“Yes. Savannah, I am so sorry for doubting you. I was wrong and should have known better, but I fell for his lies. I never should have doubted you. What I should have done was left Kalispell that day, got back here as quickly as I could and come to you. I shouldn’t have believed him, but when he answered your phone, I saw red.” He stepped around her and moved closer to Kirk. “Where’s her phone?”
“I don’t know.” Kirk shrugged and tried to step back again, but came up against the counter. Grady reached out and grabbed him by the shirt, then pulled him close, and stared into his eyes.
“Tell me now that she doesn’t want to talk to me,” Grady growled.
Kirk glanced at Savannah. “Vanna...”
“I’m not getting in the middle of this. He knows you lied. You’re on your own.” She noticed Grady never took his eyes off Kirk.
Kirk pushed Grady away from him. “Do you think I’m afraid of you?”
“I couldn’t care less if you’re afraid of me or not.” Grady shoved him back and Kirk stumbled but righted himself.
“It’s time you left, Kirk, and I don’t just mean the shop. I mean from Clifton. You just don’t want me happy. Go back and get married, then stay out of my life. You don’t want me any more than I want you.” She walked toward the door, opened it, and motioned for him to leave.
As he walked out, he turned to look at her, and grabbed her hand, trying to pull her onto the sidewalk.
“I need to talk to you,” Kirk said.
“Let go of her,” Grady said.
“This is between Vanna and me. It has nothing to do with you.”
Savannah snorted out a laugh. “It has everything to do with him. You’re just causing problems, Kirk. Go home to Arizona and the woman you’re going to marry. I actually feel sorry for her. She has no clue what kind of man you are.”
Grady stepped outside. “Just do as she said, and leave. Now.”
Kirk didn’t take his eyes off Savannah and ignored Grady. She heard Grady sigh in frustration. Then she saw him grab Kirk’s wrist and jerk his hand away from her.
Kirk swung a fist and hit Grady in the eye, making him let go of Kirk’s arm. He put his hand over his eye and swore.
“Son of a bitch,” Grady muttered.
“Oh, my God! Grady, are you alright?” Savannah touched his sore eye.
“I’m fine.” He looked at Kirk. “He’s not going to be though.” Grady stepped toward Kirk, grabbed his shirt and punched him on the chin. Kirk fell to the ground, knocked out cold.
Savannah walked to where Kirk lay on the ground, squatted down, and tapped his cheek. His eyes opened and he looked confused.
“What happened?”
“You hit Grady, and he hit back. You were out for a few seconds. Get up and go. Please.”
“Vanna,” Kirk said as he sat up, still looking woozy.
“No, Kirk. Just go.”
Kirk sighed. “I just—”
“No. Don’t say anything. Just go and stay the… fuck away from me and Grady.”
Kirk slowly got to his feet, looked at her, then glared at Grady, but when Grady took a step toward him, Kirk nodded. “Alright, I’m going.”
Savannah watched him get into his car, sit there for a few minutes, then pulled onto the street, and drive away. Savannah sighed, then looked at Grady.
“I’m going home.”
“Savannah, I want to talk. Please.”
“You can follow me.”
“Alright.”
She watched him cross the street, climb into his truck, then pulled out, and drove down Main Street.
Taking a deep breath, she entered the store, walked back to her office, and shut the computer down.
“Looks like I won’t be looking for any antiques tonight.” She turned the lights out, opened the door, locked it behind her, then climbed into her car and drove home.
She pulled into the driveway and saw Grady’s truck parked in front of her house at the curb. He got out and walked toward her.
“Let’s go inside,” she said. Grady nodded and followed her inside.
Bentley was waiting for her. She hung up her purse then squatted down to hug him.
“Hi, baby. Were you a good boy today? I missed you.” He ran to Grady but then to the back door. Savannah followed him and let him out.
She entered the living room, kicked her sneakers off and sat on the sofa and motioned for Grady to sit down. He sat in the overstuffed chair beside the couch, and looked at her.
“I’m sorry for hitting him.” Grady flexed his sore knuckles.
“I’m not. He deserved it. I’m sorry he hit you though. It’s going to be black and blue tomorrow.”
“It’ll heal.” He looked at her. “I need to apologize to you though.”
