Saving Grace (#1 in the Red Valley Series)

Chapter 10

"WHAT IN THE HELL DO YOU MEAN SHE'S GONE?" Cole roared at Sam who stood there calmly leaning against the fence.

"Just what I said, she left."

"Well go to town and bring her home."

"No Cole, I mean she didn't just leave the ranch, she left Red Valley." Sam spoke the words softly but they echoed in Cole's ears.

Gone, how could she be gone? A sharp pain sliced through his chest somewhere in the vicinity of where his heart used to reside. What could he say? He'd pushed her away. He had started the day after he'd rescued her and killed Billy. But it was for her own good. It was the only way he could protect her from other people like Billy that wanted to kill or hurt him. As long as she was close to him, someone could do just like Billy did and take her to get to him.

They had been lucky this time. Other than a few bruises, Grace had remained unharmed. But if there was a next time it could be so much worse. She could be raped, or beaten, or killed, and he just couldn't live with that possibility. No, this was better. This way would be easier. He wouldn't have to see her day in and day out. Out of sight out of mind, right?

"Where did she go?" Cole asked Sam, looking the older man in his eye. Cole had to hand it to the old buzzard, his gaze never wavered.

"I don't know and I didn't ask. I figured if she had wanted me to know she would have told me." He walked past Cole to the main house. "I'll have supper ready in about half an hour."

Supper was a somber affair and the food was just food with really no flavor. It filled his stomach and that was being generous. Sam was definitely not the cook Grace had been. Cole had asked Sam to start taking his meals with him. He just hadn't wanted to be alone in his house all the time. He helped Sam clean up the kitchen then went out to sit in one of the rocking chairs on the porch.

Cole's mind wondered, as he rocked, to the afternoon Lily had fallen into the water. He and Grace had been sitting here talking watching the sun set. That was also the first time he kissed her. He had been attracted to her before, but after that day, he knew that he wanted her. She had so much passion and satisfied him like no other woman had, not even Rebecca.

But he had loved Rebecca and their children, he didn't love Grace. It was only his body that craved and missed her; it would be easy enough to go to town and have any one of the ladies at the saloon to satisfy that. It's not like there was anything special about her. She was just a woman. He knew that this was for the best. She would be safe away from him, away from crazy bastards like Billy Stone. After all, he had nothing to offer her, his heart had died all those years ago.

She had been gone two weeks, and still Cole expected to see her in the kitchen every morning making breakfast just like she had for months. But every morning he woke up alone in his house and when he walked through the kitchen there was no one there. When he walked to the bunk house to eat he always looked over at her cabin, but the stove was cold and no smoke rose from the chimney.

He couldn't sleep, he couldn't eat, hell, he couldn't even concentrate on his work at the ranch. He'd been to town a couple of times and had gone to Anne's to see if she knew anything about Grace. Cole couldn't say that she was rude, but she was definitely very cool towards him. And of course she had told him that she didn't know anything except that Grace was gone. He could tell that she knew something, he just didn't know how much.

Three weeks later Sam was in town picking up supplies at the mercantile. When he walked out, Anne was waiting on the sidewalk for him. "Sam, I got a letter from Grace yesterday morning. She's in Hot Springs, Colorado, and she said she really liked it there. I wish I had more to tell you but that was pretty much it."