Promise of Grace Read online

  She’d taken ibuprofen before bed and managed to sleep through the night. Today her muscles were stiff and her right thigh ached from the impact of the car.

  She had to force herself to roll out of her new, comfy bed this morning, knowing if she laid around all day she’d feel worse. Upon buying the Hadley place, she had made few requests, and getting a new mattress delivered to the house before she arrived was one of them.

  She’d slept too many nights in her car or in a sleeping bag, while on the move across the United States, waiting for the right moment to find a home.

  The Hadley house had been that moment.

  Grace had searched computers in public libraries in several states for a house to buy. When she saw the picture of the Hadley house and the land that went with it, she knew she’d found her home.

  The Hadley house sat on twenty acres of land. Her nearest neighbor was ten miles away. She made a lowball offer on the house and, to her surprise, it had been accepted.

  Turning away from the window, pain shot through her thigh. Setting her coffee cup down, she took a tentative step toward the back door. She felt the pain with each step. She was just going to have to work the pain out by moving around.

  Today was going to be rough with all the cleaning she had planned.

  Her fingertips brushed the top of the wooden baseball bat, tucked in the corner by the back door for her peace of mind. She reached for the doorknob. The soft tinkle of the bell above the door drifted out into the quiet yard. She thought it strange that the previous owner installed a bell over the back door. She didn’t mind the extra security, so she ended up leaving it.

  A quiet smile rested on her lips as she stepped out onto the porch and gazed at the lush green woods that bordered the backyard. Born and bred in New England, Grace never thought she would end up living in rural Mississippi.

  Her smile faltered. There were a lot of things she had never thought she would have to endure.

  Her life had turned into a game of survival. Things that were once so important, no longer held their appeal. She shivered as she thought back over the last few months of how she had stayed out of sight and on the run.

  That life was over.

  This was her life now.

  She closed her eyes and inhaled the scent of spring, crisp air, and fragrant flowers. After a season of winter, Grace desperately needed a spring.

  Chapter Four

  A little before eight o’clock Sloan pulled up to the old Hadley property in his white Dodge truck. The brilliant blue sky shone with the promise of spring, signaling the end of cold nights and dreary days. He was looking forward to long weekends of grilling, fishing, and drinking ice cold beer.

  He grimaced as he grabbed the plated cake wrapped in plastic and topped with a frilly green ribbon, compliments of Allison.

  He picked his way up the uneven brick walkway to the front porch feeling like a complete fool.

  The house bore signs of sitting empty for many years. The roof was littered with branches from the last storm, and the gutters were clogged with rotting leaves. Unruly shrubs crept up the porch railing, threatening to take over the porch that looked over a yard full of weeds.

  The porch itself fared no better. It was littered with leaves and creaked with each step he took. The wood plank at the front door gave way under his weight. He eased back a step, inspecting the loose board.

  The poor woman had been suckered into buying a money pit.

  He used his free hand to wipe a layer of grime off the window to peer inside. The empty living room looked the same. The walls were dressed in an outdated wallpaper of tiny pink roses with green climbing vines, and the original hardwood floors needed to be refinished. The only furniture was a white wicker sofa that he’d bet came with the house.

  He glanced down at his watch. Maybe he could just leave the cake on the front steps. He was the wrong person to be sent out as a welcome party anyway. He hadn’t been much on socializing since his breakup with Felicia, after catching her with his co-worker. He’d been so devastated that he’d been betrayed by his friend and fiancée, that he had left town for a month to gain some perspective. He had returned to find that they had broken up and his co-worker had requested and received a transfer to Nashville. Felicia stayed in Harland Creek.

  He’d come away with a new perspective. People lied and could not be trusted.

  There was movement on the other side of the door before it creaked open. He sent up a silent prayer that the woman wasn’t going to talk his ear off, or worse, hit on him. Ever since his breakup, the women of Harland Creek made it clear they could mend his heart.

