The Way of Grace (Miller's Creek Novels) (63 page)

Her eyes held a softness they’
d not held in so very long,
and did he dare hope they also held love?

His
pulse pounded against his chest
as she shook her head.
“Only if you let me
say a few things
first
.”

He sighed in exasperation. Would a day ever come when she didn’t try his patience?
“Only a few?”

Graci
e punched
his
arm. “What exactly do you mean by that?”

“Well, you’
re an attorney, and they make their living by really long arguments.”

She balled up her right fist
and punched him twice more.

“
Ow
! Cut it out.”
He
gripped his arm with the other
hand
, happy to see this playful side of her again
.

With a
lovely, heart-stopping smile on her lips
, Gracie nodded
.
“Only if you’re ready to listen.”

“Okay, b
ut do try to give me the condensed version if you don’t mind.”

She laughed, and M
att relished the sound. When was the last time he’
d heard that soft girlish giggle
?

Gracie’s intense gaze pierced to the depths of his soul
.
“I’ve loved you for a lot longer than I’ve been able to let on, Matt. I so desperatel
y wanted to tell you, but wasn
’t in a place where I could be completely ready to
show
how I felt. There was so much going on in my life, and I was
so
very confused.
Under those circumstances i
t
wouldn’t have been fair to you
to
lead you on
when I couldn’t
totally
commit.”

He released the question that burned within him.
“And where does Jason Dent fit in all this?”

“I turned to him w
hen you left to go on the ro
ad without even saying
good-bye
. P
art of me felt betrayed, like you didn’t really care for me as much as you said you did.”

Matt stopped her. “Wait a second. As I recall, you were the one who pushed me away.”

Her head tilted to one side, and a thick strand of hair touched her elbow
. “That’s true. But I did it because I was being stalked. I was afraid of putting you in danger.”

“Stalked?”

“Or terrorized.
Whichever way you want to put it.”

The small frown that
started earlier now pulled his brows so tight they ached
. “
Jason
?”

“
At the time I thought it was Elena,
but I
’m almost certain now that he did it
. He c
alled me on the phone at all times of the day and ni
ght,
but
wouldn’t answer. Then o
ne of the
patio chairs
w
as moved
beneath
my window.
And,” she hesitated, swallowing hard, her eyes taking on a dark distance, “
and then
Millie was killed.”
She
whispered the words.

He thought b
ack to that night he’d found
her
screaming,
her hands covered with blood. He’d
been so en
grossed in taking care of her
he hadn’t noticed a dead cat. When he went to investigate,
he’d only foun
d a puddle of water
. I
n the short time they’d been inside,
Jason mus
t’
ve
removed the
body
and cleaned up the blood.
He
opened his eyes wide and
sh
ook his head, his mind still reeling
. “I’m so sorry, Gracie. Sorry I didn’t catch on to what was happening. You were acting
so strangely that evening, and then
you kicked me out of your house.”

“T
o protect you.”
She squeezed his hand
.
“
I
also
wanted to tell you
how I felt
that night at
Elena’s, but
I saw Jason’s car
and decided it
wasn’t safe
.” She stopped, a frown creasing her forehead. “
What made you co
me back that night
?”

“
I saw his car, too.
I
was
afraid for you
, but I also
felt like you loved me and
had
pushed
me away
.
It finally dawned on me that you knew you were in danger and wanted to protect me.
”

Her eyes once more took on a distant glaze.
“
I
was so
blind. You w
ere the only one who saw who Jason
really was. I’m s
orry for not listening to you.
S
o terribly sorry.”

Matt caressed her cheek
and smiled
. “It’s okay. He put on a good show, and you were looking for Mr.
Perfect
.”

Gracie
closed her eyes, a slight smile on her lips. “I’m just grateful God spar
ed me from my personal pursuit of that so-called perfection.”
S
he turned her focus back t
o him. “And so incredibly happy
His plan won out over mine.” She leaned forward an
d planted a tender
kiss on his lips
, her soft scent swirling around his head
.

A knock sounded on the door.

“Come in.”
The lilting joy in her voice—missing for so long—returned
.

