Forever Grace Read Online Free Page A
Author: Linda Poitevin
later with his 12-gauge in hand.
Sean raised an eyebrow of his own. She might not like guns, but the way she held it told him she’d handled them before. She crossed to his side a second time, leaning down to place the gun at his side and drop a handful of slugs into his hand.
“I’ll be back soon,” she said. Warm fingers curled over his. “Hang tight.”
Sean watched the flashlight beam disappear into the night again.
CHAPTER 4
………………
AS SOON AS SHE REACHED the shelter of the trees, Grace paused to regroup. Leaning against a birch that flanked the path, she closed her eyes and sucked in the deep, steadying breath she’d needed since a man’s bellow had reached her in her kitchen. Since she had pulled Josh into her arms, the specter of Barry looming in her brain. Since her entire world had teetered for a moment on the brink of implosion.
She took another breath, in through her nostrils, out through her mouth.
It wasn’t Barry.
Breathe in. Breathe out .
Barry hadn’t found them.
In. Out .
They were safe. At least for now.
Slowly, the rush of blood in Grace’s eardrums subsided until other sounds could penetrate again. The rustle of the wind through the trees over her head, the scrabble of something small in the dry leaves to the side of the path. The faint who-whoo of an owl near the cottage she’d just left.
And the distinct snap of branches breaking beneath something substantially larger than a mouse.
Grace’s heart did a back flip and crawled into her throat.
How many bears had he said were in the area?
She shone the flashlight beam into the trees. A pair of eyes—at about the height of a bear standing on its hind legs, she estimated—gleamed back at her. Her innards turned to water.
She turned to run, but instead sprawled headlong onto the leaf-covered path and watched in horror as the flashlight rolled out of reach. Behind her, more branches snapped as something pushed through them. That did it. Her fallen neighbor might not be able to shoot whatever hunted her, but maybe a shot would scare—
A trill reached her, and her throat clamped shut on a half-formed screech. She listened to an answering call and more rustling. Relief flooded her. Raccoons. She’d been running from raccoons. And she’d nearly shrieked her head off over them.
She dropped her head onto her forearm. Laughter born of sheer reaction burbled up in her. Dear Lord, imagine if he’d heard her. What would he have thought? And if he had fired a shot…what would the poor kids have thought?
Clamping her lips together, Grace pushed up from the ground and dusted off her knees. She peered through the trees at the cottage waiting for her. The porch light shining like a beacon, Josh’s silhouette moving past the kitchen window. She took another breath and focused on the wire-tautness of nerves that had nothing to do with raccoons.
Barry hadn’t found them. They were safe. They would stay safe. She could do this. She had to.
Squaring her shoulders, Grace walked over to retrieve the flashlight. Then she stepped back onto the path and finished her journey home.
Josh answered her knock and reassuring, “It’s me, Josh,” before the words were half out of her mouth.
“Is he all right?” he asked, guilt shadowing his brown eyes.
“He’s fine.” She stepped inside, stripping off her jacket and draping it onto a hook. “Just in a bit of an awkward position.”
She explained their neighbor’s predicament over her shoulder as she went through to the kitchen, ending with her intention to go back out as soon as she’d made sure everyone here was settled. Arriving at the table where the three girls still sat, she surveyed Annabelle’s personal disaster area with a sigh.
“Did any of your dinner make it into your belly?” she inquired.
Annabelle lifted her shirt with one fried-potato-covered hand and patted her stomach with the other. She grinned. “Belly.”
“She ate most of it,” Josh said. “But
Sean raised an eyebrow of his own. She might not like guns, but the way she held it told him she’d handled them before. She crossed to his side a second time, leaning down to place the gun at his side and drop a handful of slugs into his hand.
“I’ll be back soon,” she said. Warm fingers curled over his. “Hang tight.”
Sean watched the flashlight beam disappear into the night again.
CHAPTER 4
………………
AS SOON AS SHE REACHED the shelter of the trees, Grace paused to regroup. Leaning against a birch that flanked the path, she closed her eyes and sucked in the deep, steadying breath she’d needed since a man’s bellow had reached her in her kitchen. Since she had pulled Josh into her arms, the specter of Barry looming in her brain. Since her entire world had teetered for a moment on the brink of implosion.
She took another breath, in through her nostrils, out through her mouth.
It wasn’t Barry.
Breathe in. Breathe out .
Barry hadn’t found them.
In. Out .
They were safe. At least for now.
Slowly, the rush of blood in Grace’s eardrums subsided until other sounds could penetrate again. The rustle of the wind through the trees over her head, the scrabble of something small in the dry leaves to the side of the path. The faint who-whoo of an owl near the cottage she’d just left.
And the distinct snap of branches breaking beneath something substantially larger than a mouse.
Grace’s heart did a back flip and crawled into her throat.
How many bears had he said were in the area?
She shone the flashlight beam into the trees. A pair of eyes—at about the height of a bear standing on its hind legs, she estimated—gleamed back at her. Her innards turned to water.
She turned to run, but instead sprawled headlong onto the leaf-covered path and watched in horror as the flashlight rolled out of reach. Behind her, more branches snapped as something pushed through them. That did it. Her fallen neighbor might not be able to shoot whatever hunted her, but maybe a shot would scare—
A trill reached her, and her throat clamped shut on a half-formed screech. She listened to an answering call and more rustling. Relief flooded her. Raccoons. She’d been running from raccoons. And she’d nearly shrieked her head off over them.
She dropped her head onto her forearm. Laughter born of sheer reaction burbled up in her. Dear Lord, imagine if he’d heard her. What would he have thought? And if he had fired a shot…what would the poor kids have thought?
Clamping her lips together, Grace pushed up from the ground and dusted off her knees. She peered through the trees at the cottage waiting for her. The porch light shining like a beacon, Josh’s silhouette moving past the kitchen window. She took another breath and focused on the wire-tautness of nerves that had nothing to do with raccoons.
Barry hadn’t found them. They were safe. They would stay safe. She could do this. She had to.
Squaring her shoulders, Grace walked over to retrieve the flashlight. Then she stepped back onto the path and finished her journey home.
Josh answered her knock and reassuring, “It’s me, Josh,” before the words were half out of her mouth.
“Is he all right?” he asked, guilt shadowing his brown eyes.
“He’s fine.” She stepped inside, stripping off her jacket and draping it onto a hook. “Just in a bit of an awkward position.”
She explained their neighbor’s predicament over her shoulder as she went through to the kitchen, ending with her intention to go back out as soon as she’d made sure everyone here was settled. Arriving at the table where the three girls still sat, she surveyed Annabelle’s personal disaster area with a sigh.
“Did any of your dinner make it into your belly?” she inquired.
Annabelle lifted her shirt with one fried-potato-covered hand and patted her stomach with the other. She grinned. “Belly.”
“She ate most of it,” Josh said. “But