Divine Grace Read Online Free Page B

much. When he’d showered and gotten dressed that morning, he gave no thought to the fact he’d be trying on clothes and would need drawers on. Commando was cooler in this heat.
    But she had given him a raging hard-on when she picked up that measuring tape and snapped it between her hands and smiled that mischievous smile at him. When she knelt in front of him, it conjured an image in his mind of her kneeling for an entirely different reason. Man, the way she affected him by just looking up at him with those innocent blue eyes of hers. She’d unconsciously licked her lips, and a ripple of heat had shot up his spine. He’d been afraid for a second he might explode on the spot. Then he would have had some explaining to do.
    He had all kinds of mixed feelings today. He was supposed to be preparing for his mother’s funeral. The words of his wise and kind mother kept ringing in his head. She was the one who originally introduced him to Grace. Over the years, she always told him, “Seize the day, Jack, because you never know how long you have. Have no regrets in life. Take chances.”
    And her most recent question? “When are you going to convince that darling girl to dump that chump and go out with a real man? Hmm?”
    God love her, she was right. It was time to stop sitting on the bench where the lovely Miss Stuart was concerned.
    He smiled, remembering how her warm, delicate hand had trembled when he helped her from her kneeling position. He wondered—no, he hoped —that she was as affected by him as he was by her. He hardened a little, remembering her faint womanly scent when it had risen to his nostrils as she stood with his help. He’d been reluctant to release her hand.
    He parked his truck next to Ethan and Adam’s and went inside the ranch house. The house was clean, and there was a succulent aroma coming from the kitchen. They were already at the table eating, dressed, and ready to go with him to visitation tonight.
    “Hey, you didn’t have to cook, Ethan. I would have sprung for supper tonight,” he said.
    Ethan had a big shit-eating grin on his face as he shook his head. “I didn’t cook. A friend of yours brought supper over for you earlier. I tried to talk her into staying, but she said she had to get home.”

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    He was stumped. “Did she mention a name?” he asked as he lifted the lid and looked into the pot. His mouth watered. Then he saw the fresh bread wrapped in a dish cloth and the cake sitting on the countertop.
    “Uh-huh,” Ethan replied, filling his mouth with a big bite, enjoying himself, no doubt. He and Adam shared a quick glance with each other before going back to their meal.
    “Who was it?” This food was homemade. Who would take the time to do this for him and then come all the way out here?
    “Grace Stuart,” Ethan said.
    “Grace did this?” He wasn’t all that surprised. This was the kind of thing she would do, and she had asked earlier.
    “She said she could tell how distracted you were by taking care of arrangements for your mom’s funeral and that she knew how hard it was to do simple things like fix meals. She wanted to help out, not just pay lip service.”
    “Did you meet her, Adam?”
    In between bites, Adam said, “No, she was already gone by the time I got home. But I heard all about her from Ethan.”
    Jack got a bowl and spoon and fixed himself a glass of tea. He brought the loaf of bread and the butter dish to the table. He served himself and then joined the other two men. After saying grace over the meal, he dug in.
    Lord have mercy, that woman wasn’t only beautiful, she could cook , too. This wasn’t just a meal. This was someone caring about another person and wanting to help them through a rough patch in the road. Boyfriend be damned, he was going after this woman the first chance he got.
    “What did you think of her?” he asked, curious as to how Ethan had reacted to her.
    “Beautiful. Caring. Sort of innocent, in a way. Intriguing. She seemed