Peace of Mind

Diana could see the look of admiration in Grace's eyes.

"Maybe the old man identified with him. You heard the rumors about Maximilian stealing Marcus' girlfriend. Marcus left Middletown for years after that. Landon lost his fiancée too and left his hometown," Grace explained.

Diana looked stunned. "For real?"

"Yep, for real. The bitch even came to Middletown to ask for a second chance. Can you believe the nerve of that woman?"

"I believe you are jealous," Diana smiled at her sister-in-law.

"Darn right I am! But I also care about Landon, and I'm pretty sure she's no good for him."

Diana nodded.

"I'm sorry to change the subject, but I came to talk with you about Founders' Day. The students are already asking me what we are going to represent."We need something new. Something fresh," Diana told her.

"Maybe Landon could help," Grace suggested.

Diana rolled her eyes. "How?"

"He has been investigating about Fergus Carter. He talked with Old Man Carter himself twice."

The last sentence piqued Diana's interest. "Wow, that would be great! Maybe he could write a play."

CHAPTER 30

Landon woke up screaming. Scout was whining and pawing at him with his foot. He was trembling and sweating and could barely breathe. He clung to the dog until he could breathe normally again. But when he looked at his hands, they still shook.

Scout snuggled close, his tongue frantically trying to lick him. He buried his hands in his fur. Comforted by his unconditional love, he didn't move. His shaking finally stopped as the last of the recurring nightmare faded away.

He knew from experience he wouldn't go back to sleep.

The water felt good, sensual even. He hadn't even thought that word for a long time. He shampooed his hair, and then he soaped his body, turning the water as hot as he could bear. When he stepped out, he noted that Scout had not moved from his watchdog position.

"Just a few more minutes," he promised.

He mentally planned the day as he made coffee and toast for himself and prepared dog food for Scout. At least now he had something to plan. Breakfast and a walk, then write down everything he had talked with Marcus Carter about.

A couple of hours later, Landon was reading and re-writing some paragraphs when Scout barked just before someone knocked at his door.

He opened the door to find Grace with a pecan pie in her hands. She looked prettier today than she had yesterday, and more yesterday than the day before. God help him if that trend continued.

Scout greeted her with a friendly bark.

"Good morning, Grace. What a lovely surprise."

"Good morning, Landon.

"You look great," he said as he glanced at a pair of pants that fit snugly on her slim figure and a dark brown blouse.

He couldn't remember being so at ease with a woman. Not even with Darla.

Grace's pulse spiked. Her heart thudded faster even as she sliced the pie and put it on two plates while Landon fixed their drinks.

"Thank you," she said blushing.

"Down, girl," she told herself.

"Did you bring me a pie?

"Yeah, it's kind of a bribe. I have something to discuss with you. My sister-in-law Diana and her husband teach in Middletown High. They want to represent a play for Founders' Day. I thought we can use your investigation to write a script. I told the mayor about it and he loved the idea. He wants to turn it into a town event."

"More work, Grace? We need to discuss my payment again," he said, there was a pause and then he winked at her. His old self was back for a moment.

Grace smiled at him. "You got me for a moment."

"Okay, I'll help but you owe me."

"I'm already in debt with you, Landon."

"Keep in mind, I'm not a scriptwriter. I'm not even a writer."

"I took a Writing Class in high school, and Diana is an English teacher. She is willing to help too."

Landon twisted his mouth. "Grace, you know how I feel about hanging around people. Something like this is going to need a lot of meetings."

"Don't worry, I'll deal with the meetings. You just need to write down the facts and help me with the dialogues," she suggested, "Why don't we eat the pie while we talk about it?"

Grace stood up, cut two pieces, and put them on the plates. When she moved forward to give Landon his plate, Scout crossed in her path making her stumble. She reached forward and clung to Landon's shirt. The plate went down to the floor.

"Grace!" Landon reached out for her, and they both fell against the fridge, her face next to his, her body pressed against his. He held out his arms to steady her.

"Are you okay?" he said shakily as she echoed the words at the same instant. She felt so good against him. Softer than she looked.

She nodded with a grin and made no effort to move. "You make a good landing pad."

He chuckled.

"What about you?" Landon asked.

"Pretty sure I'm as intact as I was a minute ago."

