Part 11 (1/2)

”In the truck.”

Mason's mouth quirked. ”There you go, Sarah. Who needs wires when you havesatellites?”

”I do,” she muttered, her brow puckering as she concentrated on layering thegingerbread men carefully into the flat plastic container. When she wasfinished, she glanced up, her expression softening. ”It'll work out, Grady.Jimmy comes from good stock, and I includeRia in that.” Her lips curved in afond smile. ”I meant what I said, son. I've never seen two people so smittenwith each other as you andRia . I told your dad right off, after you broughther home that first Christmas Eve, that you'd finally found the other half ofyourself. Nothing that's happened since has changed my mind.”

”Don't take this wrong, Mom, but it'sRia's mind that needs changing.”

”So change it.”

He s.h.i.+fted on the hard seat. ”It's not that easy,” he muttered, dropping his gaze.

”Ofcourse it's not easy. Nothing worthwhile is. But thatdoesn't mean it'simpossible.”

d.a.m.n near. Grady got to his feet and rinsed out the bottle, then upended itin the drainer. ”Thanks for the use of the cottage. I'll take care of thephone wire-and the mice,” he added when his mother opened her mouth.

”Thank you, dear heart. It's nice to know there's one thoughtful male in thisroom.” She shot Mason a look that he returned with the same boyish grin thathadstolen sixteen-year-old Sarah Smith's romantic heart fifty years earlier.

Grady watched the melting look come into his mom's eyes and ached.Ria hadlooked at him like that once. He'd walk hot coals stark naked in front of G.o.d and the entire Lafayette PD to see that look in her eyes again.

”Give that little one a big hug and kiss from Grandma,” his mom said aftergiving him the same. ”And be sure to tell him I can't wait to see him.”

”I will and thanks for understanding. You knowRia and I would never keep himfrom you if it wasn't necessary.”

She smiled, a little sadly, Grady noticed. ”Lay the container flat on thefloor so it doesn't slide,” she ordered as she handed over the gingerbread.

”Yes, ma'am.”

”I'll walk you out,” his dad said as he put his beer on the counter.

”Stay under the overhang,” Sarah called after them as they left.

By tacit agreement, they stood shoulder to shoulder on the porch, two largeHardin men, one who'd made his marriage work, one who hadn't. ”Your mom nevercould stand unhappy endings.”

”To tell you the truth, Dad, I'm not all that crazy aboutthem myself.” Gradyglanced up at the low overcast. The rain came down in a monotonous drizzle. Hehated rain. It made him edgy.

”It was raining like this the dayRia and I decided tofile. I walked out ofthe house and started running. I don't know how many miles I did. Justrabbitedacross one field after another until I couldn't run anymore.” And then he'dleaned against the trunk of a gnarled old oak and cried.

His father turned his head and looked at him as though he'd never seen himbefore. ”It's not like you to give up on something you'd set your heart on.Ria, either, for that matter. In fact, she's just about the most tenacious littlegal I've ever met. The way she risked her life to hang on to that youngster ofyours-” Mason broke off, drawing in a slow breath. ”From that time on, she wasmy daughter, same asManda .”

Grady glanced down at the sodden walk.Ria's obstetrician had given her nomore than a fifty-fifty chance of surviving if she carriedJimmytoterm.She'drefused to consider any other option. Her grit had humbled him.Maybe it had even made himfeel, well, unworthy.

”I didn't know how to be a husband, Dad. I thought it was all about beingfaithful and providing a good living. I figured making myself successful wouldprove to her how much I loved her.” He glanced up at the heavy clouds ridingjust over the treetops. ”She got tired of fixing gourmet meals I never ate andplanning picnics she andJimmywent on alone. She wanted to eat popcorn in frontof the fire and watch it snow. I was so whacked out from three straight nightsof stakeouts I fell asleep while I was kissing her.”

He felt the heatbleedinginto his face. ”After a while, she just stoppedplanning.”

His dad kickedat a maple leaf floating in a puddle at theedge of the walk.”Like I said, son,Ria can be tenacious. I figure she's hanging on to someleftover feelings of hurtthat maybe she doesn't even know about. Women takegreat store in feeling cherished by the men they give their heart to.” Helifted his gaze and looked Grady straight in the eye. ”Want some advice?”

”If you got some to give, yeah, guess I do.”

”This time you do the planning. Court her, like the men in those books yourmom has stacked all over the house.” His grin flashed. ”You're a Hardin, son.Through and through. Of all our boys you're the one's most like the firstGradyHardin. Man was flat-out bullheaded in some things, but folks who knew himswore he had half the ladies in Lafayette County in love with him. Charmed alltheirno's toyes's, sure enough. Guess if you put your mind to it, you could dothe same with that sweet little wife of yours.”

”Ex-wife,” he corrected absently, his mind already wrapping around thoseyes's.

”Maybe the court says she's an ex, but the way I see you acting, I figureyou're still wearing that ring, even though it's no longer on your finger.”

Grady didn't bother to deny it. ”Almost forgot,” he said glancing away fromhis father's too-perceptive gaze. ”I need to borrow your sleeping bag, ifthat's okay.”

”Sure. It's in the garage.”

Grady glanced at the sky. ”I'll get it.”

”More trouble to tell you where it is. Be right back.”

Ducking his head, Mason stepped in the drizzle and walked across the drive tothe detached garage. He returned a minute later to hand Grady the bedroll.

Side by side, they walked to the truck. ”Nothing likesleeping under thestars,” Mason said, his lips twitching.

”I can think of better places.”

”Guess you can.”

Grady opened the door and tossed the sleeping bag inside.

Mason waited before he'd leaned in to deposit the cookies on thepa.s.senger-side floorboard before saying with a smile, ”GiveRia and the boy akiss for me.”

Grady grinned.Ria adored his dad. She wouldn't dare refuse a kiss from theold man. ”Yes, sir. I'll do that.”

Grady stood at the railing of the small balcony, overlooking the river. Thestormthat had battered the city formost of the afternoon had moved on, leavingthe air washed clean and the sky as clear as black ice.

It was nearly nine.Ria was putting Jimmy to bed. If anything, the boy's surlymood had gotten worse during the hours he'd been sprawled on the floor in theden, watching TV and kicking the scuffed toes of his high-tops against thecarpet. The gingerbread cookies were still in the container, untouched.According to his son, he hated gingerbread.

He hated cats, too, Jim had declared with a sneer whenTrouble had poked acautious nose out of his box. Especially ugly ones. From the way Trouble hadeyed the boy,Grady figured the cat wasn't all that crazy about smart-a.s.slittle boys.

It was the desperate look inRia's eyes that had had him suggesting McDonald'sfor dinner. When she'd leaped at it the way Trouble had once leaped at adecent meal, he'd figured her day had been a lot worse than his.

He heard the whoosh of the sliding door and turned. She looked discouragedand pale as she came to stand next to him.

”Need a hug?” he asked a little gruffly.

”Desperately,” she said, with a stab at a smile, ”but I think that would be alousy idea for both of us.”

”Just a hug,” he promised. Keep it light, he told himself. Don't spook her.Just in case, he tucked his hands in his back pockets. It was safer that way.

”Keep it on account. I have a feeling I'm going to need it.”

”When you do, honey, I'm your man.” He managed aself-deprecating shrug.”Once, anyway.”