  There was one problem with that assumption. He no longer possessed a heart.

  Every coherent thought fled as a petite woman appeared in the doorway, looking up at him with eyes the color of sapphires. She had a red bandana tied around her dark hair. A few strands escaped to frame her heart-shaped face. Even without a stitch of makeup, and a smudge of dirt across her cheek, she was gorgeous.

  And younger than what he’d imagined. She couldn’t be more than twenty-six.

  “Can I help you?” He didn’t miss the slight tremor in her voice.

  His thumb fiddled with the Saran wrap. “You must be Grace.”

  “I am.” She frowned.

  He cleared his throat. “I’m Sloan Jackson. Allison’s brother.”

  Her frown deepened and she crossed her arms. “I’m guessing she told you what happened.”

  “Yes, she did.”

  “It wasn’t Allison’s fault. I didn’t look before I crossed the street.” She tightened her arms around her chest in a protective gesture. “I didn’t even use the crosswalk.”

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” His gaze drifted down her body looking for visible signs of damage.

  “I’m fine, Mr. Jackson.”

  “Allison should have called the ambulance or at least taken you to the doctor to be checked out.”

  She shook her head. “No, there was no need. I’m perfectly fine and I didn’t want to get her in trouble.”

  He barked out a laugh. “Allison seemed to misplace her worry. She should have been more worried about you. I’ll have to speak with her about that.”

  She grabbed his arm. “No, don’t do that. I assure you she was very worried about me. Please don’t say anything to her. I don’t want to make her feel worse than she already does.”

  His gaze drifted down to her small hand lingering on his arm, warming his skin. His heartbeat sped up and suddenly his mouth was dry. “Allison made this for you, to welcome you to town.”

  Her lips parted in surprise. “She didn’t have to go to all that trouble.”

  “She wanted to do something nice.” He ran his hand across the back of his neck. “She taped her address and phone number on the bottom of the plate in case you need anything.”

  She placed the cake onto a small table in the foyer. Judging from the age and amount of dust, Sloan guessed the table had come with the house as well.

  “Please, thank her for me.”

  “I will.” He looked over her shoulder. “So you bought the old Hadley place. It’s going to take a lot of work to get it back into shape.”

  “The house has good bones. I don’t mind a little hard work. With the nice weather we’re having I hope to get some of the furniture outside to air out.”

  “Do you need a hand? I could help move some stuff outside for you.”

  “No.” She shook her head. “Thank you. I can handle it myself. The furniture that’s left is small and not heavy.” She reached for the door. “Thank you for dropping this by, Mr. Jackson.”

  “Call me, Sloan.” He stuck out his hand. She hesitated a moment before taking it. He smiled at the touch of her petite hand in his larger one. Though her face was flawless, her hands told a different story.

  She might look like she belonged on the cover of a magazine, but her calloused hands suggested Grace was a hard worker.

  Still holding her hand, he grinned. “Grace, do you have a last name?”

  She blinked. “It’s Witherspoon.”

  “Grace Witherspoon.” He nodded. “Well Grace, it’s nice to have you in our little town. I’m sure you’ll find we are pretty friendly, whenever we are not trying to run anyone over with our cars.”

  A melodious laugh bubbled out of her mouth. He couldn’t help himself as his grin grew. “So where did you move here from?”

  She pulled her hand away and her smile faded. The cop in him alerted to the fact that her guard was up again. “I moved from Idaho.”

  “Idaho. That’s quite a change.”

  She nodded and averted her gaze. “I got tired of the winter weather and thought I’d give living in the South a try.”

  “Did you grow up in a small town there?” She shook her head. “I grew up in Boise.”

  “Ah, you’re a city girl. Things are a lot different out here in the country. It may take some getting used to.”

  “I think I’ll acclimate very quickly. It’s peaceful and quiet. I like my solitude.” She brushed a stray hair out of her eyes. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to cleaning.”

