Falling for Grace (Four Winds) (25 page)

"Yes," she admitted.  "Just give me a minute.

Rafe rolled again, until she was on top of him.  "You know, now that I know what all the hubbub is about, I want to make love to you every way possible.  And I know of quite a few."  His hand on her neck drew her down into another scorching kiss, and Grace was helpless to deny him.

They professed their love to each other all night long, both verbally and physically before finally giving up the wild throes of passion for the sanctity of sleep.

Epilogue:  Three weeks later

Grace dismissed her morning class for lunch, admonishing them to be back by one o'clock, or they would get a write up.  Training was strict, and she was stricter.  She felt the need to hold the bar high, as lives were at stake.  She knew the trainees rolled their eyes at her, but this was her job now, and Grace took it seriously.  Each training class was a week long, for initial certification, then a weekend every year.  This was the last day of class for this particular group, and Mark gave her a thumbs up for her efforts.  She saw Rafe standing behind him, and after she'd packed up her booklets and papers, she walked over to him, and gave him a kiss.

"Lunch?"

"Would love it."  He wrapped his arm around her and kissed her cheek.  "In fact, I brought us a picnic."  He lifted a basket for her to see before grabbing her hand and leading her across the Sea Wall to the beach.

"I've got news," he said with a mischievous smile.

"Oh yeah?  Did you get the job?"  Rafe had applied for a job working at the hospital.  Paperwork was mysteriously in order, and he was a licensed Physician's Assistant.

His smile widened, "Yeah.  I ordered my very own personalized lab coat today.  I'm going shopping for a stethoscope after lunch.  I’ll be working in the ER.  I’m really excited."  He bent down and kissed her before opening the basket and pulling out food.  Rafe had discovered the joys of cheese, so lunch was a fancy cheese tray with salami and grapes.

“Do you think they’ll still work?  Your powers?”

Rafe’s hand in the basket stilled momentarily before he pulled out the bottles of water.  “I’m not sure, honestly.  I hope so, but if they don’t, I’m still a font of healing knowledge.”

Grace was still unsure about that aspect of his falling.  He had spent an eternity healing people, being the best there was at it, and now those powers were either gone, or greatly reduced.  Because of her.

“Stop it, Grace.”  His eyes on her were intense.  “You can’t control it, and neither can I.  There’s not another person I’d want to make well if it meant that I couldn’t have you.  Call me selfish, but that’s the way it is.”  He pulled her closer to him, and his eyes warmed.  “I love you, and I wouldn’t trade what we have for anything.”

“It just seems like so much to give up.”

He held her face in his hands inches from his own.  “I don’t see it that way.  I’ve been doing that forever.  Forever, Grace.  It’s not our choice to make.  We’re just following the will of the One who knows best.”

She shrugged noncommittally, but the truth was, she would never feel worthy.  Rafe was so perfect. 

Case in point:  He had forced her to follow through with her mother.

"You ready for this weekend?"  Grace nodded, absently.  She ate in silence, thinking about the upcoming barbecue at her mother's house.  Jeanie had invited Rafe, Grace, Bree, and Nicole to come out and eat on Saturday afternoon.  Bree and Nicole had to work, so Rafe and Grace would be going alone to meet her mother and Carl's friends.  She found she wasn't dreading it as much as she would have last year.  In fact, she was actually looking forward to it.

"I have news, too."  Grace suddenly remembered.

Rafe clasped her hand in his, raised it to his mouth and kissed it, looking at her expectantly.  The sudden heat on the spot his mouth had been left her momentarily disoriented, and she forgot what she was going to tell him.

"Oh yeah.  Um, school starts in a couple of weeks, and I was looking at my graduate plan last night.  I just realized that I only have two more semesters of classes left before I'm finished.  Maybe three, depending on when certain classes are offered."

He pulled her closer.  "That's wonderful news, Grace."  A mischievous glint crossed his eyes.  "I may be able to get a little help on the timing of the course offerings, if you'd like."

“There’s more.  I saw a posting in one of my professor’s office about an internship next summer on a vessel in the Atlantic, studying sunken treasure ships.  They’re looking for a couple of people to live onboard for two months.  Do you think you could brush up on your Marine anthropology and get some more papers in order?”