Dr. Jackson
entered,
a
knowing look
in her
eyes. “
The nurses told me I just might find you
two
here. While I’m s
orry
to interrupt your Valentine luncheon,
it sure is good
to see my
favorite patient looking so happy
.”

Graci
e tilted back her head and laughed.
“Favorite?
I’ll bet you say that to all your patients.
”

A broad smile spread
across
the doctor’s
face,
a
nd
she
glanced at
Gracie’s
hand. “Is th
at a new ring
I see
?”

Her
face
glow
ed as she held up
the ring
for Dr. Jackson
to examine
, and
Matt marveled at the difference.
Thank You, Jesus.

“There’s no medicine in the world lik
e love.”
Dr. Jackson
leaned her weight against the table
. “So, are
we ready for round two of rehab
after lunch
?
”

Apprehension flooded Gracie’s face as she turned her gaze to Matt.
He cupped her chin with
his rig
ht hand
and gazed deeply into the dark eyes he loved so much
. “I love you, Gracie
, and I’ll be with you every step of the way.”

A peaceful smile came to rest on her face
.

Matt squeeze
d Gracie’s hand and
looked up at the doctor
. “We’re ready.”

2
7

T
he fellowship hall of Miller’s Creek Community Church
bustled with activity.
Voices melded with
the
noise
of chairs and tables being moved into position
to create a cacophony of sound
.  Matt stepp
ed aside to
let a
white-aproned
waiter
from
Soldano’s
Restaurant
pass
, the silver warming pan he carried wafting the aroma of chicken fajitas throughout the space
and causing his mouth to water
.

Gracie’s dad had spared no expense
on the food for
his
only
da
ughter’s homecoming, and Matt
felt obliged to help out however he could, even though it meant letting
Dani
, Trish
,
and Mama Beth pi
ck Gracie up from the hospital
instead of him
.

He’d struggled with the decision, but when he’d talked to Gracie on the phone, she said she understood his need to stay in Miller’s Creek
to work
.
Of course, he couldn’t tell her
why. The whole shindig was meant to be a surprise. He
pressed his lips together and released air through his nose.
Hopefuly
Gracie was up for a s
urprise
that involved most of t
he residents of Miller’s Creek.

Juan moved up beside him, his red chef’s apron showing signs of a full morning of cooking. “
Hola
,
Matt.” He held out a hand.

Matt shook his hand, wondering about
the
change that had come over him
. Had it really only been a few months ago that
he’d
asked him to stay away from
Gracie
?
“Hey, Mr.
Soldano
.
”

“
How are you?”
The man
smiled revealing a gold-capped tooth.

“G
ood. Just a little nervous this might be too much for Gracie.”

“
Si
, I have wondered the same thing myself. This started off as just a few family friends, and before I knew it, everyone in town had invited themselves.
Ay
yi
yi
.”
He
spoke the words in his thick Hispanic accent and
gave his head a shake. “But I know Graciela will do her best to handle it well.”

“No doubt about it. She always seems to rise to the occasion.”
Matt
winced at
the unfortunate
choice of words. In spite of several weeks of rehab, Gracie still couldn’t walk. And it wasn’t from a lack of trying. Everyday she’d given it her all, refusing to give in to despair and hopelessness. And every night she’d cried when her efforts failed to produce the results
for which
she
’d
so
desperately hoped and prayed
.

Mr.
Soldano
cleared his throat, drawing Matt’s gaze.
His eyes held a
pleading
look that very much reminded him of Gracie
. “Do you have a few minutes to talk?”

“Yes, sir.”

Matt followed him
outside
to the
church pavilion
, peaceful and quiet in comparison to the bustling
fellowship hall
.
Gracie’s dad chose
a
picnic
table on the far
end
, where they
were less likely to be
disturbed.
An
April breeze danced among
nearby cedar bushes, the fresh fragrance floating through the air
.

“I wanted to thank you privately for all you did to save my daughter’s life.
And you’ve stayed by her side o
ver
the past month
s.
” Tear
s formed in the man’s eyes.

“
N
o thanks necessary.
When you love someone, you do what you have to do.
”

Juan nodded.
“That’s how I know
you are the right man for her. It was the same with my new wife, Maria, and
also with
Graciela’s mother.”