  He knew when he was being dismissed. “Just let me know if you need any help.”

  “I won’t need anyone’s help,” she murmured.

  He stopped halfway down the steps and turned before she had a chance to shut the door. “Everyone needs help at some point in their life. Believe me, there are no secrets in a small town.”

  Chapter Five

  Standing in the overgrown front yard, Grace wiped her hand across her sweaty brow and stared at the house looming before her. Sloan was right when he said the house needed a lot of work.

  That was okay. She needed a lot of work too.

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sp; She ran her hands up and down her arms, shivering as she thought about Sloan’s parting words.

  There are no secrets in a small town.

  She’d been frozen to the floor when she heard the knock on her door. When she forced herself to answer it, she was shocked to see a man on the other side. He was well over six feet with dark blond hair and deep blue eyes. His presence dwarfed her, physically and mentally. All the while he stood there talking, her mind was three steps ahead, thinking, planning, assessing if she could get away from him if the situation demanded.

  Sloan Jackson was the type of man that made women look twice. But Grace had learned a long time ago that a handsome face sometimes hid a monster behind it.

  Maybe coming here was a bad idea. Maybe she needed to stay on the move just a few more months, just to make sure it was safe to finally start living again.

  She shook her head and stiffened her spine. No. She couldn’t run forever. Coming to Harland Creek was the right decision. She’d known the moment she’d seen the house online this was going to be her starting over point. This little house was going to be her salvation.

  “Better get busy getting you fixed up.” She spoke to the house, but somehow it felt like she was speaking to herself. It was going to take a lot more than soap and rags to make her feel clean again. It was going to take a small miracle.

  Hours later, Grace sat on the steps of the front porch and sighed. She took a long drink from the bottle of water she pulled from the refrigerator. She brushed a fingernail across the condensation and made a mental to-do list.

  After moving all the furniture outside she’d taken down all the curtains and inspected them for damage. Moths had eaten every pair except for the dark green velvet ones that hung in the dining room. The damaged curtains went into the garbage. The velvet curtains were draped over the porch railing to air out.

  She’d swept the house from top to bottom, capturing cobwebs within the tight bristles of her broom. Then she’d gotten busy washing baseboards and mopping the hardwood floors. She’d noticed scratches and paint marks on the old wood. They needed to be sanded and refinished. Unfortunately, that would have to wait until she had the right equipment. After cleaning up the furniture, she moved it back inside. Overall, she’d gotten a lot done.

  She stood and grimaced at the twinge of pain in her leg. She glanced down at the deep purple bruise that had grown in size on her thigh. She didn’t need her leg to be re-injured.

  It’s just a bruise, nothing more. Right?

  She sucked in a breath and calmed her racing thoughts. If the bone had been broken she wouldn’t be walking around on it. She knew that from experience.

  She just needed a nice long soak in the tub to ease her aches and her mind.

  She was going to be all right. She had to be.

  Chapter Six

  Sloan sighed as the waitress at the Harland Creek Café placed today’s special of chicken and dumplings in front of him.

  Before he could take a bite, Allison was making her way across the restaurant toward him.

  “Was she okay?” Allison shot him a worried look as she scooted into the booth.

  “She seemed fine to me.” He took a bite of his meal, hoping to dissuade his little sister from conversation. Talking about Grace was the last thing he wanted to do.

  “She didn’t have any bruises? Or cuts? Could she walk okay? Did she look pale? You know, like she’d lost some blood.”

  He froze. “You didn’t mention any bleeding when you hit her.”

  “There wasn’t any blood. But sometimes people have internal bleeding. I saw that on TV.”

  He took a drink of his sweet tea, wishing it were beer, and carefully decided on his next words. “She was fully clothed. From what I saw, she looked fine to me.”

  She was better than fine. She was stunning, even without makeup. Felicia would never let anyone see her until she was in full makeup.

