Saving Grace (The Grace Series Book 2) Read Free

he said, ‘I gave it to you, so I can take it back whenever I want,’ and I yelled, ‘I love that locket! It’s mine! Give it back! You’re a thief!’ and he said, ‘If I’m a thief, then you’re a liar. You don’t love it! You’re glad it’s broken!’ So I said, ‘I do too love it! Give it back, you lecherous, one-armed bandit!’”
    “Oh no! Was Trent angry? What did he do?”
    “He said, ‘What did you call me?’ and I said, ‘I called you a lecherous, one-armed bandit!’ And then…” Emily’s big blue eyes peered out from under her lashes. She cleared her throat. “He… um… he… um… he kissed me!” The rest of her diatribe came out in a rush, “I couldn’t believe it! He grabbed me around the waist and pulled me close so fast I didn’t know what was happening. Oh my, your brother… I don’t even know where to begin. All I know is when he stopped kissing me my legs were so wobbly, if he hadn’t been holding me, I would have toppled over. And do you know what he said?”
    “What did he say?” Jessica was on the edge of her seat.
    Emily giggled. “He said, ‘I swear you’re going to drive me crazy, Emily Brooks, but I love you anyway.’ So I said, ‘You’re already crazy. You don’t need my help with that, and I love you, too.’ And then he kissed me again. I have to tell you, Jessie, your brother is very, very good at kissing. He made my whole body tingle.”
    Jessica didn’t necessarily want to think about her brother’s prowess in the arts of lovemaking. To prevent Emily from going into further detail, which Emily would undoubtedly do, she prompted, “What happened after that?”
    “Well, Jessie, you’re never going to believe what Trent asked me to do.”
    “Tell me.”
    “He said, ‘Emily, darling—yes, he called me darling!—will you consider taking on this one-armed bandit for life? Will you marry me?’”
    “Oh, Emily!” Jessica was so ecstatic, tears gathered in her eyes. For months now, she’d been praying this day would come. Because of his arm, Trent didn’t think he could be a good husband to Emily. Years ago, right after he returned from the war, his fiancée, Christine broke off their engagement. Jessica had been staggered. They’d been so in love before Trent marched off to join the infantry. For three years Christine had waited for him. But that horrible day she came to see him, she was strangely standoffish and cold. She stayed only long enough to tell Trent she couldn’t marry a cripple . How Jessica hated that word!
    She thought her handsome, albeit cynical brother would never admit his feelings for Emily, let alone get around to proposing. Apparently being called a one-armed bandit had done the trick. Bemusedly, she thought, Emily and Trent’s life together would never be dull, not with the way they constantly goaded one another.
    Thinking of Trent and Emily’s romance, reminded Jessica of her own. Of course, she and Jon had never called each other names, not like Emily and Trent did. There was a time though—it seemed so long ago—that Jon’s kisses had made Jessica weak in the knees, too.
    In the beginning she’d been terribly shy and nervous around him. She worried she was too boring, and not nearly good enough for a man so worldly and ambitious. He’d bought Bent Oak Manor, an estate of more than a thousand acres, abandoned during the war. He renovated the house, built an enormous stable and turned the place into a prosperous horse farm. At least Jessica believed it was prosperous. They never discussed financial matters, but Jon never seemed to lack for funds either. While he courted her, he’d bought her many beautiful and expensive gifts. Adorning her hand, along with her wedding band, was an exquisite diamond and sapphire ring. He’d designed it himself and had it made for her. For as long as she could remember, she’d admired the grand piano in the window of the music store in town. He’d given it to her as an engagement