The gleam in his eye was unmistakable.  “Absolutely.  For you, I would do anything.”

"Life with you is going to be exciting, isn't it?"

He captured her mouth in a kiss that put all past passions to shame.  Her toes curled in anticipation, and she suddenly wished she didn't have an afternoon of work left.  She wished they didn't have roommates.  Maybe she could get them to go dancing?

He hauled her against his body on the bench, and kissed her with abandon, his tongue seeking hers out in a kiss that made people passing by whistle.  Against her open, wanting mouth, he breathed, "You'd better believe it."

###

About the Author:

Anne Conley is a former high school teacher, who took some time off to raise goats, and children.  Living in a rural Texas town has taught her that life won't come to her, she's got to grab what she can get.  So, she started writing stories.  Join her on her journey.  Let her know what you think!

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Flip the screen for an exciting excerpt from Anne's favorite Pride Series novel, Discovering Pride, by Jill Sanders.

Discovering Pride

A
cool breeze drifted over the tall trees, floating down towards the still waters of a large pond, which caused the lily pads to stir. Dragonflies buzzed from flower to flower and frogs hopped along the grassy shore.

Every now and than, a lone leaf would break free from a branch and float slowly down to the moss covered forest floor. Soon it will be winter and this little piece of heaven will be covered in snow. All the insects and animals will be tucked away for the cold days and nights. But, for today the pond waters were buzzing with life.

Lacey Jordan was a free spirited woman who enjoyed the fresh air, blue skies, and nature sounds that surrounded her home in Pride, Oregon. Even though summer was ending, the fall temperatures had reached a record high. A true Indian summer was in full swing.

Lacey was happily floating alone in the large pond that bordered her property. Well, she wasn’t quite alone; Bernard had been running in and out of the water, digging in the mud near the shore. Bernard was Lacey’s first love, and to date, her only. He was everything she wanted in a man; loyal, loving, brave, and a great listener. Not to mention he was blonde, brown eyed, and loved to snuggle. His only faults were; he hogged the bed, slobbered a lot, and was extremely hairy, but no one was perfect.

Bernard was Lacey’s three and a half year old Labrador Retriever.

As she floated her short black hair bobbed around her face, a face often described as pixy like. Her straight nose was, in her opinion, her best asset. However, most people claimed it was her crystal slate eyes that stood out the most. An artist, who had once painted her, had compared her to an exotic creature from beyond this world.

A small crease formed between her eyebrows at the thought of being compared to an exotic or even mythical creature. It happened often enough; however, she was getting tired of it. To her, she was just Lacey, a down-to-earth woman in her mid-twenties whom, at this point, had yet to
fall in love.

Most people in her town knew she had an uncanny way of predicting what was going to happen and often even able to control the outcome. However, she felt she shouldn’t be faulted for just paying attention.

But,
today she didn’t want to think of the town or its inhabitants. She forced herself to relax again as she studied the bright clear sky. Today, she was going to enjoy her favorite place, the pond, which was in the woods laying between her house and her brother Todd’s house.

Every once in a while Bernard would swim out to check on her or bark to make sure his presence was still known. She could spend hours out here, lost in thought, which would sometimes make her late for work. She was grateful she wasn’t expected any where today so she could continue floating and relaxing as she pleased.

Lacey had been born and raised in Pride, and this was home. There had been a time when she’d craved to travel, to expand her horizons, and become a woman of the world. However, after spending over a year traveling around Europe, she had needed to be home again. She missed taking walks along the beach or sitting in front of a fire with her father and brothers. She had made it home only to lose her father. She struggled through her loss; her family needed her close, and she needed them in return.

She started treading water as she remembered the weeks after she had come home. It had been some of the hardest times for the Jordan family, learning to adjust to the changes after the accident that had claimed their father’s life and left her brother, Iian battered and without his
hearing.

However, the family had conquered a lot together; learning sign language and running the family businesses. They had learned to take care of each other.

Looking up, she saw Bernard happily running around the shore chasing the ducks that kept trying to land.