chapter Eleven

He heard the approach of daylight, the sounds that signaled the night was giving way to light. Almost immediately, his attention turned to the warm body snuggled up against his side, with one arm and one leg thrown across his body.

A smile claimed a stake on Brady's face before he opened his eyes. He'd been with his fair share of women in his life, but last night would go down as the most sensual, pleasurable, and magical night of his life.

He almost laughed at himself. Magical was never a word he'd have used to describe a night of making love to a woman. But then, until last night, he'd only had sex.

Hope changed that without even trying. She was, in his opinion, the epitome of female sensuality, by turns submissive, dominant, giving, and demanding. Her touch made him tingle and yearn for more.

And she made fairy lights dance around them. How was that possible? He knew he didn't imagine or dream it, but when she whispered his name and arched against him at one point, he swore he saw tiny lights dancing around them and in her eyes when she looked up at him.

God help him; he couldn't get enough of her, and she gave until she was exhausted, and then she slept, naked and trusting in his arms.

He reckoned his brother was right. When the right woman comes along, you can't help but know it. And like it or not, ready or not, this was the woman for him.

Uppermost on his mind was whether he was the man for her. That might have consumed his mind had her hand not started moving slowly, stroking his chest lightly. Next, her lips pressed against his chest softly.

"If this is a dream, I don't think I want to wake," she whispered.

Nothing she could have said would have made him happier. Her words washed all the doubt from his mind, and it wasn't merely the words she used, but the way she spoke them.

One thing Brady had learned about Hope was that she was an honest person. She'd admit a mistake or a fault without hesitation and try not to commit either again. She wasn't a woman to chatter without reason and knew the value of silence. She chose her words and took care to present her thoughts and opinions in a non-threatening manner and in a spirit of cooperation.

To say he was enchanted with her was an understatement. To say he wasn't falling in love with her would be a lie.

The only problem Brady had was the fear that maybe he was falling too hard and too fast, and it would scare her off.

"You gave me another dream come true, Mr. Brady Blackstone," she whispered. "Thank you. I won't ever forget."

"What did I do?"

"This."

He remembered her wish, the one she was loathe to admit, and suddenly, he wanted to make the wish her life. He wanted her to wake up every day knowing that she had everything she'd ever wanted.

But was she ready?

"Baby, I think I'm the one who should be doing the thanking."

"What for?"

"For making me believe."

That statement had her sitting up, letting the covers fall away unheeded. God, she was beautiful, sitting there nude, with her hair tumbling down across her shoulders, partially obscuring her breasts.

"Believe in what?"

He feared it was too soon to speak that truth, and that fear made him hesitate. "You can tell me," she said. "Can't you?"

"I don't want to scare you off."

"Not much chance of that."

"No?"

"No, you can't scare me. You can hurt me but not scare me. So what do you now believe in."

"Love."

They both looked at one another, each clearly stunned by the omission. He saw tears glisten, gather, and spill from her eyes and reached to cup her face. "You make me believe in love, that I'm capable of it."

"Oh, Brady, whoever made you feel you weren't?"

"I don't know, maybe that fear has always been there."

"And now?" She swiped at the tears on her face.

"Now it's gone."

"So what does that mean?"

"It means this is what I want."

"Sex?"

He shook his head, suddenly no longer hesitant to speak his truth. "Baby, what we did wasn't sex. It was love. You're not a woman to be treated with anything less."

"Oh—oh, Brady," the tears returned. "I am so crazy in love with you it scares me."

"Thank God!" He rolled her over onto her back and him onto his side. "I'm terrified."

"Big, bad, Mr. Brady Blackstone, terrified?" she asked teasingly. "Not possible."

"Very possible. I've never felt this way and…". He wasn't sure he should finish the sentence.

"And what?" she nudged.

"And I don't want it to go away."

"Real love never does."

Once more, she impressed him. "You already know that. Your dad went through so much, with your mom dying and having to raise all of you alone. But his love carried him through, and it carried all of you.

"Your love then carried him when you all lost Jack. Without you, he might have succumbed to the loss and heartache, but your love kept him going. You know real love is forever, Brady. It can't be anything less. It's the purest thing that exists."

"And you're the most amazing woman I've ever known."

Her laugh was a sound of delight. "Amazing is not a word I'd apply to myself, but I'd love nothing more than for you to believe that."

"I already do."

"Then kiss me, put your hands and mouth on me, and let your body show me."

"Yes, ma'am," he gladly agreed and got to it.

*****

"Clay?" Grace called out, and when no answer came, she hurried through the house to his study.

Clay sat at his desk, staring at his computer monitor. When she entered the room, he looked up. "Hey, sweetheart."

"I think there's trouble," she said as she hurried to him. "I just saw—" Her words stopped as she saw what was on his screen. "That."

"I get the feeling you know more about this than I do."

