Read Saving Grace for Free Online

when I started my period. You take the boys and I’ll take her. My aunt took me window-shopping and then out to lunch, and then we did our nails. Just the two of us. All of the other kids stayed home with my uncle.”
    “How many kids?” It dawned on him he knew little about her, and she was spending lots of time with his children. Tomorrow, he’d run a background check on her to supplement the info he’d found on the Internet.
    “There were ten, well eleven including me, but I’m the only one still living. After my aunt and uncle adopted me, they started taking in foster kids with special needs—you know the ones who would never have been adopted out. I had four brothers with Cystic Fibrosis, a sister with Down’s Syndrome, three sisters with profound retardation, and two siblings—a brother and sister—who were severely autistic.”
    “Your aunt and uncle sound like saints.” No wonder she knew so much about children, she’d been taking care of them her entire life.
    “I’m going to tell my uncle you said that. He’ll like it, and my aunt would have liked it too. She died several years ago. Now, it’s just me and my uncle.”
    “Is he close by?” As long as he concentrated on her, he could almost ignore the pounding in his head…almost.
    “He’s in an assisted living facility in Round Rock. It’s not the best place, but it’s all I can afford. There’s a place in Lakeway that’s better, but they don’t have a spot for him right now, and I can’t swing the rent anyway.” She was breathing heavily.
    At six foot one and mostly muscle, he knew it couldn’t be easy for her to take all of his weight. “What about insurance? Doesn’t that pay part of it?”
    It wasn’t any of his business, but focusing on her was sort of working.
    “They pay the majority, but my uncle is a retired chemistry teacher and part-time Baptist preacher. In the state of Texas, teachers get teacher retirement and not social security, because some government agency calls it ‘double dipping’ to give them both. Even though most teachers have worked other jobs, and paid into social security. If you ask me, it’s a load of crap.”
    They stumbled into his bedroom. Grace looked around. “Not what I was expecting.”
    Chord followed her eyes. He’d always hated this room. There was pink flowered wallpaper, a matching pink flowered comforter, and two pink velvet chairs in a sitting area in front of a pink marble fireplace.
    Grace helped him to the bed. “That’s a whole lot of pink.” She looked around and shook her head. “You’re losing some serious man points by sleeping in this room.”
    “My ex-wife loves pink.” He eased on the bed.
    Grace knelt down and slipped off his shoes. “Did you two just get divorced?”
    “Nope, it’s been five years.” He was so cold. He should have gotten under the covers, but his mind wasn’t working right.
    “Wow, I guess you got used to the pink.” As if she could read his mind, she went to the other side of the bed, grabbed the comforter and pulled it over him. “You can have the pink removed. All it would take is removing the wallpaper and getting new bedding and furniture. I’d be happy to call someone for you. We could have this de-pinked by next week.”
    “I’ll think about it.” All he wanted to do right now, was drink a gallon of water and take a nap. “Can I ask you for one more thing?”
    “Shoot.” She tucked another pillow under his head.
    “Water. Could you bring me some water?”
    “Absolutely.” She walked into the bathroom and riffled around through the cabinets. A minute later she came back with a box of cold medicine. “I’ll bring you some water and you can take these. They should help.”
    She set them on the nightstand next to him and turned toward the door.
    “Grace.”
    She stopped and turned around. “Yes.”
    “Thanks.”
    One corner of her mouth turned up. She had a nice mouth…full bottom lip just ripe for sucking. “No