Their eyes met. She swallowed hard and did what she had been wanting so badly to do: she folded her arms around him and touched his lips to hers.

The feel of Grace's lips burned all the way through Landon, and he found himself responding with the same rush of heat he felt in her.

"Reaction from the near fall. Relief that neither of us was injured," Landon told himself.

As much as he tried to tell himself that, Landon knew it was something far stronger. Grace was awakening something he had thought dead and gone.

His body wasn't obeying his head. The need of her eyes, the searching of his lips all blocked the part of him that wanted to deny it.

His lips explored hers, and his body ached with need. Her arms went around him and he didn't feel so cold, so apart from everyone else. So alone. Landon found himself responding, her lips opening to him. The air between them was magnetic, storm winds blowing temptation.

Landon jerked away and stood. Trembling. "I... want but... I can't," he stuttered.

Grace's fingers smoothed his hair. "It's okay. I'm...sorry. I... shouldn't..."

"Don't apologize," he said. "It's me. Not you. I'm just not ready." He looked down at her. "I don't know if I'll ever be ready."

Grace took a deep breath and simply nodded. "I don't usually come on so strong. You just... looked so damn yummy and felt... well, just right."

"Just right?"Landon couldn't stop the smile tugging at his lips.

Grace smiled back. "Well, not the most elegant compliment, but I'm still recovering from what happened."

Landon realized then why he felt so comfortable with her. There was no pretense about her. She was comfortable in her own skin. And sexy. Much too sexy.

"I'll get you another plate," he said, and she knew he was trying to cut the tension that the kiss had created.

Grace moved out of the way and picked up the broken pieces of plate, then she sat down and watched as Landon took the first bite.

"Wow. This is the best bribe pie I ever tasted," he said with his mouth full.

"It's my mom's own version. She taught me to cook since I was five. It's a favorite from church socials to funerals," Grace said arching her brow.

"You should sell the recipe," Landon suggested taking another bite.

She looked thoughtful. "I haven't thought of that. Not sure if Mom would approve. I don't want her ghost haunting me at night."

Landon changed the subject. "Tell me more about the play."

"Well, I thought we could write a few scenes of Fergus coming here, marrying a Native American..."

"Aiyana. We could incorporate Western and folk songs in the telling. Most are out of copyright, so there should be no problem." Landon pressed his lips together. "I need to ask Marcus for permission. I'm not going to write anything unless he gives me the okay. If he says no, it's a no."

"I would never ask you to go against Marcus' wishes," she said. She drew a long breath. "Maybe it's just a dumb idea, Landon. Diana and I were talking about what to do and we were stymied."

"Would there be time?" he asked.

"Two months."

Landon let out a long whistle. "This is crazy."

Grace gave him a huge smile that warmed him down to his toes, "I've been called crazy before. You don't know what Middletown is able to achieve when we all work together."

She looked at her phone and exclaimed, "Look at the time! I better get going. I'm already late for a meeting."

"Thank you for the pie, Grace."

"You're welcome," she tiptoed to kiss his cheek and ran to her car.

It was all she could do to keep from kissing him again.

CHAPTER 31

New York, 1852

It is a joyful Yule. After ten days of searching, I found my brother Jamie. He is with me now. Running low on funds, he had been enticed into a fighting club where he was forced to lose rounds after winning several matches. When he complained about not being paid, he was badly beaten and thrown out on a wintry street in Five Points, an area much feared.

New York is a lawless place. The police are corrupt, asking for money when I sought assistance. I hired men to look for Jamie. One stumbled upon him and brought him to my lodgings. A doctor attended him, and he is improving. I asked him to return to Scotland, but he refused.

Despite his injuries, he is determined to go west. The newspapers are full of news about gold finds in California, and there are also rumors of gold in Colorado. I fear if I do not go with him, he will go alone and his recklessness will kill him.

I offered to pay our way if he would travel west with me. Jamie, now penniless, agreed. I do not seek gold as my brother craves, but I have heard there are opportunities in the West. I have talked to many people, and I am told we should buy goods and wagons in Independence, Missouri, since the journey from New York is long and harrowing with many river crossings. I have also been told we should be in Independence by April to join a wagon train for protection against the savages. I can buy goods then and hire men to drive the wagons.

