Grace stretched her arms wide and smiled. The morning sun was shining, and it looked as if all of her problems were over. No one had left threatening notes at her place, the case against her had been dismissed, Jimmy and his fiancée were no longer together—Kitty had figured out he didn’t have any money—Vince was well on his way to free room and board in a state prison, and she and Cam were nearly perfect.
Life was better than it had been in a very long time.
Jumping from bed, she showered and dressed warmly against the lingering crispness in the air, which was hanging on for dear life to the last moments of spring.
As she emerged from her home, she wondered what Cam was up to. He’d probably taken his morning jog already, and was currently getting ready to ride off to his offices to effect another dramatic rescue.
He was good at his job—excellent, in fact. If it weren’t for him, she’d probably be either sitting in a jail cell or out on bail, waiting for a trial that could go either way. There was no way she would have found the evidence that linked Vince to the embezzlement. She very likely would have been convicted, and she’d have forever blamed her mother for setting her up.
Grace wasn’t forgiving her mother for all the years of bitterness and envy Victoria had subjected her to, but she had finally begun to realize that there was always a story behind every action. Maybe someday Grace could talk to her mom, could ask her what her story was. It wouldn’t be today, but she had a feeling she would eventually have that conversation.
She reached the spring-fed creek in about fifteen minutes and sat down. It had been another favorite place of hers on her ancestors’ homestead. One of the things she loved best about the creek was the fact that it ran through her property and went all the way to the Whitmans’. If it had been just a little bit faster and wider, she could have taken an inner tube and floated down to his place.
Instead, he and Grace had walked alongside the stream in the height of summer, when the days were hot and they had too much time on their hands to kill. Those were the memories that had made growing up in Montana a blessing instead of a curse because of who she had been born to.
Cam had been a part of her life almost from her earliest memories. They had started out as friends, had then gone through a period where they couldn’t stand each other—since boys were filthy creatures—and then they became friends again.
Grace really couldn’t say when it had happened, but somewhere along that journey, she started seeing him as a young man—as a man she could love, and would love, forever and always. A smile fluttered over her lips as she realized that no matter how far or how fast she’d run, her love of Cam had always been with her.
They’d made mistakes as teenagers in too much of a hurry to grow up, but they’d made the mistakes together, and then they’d fallen away from each other. Yet, even through the challenges that life had thrown their way, one thing had stayed with Grace—and that was love.
She could deny it all she wanted, but she adored him. She adored the child he had been, the teenager who had accepted the gift of her innocence, and the man he was today.
He’d been telling her since she’d come home that he wanted to be with her, that he wasn’t willing to let her go. They’d fought, they’d laughed, they’d loved. And Grace had a feeling they would do it for the rest of their lives.
It was also time to admit to herself what frightened her now more than anything else that had been happening in her life these past few months. She hadn’t gone to the doctor, hadn’t looked at the small changes in her body, hadn’t wanted to face the truth, because she was terrified of the answer. Her hand fluttered to her still-flat stomach and tears filled her eyes.
She was pregnant.
Soon she would tell Cam. Fear would be with her, but she couldn’t hide from her fears anymore. She had to face them, had to accept that some things in life couldn’t be fixed by signing your name on the dotted line or pretending there wasn’t a problem in the first place.
She had no doubt that Cam was a real man who wouldn’t ever shirk his responsibilities. And she also had no doubt that he loved her.
They needed to talk. She walked back to the house and grabbed her purse and keys. She had so much to talk to him about, so much she needed to say. Anticipation made her drive a little too fast, but she made it into town safe and sound.
Seeing his vehicle parked at the law offices, she smiled. She ran inside, glad his secretary wasn’t there yet. Maybe they’d make love first and then they could talk. Yes. That sounded like a brilliant idea.
She found him sitting at his desk. “Do you realize how unbelievably stunning you are?”
Cam looked up, a bright smile lighting his face up. “Isn’t that my line?” he asked.
“I’ve missed you this last week,” she said as she shut and locked his door, then began moving forward while unbuttoning her blouse.
“You have? I’m glad to hear that. It’s been a busy week for all of us.” Even as he said this, he pushed his chair back and watched her prowl forward.
“Well, there’s nothing to worry about anymore, Mr. Whitman . . .” She opened her blouse and modeled a sexy red bra that showed more than it hid.
“That’s good, because all my worries just floated away,” he said as she reached him and he pulled her into his lap.
“Kiss me, Cam, kiss me like you mean it,” she demanded before winding her fingers through his hair and holding him there while she leaned into him, her lips resting lightly on his.
She didn’t need to prod him any further. He wrapped his arms around her back, pulling her tightly against him and pushing upward, letting her feel his arousal press into her as she straddled his lap.