Saving Grace (#1 in the Red Valley Series)

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Grace closed her eyes and leaned back in the tub, letting the steaming water soothe her tired and aching muscles. The last two weeks had flown by. She had worked from dawn till dusk cleaning first the main house then her little cabin.

Everything was scrubbed clean and looked brand new. After Lily had gone to bed at night she had sewn curtains for all the windows in both houses. She smiled as she thought about the pretty white lace curtains she had hung in her cabin. She almost hung the same white lace curtains in the main house too. The thought of Cole Weston having lacy curtains in his bedroom made her chuckle. No, maybe if he were married but not a bachelor. The curtains she made for the kitchen were yellow and white checked, and a simple sheer white for the rest of the house.

She felt like the house was ready for Cole to come home. Grace mentally counted the days, and decided that he should be back tomorrow or the next day. She knew she needed to finish her bath and get back to her cabin. Lily was asleep when she came to the main house for a bath and Sam was listening out for her, but she still didn't want to leave her alone too long. Five more minutes and she would get out, just five more minutes.

Cole could not for the life of him understand why he had pushed his horse and men so hard to get home. OK, it might have something to do with a certain green eyed woman he'd offered a job to before he left to go buy the cattle. But he preferred to think it was because for the first time in ten years he had a "home" to go to.

The cattle had been put in the north pasture and he'd left Kit and Rory there with them. He finished brushing down Remi; gave him an affectionate pat on the neck and a handful of extra oats, then walked across the yard to his house. He stopped, looked up and saw a light burning in the window of his house. The full moon gave ample light for him to see that the flowerbeds had been cleaned out, the shrubs pruned, and that new curtains were on the windows. Smiling he put a dusty boot on the bottom step. This means she took the job Cole thought to himself. Quickly he was up the steps and across the porch opening the door, that no longer squealed in protest, and walked in. Stunned, Cole stood just inside the door with his mouth hanging open and took in the sights and smells of his house.

The aroma of fresh baked bread was the first to reach his nose followed by fresh apple pie. The house fairly sparkled. The floors gleamed in the soft amber lamp light, and there was not a speck of dirt anywhere to be seen. Cole was still standing in a state of shock when he heard a soft noise to his left in the kitchen. He drew his gun, and on silent feet he walked the few steps around to the kitchen to see what the noise was.

Instantly his eyes were drawn to the large copper tub in the middle of the kitchen floor. What he saw took his breath away. "Holy Mother of God", he muttered to himself. There, in his kitchen was a beautiful angel asleep in his tub. Her knees were bent and leaning against the opposite side, giving him an unobstructed view of her long slim legs and creamy thighs. Cole's eyes moved slowly up her body to see her arms folded gracefully over her flat stomach to the soft ivory mounds of her high firm breasts. Her dusky nipples were puckered and begging for his mouth to devour them. The slender column of her neck was arched against the back of the tub, and her beautiful face was turned towards him.

She was beautiful! God help him, he wanted her! Her petal soft lips were full and, she had a cute little nose that was slightly turned up. Long sooty lashes lay against velvet soft cheeks, and her golden curls were piled on top of her head with soft tendrils falling around her face and neck. Cole was spellbound; his very breath seemed to have been sucked from his lungs. He had not had the opportunity to really study her before. He had known she was beautiful but seeing her like this; she was stunning. His mouth went dry as his eyes were drawn back to her dusky nipples. At that moment he realized several things. First, he was painfully hard. Second, he couldn't ever remember wanting a woman as badly as he wanted Grace Jennings. Lastly it was a mistake to bring her here to his house. He was never going to find the peace he had been searching for with her here.