I fear I have seen Scotland for the last time, but there are vast new territories to explore. I have purchased a book that purports to tell me everything we will need on the journey westward from the Mississippi.

From the Journal of Fergus Carter

Landon closed the leather-bound journal as the door to the garden room opened and Marcus appeared, followed by the old housekeeper carrying the tray of coffee and small cakes. Marcus had called him earlier in the day and asked whether he would like to read some more excerpts of the journals. Landon had grabbed at the chance.

He had been far too occupied with thoughts of his meeting with Grace last night. He welcomed the distraction.

"I thought you might need a break," Marcus said. "You've been reading for more than two hours, and it's not that easy to read. In some parts, the ink has almost faded."

Landon shoved back his chair. "I didn't realize... I'm sorry... I've just traveled a long way with Fergus."

The housekeeper poured tea into a cup and handed it to Landon, who thanked her.

"I want to ask you something," Landon said sipping his tea.

"Nothing stopped you before," Marcus said as his eyebrow arched.

"What would you think about an outdoor play about the founding of Middletown?"

He waited for the fallout.

"Not a bad idea," Marcus finally said. There was actual color in his cheeks. Marcus looked like a different man than the one Landon had met. There was life in his eyes. "Who will write it?"

"Me..."

Marcus nodded his approval.

"Grace and her sister-in-law would help. It would be a group effort, but I'd be the one in charge," Landon said. "I would like your input too. You know how the story goes better than anyone. You've read the journals."

Marcus hadn't said no so far.

"They want it ready for Founders' Day. That's in two months," Marcus Carter said. "That's impossible."

"Nothing is impossible with the right attitude. That's what Grace says, anyway."

Marcus broke his reserve sufficiently to exhibit a brief smile. "That McAllister girl has you wrapped around her little finger, hasn't she?"

Landon just shrugged and diverted the subject.

"We talked about it," Landon continued. "She is going to recruit teachers of Middletown High to help."

"I've been toying with the idea of writing Fergus's story for a long time," Marcus continued. "Maybe it's time to tell the truth about the town's hero."

"Are you sure?" Landon asked with a hint of concern.

Marcus nodded. "Maybe a good place to start would be with a narrator opening the first journal and reading an entry. Then the actors could dramatize it."

"That's a great idea. If we choose the pertinent journal entries it might work."

"I can certainly help there," Marcus offered.

Landon felt his excitement building. Marcus' reaction was far more than he had expected. He could hardly wait to tell Grace.

That sudden thought startled him. How could Grace become important so quickly?

He feared returning to the nothingness he had felt, and yet he equally feared becoming so involved in other people's lives. He didn't want to care deeply again. It just hurt too much.

"Before you leave..." Marcus Carter handed Landon a thick folder.

"What is this?" he asked.

"Some pages I printed from the first journal for you."

CHAPTER 32

"I have news," Landon's grin was downright irresistible.

"I do, too."

"You go first, then," said Landon.

"The teachers are excited about the idea of a play. The drama teacher said it was a great idea. Mr. Livingston, the principal, gave his okay, as well. He offered the auditorium for rehearsals. The play itself it's going to take place in the town's square."

"That's great news, Grace," Landon smiled at her.

"Did Marcus approve?"

"Well..." Landon looked at the floor. Grace gulped. "Yes, he did! He's going to skim through the journals to look for paragraphs we can use."

"Yay! You're a wonder!" before she realized what she was doing, Grace hugged Landon and kissed him on the cheek. Spontaneous and quick, but it sent quivers down his back.

Landon looked at her with his mouth slightly opened.

Grace batted her eyelids and said, "Hell no, I'm not sorry! Sit down and tell me all the juicy details. I promise your virtue will be safe."

Landon let out a short laugh. "That's good to know."

"Coffee?"

He nodded and she went straight to the kitchen. Grace could barely focus on what she was doing. She was too aware of his eyes on her.

She carried two cups to the table

"First," he said, "Marcus Carter has printed some pages from Fergus Carter's first journal for me to read. He told me he had the journals scanned some years ago."

Grace looked at Landon in total disbelief. "You... are... awesome." Then a slow smile spread over her face. "Can I read them?"

"Maybe, if you behave."

