“Good night, Mr. Grady.” Lucy ran over to give Grady a hug. “Thanks for rescuing me.”
“Of course. Good night, Lucy. Sleep well.”
Tears pricked her eyes. She blinked them back as she hustled Lucy down the hall to her room.
“They gave me pizza to eat,” Lucy said as she changed into her pajamas. “But it wasn’t as good as Captain Jack’s.”
“Well, I’m glad you weren’t hurt, sweetie.” She hugged Lucy close for a long minute, then leaned back and smoothed the brown hair from her daughter’s face. “The danger is over now for good, okay? The bad guys were arrested. You don’t have to be afraid any longer.”
“Okay.” Lucy went into the bathroom, brushed her teeth, and washed her face, then crawled into bed. “Stay with me for a while?”
“Of course.” She turned off the lights and stretched out beside Lucy. As she waited for the little girl to fall asleep, she imagined that Rex, Micah, and Grady had likely headed out. She tried not to be upset at not having a chance to tell Grady goodbye.
Maybe it was better this way. She was pretty sure she’d have made a fool out of herself by asking him to stay the weekend.
Fifteen minutes later, she knew Lucy had fallen asleep. Rolling carefully off the bed, Lauren tiptoed across the room and into the hallway. She closed the door, leaving it open just an inch so she could hear if Lucy suffered a nightmare.
She wasn’t exactly hungry but decided to grab a yogurt to tide her over until morning. When she stepped into the living room, she stopped abruptly when she saw Grady sitting there.
“Oh, I thought you left.” She flushed, then added, “I’m glad you stayed, though. Um, are you hungry? We didn’t get to eat our rubbery chicken dinner.”
“I could eat.” Grady stood and moved toward her. “How’s Lucy?”
“She’s good.” She led the way into the kitchen, hoping Clara had left something edible in the fridge. She opened the door, stared blindly inside for a long moment, then turned to face him. “You were amazing, Grady. Climbing between those buildings like Spiderman? I couldn’t believe you were able to get up to save Lucy.”
He offered a crooked grin. “I surprised myself. I would have been faster, but my hip was killing me from getting hit by the car.”
“What can I get you? Ibuprofen?”
“Nah, I’m fine.” He cleared his throat and stepped closer. “Lauren, I know I don’t have anything to offer you, but I’d like to see you again. Lucy too,” he hastily added. “I don’t live in Chicago, but I can stick around for a while...”
“Yes. Oh, Grady, yes!” She walked into his arms and drew him down for a kiss. “Yes, I’d love to see you again and again.”
“Wow.” His low, husky voice sent shivers of awareness down her spine. “You realize I have nothing to offer.”
“You have your heart, Grady. And that’s more than enough.” She stared up at him for a long moment. “I love you. I know it’s too soon, but I don’t care. I dated Nelson for months, and look how that turned out? I knew the moment we kissed that you were the only man for me.”
A slow grin spread across his features. “Good to know, because I’ve fallen in love with you. Despite your wealth.”
“Despite it?” She tipped her head to the side. “Really?”
“Yeah, really. I was prepared to hate you on sight, but you proved yourself to be more than a pampered rich woman.” His gaze turned serious. “You’re beautiful, Lauren. Inside and out.”
“Oh, Grady.” She pulled him in for another kiss. “I think that’s the nicest thing any man has ever said to me.”
“You are,” he insisted. “I love you. We’ll find a way to make it work.” Before she could ask what that meant, he captured her mouth with his.
As she kissed Grady, she realized that this was all that mattered. Love was all they truly needed.
The rest would work out one way or another, according to God’s plan.
EPILOGUE
Four weeks later...
Grady unlocked the front door to his house in Cody, Wyoming, and stepped back so Lauren and Lucy could enter. He wasn’t ashamed of his humble abode, although it was a far cry from Lauren’s penthouse apartment.
“Grady, this is amazing,” Lauren gushed as she stood in the center of the open-concept living room and kitchen. “Look, Lucy, we can see the mountains from here.”