"I know from what Audrey has told us, when Hope found out she was pregnant, the guy who fathered her baby high-tailed it out of Cotton Creek without a fair-the-well and was never heard from again."

"This guy?" He indicated the man on the screen, speaking with a reporter.

"I don't know, but I'm guessing that's him. What I don't understand is why he's suddenly showing up giving interviews, claiming she stole his child from him."

"I imagine that will become clear as time goes along." Clay remarked. "Most people who seek this kind of attention want something more than to be reunited with a child they never parented to begin with."

"So, you don't think he's interested in Andy?"

"Not for a moment." He leaned back in his chair and pulled her onto his lap. "You and I know what it means to be a parent, what we'd sacrifice or do for our children. A man who'd run out on his unborn child and never have anything to do with the child isn't a father in my book."

"You've got that look in your eye."

"What look?"

Grace smiled and kissed him. "That ‘I'm going to make this right,' look."

"Is that so? And what makes you think I'd insinuate myself into the Evans family business?"

"Same as me. You see how Brady looks at Hope, and she at him. They're falling in love. And that little boy worships Brady. I think they're meant for one another, Clay."

"So do I, but I won't say it aloud to anyone but you. It has to be their decision, and I won't try to influence it either way."

"Me either, but I sure like Hope and Audrey. And Andy, too. That's a remarkable little boy."

"Isn't that the truth? We should keep this to ourselves for now and see what transpires."

"Good idea, but you need to know that I won't let that bastard hurt anyone in that family, and I mean that."

"My fierce warrior, I do believe you and stand with you. But let's not go to war until we know we have a battle to fight. He may just be seeking attention."

"Or not" She pointed to the screen. "Can that be replayed, the last few seconds?"

Clay backed up the video, and they listened to the man talk about how the Blackstone family hadn't bothered to include him in the event, even though he was Andy's father, and how everyone was trying to shut him out.

"It doesn't matter what he says," Clay said, stopping the playback. "He can't hurt us or them, Grace. We won't allow that."

"My hero," she smiled. "Have I told you how much I love you?"

"Not nearly enough."

She chuckled and went eagerly into his arms, meeting his kiss with love and passion. If only Brady could find what she had with Clay. She hoped he and Hope would realize they were falling in love and not let it scare Brady back into a deployment before his time was up.

Grace hadn't known Brady long, but she quickly figured out that he was a player. Not a user, just not a man looking for love. He liked women and sure had his fair share of admirers and women eager to share his bed, but he never let it go beyond that.

Until now, according to Ivy, who learned that bit of information from Jud.

Grace hoped they were right because she was certain Hope would bring to Brady's life a love that would make him feel whole, and they could build a good life together.

And because she wanted that for them, she'd do everything in her power to make sure no one messed up their chance.

Especially not some low-life like the man on the newscast. An idea occurred to her. "Can we find out this guy's name? I still have pull with the tribal police and can get them to run a search to see if he's in the system."

"Already on that, gorgeous. Blackstone Group has him in their sights as we speak."

"You don't miss a beat, do you, Clay?"

"I try not to. Didn't I hear mention of a trail ride and picnic?"

"Oh, yes, the girls are planning on riding down to the river this afternoon. Want to join?"

After a moment, he shook his head. "Thanks, but no. I have some things to go over for the Group, and I want to talk to the boys about the next essay. The kids will be writing those soon, and we need to decide who will be on the panel."

"Can't we do it like before?" she asked.

"I doubt it'd be impartial," he answered, continuing when she opened her mouth. "And before you protest, you and I can both admit that we and the rest of the family have fallen in love with Andy, so we'd vote for him whether he deserved it or not."

"Do you think one of the others will beat him?"

"No, but I want to make sure he wins fair and square. That way, the win is truly his."

"You're a good man, and I agree. How about we ask the General, some of the folks from Eliana's grad program, and – I don't know. We can come up with qualified people, can't we?"

"I think we can, and I'm going to work on that."

"Then I'll leave you to it and start preparing for the afternoon. See you when we get back."

"You bet."

"Okay." She kissed him and climbed off his lap.

Grace headed for the kitchen and grabbed her phone from the counter to make a call. Sadie answered on the second ring. "What's up, Gracie Mae?"

"We need to talk."

"About?"

"About making sure someone from Audrey and Hope's past doesn't screw things up for Andy or Hope."

"I'll be there in ten minutes. Shall we include Audrey?"

"Not until we've talked."

"Okay, see you soon."

Grace returned the phone to the counter and stared out the window. Sure as the world, that man meant ill for Hope and her family, and Grace wouldn't let him succeed.

That fellow might think he could fool people into believing him, but he'd not succeed here. Grace wouldn't allow that. Between Clay and his sons, her and Sadie, he didn't stand a chance.

They knew how to keep the darkness at bay or obliterate it entirely, and if that's what it took, that's what they'd do.

And the darkness wouldn't stand a chance.