“You already did.”
Grady shook his head and sighed. “I can never apologize enough.”
“Once is enough.”
“Not to me, it’s not. I was a fool to believe him, but…” He took a big breath and looked at her. “Savannah, when he answered your phone and told me you didn’t want to talk to me, it cut me to the core. After being away for a while, I realized he was lying. I knew, deep in my heart, that you would never be with him again.” He looked at her but all she could do was stare at him. “Am I making an ass out of myself?”
“It wouldn’t be the first time.”
“Hey.” He sighed. “Look, Savannah, I’m new at this. I’m trying to… trying to—”
“Trying to what?”
“For God’s sake, woman, I’m trying to say I love you.”
“You love me?” She was shocked.
Grady stood up, then sat beside her on the sofa. He moved his fingers through her hair.
“I love you, Savannah. I never thought I’d fall in love, but I have. You mean everything to me, and it was killing me to think you were going to go back to him. I got so drunk one night that Maverick sent me home from work the next morning. I had the worst hangover. Maverick didn’t believe Kirk, and I sure as hell shouldn’t have.”
She touched his hand. “I understand. It makes sense to me now. I told Maggie I couldn’t understand why you’d believe him after all he had put me through, but she said even if you had called back and I didn’t answer, or Kirk did, you’d think Kirk was being truthful because you didn’t know he stole my phone. She told me she thought you were in love with me, and it terrified you, because you were unsure of my feelings for you.”
“She nailed it.”
“Grady, the thing that hurt me the most was the thought that you didn’t trust me. I had enough of that with Kirk and I wasn’t going to go through that again.”
“Oh, baby, I do trust you. I just let my heart rule my head, and I swear, it will never happen again.” He kissed her lips. “I love you so much.”
She cupped his cheek in her hand. “I love you too.”
Grady pulled her across his lap, kissed her lips, and deepened it when she moaned. He slowly raised his lips and stared into her eyes.
“I never want to lose you, Savannah.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. I’m not going anywhere.”
“I’m not either. I promise I will never deliberately hurt you in any way. We will stand by each other through everything.”
“Yes,” she whispered as a tear rolled down her cheek.
“My dad wants to meet you,” he said with a grin. “It seems Mom told him all about you.”
Savannah grinned. “My parents want to meet you too.”
“We’ll do that soon.”
“Whenever you’d like. Where did you go?”
“I went to stay with my parents in Kalispell. I had to get away for a while. I was so miserable that I might have ruined everything with you.”
“Luckily, you didn’t.” She cupped his cheek in her hand.
“I want you, Savannah. I have been so miserable without you. I need you so much.”
Savannah got to her feet, put her hand out toward him, then led him upstairs.
Grady closed the door behind them and stared at her. He was the most handsome man she’d ever seen.
When he stepped closer toward her, she shook her head. He frowned, then grinned when she slowly unbuttoned her blouse, removed it and let it fall to the floor. Unsnapping her jeans, she then unzipped them, pushed them down and stepped out of them.
She stood before him in nothing but a black lace bra and matching panties. She could see his cock pressing against the fly of his jeans.
He slowly walked toward her, picked her up and carried her to the bed.
The air was thick with desire as they tumbled onto it. She moaned as he ran his hands over her curves, his touch setting her skin on fire. He kissed her deeply, their tongues dancing together as they explored each other’s mouths.
His hands wandered lower, teasing her breasts through the thin fabric of her bra. She arched her back, her nipples hardening under his touch. He unclasped her bra and slipped the straps off her shoulders, revealing her breasts. He groaned as he stared into her eyes, his desire evident in his, then he slowly removed her panties.
She reached down and unzipped his jeans, freeing his hard cock. She stroked him slowly, relishing the feel of his velvety skin in her hand. He moaned and thrust his hips forward, urging her to go faster.
Rolling onto his back, he pulled her on top of him, positioning her above his throbbing cock. She lowered herself onto him, inch by inch, feeling him fill her. They both gasped as he hit the deepest part of her, the sensation almost too much to bear.
They began to move together, their bodies sliding against each other in a rhythm as old as time. She rode him slowly at first, savoring the feel of him inside her. But soon, her desires took over and she began to move faster, grinding against him as they approached the peak of their pleasure.
