There was knocking, and the door to the room opened. Walter stepped through the doorway hesitantly.
“I am so sorry,” Kate said, sniffling.
“It’s okay,” Walter told her and came to sit on the floor next to her.
“I’d like to put in my resignation effective immediately,” she told him sadly.
“No, there will be none of that,” Walter said. He wiped some of the tears off of her face with his handkerchief. “I trust you, Kate. Grant seems intense. I’m sure you were caught off guard. It happens.” He laughed bitterly. “Believe me, I know. I trust you won’t make the same mistake again.”
“It doesn’t seem like I can break the pattern. I make terrible decisions constantly!” she cried.
“It’s okay, Kate. It’s okay. I’ve lost so much this past year. You’re like a daughter to me. I don’t want to lose you too. No one died. Let’s not get too worked up, okay? I’ll have a car come and take you home. Maybe change so you don’t give your grandmother a fright?”
She shook her head. “It won’t help. She’ll know something’s wrong as soon as she sees me. I can’t hide anything from her. I’ll just have to tell her the truth.”
Walter helped Kate stand up. He wrapped her in a blanket and ushered her to the waiting car. She looked up, and she could see a figure silhouetted from the light of the window. Grant. She turned back to the car, feeling ashamed.
“Text me when you arrive home, okay?” Walter said as he shut the car door. “And Kate?”
She looked through the window at him.
“It’s going to be okay.”
She nodded and leaned back in the seat then pulled the blanket closer around her as the car drove down the lane to her grandmother’s house.
The house was dark when she arrived, and she hoped that her grandmother had already gone to bed, but she knew that wouldn’t be the case. Margaret always waited up when Kate was in town.
“Kate?” the old woman called. “Yoo-hoo!Kate, in here.”
Steeling herself, Kate went into the parlor. Her grandmother took one look at her and sprang up, rushing to her.
“What happened?” she asked, concerned. “Sit down! Who did this? Fetch some tea, Maria,” she said to the housekeeper.
“It’s nothing, Grandma,” Kate said.
The older woman frowned and said, “Tell me what happened. Was it Walter?”
“No!” Kate shouted. “Grant and I—”
“I knew something wasn’t right with that boy. Takes after his mother, I bet,” her grandmother fumed. Kate was worried she was about to go to the Holbrook estate and confront Grant.
“It’s my fault!” Kate shouted hoarsely. “Islept with him.Imade a bad decision, just like I always do.”
“He took advantage of you. I’m going to call his father and give him a piece of my mind. He never should have brought that animal here!” her grandmother yelled.
“He’s not crazy. He… never mind. I need to shower and go to sleep. Don’t do anything stupid.”
“Humpf,” her grandmother said, following Kate up the stairs. Her grandmother hovered in her room while Kate showered, then she insisted on tucking her in. “Maybe I should stay here. What if he comes back?”
“He is not sneaking into the house.”
But Margaret was already settling in. Her grandmother spent the night on the couch in Kate’s room. After tossing and turning, Kate finally fell into a fitful sleep. She dreamt of Grant standing above her, impassive, on a balcony.
Chapter 10
Grant
Grant had been dozing when the door to his suite had slammed open. He was immediately awake. He reached for his rifle and then realized he didn’t have it. Operating on autopilot, he grabbed the knife from the sheath on his calf and crept to the wall, crouching along it toward to the bedroom door. Just as he was about to reach for the handle, the door slammed open, and a large man with a rifle stormed in, Kate screaming behind him. Grant didn’t even think. He just reacted. He sprang outward, tackling the man at the knees. The attacker didn’t fall hard. He rolled, not loosening his hold on the gun. Then he was upright, rifle aimed at Grant’s head while Grant had his knife at the attacker’s throat.
