Grace Anne - By Kathi S. Barton Page 0,35

Trace made his way to it. He was just kneeling down to touch it when one of the men nailing something together came over.

“We been trying to catch him all day. He musta got in when we was bringing in the lumber. Pick him up, will ya, and toss him in the back? His mom will come and get him, or, if she’s been hit, then he’ll have to fend for himself.”

The puppy whimpered when Trace touched him. He was hurt, probably from this guy. Trace bundled him up in his arms and went to find a place to hide him so that when his dad came to get him they could take him somewhere safe. Grace was coming toward him with a frown and he was afraid she was going to tell him to do what the guy had done.

“I won’t throw him outside. It’s raining and he’ll get a cold. There isn’t any reason for you to be cruel to a little puppy.” He brushed at the tear on his face and turned away before she could make fun of him like his uncle did.

“You feel better for lashing out at me, or did you want me to kick the dog so you can at least feel justified for snapping at me like that?”

He turned to look at her angry face.

“I was going to suggest we take him to the vet just down the block, but I can see you have it under control.”

She started to walk away and he said her name. “I’m sorry. I just…I love animals. And that guy over there wanted me to throw him out back to fend for himself. Could we really take him to the vet?”

She told her assistant Becky to get rid of the man who had wanted to toss out the dog and told her to make sure that everyone left at five. She grabbed up her coat and they were out the door and into a cab in no time. Trace looked over at the woman seated next to him

“You’re not like the other women my dad sometimes dates.” She snorted and he smiled. “You do that too. The pretty women that dad used to date wouldn’t do that if you paid them a million bucks. But you don’t care, do you?”

“I most certainly do not. And for the record, I’m not seeing your dad. He and I have an arrangement. He’s going to buy the building and I’m going to disappear.”

That made the area around his heart hurt a bit. He didn’t want her to disappear; he really liked Miss Grace. He was trying to think of a way to make her want to stick around for a little while longer when her phone rang. He watched her answer it.

She was already a very pale woman, he noticed. He thought her skin looked like milk and was really smooth like it too. He thought of her as the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen and thought maybe his dad did too. But as soon as she put the phone to her ear she seemed to get paler. He watched her close the phone with shaky hands and put it back into her pocket. He didn’t know a great deal about adults and less about what made them scared, but he’d bet his brand new bed that someone had scared the crap out of Miss Grace.

Trace did the only thing he could think of and he reached out and took her hand. She took it and held it really tight. She seemed to be so sad all of a sudden when she looked at him and he decided right then and there that he loved Miss Grace.

“I’m really going to miss you, Trace. It’s been a pleasure knowing you.”

As soon as they got to the vet he called his dad.

Chapter 11

Michael answered his phone on the first ring. He was right in the middle of the biggest deal in his career and he didn’t have time for calls.

“Whatever you want, you’ll have to call back later. I’m too fucking busy to talk to you right now.” The silence at the other end had him close his eyes. He just knew it was going to be his mother. When Trace spoke, his heart started to pound.

“Dad, I’m sorry, but I found him and they wanted to throw him in the back to die and I didn’t know she was going to let me take care of him, but I