He sat up and took her lips in a passionate kiss as he thrust into her. She cried out, her orgasm building with every stroke. Her body began trembling with pleasure.
Grady rolled her onto her back and took her hard. Slamming into her over and over until they came together, their bodies shaking with the force of their release. He rested his head in the crook of her neck, both panting and sweating, as he wrapped his arms around her. They lay there for a moment, soaking in the afterglow of their lovemaking.
When Grady moved onto his back, Savannah rolled to her side, and he spooned behind her. His arm wrapped around her waist, both exhausted but satisfied, knowing that they would always have each other. No doubt in her mind and she knew he felt the same. This man was her world and she’d never let him go.
****
As they lay tangled in the sheets, Grady’s lips brushed against her forehead. His words were a soft whisper in the dark.
“I love you,” he murmured.
“I love you too.”
“Damn it. I didn’t wear a condom,” he said.
“I’m on birth control.”
“Good. I should have thought of it though.”
“It’s fine, Grady. I liked not using one.”
“Me too.” He could feel her breath warm against his skin as he continued, “I guess he never told you what he did with your phone, did he?”
“No. He denied having it. I guess he thought you and I would never speak again. It doesn’t matter though. My provider locked it so if anyone finds it, they won’t be able to get into it. The only downside is that I lost all my contacts.”
Grady’s arms tightened around her. “You only need mine,” he said with a smile, making her laugh.
“That’s true.”
The moonlight streamed through the window, casting a soft glow on their faces as they lay entwined in each other’s arms.
“I think we should get some sleep. I haven’t slept much lately,” Grady said, breaking the peaceful silence between them.
“Same here,” Savannah replied, snuggling closer to him.
“What do you want to do tomorrow?”
“I don’t care.”
“How about we go to the ranch, and I’ll show you where I work?”
“I’d like that,” she said.
Grady let out a contented sigh. “Let’s get some sleep.”
Savannah turned to face him and snuggled against him. He draped his arm across her waist while she rested her head against his chest. He smiled as he listened to her steady breathing and felt himself drifting off into a peaceful slumber in her arms.
As they reached the barn the following morning, Grady took her hand and led her into the barn. Upon entering, he stopped abruptly causing Savannah to give him a puzzled look.
“We need to give our eyes some time to adjust, or we won’t see anything, and I don’t need you to fall into manure,” he explained.
“I appreciate that.”
Grady led her along the aisle, stopping at each stall to show her the horses.
“They’re so beautiful…”
“But?”
“There is no way I’m getting on one.” Savannah shook her head.
Grady laughed, pulled her close, and kissed her forehead.
“I would never let anything happen to you.”
“That’s not the point.” She gazed up at him and frowned.
“What’s wrong?”
She gently touched his bruised eye, making him wince.
“Does it hurt?”
“Not as bad as when it happened.”
“Grady?”
He looked to see Maverick striding toward him.
“Hell, I’m in for it now, once he sees my eye,” Grady muttered. “Hey, Maverick.”
“Hi, Vanna—” Maverick stopped in his tracks and bit his lip to stop a grin.
“Just shut up,” Grady snapped.
“I see she put you in your place,” Maverick said with a chuckle, making Savannah laugh.
“Someone had to,” she said.
“You both laugh all you want, but if I’d had my way, he’d have more than a sore chin from me hitting him.”
“So, what stopped you?”
Grady sighed. “I knew he’d had enough, and Savannah just wanted him to leave.”
“Ahh, I see.” Maverick stared at him. “I knew you were in love. You two have a nice day. I’m heading home.”
“Why are you in the barn?”
“Jeff said one of the horses was carrying on, but it was just a mouse.” Maverick grinned and faced Savannah. “Jeff is afraid of mice.”
Savannah laughed. “A ranch hand afraid of mice.”
“We all have our phobias. I’ll talk to you later.” Maverick strode from the barn.
“He’s such a great guy. Parker’s a lucky woman,” Savannah said as she watched him walk off.
“He’s okay,” Grady muttered.
She laughed and put her arms around him. “How about we go back to your place and I’ll show you how great of a man I think you are?”
“Hell, I’m all for that.” He took her hand and quickly led her to his truck.
After climbing in, he winked at her and drove them home.