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 the door, 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 the situation demanded.
Sloan Jackson was the type of man that made women look twice. 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.
She shook her head and stiffened her spine. She couldn’t run forever. No, coming to Cloverton 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 step 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 floors. 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 Two
Sloan sighed as the waitress at the Greasy Fork 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 a TV show.”
He took a drink of his sweet tea, wishing it were beer, and 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 hot as hell, even without makeup. His ex-girlfriend, Felicia, would never let anyone see her until she was fully made-up.
“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’d 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 enjoyed eating lunch too, he thought.
“Some people hide their loneliness.”
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.”
This was a topic he didn’t want to talk about, yet his sister always managed to find a way back to it.