Saving Grace by Unknown (best book reader .TXT) 📕

we got to the ranch the moon was up and I was glad it was. That road could get darker than the inside of bear's gut in February, daddy used to say and he was right. In a new moon, even if it was cloudy, it was pretty hard to make your way home in the dark. Plus there was always the danger of wildlife and what not.

I left the horse with the men, figuring if they were out to steal it or do me any harm, I was already in deeper than I should have been and nothing I could do now except start screaming into the cold, dark night would help me. The one who'd walked up to me and Sam took my horse and started talking to him real gentle, which made me feel much better about the whole thing. I went inside to try to see if there were any matches and candles left, or if the damn thieves that'd started all this had taken those too.

Turns out they hadn't and by the time I heard a knock on the door, I had a few of them lit on the counter and had started putting wood in the oven to get a fire going.

"Come in!" I called out, lighting a match and holding it to the kindling until the fire caught. I swung the heavy door to the stove shut and stood up just as the two men stepped through the door. "Nice of you to knock. Not like I have much choice but to let you in though, do I?" I said with a smile and a chuckle. I saw the two men move through the shadows by the door and step into the dim, yellow circle of light cast into the kitchen by the candles.

I couldn't be quite sure what time it was, but if it was before midnight I'm pretty sure I set some kind of record that day. As soon as those two men stepped into that dim light and out of the shadows I caught my breath and time crept to a standstill once again. I'd seen one or two cowboys in my day, but I'd never seen two that looked this good standing next to each other. They hadn't shaved in a few days and their strong, square jaws were covered in a rough stubble. They'd removed their hats and were holding them by the brims along with their saddle bags, the muscles beneath their shirts flexed and pushing at the cotton, threatening to rip it apart.

I didn't know if this is what Rebecca felt like around her cowboy, if this is why she'd done what I'd seen her do that morning. I didn't know if this is how her body felt when she looked at him but then, I didn't really care. All I cared about at that moment right then was trying to breathe again. That feeling in between my legs, the slickness that I'd felt that morning, was back and along with it came an ache, a yearning I hadn't felt before.

We'd ridden along mostly in silence, after having introduced ourselves, but I couldn't remember who was which and with my head in a bit of a cloud, I just stood there staring, not saying anything. I wasn't very used to visitors, either.

"It would behoove me to introduce myself again," the one on the right said with a smile as he stepped forward. I shook off the daze I'd been in and stepped towards him as he offered his hand. "Austin Owens, at your service."

The man took my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. His touch only served to further excite me and I was glad for the darkness, glad that he couldn't see the warmth that flushed into my cheeks, glad he couldn't see the embarrassment I felt at my own desire.

"Grace Madsen," I said, grabbing his hand and giving it a real squeeze.

"A pleasure," Austin said, smiling. He turned to the other man and tilted his head. "Care to join us?" The other man gave me a nod.

"The name's Cole. Thank's for taking us in."

Now that my eyes had adjusted to the light, I couldn't help but rake them across Cole's strong body. Just slightly taller, with blonde hair instead of Austin's shock of black, he was equally muscled, equally rugged and seemingly, much more serious.

"Pleased to meet you," I said, returning the nod with one of my own and trying not to stare. I looked back at Austin to see him looking around at the mess all over the floor.

"Pardon me for prying, but it looks like you've had some trouble here," Austin said softly. I looked down at the broken dishes and overturned chairs on the floor and breathed in a deep sigh.

"I was robbed."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Did they take much?" Austin asked, his voice still low, but now with a tenderness that hadn't been there before. A sudden wave of fatigue rolled over my body as the whole memory of the whole damn day came barrelling through me like a freight train. But my body was too tired to cry.

"Everything. They took everything. What they didn't take, they smashed or threw out the window."

"Is that...is that what you were there to see the sheriff about?" Austin asked cautiously. I breathed in another deep sigh as I began to piece together an explanation in my mind.

"No. The sheriff...Sam, well, he's a son of a bitch, that man is." I saw Austin's eyebrows raise at my profanity but I was too tired to care. "See...this ain't really my ranch. I mean it is, but I don't hold the title. My daddy died not too long ago and left me in the care of his friend Doc Thompson. That, along with the title to the ranch are held by him until the day I marry. Well I just heard today that the Doc..." the memory of Doc's news crawled up from my