at the men. Three are dead.' He added the warning so she could
prepare herself for what she was going to see. 'I hate to ask, but I
have to know if they were hired thugs or part of the gang.'
'I understand.'
'I'm going with you, ' Grace told Jessica, ignoring the fact that
Daniel was shaking his head at her.
'I would rather you waited here.' She patted his chest. 'I know you
would, but I'm going with her, ' she insisted, and before he could
argue, she went to the door and pulled it open. 'Come on, Jessica.
Let's get this over and done with.' Jessica led the way. She was
worried about how she would react to the sight of the dead men and
didn't want to disgrace herself in front of Cole. She was a strong
woman, she reminded herself. She could and would get through this.
Grace's hand kept brushing against Daniel's as they walked along, but
she couldn't make herself move away from him. She couldn't stop
looking at him either and kept glancing up just to make certain he
wasn't going to vanish. When she had heard the gunshots, her heart had
felt as though it had stopped, and it wasn't until that very moment
that she realized how much she loved him. No, that wasn't true, she
thought. She'd known for a long time, she just hadn't been willing to
acknowledge it because of the complications and the pain he would cause
her.
l He had been honest from the very beginning. He loved his Kathleen
and no other.
'Daniel, I know now isn't the time . . . in fact, it's a terrible time
to tell you . . . ' He was barely paying attention to her as his gaze
scanned the buildings on either side of the street. There was at least
one member of the Blackwater gang still out there, and Daniel wasn't
taking any chances.
'Tell me what? ' he asked.
'I've become attached to you.' She didn't think he'd heard her
whispered admission, for he showed absolutely no reaction, and she was
glad of it. She shouldn't have said a word, because the timing was all
wrong. She should have waited until they had a quiet moment together
and then admitted how she felt, but she was compelled to tell him this
very moment, fully expecting a rebuke.
'Yeah, I know.' It was such an arrogant response she smiled. 'Should
I try to stop? ' He looked straight ahead when he answered. 'No, I
don't want you to stop.'