Grace leaned over and took Landon's hand. "You said Marcus Carter wants to help with the play."

"He had this great idea." Landon related Marcus's thoughts about a narrator reading directly from the journal.

"Is the journal that good?"

"I haven't read it all, but, yes, I think so. Fergus Carter was a good writer. Succinct, yet somehow he makes you feel you're there."

"Can I take a look at it now?"

He looked at her for some seconds. "I don't know... maybe if you give me another kiss... Then, sure."

"Thank you!" She leaned over to kiss Landon's lips, catching him by surprise.

Grace sat at the table and Landon place the folder with the printed pages in front of her. Landon sat at her side.

He didn't know how long they sat there. An hour, maybe, before she lifted her head. "You're right. You're with him every mile. I can see exactly what Marcus Carter has in mind now." She reluctantly closed the folder and placed it on the coffee table. "Have you had dinner?"

Landon shook her head. "No, not yet. I rushed to share the good news with you. I probably should go back to the cabin."

"No, you won't, Mister. You'll stay here and I'll cook dinner for both of us."

Grace knew she was asking for trouble by inviting him in, and yet she didn't want him to leave. She didn't want to be alone anymore.

Scout came with them to the kitchen and sat down next to Landon.

"What happened with the man?" Landon asked Grace out of the blue.

"What man?"

"The one that made you wary of men."

"Is that obvious?"

He just shrugged. "Our first meeting at the gym was a big hint."

"Do you want to hear the whole messy story?"

He nodded.

She was silent for a moment. It was obvious it was one she didn't want to tell. However, she knew trust is a two-way road.

"I had a string of bad relationships and even worse breakups. Most of them were the result of my own bad judgment. My last boyfriend cheated on me using dating apps. He covered his tracks using different names and using fake pictures."

"How did you catch him?"

"I looked on his phone while he was in the bathroom and found a dating app and messages back and forth with several women. When I confronted him, his apologies didn't feel genuine. He lied saying that nothing was going on, even though I had seen that wasn't true. He probably thought I was stupid. I talked with the last girl he messaged with and she admitted they had met and had sex."

"How did you find her?"

"I wrote down her number and called her."

Damn if Grace knew why she was spilling her guts. Landon was just so easy to talk to.

He reached out his hand to hers. He sensed the wound in her.

"He's an idiot," he said.

"You think?"

"I know," he said with emphasis. Then he leaned over and kissed her.

Her hand tightened over his and she stood, guiding him to his feet. He leaned against her and their bodies gravitated toward each other. His lips met hers again, and her world exploded. Heat rushed through her.

Landon knew he couldn't fight his feelings anymore. Her body felt just fine against his. Soft, supple, and strong.

The kiss deepened and the heat radiated through every nerve in his body. So did the rush of other feelings, and they all had to do with the heart.

He had never believed in love at first sight, but that was what happened when he'd seen Grace at the gym. He'd tried to deny it. He thought that maybe it was something that would disappear considering it had been too long since he'd had been with a woman. But it grew stronger and stronger. His passion lay not in lust, but in the sense of belonging and the wholeness he felt when he was with her, a wholeness that filled the emptiness in his heart.

Grace felt his hesitation, and stepped back, her hand catching his. "I'll go slow, Landon, as slow as you want."

"I don't think I want you to go slow," he said. His fingers caressed the back of her neck. "I've felt as if I've been hit by a tornado since I first saw you. It's crazy, I know, but..."

He looked down at those wide eyes and his heart melted.

"You're so pretty."

"You're not bad, either," she admitted in a wry voice.

He chuckled at that. "You're not very good at compliments, are you?"

"I'll do better. I promise."

"I can't pretend to know how this is happening or why," Landon said, lifting her chin so she looked up at him, "but I'm sure as hell not going to question it."

Grace stood on tiptoes and kissed him thoroughly, and Landon felt as if he had arrived in some wonderful place he hadn't known existed.

Scout tried to get between them. "Do you think Scout is trying to tell us something?"

Grace asked. "Do you think he approves of me?"

"One bark if you approve," Landon said.

Scout barked once.

"Smart dog," Landon scratched the dog behind the ears.

"I think you rigged that," Grace said with a smile.

"I better get going. It's late."

"I'll walk with you for a while if you don't mind."