Page 129 of Stay for Me

Uh.“Who is it?”

“Carrie and Grayson.”

Shewasanangel.

There was no other way to describe this woman. From her snow-blonde curls and her bright smile to her even brighter blue eyes, Carrie was an angel.

They’d been here for over half an hour, Carrie immediately hugging Mags as soon as he opened the door, which was something I’d never seen before. No one ever hugged that man, not even Harmony or Valerie. I watched with stunned curiosity as my cowboy hugged her back. Her man, Grayson, however, hadn’t been paying an ounce of attention to them. No, as soon as the door opened, his eyes shot to me.

I knew very little about Joseph Grayson, but I knew he was a bounty hunter, one of the best in the country. I never got to meet him when Denver hired him, and now, I was thinking that might’ve been a mistake. He was tall, the same height as Mags, slightly thicker build. His most notable feature was the scar that started at his temple and trailed all the way down into his beard. Like the idiot I was, I waved at him, shooting him a lame smile.

Thankfully, that worked, because his cold exterior melted away, returning my smile with a gorgeous one.

Introductions were made and before Mags could get a word in, Grayson asked to speak with him. What for, I didn’t know, but I knew in my gut something was wrong. However, Carrie pulled me away, not giving me the time my anxiety needed to analyze it.

Now, from Mags’ place in the kitchen, his eyes met mine, softening a fraction as Grayson talked to him in low tone, making it difficult for me to hear. His arms were folded over his chest, his ass against the counter, ankles crossed as Grayson stood beside him, body facing my cowboy, his hand braced on the counter while he talked with his other. Studying Grayson’s scarred profile, I could see the concern etched in his features, the tension in his neck, the urgency in the way his hand moved with every word flowing from his mouth.

Mags paid attention to none of it, keeping his dark gaze on me, his eyes heating with each passing moment.

“You’re stunning.”

I blinked, looking over to Carrie, who was on the other end of the couch, dressed in a lovely pink dress and jean jacket. “Sorry?” I whispered.

She smiled at me, her eyes filled with admiration. She was either oblivious to the conversation happening in the kitchen, or she knew and was trying to distract me. “You’re stunning, Diana.”

Okay, I could let her distract me.

My cheeks heated. “Oh,” I murmured, my eyes dropping to Mags’ shirt and boxers. “I feel a bit under dressed, if we’re being honest.”

“Your clothes have nothing to do with your beauty,” she countered. “When I met Mags, I didn’t even have shoes on.”

Last year, Mags had spotted Carrie on the trail camera, trekking through the snow in the middle of a storm. Turns out, she had been kidnapped from her work in Astoria, Oregon and taken to a shitty motel just a few miles down from the far side of the ranch. She’d escaped—barefoot—and wandered onto Hallow Ranch. I had been in court that week, but when I returned to town, Valerie didn’t hesitate to fill me on all the “Mags Drama.”

“I’m sorry that happened to you,” I whispered, my voice cracking. “When Valerie told me about it, I just…God, Carrie. I’m so sorry.”

She leaned over, placing her hand on top of mine. “Fate’s a crazy, wonderful thing, ya know?” I tilted my head in confusion, and a soft laugh left her. “I used to think the universe, God, or whoever hated me because of all the things I’d been through. When I fell in love with Grayson, I truly believed it was a long overdue apology from the universe.” She paused for a moment, her neck twisting to look over to her fiancé. “Then, I got taken, and I thought it was blip, that the short time we had together was just a mistake.”

Oh, God.

Tears were shining in her eyes now, and the conversation in the kitchen had all but stopped. I flipped my hand over to hold hers, our fingers automatically intertwining. She held my eyes as she gave me a gift so special, it had me falling in love with Mags all over again.

“I passed out in the snow and woke up in this cabin, right there in front of the fire.” She pointed to the floor. “I didn’t know where I was, who I was with, and I was scared for my life. Denver and Mason were here, and Harmony, but they were strangers to me. A-and when Denver said Mags’ name, I knew Grayson wasn’t a mistake.”

A whimper left me as I brought my free hand to my mouth, my eyes stinging.

“Mags saved my life, but he also gave me hope again,” Carrie rasped.

“God fuckingdammit, Sunshine,” Grayson seethed, slamming his cup down before stalking across the living room, capturing her face in his hands and kissing her.

I bent my head, giving them privacy, and a second later, I heard, “Sorry.”

My head snapped up to find Grayson smirking down at me. The scar on the side of his face was striking, sure, but he eyes, nearly as dark as Mags’, had the ability to hold me captive. “You’re allowed to kiss your woman,” I blurted. “Don’t apologize on my account.”

A rough chuckle left him as he took a seat on the arm of the couch beside Carrie, whose face was now beat red. “I’m also sorry for crashing your weekend, but,” he paused shooting a look to Mags, “I’m a nosy son of a bitch.”

“Gonna kill you one day,” Mags grumbled, shaking his head. He was keeping his distance from me, and I didn’t know how to cope with that. Whatever Grayson had told him rocked him, sure, but he was doing his best not to show it. The pit in my stomach began to grow.

“No, he won’t,” Grayson told me on a laugh.

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