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*10* Missing Pieces
*Grace*
The kitchen’s empty when I make my way downstairs the next morning, and a knot clenches around my heart. There’s no reason to think Rob hadn’t gone into town with his friends after he’d left here and ‘got lucky’.
It wasn’t unreasonable—he’s good-looking and polite, I think. If I met him like that, I’d have given him my number at the very least.
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The Work of Grace *11* Chosen
*Grace* In early April, the temperatures finally get warm enough to prep the fields. Using the tractor, I till, leaving a clean, firm seed bed I’m proud of. In the west acreage, I work in the eighty pounds of nitrogen per acre the beets will need. The corn and soybeans need a different watering schedule than the beets, and after messing with the timers on the irrigation system for several days, I finally give up and decide I’ll manually run the water for them, rather than risk overwatering. For the next month, Rob and I will be sharing a bathroom until he finishes the tile in his bathroom across the hall, then the tile in mine. While that's going on, the two of us have a war of politeness, each fighting over who showers last. I think he likes having the bathroom already warm, but I absolutely love saturating myself in the smell of his body wash, and since he usually has t
The Work of Grace *12* Cavalry
*Grace* “Well?” I step off the covered porch as the repairman approaches. Making a point to look sufficiently sympathetic, he stops in front of me, making a few last notations on his quote before tearing it off the pad on his clipboard. “You’re probably not going to want to hear this, miss.”
The Work of Grace *13* Fruition
*Grace* I’m already exhausted after I seed the west acreage with the tow-behind broadcast spreader. It’s hot and I’m more than annoyed by the time I get the chain drag hooked behind the cultipacker so I can cover the seed. I run the irrigation for one pass, grateful for the cooling mist, then check the electric fencing before I load everything back up and take the tractor home. I wave to Rob on the roof as I come up the drive, admiring the sight of him, tan, sweaty and shirtless
The Work of Grace *14* Plan
*Rob* I’m usually up at first light—what can I say? military habits die hard—and today is no exception. It is exceptional though because I wake tangled up with Grace, naked in a blanket, diagonal across her bed after the absolute best night I’ve spent in my life. I shift slowly, and she slides into a warm, wonderful, girly-smelling pool beside me, murmuring in her sleep before she flops over onto her side and snuggles her back against my chest.
The Work of Grace *15* Public
*Grace*I lose track of how many times Rob and I wake each other during the night and make love. I’m not complaining—he’s an exceptional lover, as attentive and generous in bed as he is outside it. Which is actually the problem. When I wake up, he’s not in bed with me anymore. I linger for a few minutes, hoping he’ll turn up with coffee that’ll get cold while we’re otherwise occupied like he did yesterday. Which is when I notice the faint hint of his body wash and know that he’s up for the day. I sit up in bed suddenly. His parents are here!Thrashing with the covers, I scramble out and rush into the bathroom. I clean up as quickly as I can, then dress. The door to Rob’s parents’ room is open and I grimace, hurrying downstairs. But there’s no one there. There’s no sign of anyone. The rich, dark scent of coffee is all I find. I peer over the café curtains and see both my truck and Rob’s black Miata. So they must be outside. Unable to resist, I fix myself a cup of coffee and head for
The Work of Grace *16* Dirt
*Rob*“I think we’re going to need another car.”“You mentioned. Last week.” Grace’s eyes meet mine, no small amount of amusement flashing in them as she adds a bit of sugar, a dash of salt and milk to the rest of the dry ingredients in the pancake batter I’m stirring.Catching her by the wrist before she can get away, I pull her to me, losing myself in her kiss until she breaks it off. “As I remember it, that conversation got derailed and never went anywhere.”“So it did,” Grace giggles, then pushes away from me, collecting ingredients to return to the pantry. “Might need to consider getting another truck first. Something that can haul more.” The words come muffled from around the corner.I wait until she’s visible again, returning with a jar of homemade blueberry syrup. “Speaking of needing to haul more,” I abandon my stirring and pull her to me, both arms wrapped around her narrow waist. “I haven’t been at all responsible,” I nuzzle the soft behind her ear, planting a tender kiss th
The Work of Grace *17* Discoveries
*Grace* Before the front door is completely open, my nephew and niece are darting around it, racing through the dining room and kitchen then into the great room to crash into Rob’s delighted mother with childish squeals and elated laughter. “Miss Juuuunnnniiiieeee!” Ella follows more sedately though she’s smiling, happier and more relaxed than I’ve seen her in some time, and Dan brings up the rear, shaking hands with Rob behind me as he enters, then waving to Rob’s parents. “You absolutely can’t take June from me as an au pair,” Ella says. “My kids aren’t even that excited to see me.” “She’s definitely got a way with them.” Making a show of sniffing the air, Dan peers at me. “Whatever that is smells excellent.” Turning to wrap her arms around him and press a kiss into his chest, Ella smiles. “Th
The Work of Grace *18* Fast Forward
*Grace* Though it’s taken a few days, we’ve got Ella mostly covered, I think, crossing replacement items she needed after the fire off my list. But my niece and nephew still need new clothes, especially with school starting soon. When the mudroom door opens, I look up from my perch on a stool at the kitchen bar, watching as Rob closes the door behind him. He fixes me with a beaming dimpled smile as he strides across the kitchen, planting a warm kiss on my forehead when he reaches my side. “It’s strangely quiet in here.” He peers around first the corner into the great room, then into the dining room, as if expecting the farmhouse to suddenly burst to life. “It is,” I groan contentedly at the blissful silence. “Your dad took the truck to the Village Mercantile to pick up more fungicide and fertilizer for the beets. Your mom and Ella are out shopping for school supplies and
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