  “Why didn’t you mention that she was young? I was expecting an older woman with a house full of cats.”

  “You didn’t ask.” She snagged a piece of his cornbread and popped it into her mouth.

  “Stop worrying. She looked healthy. In fact, she said something about moving the furniture outside to air out. If she can manage that, I’d say she is in good shape.”

  Allison’s eyes grew wide. “Sloan, you didn’t help her?” She paled a few shades when he didn’t answer. “She probably thinks we’re the rudest people she’s ever met.”

  He set his fork down. It didn’t look like he was going to get to eat lunch after all. “She refused my help. I get the feeling she’s the independent type.”

  “She must be so lonely, all alone in a new place.” Allison cupped her chin in her palms.

  “Some people enjoy their solitude.” Some people enjoy eating lunch too, he thought.

  “Some people hide their loneliness.” She gave him a pointed look.

  He pushed his plate away, his appetite suddenly gone, and looked out the window. The conversation had taken a U-turn right back to him.

  “She didn’t deserve you.” Allison said softly.

  This was a topic he didn’t want to talk about, yet his sister always managed to find a way back to it.

  “So you say.”

  “It’s true. It’s been two years and it’s time for you to start dating again.”

  “I happen to be very content with my bachelor status.”

  “Leave the guy alone, Allison.” Tabitha Miller appeared out of nowhere and slid into the booth next to Allison. “All those long weekends he tells you he’s off fishing, he’s seeing a stripper in Memphis.”

  Allison wrinkled her nose and looked at him. “I thought you were fishing for bass.”

  “I think he’s fishing for something else, honey.” Tabitha snickered.

  He rubbed a hand across his face. Allison and Tabitha had been best friends for years, and when they were together, they always managed to find themselves in crazy situations. Their last escapade had involved breaking into a country club after hours to skinny dip. When the silent alarm went off, he’d arrived, along with two other cops, to find his sister and Tabitha naked in the pool. Allison insisted they hadn’t broken in and the whole thing was a mistake. He’d quickly covered her up and hauled her back to the house. He still heard the snickers in the police department about that one.

  Any hopes he had of Tabitha moving away had dwindled with each passing year. He had accepted the fact that he was stuck with Lucy and Ethel duo.

  Sloan shook his head. “Why are you listening to her?”

  “Because it’s Tabitha.” Allison shrugged.

  Tabitha brightened and smiled. “Yeah, because it’s me.” She wrapped her arm around his sister’s shoulder in a show of solidarity. “Actually, I was just kidding. I don’t think your saint of a brother would step foot inside a strip club. It would make his moral compass go haywire.”

  “Are you implying I’m uptight?”

  “As uptight as a priest during Ash Wednesday service.” Tabitha grinned.

  “But now that we’re on the subject of dating, I saw Sally Parker in the grocery store the other day. She asked me if you were still single.”

  “Don’t even start.” He shot a warning look at Tabitha and then looked at Allison. “I still haven’t forgiven you for that one.” His sister had ambushed him at the movies by bringing Sally Parker along. After the first fifteen minutes, Allison had said she wasn’t feeling well and insisted that Sloan take Sally home after the movie was over.

  “Come on, it couldn’t have been that bad. Besides, if I had told you I was bringing Sally you wouldn’t have shown up.”

  “You’re right. I wouldn’t have.” He winced. “I almost wrecked my truck trying to get her off me.”

  Tabitha laughed. Sloan shot her a glare and she sobered. “Well, you know what they say, it’s always the quiet ones.”

  “I was just trying to help,” Allison sighed heavily.

  “I know. If you want to help, please don’t try and play matchmaker for me.” He slid out of the booth and tossed a few bills on the table and hoped there were leftover doughnuts in the break room.

  Chapter Seven

  Grace knelt in front of the white oven and attacked the inside with a soapy sponge. Although the appliances didn’t appear dirty, the years of sitting unused left a musty odor.